Hands down the cutest thing I've read in a while. Short little comics about an adorable as truck kitten. ( )

This was fun, very cute, and quick to read through. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel the same level of attachment as with Chi. It just doesn’t have much storyline. Fuku Fuku is about a small kitten adopted by an elderly woman. It depicts the day-to-day antics of the kitten, how it adjusts to its new home and the older woman likewise, gets used to having a kitten. Fuku Fuku is a bit standoffish in the beginning, easily startled, doesn’t like to be touched or petted at first. She has to be taught to use her scratching post, tries new foods, roams around the house looking for a warm place to sleep when it gets colder, is frightened by cords (that look like snakes), gets upset when the woman watches someone’s puppy for a day (they end up playing in the end), makes messes and other minor trouble- but the woman simply can’t get mad at her, because she’s so cute. Eventually she goes outside a bit and meets another kitten and a few adult cats in the neighborhood, and has a brief encounter with a dog. Very everyday stuff, but just the thing if you love cats and want an adorable, easy light read! There was one slightly strange episode that seemed out of place, where the kitten dreamed it was in an Alice in Wonderland scneario, changing sizes. I didn’t get that, but as it’s only a few pages, easy to gloss over. ( )

At the beginning of the volume, FukuFuku's owner (whose name is never mentioned) is sitting with her adult cat, FukuFuku, and looking through old pictures of FukuFuku as a kitten. After those first couple pages, the entire series basically becomes a flashback to FukuFuku's kitten days: adjusting to her new home, dealing with her first bath, napping with her owner, learning to use a scratching post, meeting other cats, etc.

I've read and adored Kanata's Chi's Sweet Home. FukuFuku: Kitten Tales was very similar in a lot of ways. The most noticeable differences: Chi's Sweet Home was in color while FukuFuku: Kitten Tales featured black and white artwork, and Chi's owners were a married couple and their young song while FukuFuku's owner was an older woman who lived alone. Also, Chi's thoughts and dialogue were translated for readers, whereas FukuFuku just meowed and purred. I don't think the two series crossover at all, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn I was wrong.

I don't have a lot to say about this volume that I haven't already said about Chi's Sweet Home. It was very warm, sweet, and comforting, and I particularly liked the chapters devoted to FukuFuku and her owner sleeping together. FukuFuku napping inside the jack-o'-lantern was nice too. The one part that was a bit off was FukuFuku's Alice in Wonderland-inspired dream.

I plan to read more of this, although it's not the instant favorite that Chi's Sweet Home was. While I liked that readers had to rely entirely on FukuFuku's facial expressions, body language, and situation to figure out what she was thinking and feeling, this series felt a little less lively and fun than Chi's Sweet Home. Maybe it was because this volume was almost entirely focused on FukuFuku and her owner? If her owner has any family or friends, we haven't seen them yet, and FukuFuku has only briefly met a few other animals - one black and white cat made a repeat appearance, but not enough of one to get a feel for its personality.

And speaking of personality, I'd say FukuFuku was possibly a little more standoffish than Chi (it took her a bit to learn to enjoy being petted, for example), but otherwise she came across as very similar to Chi. I hope the differences in her personality start to stand out more as the series progresses.

All in all, so far I prefer Chi's Sweet Home, but FukuFuku: Kitten Tales is very nice and hits a lot of the same "warm fuzzies" emotional notes. Looks like I have another cat manga to work my way through.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

This was a very easy read. I normally don't read Manga or Graphic Novels but in my efforts diversity my reading im giving good different genres a try.

This one was cute, happy read. I love cats and after reading this I felt like I was reading all about Auburn as Fuku Fuku's behavior mimics my Auburn's way of being.

Overall I enjoyed the quick read and getting to know Fuku Fuku. ( )

Adorable kitten tales, with connections to Chi's Sweet Home.