I Am a Cat Barista, Vol. 1

吾輩は猫である、職業はバリスタ。 #1

by Hiro Maijima

For some people, the daily grind of city life is exhausting. Yet somewhere between the busy streets there's a mysterious cat café that can only be found by weary souls. What's on the menu? A delicious drink, specially brewed for each customer... by a cat barista!

Genres: Manga, Cats, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Animals, Slice Of Life, Fiction

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2020

About the author

Name (in native Japanese): 舞嶋大

Reviews

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga was like a warm cup of hot chocolate. It's about a cat barista who creates special drinks for his customers to help them forget their troubles. I love how it talks about anxiety, self-confidence, and happiness. I highly recommend this, especially if you're stressed. It will make you feel loved.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets a full four fuzzy kitties on the heartwarming meter. And the giant man-size cat doesn't even look creepy! (A major artistic triumph, in my opinion.)

[Chantaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a very cute and cozy slice of life manga about a sort of magical cafe that shows up when people need it most, staffed by a cat barista who makes the drink that person needs in that moment. Each story features someone who has an issue they're stressed out about, and the cat barista makes them a drink while giving them some good life advice. It's cute, but I don't think I'll go on in the series.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unrealistic that all the humans weren't gay for the handsome sensitive cat man, but whatever.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a certain cafe that only appears to those in need. Staffed by a talking cat who everybody calls Master, which is more homage to his position than anything else, it offers the weary and conflicted a place to lay out their troubles and receive a cup of advice to go with their beverage.

This is cute. And slight. But mostly cute. One of the many anthropomorphic cat books that’s made its way to us of late, I would put this in a more Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan space than better titles like I’m the Catlords’ Manservant or The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today. It’s inessential, but pleasant.

I mean, yes, if I had the chance for a giant cat with big paws to serve me a drink that would help with whatever pressing problem is weighing on me, I would definitely take it. I’m definitely not faulting the premise or its appeal.

There’s not much of a variation on each individual chapter though - somebody shows up, gets sage advice via drink, takes charge of their lives. It does mix things up a little towards the end, which is incidentally when the book starts to get a bit better.

The best chapters are definitely the lost cat one, which positions our barista as a low-grade cat Jesus, sending his disciples out to do good in the world, and the bonus chapter that shows our unflappable host getting somewhat riled by a fellow feline who runs their own spot (the backstory in this one is quite sweet).

Art’s okay, story is fine, book is rather brief. If you like giant cats and them being cute and dapper, you’ll be in heaven. If you don’t, well, I think the cover alone indicated that you should be staying far, far away from this one.

3 stars - one of those utterly inoffensive books that I enjoyed reading and may read again, but I won’t necessarily be upset if I forget about and never see again. Perfectly fine at what it’s doing and if you like that, you’ll be very happy here.

[Andrée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very adorable manga! It is 7 small stories of people having a bad day for different reasons and the cat café appears for them in their time of need. The cat barista not only knows what to serve them but listens to them and gives them the emotional support they need. It is very adorable.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/ylOzF16TGbE

"Welcome to Café Hachiware…a place only the weariest of souls can find."

This might just be my favorite cat manga yet!

While I have recently read more cat-themed stories because of my four-year-old who LOVES cats, this one was exceptionally different than the others I've read before. Almost all the cat manga I've read previously is usually cute, fluffy, and funny. There has been an exception here or there, but the humor seems to be a reoccurring theme in all of them.

However, with I Am a Cat Barista, the humor isn't very prevalent. (I would say that the bonus chapter was probably the "funniest" part in this entire first volume.) While I wasn't necessarily expecting this story to be funny, I found its more soulful vibe to be exactly what MY weary heart needed.

Truly, when I picked this up, I felt incredibly weary and just reading the first chapter brought tears to my eyes because sometimes all we need to be told is what Hachi told Kanae, "Thank you for your hard work today." I don't know why that hit me so hard, but it revived my heart, and felt content and peaceful for a very large part of this story as a result. Even with having now finished it, I feel like Hachi spoke to me and brought comfort to my real life. It was a wonderful experience! <3

I'm definitely eager to read the second volume! I think every reader can find someone they identify with in this story that discovers Café Hachiware because there are all kinds of people we meet in this first volume who are very different from one another. There isn't one person who goes "unnoticed" with their struggles in this manga, so I would very much recommend it if you're feeling weary and need some encouragement and comforting words through a talking human-like cat. <3

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wholesome and heartwarming, but also a fever dream.

I'm not exactly sure what the story was but I think I enjoyed it.

[poet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute enough but also just kind of shallow. I mean, that's fine. Sometimes you just want some cute fluff I suppose. But I just feel like it's missing some element to work on top of it's customer of the week gimmick to make it feel more fulfilling.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga caught my eye, and I'd say quite reasonably. Just look at the cover, and just read the name. It's very intriguing. And being intrigued is often a way I'll get into a manga series.

It's a book that's very, very quick to read. I finished it the night I picked it up from the library. Part of what made it such a short experience was the fact that it's hard to put down.

This is an incredibly fun book. I wasn't sure how it would be until I read the first few pages, and was already captivated. The back cover's description doesn't say much, and I won't either, but it is so unique, and rather cute.

This cat runs a café, and the people that stop by will leave having learned a valuable lesson. I loved the first chapter, and was worried it could get repetitive over time, but that doesn't happen. In the final chapter, you get to learn more about the cat's personality, which was interesting.

My list of complaints about this book would only contain one item. But it's such a miniscule complaint that it's still deserving of five stars. And if you're wondering what the complaint is, well... I feel it might give away a part of the reading experience, so I'll keep quiet for now.

[Josie Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting the year as I mean to go on, with a cosy manga 😊 I'm sure this year is gonna pull me in lots of different directions so it's lovely to have books that are relaxing. I'm sure you can read some red flag allegories into an omnipresent man-cat who 'knows' what drink you need, but I don't want to! 😂 5/5 for amusement and doodleability, plus the overwork and social mishaps theme.
Somehow I think my next read, Stray Dogs won't be as fuzzy....

[cae · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was super cute! And the art is very beautiful. I thought this was such a sweet and humorous little collection of short stories. Also, I like that he serves drinks with specific meanings that match up to what the person needs most that day, I thought that was cool.
I’m not sure I’ll be continuing on with the rest of the volumes as they come out, but either way this was a nice read!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man-sized upright cat serves delicious drinks and empathy for humans with problems.

I've surprised myself by liking this enough to put the second volume on my TBR. There's very little plot but the overall sweet/caring/look-here's-a-giant-cat was feel good.

[Paige Cuthbertson| Turning_Every_Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

My younger siblings are all into manga and have been on me to give it a try. Picked up this one since it looked sort of cute. And you know what? It was. Not really deep or anything, but a cute, cozy comfort read. I might even pick up volume 2!

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and fluffy - but it reads pretty young, making it a potential good gateway manga for kids.

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can I please come to this cafe? I just wanna see the pooch and the kitty as baristas 🥰😙🥰

[Katha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's super cute and adorable. And I really like the advice the cat barista gives his customers. The concept of the café is so heartwarming, too. The cat barista only makes drinks for his customers that he thinks they need at that particular time/moment.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was... Surprisingly wholesome.

[Savanna Ammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little disturbed by some of the artistic choices (he’s a CAT. DON’T TRY TO MAKE HIM HUMANLY ATTRACTIVE) but it was super cute and heartwarming!

[Chelsea Jerdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute cat themed slice of life manga.

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but pretty repetitive.

[Krystyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

A warm, fluffy read with little golden nuggets of advice for anyone who loves cats, coffee, and enjoys playing Coffee Talk on Nintendo Switch.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet and easy read, perfect to pick up to finish off a stressful day. Reading this felt like a warm hug. Like the customers who visit Cafe Hachiware, reading this book is relaxing and cheerful (bonus points if you have a hot drink with you while reading!) I’m excited to continue with this series.

[mangacaptor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this but the bit about caffeine being effective in regulating anxiety is horrendously false 😭

Otherwise it’s a cute episodic manga with tasty looking food and drinks and heartwarming moments

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chapters themselves are like those in Restaurant to Another World (Light Novel) Vol. 1 by Junpei Inuzuka and Katsumi Enami (Illustrations). Each chapter is focused on a customer who is going through a rough day or a rough part of their lives. The cat barista serves a drink or a treat based on what will best ease their emotional distress and then he listens to them tell their tale.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this seemed targeted for me. The premise is... strange. About halfway through I thought, "this is too weird and I'm not sure it has a point." but as I pressed on the little vignettes about the stresses of modern life became more relatable and the unrelenting optimism (and delicious coffee drinks) somehow blended into a collection of fun stories. It's not life changing, but it is enjoyable.

The only disappointment is that I made myself espresso and plopped down on the couch with this book and none of my three cats would join me for this read! (despite the recurring message of the book that cats are there when you need them)

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit to being pretty baffled by this book even though I liked it. It's about a giant, anthropomorphic cat who serves coffee and gives sage advice, and although it works on me, I don't actually know why it does or why it was written so... There's that.

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mildly intrigued by the concept, but the anthropomorphism didn't come through very well. Also there doesn't seem to be much of a story arc for the MC. Might try the next one, but not sure.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told through brief vignettes only loosely connected, I Am a Cat Barista is an utterly wholesome and comforting celebration of rest, kindness, cats, and cafes.

[Georgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. I love it. One of my new manga favorites. Not only an original idea, but POSITIVE vibes being offered in the form of caffeinated beverages served by an optimistic cat barista. Brilliant.