A pleasant surprise! This one-shot was charming, sweet, and had a more believable romance than I expected. The dynamic between Souta and Kihachi had tension, but was still a slow-burn considering the short length of the story. If you love MLM stories, you will most likely adore this one. However, there is discussion of suicide and a suicide attempt so make sure you take that into consideration before reading if that is a sensitive topic for you.

I really enjoyed Kihachi. He is a bakeneko, a type of Japanese yokai that takes the shape of a cat. The magical world of the yokai always pulls me in, and I enjoyed the side characters. They assist Souta and Kihachi in their journey to eventual love. There is a sex scene at the end, be warned. However, I found it more gentle and sweet than other MLM stories I have read. Just a great, sweet romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for the ARC.

3.5 stars.
i enjoyed learning about the myths and stories, getting to know the characters. i felt their relationship changed and evolved in a believable way and really liked the ending

~For full transperancy, just want to state that I got a free electronic verison of this manga through NetGalley and the Publishing company in exchange for a honest review~

When I saw the summary for this manga, I asked for this on a whim. It seem fun, quirky and a short read. And it was all three! This manga is only a little over 200 pages and it has some of the cutest characters one can meet.
Note, as this was a surprise for me, there is talk about suicide and sucidal thoughts. Its were minor but it is there so read at your own comfort please!
Souta is an overworked office worker that is seeking relief from the exhaustion that he is fighting against. Stumbling home one night, he slinks into a building to listen to a play before he continued his trek home. There he meets Kihachi, a storyteller with a small secret that unfortunately gets revealed and now...they’re married?
Overall this story is so cute! I will admit, with my two cats curled up in my lap, I was cooing and awwing as how cute Kihachi is towards Souta. I will fully admit that I am a sucker for a person in a relationship is sick and the other is doting and comforting and that is what this manga is full of.
Now, their relationship isn’t all roses. Kihachi is hiding something and Souta is worried that he will end up losing the man that he is starting to fall in love with. I don’t want to go into much more detail as that will spoil about 75% of the manga so that is all I can say.
Moving on, the art is awesome. Its in the typical Toykopop style that I personally love. I love how it is illustrated and the story itself is told very well but also concisely that 200 pages isn’t too long or too short. You aren’t left wondering what else can happen at the end, its like a little present wrapped up with a cute little bow.
I highly suggest this little cute nugget to anyone who loves a cute romance story. Its quirky, I will admit, but its also heartwarming and funny. Its a good little ‘curl up in the corner with a coffee’ and take an hour to themselves manga.
Needless to say, if a second volume comes out...I would buy it in a heartbeat and continue reading the story of this very cute couple.

This book was adorable.

The main character Souta is an overworked office man who lit
erally is killing himself working so hard. He's lonely and happens to stumble into a reading where Kihachi is reading one of his stories. He learns that Kihaci is a bakeneko, a shapeshifter cat who is sometimes a human. What follows is full of pining, confusion, and a marriage that neither of them expects to last but grows stronger by the day.
I really enjoyed the art, just beautiful, and the story was very sweet. This is more shonen-ai than yaoi for those trying to look for more than just suggestive scenes but I really loved it. Highly recommended just great.

Thank you NetGalley and for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really cute and I enjoyed it. Honestly there's not too much to say, manga is always a little weird and this is no exception. I did enjoy reading about the bakeneko, but the cute love story kept me reading. It's kind of exactly the same as every boys love story out there though which is why it's only a 3 star for me. The art was probably the best thing about it though.

This book is so cute! I finished it in one day. I wish it was a series; I really want to read more about them. In truth, I think this could have been split into two books. I really like how their relationship started and how they ended up, but I feel that them actually falling in love happened very suddenly when it became clear that they could separate.

Still, I'm definitely buying a hardcopy!

This book was fun! It read like a sweet, less-creepy version of Beauty & the Beast, but with cats! I was reading it to see if it would be a good title for our teen manga collection, but I think it would be more fitting for the adult collection. Overall, a really fun and cute title.

This was so damn adorable and moving and I loved reading it. The art style was fantastic, everything was super detailed and the mangaka captured the expressions of the characters perfectly.
The plot was very lighthearted but at the same time very moving, it shows how love and companionship can legit save someone lives and the two characters were damn adorable and I loved both of them with all my heart.
I will definitely be checking out more of this mangaka’s work and I will definitely be returning to this manga for multiple rereads 😊

Review to come to blog/goodreads on Valentine's Day.

I received this book from Netgalley/publisher in exchange of an honest review.

OMG, this was just such a swoony and adorable read and I loved every bit of it. I was already hoping this would be fantastic so I am so happy that it was!

Meet Souta, a man who is totally dead tired and thinking about just ending it all. My heart just broke for him. It is not the first manga character who works too hard, whose work just makes him totally dead inside, but each time I see one of them my heart just cries that these things are apparently so normal in a country. Thankfully, Souta decides not to commit suicide and it is good he didn't because otherwise he wouldn't have met Kihachi and then we wouldn't have this beautiful romance story.

Well OK, at first it is quite awkward between the two. Kihachi isn't all too happy that he was spotted as a Bakaneko and kind of forces Souta to be his mate or be cursed. But we also learn that they have high compatibility, high energy between them. And later we learn even more about Kihachi and why he flipped into his cat mode. Haha, no I won't tell you, you will have to read this book yourself.

Kihachi and Souta are such wonderful characters. Kihachi and his origin story and how he loves to tell stories (and how while being human is still very much a cat). Souta who is trying to find a better balance in life and figuring out that you don't have to work yourself to death to be a good part of society. I loved his new plans for life.

At times I was a bit frustrated with this relationship. We could clearly see that these two have a connection, a spark. But Kihachi keeps treating Souta as a kid, as someone who needs help. Well Souta, well clearly wants something different. He doesn't want to be treated like this. And I could imagine. While caring and being protective is good, especially given how close to death Souta was, Kihachi just went too far and should instead just have given plenty of hugs and maybe some more kisses. Hint, hint. ;)

There is some drama about the above that was well written. Often in romance/Lgbt I am just not a fan of the drama, but it fitted the story and I was proud that our couple got a chance to really really chat. Show their feelings. Get all those cropped up things out.

We also meet several other characters as the story continues. Like granny who is the boss of a ryoukan and who makes sure that bakanekos don't get found out, she does the contracts and some other things. I was instantly charmed by this lady. She seems tough, but she just cares a lot. And then there is the Ryokan cat who was silly and enthusiastic, but also maybe a tad annoying. I did think it was sweet how he was rooting for our couple.

The ending was just the sweetest~ I also love the last chapter which gives us something very sexy. Oh yes!

This book made me laugh, swoon, and even cry at times because I was so invested in the story, in the characters. This couple is one you will root for. One that you will love. Nya! Fantastic art. I would highly recommend it.

This is a single volume manga telling the story of Souta, who is an overworked office worker. He is mentally and physically exhausted and on the night the story begins is contemplating suicide. I was surprised that what looked like a cute “love story” has such a dark beginning. Souta’s depression and health are dealt with for a good part of the story, not in great depth but it isn’t just side-lined after he meets Kihachi.

The Cat Proposed had more emotional conflict then I anticipated as despite the quick “we’re mates now” proposal in the beginning both men had different reasons for being hesitant about committing. As a single volume it does deliver enough story and character development to feel complete, not rushed.

The Cat Proposed was a fun MM manga read. I found the characters and their progressing relationship interesting and believable, and there was emotional growth for both of them over the course of the story. The illustration was pleasing, and the story brought a smile to my face a number of times as it was so cute and sweet. I hadn't come across a bakeneko in a story before either, so that was interesting in and of itself. I would definitely read further works by this author.

This manga style shape shifter love story is very enjoyable with good artwork, as is expected from Tokyopop. Souta is exhausted, unhappy with work and on the verge of suicide. One evening on the spur of the moment he goes to watch a traditional Japanese story teller and there he realises that the storyteller is a bakeneko, a shape shifting cat.

The cat who is called Kihachi tells him they are mates and that they need to get married. They don't need to have conjugal relations, just live in the same house. Souta agrees because there is something about Kihachi that gives him life and strength and that is where this magical romance begins.

It is actually a nice gay romance story with serious undertones of love, humour, survival and magic and as the two men are drawn to each other the reader is drawn into this fairytale like story. I enjoyed the way the book is illustrated and the pace of the story. It was actually quite moving with a nice happy ending.

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a very sweet manga about a nearly-suicidal office drone falling in love with a bakeneko (a cat-human yokai). It's also about the redemptive power of storytelling and the pursuit of joy and happiness despite the inevitability of loss. In short, it's very fun and sometimes 'fluffy,' but it's also pretty deep. The art is fairly beautiful as well.

I absolutely loved this manga and thought it was a beautiful story about finding hope and love while struggling with mental health and suicidal thoughts due to overworking and fatigue. I loved Souta and Kihachi's relationship and thought they were so freaking cute! I loved the expressions and reactions of the characters especially when their cat forms came into play 😂 Also that ending was spicyyyyyy and definitely had me blushing 😅 (it's not suuuper R-rated content tho). Overall this is a great story with awesome characters and I highly recommend it 😊

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

The Cat Proposed, by Dento Hayene
★★★★★
256 Pages
Content Warning: suicidal thoughts


The Cat Proposed is a seriously cute, lovely story that has a lot of heart and depth hidden beneath the pretty exterior. When I first saw it, I knew from the cover that I had to read it, then I read the blurb and was captivated. This is a simple, sweet story that is light and charming, with hidden depth. It's about fated mates finding each other, navigating life, love and romance from strangers to lovers, but is also – just as importantly, and just as beautifully – about Kihachi entering Souta's life and healing his broken spirit and empty life with care and affection.

When I began reading, I was intrigued to find that when Souta “sees” a man with cat ears at the play, he actually sees a full human-sized cat figure. I loved that it wasn't just an accidental thing passed off as cosplay, but something he thought was a figment of his imagination, a product of the storytelling.

Souta is an unusual character, because he begins the book so mentally, physically beaten that he's got no will to live, no positive thoughts, and no hope for the future. He's literally so tired – mentally, emotionally, physically, and every other way a person can be – he contemplates suicide. It's brief, casual and he fears a product of his bone-deep fatigue, but is really a sign of deep depression that he's just been too busy and tired to see creeping up on him. I LOVED the way he was portrayed, because in most other media, something like this would magically be resolved by love, and it wouldn't affect other aspects of his life. But, for Souta, he's been on a serious down-fall for so long that he's literally on his way to working himself to death.
Then Kihachi enters his life. A storyteller, who is a bakeneko – a magical being with the ability to become a cat – his story brings Souta to life. It sparks his imagination, captures his heart, and leads him to not only feeling like his life is worth living again, but their meeting sparks a bond that Kihachi says means they are mates.

Thus ensues a romance that is different to most others I've read. It's got a touch of insta-love, but is probably more insta-affection, and these two begin a life together built on the mate bond that becomes something sweet, deep and wholesome. There is a suggestion of 18+ material, but it isn't on page, and I loved that. The story didn't *need* more than a suggestion. I also loved that Souta had some issues around physical intimacy, due to his recent depression and illness. Instead of magically solving it, because he'd met this magical being and fallen in love, he was honest, Kihachi was understanding, and they found a way to work through it together.

The artwork was STUNNING! What you see on the cover is exactly the style and quality that you get inside. It's sweet, a little whimsical, with a lot of traditional Japanese touches, like the blossoms and fan that hint/relate to the traditional storytelling of Kihachi's career.
The pacing was perfect. It begins with Souta, and how he stumbles across Kihachi's storytelling, then progresses into their mate bond and their life together. After we've learned about both characters, through them learning about each other, we're slowly given more information about the bakeneko. I never felt like there were info-dumps or that I was being rushed towards something that didn't make sense. I never felt like I didn't follow the intricate storyline or that I couldn't understand the world of the bakeneko. The storytelling, pacing and worldbuilding were perfectly interwoven.

Overall, this was a stunningly real, wholesome story that captured my heart and won't let go for a while. TokyoPop never disappoints me with their range of the different, the unusual, and the utterly adorable work they produce. I'll be adding this to my paperback list, and adding Dento Hayane to my Watch list, for the future.

It's GAY, and it SLAPS!

As someone with terrible mental health, I related hard to the "casual" suicidal ideation that I often experience. I feel like it's something that I never see in media, but in working mental health, I know that it is not something I am alone in. But also the way the traditional Japanese play that he attends affects him so deeply and also how slow recovery can really be,

The way this romance progresses, let me completely engrossed from beginning to end. It definitely falls into the "Marriage of Convenience" trope. But how we see the relationship develop from both of their points of view is interesting and feels sincere.

If you are looking for wholesome, gay, romance? This will most definitely fill that need.

This was a pretty cute BL manga. Follows a man who falls in love with a “bakeneko,” a Japanese yokai that takes the form of a cat. Wasn’t really exceptional to me so it’s a 2.5 stars.