ルーヴルの猫 オールカラー豪華版 (上)

ルーヴルの猫 [Louvre no neko] #1-2

by Taiyo Matsumoto, 松本 大洋, Isabelle Merlet (Color)

松本大洋、初のオールカラー単行本!!

フランス人カラーリスト、イザベル・メルレ氏によって彩られたルーヴル美術館で暮らす猫たちの世界。松本大洋が夢見た、日仏漫画界最高アーチストの協奏曲!!

【あらすじ】
ルーヴル美術館の屋根裏に棲みついた猫達。人間から隠れて暮らしていたが、
一匹の白猫がその掟を破り、冒険に出かける。絵画から聞こえる声に導かれて
入った世界には…!?

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Cats, Art, Fiction

First published April 25, 2018

About the author

See also: 松本大洋 and 松本 大洋

Although Taiyo Matsumoto desired a career as a professional soccerplayer at first, he eventually chose an artistic profession. He gained his first success through the Comic Open contest, held by the magazine Comic Morning, which allowed him to make his professional debut. He started out with 'Straight', a comic about basketball players. Sports remain his main influence in his next comic, 'Zéro', a story about a boxer.

In 1993 Matsumoto started the 'Tekkonkinkurito' trilogy in Big Spirits magazine, which was even adapted to a theatre play. He continued his comics exploits with several short stories for the Comic Aré magazine, which are collected in the book 'Nihon no Kyodai'. Again for Big Spirits, Taiyo Matsumoto started the series 'Ping Pong' in 1996. 'Number Five' followed in 2001, published by Shogakukan.

Source: Lambiek website bio .

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of the Louvre-sponsored graphic novels about the Louvre, one of the most ambitious of all of them, a tw0-volume manga by Taiyo Matsumoto (Sunny) filled with mystery and fantasy and pathos and strangeness and an appreciation for the attractions of art for anyone. As with some others from the series, this one depends on what happens at the Louvre after hours, during the night, behind the scenes; with that Toy Story assumption--when a toy falls in the playroom and there is no adult around to hear it, that means magic happens.

In the attic of the Louvre there are variety of cats, some of them talking, some with human features, and one of them, little white Snowbébé, is drawn to the artwork, so he increasingly ventures downstairs. He has a kind of close affinity to the art, having a kind of sixth sense where he hears some of the artwork luring viewers into them. Another key character is Marcel, the older night watchman who also cares for the cats, who believes that when he was a little boy fifty years ago his sister wandered off in the Louvre and actually entered into one of her favorite paintings (which is the kind of thing that happens in more than one of the Louvre series books). He enlists docent Cecile and Snowbébé to find the painting and his long-lost sister.

So it’s not the cute-cats-in-all-the-paintings kinda story you might have expected from the title but a paranormal and/or surreal story of philosophical spiders and weird cats and great paintings and a lost little girl and a missing painting. And a skinny cat named Twiggy (also the name of a skinny sixties model) who helps Snowbébé. And a painting restorer who also figures in importantly in the story. Haunting and touching, with a bit of nostalgia and adventure reminiscent for me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. With cats. I like it a lot. Doesn’t it sound strange and inventive? It is.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


The Premise

Mysterious happenings are afoot in the night time hours at the world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris. Because in the attic live a small family of cats... and one of them has an unusual affinity for the art. Snowbebe is the odd cat out, a small white kitten who threatens the other cats existence with his bold appearances in the museum. It catches the attention of a tour guide who befriends the night manager who has a mysterious connection to our little white cat. Cats of the Louvre embodies philosophy and perspective to craft a story that is quintessential Japanese, adult and sweet in an edgy and dreamy sort of way.


The Buzz

Taiyo Matsumoto effortlessly crafts a moody atmosphere for the Louvre at night for Cats of the Louvre. You sense right away that all is not right in the museum never suspecting that at the center of it all is a small white kitten. As we get to know Marcel, the night caretaker, we learn that the art hanging on the walls can be dangerous to those that can hear them. Snowbebe has those kinds of ears and spends all of his time concentrated on the paintings that he's become quite estranged from his little cat family.


The Feels

Twiggy, one of the other cats, worries over Snowbebe in Cats of the Louvre and totally wins my heart for it. There is quite a startling event with him that totally had my heart in my throat. Actually I was quite surprised at the powerful events at the heart of this quietly paranormal story. We have a little girl who isn't lost, a missing painting, a rabid dog, an assassin cat, a philosophical spider and a family of cats that take on human personas when they are alone.


The Visuals

I really loved that the entire Cats of the Louvre story is packed into one large volume. Taiyo Matsumoto's style is quite distinct and takes you by surprise at it slowly creates a unique world that involves cats in an Art Museum. The humanized cat forms were so Parisian that their design really helped to contribute to the overall sense of the Louvre. My favorite characters by far are the night caretaker and art restorer and not the cats!! I found their connection to the mysterious power of the art to be fascinating as outsiders peering in.

Cats of the Louvre is a standalone volume by Taiyo Matsumoto, an Eisner Award winner. This is not a cutsie story about cats posing in the most famous art museum... It's quintessential Japanese, adult and sweet in an edgy and dreamy sort of way. And will leave you thinking about what it all means long after you finish it!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this manga review and many others on my book blog every Monday @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews at the bottom of the page.

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[Jola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start with, this is an absolutely gorgeous book! The hardcover has a nice, solid heft to it. And the use of contrasting textures between the stripe across the top and the rest of the cover is a tactile delight. If you're reading a digital copy of this book, I feel sorry for you. Its beauty as a physical object is, in my opinion, a significant part of the experience of reading it.

“And how does it read?” you may ask. (Go on. Ask it.) Quite well, quite well. Matsumoto has an interesting style, more expressionistic than your typical manga artist. In particular, look at his cat people, physical characteristics ridiculously exaggerated. And yet it works. He somehow embodies their essence, and … just … it works.

Unsurprisingly, the story is set in the Louvre Museum in Paris. We have two main groups of characters: several tour guides who work in the museum, and a colony of cats who live in the attic. Certain rare individuals--both human and feline--possess the ability to enter certain paintings, and it all figures into a story that's more about emotional action than physical. It's a quiet, magical delight.

The book is part of a series of graphic novels centered in and around the museum that have come out in recent years. I’ve only read a few of them, but I would have to say that Cats of the Louvre is the best and most memorable of those. Rather than rely upon the museum’s reputation to justify an artily oblique series of images, this book contains an actual story.

Cars of the Louvre is one of the best manga I’ve read in a long time. Highly recommended!

[Ray Nessly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read: July 2022

Cats + super-famous art museum + the beautifully surreal =
Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto



Given this auspicious combination of favored elements, I had expected to go absolutely apeshit lord/not/lady Gaga for this graphic novel. Yes, the art is quite cool (the Louvre setting, the Paris environs, the cats—who doesn’t love cats, who?!—and the terrific recreations of some of the museum’s holdings). But a varyingly engaging, sometimes repetitious, bit-too-long 428 page story tempered my enthusiasm a tad. Three stars, maybe 3.5 = good, and I would happily investigate other stuff by this artist/author.

Btw, it's a manga. (Not one of the big-eyed kid ones though.) I guess it had been a while since I’d read one. But like what they say about riding a bicycle ... you don’t forget Manga 101 either. First rule, read the book from back to front. No prob. And if you mistakenly openly the book as you "normally" would, you'll very quickly notice something's amiss. Or you should anyway. Especially since it says "Fin". Even if your French is not all that it could be, it also says, helpfully: page 428. (These people thought of everything!) So, sheepishly, go to the back page instead. Now, read the panels on each page from right to left. (Sandwich hand, milk hand, for many of us). Child’s play—literally! It’s a comic book! But fancier and pricier and way longer than the ones you read when you were a kid. (And it's backwards … damn foreigners …) But kidding aside, it’s only when there are seven, eight+ dialogue balloons within a single panel, scattered willy-nilly and not necessarily in neat rows, that it gets a tiny bit challenging, trying to discern the artist's intended pathway, be it simply right to left, or diagonally. Good exercise for the brain maybe. Akin to, say, brushing your teeth with your weak hand while standing on one leg. Which I do about as often as I read a manga. Both of which I “really should” do more often.

Favorite characters: the long-lost little girl and the young cat, who share 1) a propensity to age slowly and 2) a yearning to escape into a painting (the funeral of Love, aka Cupid, image below; the elderly caretaker (yes, the little girl’s brother. We’re toying just a bit with time here); the disillusioned museum guide (whose story I would’ve liked more of). Oh and the cats of course, and their anthropomorphized versions. Least favorite characters: the feline-ized humans. Very few of those, thankfully. Basically? Guys in cat suits. Like, I don’t know … a certain B’way production or filmed version thereof that no amount of money or xxx-rated favors could ever in this life induce me to attend?

Here is another star of the book, the painting that the two escape into. This is hardly a spoiler. Surely all will expect it, and it makes for a spectacular finish to this slow burn of a read.

The Funeral Procession of Love, ca. 1580, Henri Lerambert.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite a slow start and the occasional depiction of cats as half human that triggered a shuddering flashback to the appalling movie version of the Cats musical, I warmed to this fantasy of a night watchmen who looks after stray cats in the Louvre's attic and then spends the rest of his night seeking traces of his sister who went missing in the museum fifty years prior. He shares his cat care-taking chores with and confesses his suspicion that his sister must have gone into a painting to a new watchmen and a sympathetic museum tour guide. Meanwhile, the cats traipse around in their shifting forms, fighting frequently amongst themselves and sometimes with a passing dog.

It's weird, but builds steadily toward an emotional climax.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a strange book, the artwork is lovely which is what drew me to this in the first place, and I liked the premise. This book purports to be about cats living in the Louvre and it is, and it isn't, and this is where it all fell down for me. I liked the idea of generations of cats living in the Louvre, I liked the magical realism, I liked the mystery, but I HATED the weird humanised versions of the cats that are interspersed throughout and the tangents the story goes on during those parts. It really took me out of the narrative and I felt it was unnecessary, it quite ruined the book for me actually. Definitely worth a look for the artwork though.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collected two volume manga is translated from the Japanese by Michael Arias.

This book is a physically beautiful object and has a nice heft in the hands. The illustrations are lovely, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this surreal fairy tale romp of cats in the Louvre. Cats, art, museums, and a surprisingly poignant look at the bonds of love and family. I was delighted the entire time.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A melancholy manga merging the every day lives of homeless alley cats with a surrealistic magical realism tale of paintings coming to life at night. It takes place in an art museum and is reminiscent to classical fiction and Victorian period dramas. It's extremely trippy and hard to follow at times, but it's ripe with emotion and poetic artistic expression. It takes place in France and has a very unique style of art, dialogue and characterization that I've almost never seen done in a manga before.

I enjoyed reading it, but it did get just a little too abstract and uninterpretable at times. I wish some of the more obscure plot elements were explained and tied up a bit neater. I liked that the cats were portrayed in a humanistic fashion with their own morals, personalities and struggles while out of the public eye with no humans around. It reminded me of Toy Story in that regard.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book evokes deep loneliness and sorrow, but at the same time provides comfort in the knowledge that we all live and die and that the world goes on. It’s quite surreal in the sense that the illustrations portray a subjective worldview of each character. The author’s passion for art and simple acts of kindness shine through every page.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ongrijpbaar op een bepaalde manier, zodra je het wilt beetpakken is het verdwenen, maar als je erin meegaat verdwijn je in het boek net zoals je in een schilderij kunt verdwijnen.

Een manga die Taiyo Matsumoto in opdracht voor het Louvre maakte, het op sommige momenten surrealistische verhaal speelt zich vooral af tijdens de nachten in het Louvre, waar op de zolder een paar katten leven en een meisje ooit in een schilderij verdween. Het is een echte Matsumoto qua thematiek, het belang van kunst, de surreële elementen die erin verwerkt zijn, maar ook de outcasts die worstelen met hun eenzaamheid, pijn en het zoeken naar een eigen plek in deze wereld. Het zijn elementen die onlosmakelijk met zijn hele wezen verbonden zijn en altijd in meer of mindere mate in zijn werk terug zijn te vinden. De gebroken dromen en de hoop zijn in wezen die van Matsumoto zelf die als kind opgroeide in een gezinsvervangend tehuis en dat zijn leven lang met zich meedraagt. Ik ben er in elk geval altijd door geraakt en hou erg van zijn werk. Het is niet altijd even toegankelijk, en als je van een flitsend verhaal met vaart houdt moet je dit zeker niet oppakken, het is traag, en, ik heb een boek nog niet eerder zo genoemd, een erg introvert werk.

Minpuntje is de titel die het boek kreeg. The Cats of the Louvre is natuurlijk heel duidelijk voor een Louvre-uitgave, maar vind ik veel te zoet en een mismatch qua inhoud, te vlak. Van mij had het vernoemd mogen worden naar het schilderij in de hoofdrol 'the funeral procession of love', dat beschrijft perfect het verdriet van verloren liefdes, een rode draad in het boek, waar kunst een troost is zodra je er alleen mee kunt zijn in de nachtelijke eenzaamheid.

Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCae481Al_g/

[Halina Hetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одна з найбільш неочікуваних книг, що могла би бути проспонсорована Лувром. Музей періодично випускає мальописи, дії яких або відбуваються безпосередньо в Луврі, або якось з ним пов'язані - я вже читала The Red Mother With Child, про біженця що рятував від терористів важливий африканський витвір мистецтва, тож цей факт і саме існування такої серії, куди входять також мальописи жанрів детективу та фентезі поряд з більш реалістичними історіями, мене не здивував. Знала я також і про те, що Лувр співпрацював з декількома мангаками в цій серії. Взагалі-то такі проекти мені вважаються дуже потрібними та цікавими, і хотілося б бачити їх також і в Україні, тим більш що різноманітних художників, як вічизняних, так і зарубіжних, що зацікавлені в нашій культурі зараз хоч греблю гати. Тож здивувало мене в цій книзі саме те, наскільки ж вона (прекрасно) дивна. І наскільки (прекрасно) сміливий Лувр, щоб брати в ній участь.
Перед вами - майже екранізація мюзиклу "Коти" Ендрю Ллойда Веббера, але не крінжові "Кішки" Тома Гупера 2019 року, зовсім ні. Це альтернативна манга з сеттінгом у Луврі, в персонажів якої ви закохаєтеся, не зважаючи на те, що вони то коти, то перекидаються на загадкових котоподібних людей. Перебіг подій дуже таємничий, з декількома сюжетними лініями, насиченими дивними історіями з минулого, що включають подорожі в часі та просторі. Робота прекрасно намальована, і в цілому не розчаровує і не дає засумувати, не зважаючи на доволі повільний темп розповіді. Однозначно рекомендую всім любителям дивацтв.
_____
2025: перечитала і згадала, що закохана в Sawtooth.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love the idea of getting to explore a museum after dark, especially with the Louvre. I've been there twice, and seeing some of the halls and different areas of the museum brought back very good memories for me. The artwork was stylized and strange, which kept things feeling fresh. I also thought the magical twists were a whimsical compliment to the setting.

So, what made this an average read? The pacing. Though the story had creative ideas, it felt overlong in certain parts. They probably could've made this around 100 pages shorter and it would've still had the same impact. There were a few parts that felt more like filler than anything else.

All that being said, I still had a fun time reading Cats of the Louvre. It was a nice library find.

[Coke Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un manga enigmático, de espíritu melancólico, con cierto realismo mágico y un estilo de dibujo muy europeo.

Me ha parecido interesante esa doble visión de los gatos, que aparecen como tales cuando hay personajes humanos con ellos y como animales antropomorfos cuando están sin nadie cerca. Le permite al autor dar una mayor profundidad a los gatos, darles voz y explicar mejor tanto sus inquietudes como las relaciones que tienen entre ellos.

Otras obras de Taiyo Matsumoto me han gustado más, pero estoy contento de haber leído Los gatos del Louvre.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are Raymond (from Animal Crossing) and Snowbebe siblings? That's what I really want to know:





I liked it. I liked the art. I liked the story. I liked it all.

And Gwen - who loves cats more than anybody I know - well, I'm going to recommend this to her. I'm not going to force it on her. Just recommend it.

Also - and here's where the judgements should come in - I think this is the very first Manga I've read right-to-left. And I grew up with Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop... What's wrong with me? Better late than never?

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cats of the Louvre is a strong series of related, but not particularly plotty, stories. Matsumoto is an immensely talented artist with a distinct style, and his art really works to make the story come alive. The story is ultimately satisfying, though there is a surprising amount of sadness along the way, which I think makes the end feel even more hard-earned.

[Jeff Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colony of stray cats + the labyrinths of an empty museum at night + mysterioso paintings.

While the least of the Matsumoto books I've read, it's still pleasantly strange and remarkably charming.

[James Koppert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that adhere to their own rules and this is such. Wonderful 

[Loz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in so long. Absolutely fantastic art. A winding story with layers and wry whimsy.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel, told in manga form, takes us to the Louvre Museum in modern day Paris where we first follow an art curator who finds a cat in the museum and will later learn of how it’s connected to a family saga of anthropomorphic cats surviving through hope and art. It’s a very interesting and emotional story that gets more engaging as you read on. It’s also our cat 🐈 Snowbébé, who’s mainly the heart of the story brings a spellbinding part to it. A very enjoyable and enticing read for lovers of art and cats. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Ruthsic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cats living in the Lourve - when I first saw the synopsis I was like, 'How cute!', and I must say I have never felt so betrayed. I mean, I thought it will be magical and adorable, and what I was given was a sad story about a missing girl, a depressed cat and a bittersweet tale? Like, WHAT? The story is, as the name suggests, mostly about the cats living in hiding in some part of the Lourve castle - they are being fed by an old night guard, but they can't be seen running around during the day, you know, because well they will be caught and removed from the premises. So the community of cats that lives there makes sure that the kitten, Snow Bebe doesn't get out and be seen, which of course, doesn't always work. He is seen by one of the museum guides, who along with the night guard, starts to uncover the mystery of his missing sister (who disappeared decades ago into a painting) and is helped indirectly by Snow Bebe. The artwork is a bit rough in its linework and character design, and the anthropomorphic cats switch between cat form and well, the Cats musical form. As I mentioned, it has more sad moments (is it the French setting?) than cute moments and at the end, I don't really know where the story actually had intended to go, or if it was just supposed to be about their life.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media LLC, via Edelweiss.

[michelle (travelingbooknerds) · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me cry thrice

this moving story about grief, memory, looking back at one’s past and the decisions and choices that inform their present, told through the setting of the louvre and cats, it’s such a rich beautiful creative world that i loved spending time in and would love to spend more time in again in the future. lyrical and poetic even in its illustration style, this emotionally resonant tale will have you reaching toward the tissue box for a tissue.

highly recommend for you or your friend who loves cats, taylor swift, art history, museums, cinematic stories, mental health awareness, stories that are a little sad but also sweet and hopeful.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sister of Marcel, the night watchman, vanished fifty years ago in the Musée du Louvre, and Marcel suspects that his sister found a way to disappear into a painting.

Cecile works as a docent at the Louvre, but she is dissatisfied with her job.

Marcel enlists Cecile to help him find his missing sister.

There are also cats who change back and forth into humans and one of the cats is intent on killing a small white cat. There's a painting restorer who is drawn into the story of the missing sister and talking paintings and even a strangely philosophical spider.

A completely original story with a large number of characters who are not very happy living on earth.

[Ghostcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This new volume about the Louvre Museum has exactly the same flaws and qualities that the Taniguchi one. Matsumoto uses his own unique style in the most brilliant way, the drawings and atmosphere are beautiful and fascinating, and of course quite sad. I liked a lot the general idea and how it connects with the Museum but it seems that he didn't know where to go with it, it lacks a little something more personal, but it is quite logical for a command work.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a personal fav but still has a lot of fascinating artistic experimentation as always (this time incorporating pencil drawings along with ink and pen, which produces yet another very interesting effect).
The char designs were a lil too furry-oriented as wiell (｀_´）

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable graphic novel with fantastic artwork throughout.

[Adarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, very sweet manga I'll be sure to revisit more than once.

[emma palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

of course it would be incredible.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

a gift to my eyes

[rojîn ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

snowbébé is my new fav name