And were finally back! A new manga by Hiroyuki Takei, so we’re going to do spoiler/discussion posts for Nekogahara! (Ok, yes we might do Hyper Dash Yonkuro as well) So let’s get into it!
As with all of these posts… there are spoilers! So you have been warned!
9/16: Rough summary of events by andysislands
Details of the chapter and magazine as it related to Nekogahara 「猫ヶ原」:
- Cover art featuring Nekogahara
- Chapter starts on page 3 (first manga in the line-up)
- 5 color pages, two of which are full color spreads all done in watercolor
- Chapter is 46 pages (including the color pages)
This chapter plays very much like a oneshot, gives a simple story around Norachiyo, this wandering samurai cat. And yes, all the characters (so far) are cats.
Chapter 1 Summary:
Note I do not know Japanese, so check with Dit’s summary/translation for a better detail.
The color pages start off the chapter with Norachiyo beating up some goons. Then once the chapter really begins, Norachiyo stops in at a hut (inn?) at the edge of town. The town is ruled by a Siamese cat Lord. Once he sees that this rouge samurai cat defeated his goons, he plans to seek revenge.
After the Daughter and Old man (who live at the hut) talk about the “way of the town,” it becomes morning, and Norachiyo starts plowing the garden. However the Siamese cat lord appears and demands that Norachiyo (and the Daughter) come to his castle.
At the castle the Lord sends in his goons while the rest of the town watches behind the fence. Norachiyo then proceeds to kill each of the goons that attack him until the two remaining large cat bodyguards remain. The lord sends both of them to attack, and Norachiyo uses their attacks against each other.
As a final measure, the Lord takes the Daughter as a hostage. Then after she gives him a declaration, he kills the Lord and saves her. The townsfolk rush in and congratulate him! But with a quick swipe he removes all of their valuables from their pockets! Then Norachiyo begins to wander to another town….
Initial Review:
It’s weird how Takei’s art style just really works with cats. Probably all the round faces. But since everyone is a cat… it’s probably not connected to Shaman King at all, in case you were wondering. But! There was one panel of Norachiyo that was pretty close to something Matamune has done. So that’s cool.
It’s kinda disappointing that this chapter is really standalone. Maybe in the next chapter we’ll see the true story. Unless this will be just a wandering samurai cat story, without an overarching plot.
But those watercolor pages…. oh so nice… oh so nice…!
Chapter 2 comes out next month!
Coming soon!
Coming soon!?
