Cat Eyed Boy

Cat Eyed Boy (Japanese: 猫目小僧, Hepburn: Nekome Kozō) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuo Umezu. The story is narrated by the titular cat-eyed boy, hated by both humans and demons, who gets involved in tales of horror including monsters and children. The manga was initially serialized in 1967 in Shōnen Gahōsha's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Gaho and eventually two other magazines, and has been compiled and published several times in different formats. In 2008, Viz Media licensed and released the manga in North America in two omnibus volumes. The manga has also been adapted into an anime series in 1976 and a live-action film in 2006. The manga has been noted for Umezu's grotesque style of Japanese horror storytelling and art. Response to the design of the Viz edition has also been positive.

Cat Eyed Boy
A feline boy squats on a branch and a monster is shown behind him
The cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring the protagonist
猫目小僧
(Nekome Kozō)
Genre
Manga
Written byKazuo Umezu
Published by
English publisher
Magazine
  • Shōnen Gaho (1967–1968)
  • Shōnen King (1968–1969)
  • Weekly Shōnen Sunday (1976)
DemographicShōnen
Original runDecember 1967 – 1976
Anime television series
Yōkaiden Nekome Kozō
Directed byKeinosuke Shiyano
Written byYuji Amemiya
Music byMasahiko Nishiyama
StudioWako Productions
Original networkTV Tokyo
Original run April 1, 1976 – September 30, 1976
Episodes22
Live-action film
Directed byNoboru Iguchi
Produced byTomoyuki Imai
Written byMana Yasuda
Music byTakashi Nakagawa
StudioArt Port
ReleasedJune 10, 2006 (2006-06-10)
Runtime104 minutes

Plot

Cat Eyed Boy revolves around the unnamed titular character, a monster born to a nekomata in the mountains, only to be abandoned by them for being too similar to a human. After disaster strikes his childhood village despite his attempts to save it, he becomes a wanderer. Each chapter tends to follow a pattern wherein the boy visits a new location and moves into the attic of a human family, only for the family to be plagued by a supernatural threat. Despite often using his own supernatural abilities to oppose the violent monsters he encounters, the boy is invariably blamed by humans for the mysterious happenings.

Stuck between two extremes and unable to fit in with either, the boy's main companions end up being cats, with whom he can communicate. Although he possesses many unusual abilities, such as regeneration and illusions, he is often outmatched by the more bloodthirsty monsters he encounters and forced to escape using trickery. Although he tries to warn and assist humans, he is a morally gray character that takes great pride in his status as a monster, even if other ones despise him, as seen in the Band of One Hundred Monsters arc. He has no qualms about seeing unpleasant and evil people punished, and sometimes even sides with supernatural beings when they target someone he dislikes.

Media

Manga

The manga was first serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha manga magazine Shōnen Gaho from December 1967 to May 1968 for the stories "The Immortal Man" and "The Ugly Demon". Five more stories until "The Thousand-Handed Demon" were serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Shōnen King until 1969. The series was continued in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday for four more stories in 1976.[3][4]

The chapters of the manga were first compiled together by Shōnen Gahōsha into three volumes starting in 1969.[5] After that, Shogakukan published five volumes of the manga in 1976 under its imprint Shonen Sunday Comics.[6] The third publisher, Asahi Sonorama, published five volumes of the manga in 1982 under its Sun Comics imprint as well.[7] Asahi Sonorama then republished three volumes of the manga in 1986 under its Sun Wide Comics imprint.[8] Shogakukan republished the manga in 1991.[9] Because of the release of the 2006 film adaption of the manga, Shogakukan republished the manga as two large volumes on June 16, 2006.[10]

In January 2008, Viz Media listed two volumes of the manga on the online retailer Amazon.com with page counts corresponding to the 2006 Shogakukan two-volume edition.[11] The 2 volumes were subsequently released in June 2008 under its Viz Signature imprint.[12][13] The design of the manga as well as its size in dimensions and length have been complimented by reviewers. Veronica Casson, the designer for the Viz edition of the manga, noted that unlike many of her previous titles, she was given freedom to design the book without adhering to the original Japanese version.[14] In an interview with Alvin Lu, the Vice President of Viz Media, Lu stated that Viz focused on presenting the content of the book as much as possible which influenced the decision to release omnibus editions as well as the cover design.[15]

During their panel at New York Comic Con 2022, Viz Media announced that they are releasing a deluxe hardcover edition of the manga,[16] with the first volume releasing on August 22, 2023.[17]

Anime

In 1976, the manga was adapted into an anime series called Yōkaiden Nekome Kozō (妖怪伝 猫目小僧, "Ghost Story: Cat Eyed Boy"). The anime was produced by Wako Productions and TV Tokyo. The series contained 22 episodes of 15 minutes each.[18]

Live-action film

In 2006, Noboru Iguchi directed a live-action film adaption of the anime. The movie, with gravure idol Miku Ishida, Asami Kumakiri, Hiromasa Taguchi, Naoto Takenaka and Kanji Tsuda, was released theatrically in Japan in June 2006, and on DVD in October of the same year.[19]

Reception

Response to the manga has been positive overall, with critics applauding Umezu's grotesque style of horror, but also recognizing its similarities to low-budget horror of the past. Critics have likened the manga to pulp horror and to the television series Tales from the Crypt, but also acknowledged its divergences such as the focus on the narrator himself. The art has been complimented for creating a dark atmosphere, as well as for Umezu's imaginative monsters. Critics have also noted that the manga will likely be more appealing to audiences interested in manga classics rather than modern horror fans. Opinions on the effectiveness of the short and long stories has been mixed.

Carlo Santos of Anime News Network criticized the similarities of the stories to B-horror movies as well as the weakness of the shorter monster-based stories, but commended Umezu's ability to "create a chilling portrait of the human soul".[20] Shaenon K. Garrity of Anime News Network enjoyed the range of monsters Umezu created and commended the longer stories.[21] Otaku USA's Joseph Luster highly recommended it while calling it an "impeccable classic" based on Umezu's thoughtful storytelling and the horror elements.[22] Greg McElhatton of Comic Book Resources liked how the manga broke from its horror anthology mold by involving the protagonist and deviating from the traditional sense of justice for the good.[23] Connie C. of Comic Book Resources praised Umezu's ability to set a horror mood as well as his art, but felt mixed about his bizarre ideas which she thought were better suited to his shorter stories.[24] Ain't It Cool News categorized the manga as an example of Japanese horror and called it "a chilling concoction of dark vignettes with the macabre, the grotesque and the absurd", despite Umezu's weaker storytelling at the beginning.[25] Manga Bookshelf interpreted Umezu's goal with the manga as wanting to create a hallucinatory atmosphere devoid of logic and enjoyed the origin story of the cat eyed boy, while criticizing the story "The Band of One Hundred Monsters".[26] IGN remarked that the humor in the manga set it apart from Umezu's more serious works such as The Drifting Classroom and that the longer stories were harder to read through.[27] Comics Village also categorized the manga as Japanese horror and noted that the Viz release will appeal more to collectors. It also acknowledged the dated style of the artwork, but said that the story has "timeless qualities".[28] Describing the type of horror in Cat Eyed Boy, Graphic Novel Reporter called it strange and creepy "...in the sense that the pictures are more likely to momentarily unsettle your stomach than keep you up at night." It also complimented Umezu's imagery.[29] ComicBooksBin enjoyed Umezu's approach to horror where he eschews logic, contrasting it with American horror.[1] It also described his works as "...a gathering of grotesqueries and absurdities that almost defy imagination."[30]

The Viz release of the manga was nominated for the 2009 Eisner Award in the category "Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan".[31] In a 2008 reader poll of seinen manga by About.com, Cat Eyed Boy won 8th place.[32]

References
  1. Douresseaux, Leroy (June 3, 2008). "Cat Eyed Boy: Volume 1". ComicBooksBin. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. "The Official Website for Cat Eyed Boy". Viz Media. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  3. デジタル大辞泉プラスの解説. kotobank (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  4. 猫目小僧／物語. Atsu Ishizaka Nekome (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  5. "umezu". hangyo umezu. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  6. 猫目小憎 5 (少年サンデーコミックス) [Cat eyed boy 5 (Shonen Sunday Comics)] (in Japanese). ASIN 4091201652.
  7. 猫目小僧 5 (サンコミックス) [Cat eyed boy 5 (Sun Comics)] (in Japanese). ASIN 4257916931.
  8. 猫目小僧 3 (サンワイドコミックス) [Cat eyed boy 3 (Sun Wide Comics)] (in Japanese). ASIN 4257960906.
  9. 猫目小僧 (Vol.2) (スーパービジュアル・コミックス) [Cat eyed boy (Vol.2) (Super Visual Comics)] (in Japanese). ASIN 4091600921.
  10. 猫目小僧 2 [Cat eyed boy 2]. Shogakukan (in Japanese). 16 June 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  11. Loo, Egan (January 24, 2008). "Viz to Print Cat Eyed Boy, Black Lagoon, Tanemura Works". Anime News Network. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  12. Umezu, Kazuo (10 June 2008). Cat Eyed Boy, Vol. 1. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 978-1421517926.
  13. Umezu, Kazuo (24 June 2008). Cat Eyed Boy, Vol. 2. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 978-1421517919.
  14. Casson, Veronica. "Cat-eyed Boy". Cargo Collective. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  15. Butcher, Christopher (March 23, 2008). "Cat-eyed Boy: Bringing the Umezu Classic to North America". Comics212. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  16. Loo, Egan (October 7, 2022). "Viz Publishes Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories, Heart Gear, Dark Gathering, Wolf Girl & Black Prince, More". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  17. "Cat-Eyed Boy: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  18. "Boy With Cat's Eyes, The". The Anime Encyclopedia (3rd revised ed.). Stone Bridge Press. 9 February 2015. ISBN 978-1-61172-018-1.
  19. The Gomorrahizer (December 10, 2006). "Update on Noboru Iguchi's Cat-Eyed Boy (Nekome Kozô)". twitchfilm.net. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  20. Santos, Carlo (July 9, 2008). "Cat Eyed Boy GN 2". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  21. Garrity, Shaenon K. (January 22, 2015). "House of 1000 Manga: Cat-Eyed Boy". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  22. Luster, Joseph (January 13, 2009). "Cat Eyed Boy, Volume 1 and 2". Otaku USA. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  23. McElhatton, Greg (June 10, 2008). "Cat Eyed Boy, Vol. 1". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  24. C., Connie (October 3, 2013). "Say It With Manga: Kazuo Umezu Edition". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  25. Green, Scott (March 19, 2008). "AICN Recommends Kazuo Umezu's Horror Manga Cat Eyed Boy". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  26. Dacey, Katherine (October 3, 2010). "Cat-Eyed Boy, Vols. 1-2". Manga Bookshelf. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  27. Sparrow, A.E. (October 14, 2008). "Cat-Eyed Boy Vol. 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  28. Thomas, John. "Cat Eyed Boy Volume 1 (Kazuo Umezu)". Comics Village. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  29. Davidson, Danica (July 6, 2012). "Cat Eyed Boy Review". Graphic Novel Reporter. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  30. Douresseaux, Leroy (June 20, 2008). "Cat Eyed Boy: Volume 2". ComicBooksBin. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  31. "Viz Media Nominated in Multiple Categories for the 2009 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards" (Press release). Anime News Network. VIZ Media. April 9, 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  32. Aoki, Deb (2008). "2008 Readers Poll: Best New Seinen Manga". about entertainment. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
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