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デキる猫は今日も憂鬱 [Dekiru Neko wa Kyō mo Yūutsu] #8
The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today Vol. 8
CATLIKE REFLEXES
Two trespassers disturb the tranquility of Saku's home...wait, it's Mom and Dad?! Dad came up to the city for his work as a shogi teacher and Mom came to meet Yukichi. Now, Saku is at the mercy of these two visitors staying over. In the midst of this chaos at the Fukuzawa house, it's Yukichi who ends up mending the relationship between Saku and her mom!
Two trespassers disturb the tranquility of Saku's home...wait, it's Mom and Dad?! Dad came up to the city for his work as a shogi teacher and Mom came to meet Yukichi. Now, Saku is at the mercy of these two visitors staying over. In the midst of this chaos at the Fukuzawa house, it's Yukichi who ends up mending the relationship between Saku and her mom!
136 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2023
8 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Hitsuzi Yamada
16 books26 followersHitsuzi Yamada (山田 ヒツジ, Yamada, Hitsuzi) is a Japanese cartoonist, best known for the manga series The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, which debutted in 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 3, 2024
Saku’s routine is disrupted by the sudden arrival of her family and Yukichi winds up playing peacemaker. Then, Yume gets the chance to reunite with the kitten she rescued, but she’s scared that a broken promise may return to haunt her…
I wouldn’t call this series emotionally manipulative any more than any given story is trying to get you feeling one way or another, but it’s also true that it knows exactly how to work its way through a narrative to derive maximum feels from it.
Saku is rightfully annoyed that her parents show up out of nowhere, even though I’d personally be cheered up just watching her dad and Yukichi playing Go together. And then they turn out to have not booked a hotel.
This arc really captures the complicated relationship that some of us have with family, being both frustrated with them, yet loving them. And mom bringing a box of treats as a “gift” to bribe Yukichi to her side feels about right.
Saku’s mother is incredibly perceptive about some things - she clearly figures out Rio’s crush on Saku the second she meets her - but she’s also harbouring a lot of guilt over not pushing the issue with Saku when she was bullied back in school.
The communication breakdown here is believable and caused believable problems, when the intention from both Saku and her mother was nothing of the sort. The full-page spread of Yukichi caring for the broken, old version of Saku and his kitten self is as warm a sentiment as I’ve read in ages.
Of course it’s also blended with some solid gags, including Saku discovering Yukichi’s clout at the grocery store, her dad’s feelings of exclusion while all this goes on, and a camping sequence that is probably just an excuse to put Yukichi in a sleeping bag, with good reason.
The next couple segments are cute, smaller arcs that involve a coffee shop, a meteor shower, and putting away the kotatsu for the season. They’re all pretty fun, especially the meteor shower one.
We end with the return of young Yume and the story of her meeting up once more with Dia, the kitten she and Yukichi saved who turned around and became internet famous.
It’s a sweet story - Yume is so worried because she promised to take Dia home and couldn’t, so she fears that Dia will resent her. Meanwhile, all he can think about is how he rescued her in the first place.
A small kitten that wears an apron is inherently adorable - my instagram feed will attest to this - and the reunion is utterly saccharine, but not too much so. It is capped off really well by the bonus manga that focuses on Dia’s thoughts; he is like Yukichi, but not quite as clever.
This series is amusing, occasionally hilarious, but it is so stinking cute and appeals to my cat-loving soul in all sorts of ways. It wouldn’t work as simply a joke book, or a serious story, so having both lets them strike a strong, welcome balance.
4.5 stars - my old, crusty heart is easily melted by this very silly premise that is emotionally resonant, even with its cats walking all over the place. Really satisfying.
I wouldn’t call this series emotionally manipulative any more than any given story is trying to get you feeling one way or another, but it’s also true that it knows exactly how to work its way through a narrative to derive maximum feels from it.
Saku is rightfully annoyed that her parents show up out of nowhere, even though I’d personally be cheered up just watching her dad and Yukichi playing Go together. And then they turn out to have not booked a hotel.
This arc really captures the complicated relationship that some of us have with family, being both frustrated with them, yet loving them. And mom bringing a box of treats as a “gift” to bribe Yukichi to her side feels about right.
Saku’s mother is incredibly perceptive about some things - she clearly figures out Rio’s crush on Saku the second she meets her - but she’s also harbouring a lot of guilt over not pushing the issue with Saku when she was bullied back in school.
The communication breakdown here is believable and caused believable problems, when the intention from both Saku and her mother was nothing of the sort. The full-page spread of Yukichi caring for the broken, old version of Saku and his kitten self is as warm a sentiment as I’ve read in ages.
Of course it’s also blended with some solid gags, including Saku discovering Yukichi’s clout at the grocery store, her dad’s feelings of exclusion while all this goes on, and a camping sequence that is probably just an excuse to put Yukichi in a sleeping bag, with good reason.
The next couple segments are cute, smaller arcs that involve a coffee shop, a meteor shower, and putting away the kotatsu for the season. They’re all pretty fun, especially the meteor shower one.
We end with the return of young Yume and the story of her meeting up once more with Dia, the kitten she and Yukichi saved who turned around and became internet famous.
It’s a sweet story - Yume is so worried because she promised to take Dia home and couldn’t, so she fears that Dia will resent her. Meanwhile, all he can think about is how he rescued her in the first place.
A small kitten that wears an apron is inherently adorable - my instagram feed will attest to this - and the reunion is utterly saccharine, but not too much so. It is capped off really well by the bonus manga that focuses on Dia’s thoughts; he is like Yukichi, but not quite as clever.
This series is amusing, occasionally hilarious, but it is so stinking cute and appeals to my cat-loving soul in all sorts of ways. It wouldn’t work as simply a joke book, or a serious story, so having both lets them strike a strong, welcome balance.
4.5 stars - my old, crusty heart is easily melted by this very silly premise that is emotionally resonant, even with its cats walking all over the place. Really satisfying.
May 14, 2025
Love the interactions with Saku's parents. I don't really remember them, but I thought this was a good way of showing off Saku's personality. I love the Yume and Dia-chan stories too.
June 13, 2025
Desperately needed some positivity. Trying to stay mentally sane.
July 13, 2025
For the first half of the book, Saku Fukuzawa's parents drop in for a visit. It's mostly amusing, but there is a little healing too over some emotional issues from Saku's childhood. The high point of the book.
After a couple of stand-alone chapters, Yume, the niece of Saku's boss, returns to visit with the new owner of a stray cat she helped save. It's nice to develop some side characters, but the group featured here aren't my favorite members of the extended cast. Oh, well, it's still tolerable.
Side note: Oops! I missed volume 7 of this series because it still has "on order" status at my local library even though I have volumes 8 and 9 in hand. Fortunately, this series isn't really driven by continuity, so I'll continue on with 9 and read 7 whenever it becomes available.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Chapters 83-90 -- Afterword -- Bonus: The Masterful Kitten's Ambitions -- Bonus Story
After a couple of stand-alone chapters, Yume, the niece of Saku's boss, returns to visit with the new owner of a stray cat she helped save. It's nice to develop some side characters, but the group featured here aren't my favorite members of the extended cast. Oh, well, it's still tolerable.
Side note: Oops! I missed volume 7 of this series because it still has "on order" status at my local library even though I have volumes 8 and 9 in hand. Fortunately, this series isn't really driven by continuity, so I'll continue on with 9 and read 7 whenever it becomes available.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Chapters 83-90 -- Afterword -- Bonus: The Masterful Kitten's Ambitions -- Bonus Story
January 26, 2025
This series ebbs and flows, but this installment is a return to the beginning and one of the best - the storyline with her family remains one of the most heartfelt and this book sweetly reminds me how this story has so much heart, which is what makes it greater than the overall gimmick of overgrown cat caring for incompetent owner, which could not hold 8+ books of storyline that would keep my attention. This is such a heartwarming series: I love it. Both my kids do and we've been watching the anime which is just as charming as the manga!
For anyone looking to dip their toes into the manga world - this is a soft stepping stone in.
For anyone looking to dip their toes into the manga world - this is a soft stepping stone in.
December 2, 2024
I love them so much 😭
August 20, 2025
You can pick up these books and read them quite quickly, so I’ve been kind of burning through this series- I just read volume 7 at the beginning of the week! Anyways, I’m glad to say this volume didn’t let me down at all- in fact, it left me quite impressed and happy.
The volume starts off with a clear plot- Saku’s parents have crashed at her place, and are staying the night! This begins a series of silly antics- and just like that, the book has you laughing from the very beginning! I like Saku’s parents because although they clearly love their daughter a lot and are kind to her, they act very goofy (?) and almost always make me smile when they show up.
And the next portion of the story made me laugh AGAIN- this one featuring Saku’s mother finding her husband adorable, and snapping photos of him?! It was sooo funny to me, and when they kissed goodbye and Saku had a flashback to her younger self playing house, I couldn’t take it 😆!! This part was the funniest part of the book, I adored it. I’d say it worth it to read the entire story for that part alone, but yeah. Then Saku goes into town with her mom… and the story begins to be really heartwarming.
Maybe the reason I like Saku’s family so much is they always bring emotional and touching stories about Saku’s life along with their appearances. They did it back in volume 5, and it’s happening once more. I think that although the series focuses so heavy on comedy, and is very light, there are moments when you adorable the characters, feel your heart warming up, and smile and think to yourself ‘I love them so much, I just want the best for them.’ I swear, if a comedy manga can do that a
AND make me laugh all the time, I’ve got nothing to complain about. This other piece added of Saku’s lore was so, so sweet. I just...yeah. And the way her and her mother interacted afterwards also got me…. I don’t know! I just love this series 😫.
After that, the series went a bit more joke-heavy, which I think was the perfect choice. It’s important to have a good mix of story and lightness, and this series sometimes just hits so right. I enjoyed the stargazing chapter- ( side note: I want to see Saku and Yukichi go camping together at some point- please. Make it happen) and also we got two new characters added! They didn’t do a whole lot just yet, but maybe they’ll be important later on. They are coffee shop themed, and I adore that sort of thing… so I’ll be looking forward to it!
The final portion of the book was actually still lore heavy, which REALLY surprised me! This one stared Yume-Chan, and her reuniting with Dia-Chan. She rescued him, and although she said she would take him home, she couldn’t- leaving someone else to raise him with love. Dia is now a famous Instagram star, and the owners want to met Yume and Yukichi, the ones who recused the stray in the first place. Yukichi can’t come, but Yume decides to anyway- but fear overtakes her, and the runs away right after stepping through the door. Why?! The final bonus chapter, however, REALLY tied that part together- as we got a part narrated by Dia, and showing his feelings as a kitten, and how he feels about her. MY HEART CANNOT TAKE IT AGHHH
All in all, this volume made me super happy, and was strong all around! I have to say, I enjoyed this one more than the last one!! This one was just really lovely.
(This book contains alcohol and language, as well as bullying references! I would give it an age rating of 10+, but this series as a whole is 13+)
The volume starts off with a clear plot- Saku’s parents have crashed at her place, and are staying the night! This begins a series of silly antics- and just like that, the book has you laughing from the very beginning! I like Saku’s parents because although they clearly love their daughter a lot and are kind to her, they act very goofy (?) and almost always make me smile when they show up.
And the next portion of the story made me laugh AGAIN- this one featuring Saku’s mother finding her husband adorable, and snapping photos of him?! It was sooo funny to me, and when they kissed goodbye and Saku had a flashback to her younger self playing house, I couldn’t take it 😆!! This part was the funniest part of the book, I adored it. I’d say it worth it to read the entire story for that part alone, but yeah. Then Saku goes into town with her mom… and the story begins to be really heartwarming.
Maybe the reason I like Saku’s family so much is they always bring emotional and touching stories about Saku’s life along with their appearances. They did it back in volume 5, and it’s happening once more. I think that although the series focuses so heavy on comedy, and is very light, there are moments when you adorable the characters, feel your heart warming up, and smile and think to yourself ‘I love them so much, I just want the best for them.’ I swear, if a comedy manga can do that a
AND make me laugh all the time, I’ve got nothing to complain about. This other piece added of Saku’s lore was so, so sweet. I just...yeah. And the way her and her mother interacted afterwards also got me…. I don’t know! I just love this series 😫.
After that, the series went a bit more joke-heavy, which I think was the perfect choice. It’s important to have a good mix of story and lightness, and this series sometimes just hits so right. I enjoyed the stargazing chapter- ( side note: I want to see Saku and Yukichi go camping together at some point- please. Make it happen) and also we got two new characters added! They didn’t do a whole lot just yet, but maybe they’ll be important later on. They are coffee shop themed, and I adore that sort of thing… so I’ll be looking forward to it!
The final portion of the book was actually still lore heavy, which REALLY surprised me! This one stared Yume-Chan, and her reuniting with Dia-Chan. She rescued him, and although she said she would take him home, she couldn’t- leaving someone else to raise him with love. Dia is now a famous Instagram star, and the owners want to met Yume and Yukichi, the ones who recused the stray in the first place. Yukichi can’t come, but Yume decides to anyway- but fear overtakes her, and the runs away right after stepping through the door. Why?! The final bonus chapter, however, REALLY tied that part together- as we got a part narrated by Dia, and showing his feelings as a kitten, and how he feels about her. MY HEART CANNOT TAKE IT AGHHH
All in all, this volume made me super happy, and was strong all around! I have to say, I enjoyed this one more than the last one!! This one was just really lovely.
(This book contains alcohol and language, as well as bullying references! I would give it an age rating of 10+, but this series as a whole is 13+)
June 5, 2025
I'm always pleasantly surprised by how touching this manga is. The volumes that explore the relationship between Saku and her mother. They each carry such opposing views and yet the author always finds a way to make both sides believable and realistic without covering everything in angst. The moments where they come together always warms my heart. Even the stories that focus on a little kitten in a new home find a way to pull at my heartstrings. Outside of these emotional stories, the art style is as impressive as always. The way she draws Yukuchi's expressions always makes me laugh. Another wonderful entry in this series.
September 25, 2024
A very sweet continuation of their story, building on (and mending) the relationships we’ve encountered so far. Definitely had some more poignant, emotional moments, but still kept the cute and funny scenes that make this series so enjoyable.
October 9, 2024
Why so kawaii?!! I love that there is some actual story in this series, but I'd also love if it was simply a gag manga. Can't wait for more!
October 28, 2024
Love the parents. I hope to see more of them in other volumes.
November 27, 2024
Did I tear up mid way through at Saku's backstory drop and honest parent-child conversations. Yes, yes I did.
November 28, 2024
Another awesome volume...brought tears to my eyes on several occasions!
February 14, 2025
Another cute volume. It's honestly one of the sweetest series and it's like a warm hug
February 16, 2025
4.5 stars
February 17, 2025
Saku's parents turn up unexpectedly and Saku and her mother hash things out. There's a lot about Yukichi and Dia=Chan. It's just cute.
March 8, 2025
This was a nice volume~
April 8, 2025
Why does a boy cat wear a girl style apron and girl shoes and has a girly changepurse?
April 13, 2025
adore that the supermarket has a section promoting things the cat has purchased 😂❤️😂❤️
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews