What’s Michael: Manga for Cat Lovers

I have a 5 year old daughter, and wish I could share my manga with her. Unfortunately, most of what I read is inappropriate for her, except for What’s Michael by Makoto Kobayashi.

I turned her onto What’s Michael last month, and she just can’t get enough of it. Granted, I edit out the foul language when I read it aloud, but she loves the silly facial expressions on the cats and people, and ridiculously extreme body language.

I have to say, in all honesty, that What’s Michael was actually the first manga I read, years ago. So even though it is vastly different from the bishie-centric manga I enjoy today, it still holds a special place in my heart.

So, uh, What IS Michael, you ask? Michael is a cat…a generic Any Cat who demonstrates all the catlike qualities with which cat owners are well familiar. And somehow in the course of expressing these typical behaviors of cats and their owners, Kobayashi finds a wealth of humor.