Cats of the Louvre

Product Information

in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2020. Another one of the Louvre-sponsored graphic novels about the Louvre, one of the most ambitious of all of them, a tw0-volume manga by Taiyo Matsumoto (Sunny) filled with mystery and fantasy and pathos and strangeness and an appreciation for the attractions of art for anyone. As with some others from the series, this one depends on what happens at the Louvre after hours, during the night, behind the scenes; with that Toy Story assumption--when a toy falls in the playroom and there is no adult around to hear it, that means magic happens. Mysterious happenings are afoot in the night time hours at the world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris. Because in the attic live a small family of cats... and one of them has an unusual affinity for the art. Snowbebe is the odd cat out, a small white kitten who threatens the other cats existence with his bold appearances in the museum. It catches the attention of a tour guide who befriends the night manager who has a mysterious connection to our little white cat. Cats of the Louvre embodies philosophy and perspective to craft a story that is quintessential Japanese, adult and sweet in an edgy and dreamy sort of way. Favorite characters: the long-lost little girl and the young cat, who share 1) a propensity to age slowly and 2) a yearning to escape into a painting (the funeral of Love, aka Cupid, image below; the elderly caretaker (yes, the little girl’s brother. We’re toying just a bit with time here); the disillusioned museum guide (whose story I would’ve liked more of). Oh and the cats of course, and their anthropomorphized versions. Least favorite characters: the feline-ized humans. Very few of those, thankfully. Basically? Guys in cat suits. Like, I don’t know … a certain B’way production or filmed version thereof that no amount of money or xxx-rated favors could ever in this life induce me to attend? Taiyo Matsumoto effortlessly crafts a moody atmosphere for the Louvre at night for Cats of the Louvre. You sense right away that all is not right in the museum never suspecting that at the center of it all is a small white kitten. As we get to know Marcel, the night caretaker, we learn that the art hanging on the walls can be dangerous to those that can hear them. Snowbebe has those kinds of ears and spends all of his time concentrated on the paintings that he's become quite estranged from his little cat family.

Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto | Goodreads Cats of the Louvre by Taiyo Matsumoto | Goodreads

In North America, the manga has been licensed by Viz Media. [6] It was released in a single volume on September 17, 2019. [7] Reception [ edit ] Cats of the Louvre - The Fall 2019 Manga Guide". Anime News Network. October 28, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2020. Cats of the Louvre". Viz Media. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2020. Here is another star of the book, the painting that the two escape into. This is hardly a spoiler. Surely all will expect it, and it makes for a spectacular finish to this slow burn of a read. Ressler, Karen (February 14, 2019). "Viz Licenses The Way of the Househusband, Cats of the Louvre, No Guns Life, Levius Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020 . Retrieved July 25, 2020.

Table of Contents

Cats of the Louvre is a standalone volume by Taiyo Matsumoto, an Eisner Award winner. This is not a cutsie story about cats posing in the most famous art museum... It's quintessential Japanese, adult and sweet in an edgy and dreamy sort of way. And will leave you thinking about what it all means long after you finish it! I give this book a four with the very important (to me, at any rate) caveat that if you are the sort of person who can't stand it when an animal is hurt in fiction, this will be a little hard to read. That certainly was the case for me in a few places, and given that the story is about a feral cat colony living in the attics of the Louvre in Paris and that it's by Taiyo Matsumoto, who rarely skimps on the harsher realities of a situation, it is within its rights to be there. But I could absolutely see it ruining the book for some readers.

Cats of the Louvre - The Comics Journal Cats of the Louvre - The Comics Journal

Twiggy, one of the other cats, worries over Snowbebe in Cats of the Louvre and totally wins my heart for it. There is quite a startling event with him that totally had my heart in my throat. Actually I was quite surprised at the powerful events at the heart of this quietly paranormal story. We have a little girl who isn't lost, a missing painting, a rabid dog, an assassin cat, a philosophical spider and a family of cats that take on human personas when they are alone. Unsurprisingly, the story is set in the Louvre Museum in Paris. We have two main groups of characters: several tour guides who work in the museum, and a colony of cats who live in the attic. Certain rare individuals--both human and feline--possess the ability to enter certain paintings, and it all figures into a story that's more about emotional action than physical. It's a quiet, magical delight. And how does it read?” you may ask. (Go on. Ask it.) Quite well, quite well. Matsumoto has an interesting style, more expressionistic than your typical manga artist. In particular, look at his cat people, physical characteristics ridiculously exaggerated. And yet it works. He somehow embodies their essence, and … just … it works.The art is pretty avant-garde, which allows for wide variety of emotions, ambience and the overall feel of the story. It goes really well with the story and it's setting, as well as characters' personalities and experiences. It creates this impression of the museum itself being alive and quite literally being intertwined with everything and everyone inside of it, making you think how everything in life is related as well. It is thanks to this art that we get to experience not only the emotions of one character, but of every single one inside the panel, as well as the overall emotion that the situation evokes in us, making some of the moments that more relatable.