I loved this so much, and it really surpassed my expectations. The story was so engaging that despite the size of this volume, I breezed through this. I cannot wait to get my hands on volume 2.

This was an interesting and weird collection of five horror manga stories, with the eponymous Cat-Eyed boy as the framing narrative. I really liked the first and the last stories (and will therefore definitely pick up the second volume as 'The Band of 100 Monsters' is continued there) but the middle three were a little bit lackluster for me. I thought the artwork was gorgeous throughout though!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“This fall, VIZ Media released Cat-Eyed Boy: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1, a deluxe hardcover edition of Kazuo Umezz’s Eisner Award-nominated collection of horror stories, with the second volume arriving on December 26, 2023. Born to a nekomata, or a cat goblin, but cast out of the demon village for looking too human, the titular Cat-Eyed Boy dwells in the shadows of the human world. With dangerous events seemingly following him wherever he goes, each chapter finds the morally ambiguous protagonist living with a different human family.” - Rebecca Oliver Kaplan, The Mary Sue

Thank you so much NetGalley and Viz Media for this arc!

5/5 stars

This is my favourite horror manga I've read so far! Originally serialized in the late 60s and 70s. Cat-Eyed Boy delivers some macabre and creepy stories without being overly gory or gross. I really liked Cat Eyed Boys sense of humour, and how he would break the fourth wall, but in a funny or endearing way instead of feeling silly or overdone. The art style can easily place it in the 60s/70s timeframe as well. The only thing is that most of the secondary characters look very similar or even identical from one story to the next, which can be quite confusing. That said, I still really liked this, and am eagerly awaiting the next collection!

I've been a big fan of Kazuo Umezz's since I read Drifting Classroom a few years ago and this definitely didn't disappoint! I thought that the titular main character was great and seeing all the antics he got into was fantastic.

This is another horror anthology collection similar to Junji Ito style horror, but not as steeped in body horror as Ito's work often is. These stories are more appropriate for the school library that many of Ito's collection, although there are some stories in this anthology that animal abuse, murder, and some other violent themes.

Viz Media continuing to shed light on Kazuo Umezz in this picturesque edition has been a welcome treat for fans of horror manga, helping to put in perspective the genre's history for those interested. The only negative here is that the work of Umezz does not feel like it is a good starting point for those wanting to get into horror manga but rather presents a piece of essential history. Admittedly, the Junji Ito collections available are a better entrance point into the genre. However, “Cat Eyed Boy” is still essential reading for those who can't get enough spine-tingling entertainment.

Cat-Eyed Boy is a horror manga that was originally published in Japan in three different magazines between 1967 and 1976.

Cat-Eyed Boy Perfect Edition Volume One
Written by: Kazuo Umezz
Publisher: Shogakukan Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 22, 2023

The main character of the series is, if you couldn’t guess by the title, a strange boy with cat-like eyes. The Cat-Eyed Boy is shunned by both humans and demons, and he dwells in the shadows of the human world. He wanders from place to place, and disturbing situations affecting both humans and demons seem to happen wherever he goes.

If some of this sounds familiar, it’s becaise Kazuo Umezz’s series, Orochi, focuses on a woman who travels from place to place and sees unusual events happen to people. However, unlike the main character in Orochi, who usually just observes what’s happening and only has minimal involvement in them, the Cat-Eyed Boy is more likely to become directly involved in what’s happening around him.

The first volume for Cat-Eyed Boy Perfect Edition is a little over 500 pages in length and includes a total of five stories. The first, second, fourth, and fifth stories see the Cat-Eyed Boy encountering unusual events and experiences while on his travels. The third story shows the reader where the Cat-Eyed Boy came from and the first unusual experience he was involved with. With most of the stories, though, they seem to follow a bit of a formula. There are some tweaks made to the formula between each story, but as a reader, I was still able to pick up on the fact that there’s a formula involved for telling these stories.

As I read the first story in Volume One, I swear there was a plot point in this one that felt very similar to another horror manga I’ve read (I want to say it was one of the volumes of Orochi). If I’m right, then it’s a little frustrating to see Umezz recycling a plot point between two of his series.

The fifth and final story in this volume stands out the most to me, because Cat-Eyed Boy is tempted to join a group of humans that, like him, have been shunned by society. This puts Cat-Eyed Boy in a position of having to determine where his true loyalties lie, or if he has any loyalties at all. Of the five stories included in this volume, I thought this one, along with the third story, best utilized the character of Cat-Eyed Boy.

When it comes to the art in Cat-Eyed Boy, I couldn’t help but notice that certain types of characters (young boys, women, handsome men, elderly women) tend to have very similar looking faces between each story. It seems that for “normal” characters, Umezz has a very limited amount of styles that he uses. But when he’s designing demons and monsters, you can see a lot more variety in their designs. It appears he has more of a strength for designing monsters compared to designing humans. Outside of the character designs, though, you can see that quite a bit of effort is put into the backgrounds, and Umezz’s art style really helps to establish the mood that he wants to convey with his work.

After reading some of Orochi as well as Cat-Eyed Boy Perfect Edition Volume One, I have to admit that I like Orochi a little better. While there is still some issue with the sameness to the human character designs in Orochi, it didn’t feel nearly as blatant as it does in Cat-Eyed Boy. There’s also something about the tone in Orochi that I like better than Cat-Eyed Boy, and I think the fact that Orochi is more of an observer in her series makes a big difference. Because of that, the focus in Orochi is more on the characters who are experiencing their respective strange situations than on Orochi herself. Cat-Eyed Boy was basically an observer in the first story but was actively involved in the others. The third story makes sense, since it’s about how he came to be. The final story also makes sense, since he comes to a crossroads. In the second story, the Cat-Eyed Boy was involved in the story in such a minimal way that he almost feels like he was shoehorned in. However, he does play a very important role in the fourth story.

Cat-Eyed Boy isn’t necessarily a bad horror manga, but I know that Umezz is capable of something a little stronger since I’ve read some of Orochi. However, if you’re a fan of Umezz and his work, this hardcover edition of Cat-Eyed Boy Perfect Edition Volume One is worth adding to your personal manga library.

While not entirely true, the easiest way to think of <i>Cat-Eyed Boy</i> is as a shounen version of Umezz's <i>Orochi</i>. Like that character, Cat-Eyed Boy lives on the outskirts of human society, but unlike Orochi, he's much more concerned with the affairs of monsters than men. He's clearly been inspired by Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro (and in fact Kitaro is name-dropped in one story), which predates him by seven years, and at times the book feels like a combination of a <i>Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro</i> knockoff and a work inspired by EC's horror comics stateside. It works, honestly, because Umezz is so good at what he does, but it lacks the impact and bittersweetness of <i>Orochi</i>.

Comparisons aside, these stories largely deal with the disconnect between outer and inner beauty. The worst monsters start out looking the most human, and by the time the fifth story, "The Band of One Hundred Monsters," arrives, the monsters are acting vicious because of how others have treated them. Cat-Eyed Boy himself is very aware of his status as an outsider in all societies, and there's a clear link to the works of Edogawa Ranpo (also name dropped) and the way Cat-Eyed Boy slithers around on the outskirts of society. It's very gross in a lot of places, and it doesn't always work, but it's still hard to put down. Junji Ito fans should definitely check it out, because there's a clear progression from Mizuki to Umezz to Ito.

CW: animal abuse

It's another Kazuo Umezz collection! If you like Orochi, this is similar, but also stands out enough to distinguish itself. The Cat-Eyed boy, like Orochi, is mostly an observer in the horror around them. This central character is younger, and more willing to get involved with the humans around him. The horror is an interesting, mostly effective mix.

Wonderful art, amazing story, just a perfect book in every aspect. Highly recommended to fans of the author, horror and manga in general. No one will be disappointed.

I had long been curious about this manga series, and this bindup is certainly satisfied my curiosity, I learned it's not really my thing, but the edition looks like it's going to be gorgeous and wonderful for any collector.

Good spooky fun! I really like that he's a cat. I'm glad I got a chance to read this old horror manga.