Creative Staff
Story: Nozomi Ginyoku
Art: Taro Shinonome
Character Designs: Taro Shinonome & Mitsuki Yano
Translation: Caleb DeMarais
Lettering: Barri Shrager
What They Say
A proud knight, slain in battle, finds himself alive once more-reincarnated in the body of a fearsome behemoth. As if he wasn’t confused enough by this turn of events, apparently behemoth cubs look exactly like adorable kittens?! Even if the rest of the world sees him as soft and cuddly, he has the honor of a noble warrior and the strength of an unstoppable S-ranked monster, both of which will be put to the test as he fights to protect the beautiful elf who has taken him as her pet!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The story begins with a knight ready to vanquish evil. And then he dies. Well, that was a short story. Luckily for this proud knight, he’s been reincarnated. That should be a cause for celebration! However, he realizes he has not been reincarnated as a human. Instead, he’s been reincarnated as an adorable little kitten! That’s not so bad. In reality, he’s actually a Behemoth, an S-Ranked monster. That sounds pretty strong! Oh, it is. But he’s only a baby one at the moment. That’s probably for the best. He spends some time learning what he can and can’t do in his new body. He defeats monsters here and there and gains some new skills. Eventually, he bites off more than a chew when he comes face to face with an earth dragon. He’s injured in the ensuing battle but is saved by a beautiful elf named Aria.
She takes him home and nurses him back to health. How kind of her! Aria thinks that he’s absolutely adorable and is planning on keeping him as a pet. She also gives him a name, Tama. Tama can’t help but admire her kindness and bountiful bosom! Er, I meant to say beauty. Yeah, beauty. Okay, I lied. I definitely meant to say bountiful bosom. I mean, it’s always right there in your face. More often than not, you’ll find all the men she encounters ogling her chest. Tama isn’t having any of that though. Only one may gaze upon its glory and that’s him! Despite what you may think, it’s not for any naughty reasons. Aria’s bouncy chest is often used as his bed. It wasn’t even his idea either. Aria just likes putting him on there. Who is he to argue? And once he experienced that softness, there was no turning back. I can’t really blame him either. Although, it’s fun to see how embarrassed he gets at times. He may be a powerful monster disguised as an adorable kitty, but he’s still a proud knight deep down.
Aria is a D-Ranked adventurer and spends her days defeating low-level monsters for income. Tama, naturally worried about his master, follows her during a quest. He notices that she has amazing speed which is probably her greatest weapon. Other than that, she’s pretty decent at the basics but nothing too special. Aria finds herself in a bit trouble during this quest and Tama is forced to save her by saving magic. Oh no, his cover is busted! Now she’ll know he’s a monster. Surprisingly, she doesn’t. In fact, she thinks he’s an elemental cat. There are actually cats in this world that can use magic. Okay, cool. I hope we get to see some of them in future volumes. Anyway, this is a lucky break for Tama. He can continue being by his master’s side! You’ve got to admire his loyalty and determination to protect Aria. After all, she did save him. He owes her his life.
We’re introduced to several other characters throughout the volume. There’s Anna, a very colorful character that looks out for Aria. There’s also Vulcan, a busty blacksmith who’s also a C-Ranked adventurer. She also likes to place Tama on top of her bountiful bosom. Lucky cat, am I right? She ends up making Tama some kitty armor which is freaking adorable. I mean just picture it – a kitten wearing armor. Doesn’t it just make you smile? And then there’s this douchebag named Kussman. He’s constantly asking Aria to join his party but she always declines. Near the end of the volume, he puts an extermination order on Tama. That jerk! This leads to a duel between Kussman and Aria. If he wins, Tama dies and Aria becomes his wife. If Aria wins, the extermination order will be called off. Tama is allowed to fight with her but things don’t go well for them. Kussman is ranked higher than Aria and he’s got a ring that negates elemental magic. Tama is basically useless in this fight. He can use other magic but he doesn’t want to expose himself as a monster. However, he’s forced to use a non-elemental spell and that gives Aria the opportunity to defeat Kussman. Well, his cover is definitely busted now, right? Wrong. There are rare cases where elemental cases unleash innate skills. Everyone believes this to be the case. Safe!
And lastly, I just want to mention the fanservice. There’s a lot of it. In these types of stories, you expect the male protagonist to be the one filled with naughty thoughts, right? But Tama was a knight in his previous life. He was a good boy! It turns out that Aria is the one with naughty thoughts. That’s fine. Who does she have naughty thoughts about? Tama. Wait, what? But…but…Tama is a cat. Apparently, that’s what she likes!? There’s a scene where Anna tells her that Tama’s species tends to crossbreed. When he grows up, he may assault her. She responds by saying that she wouldn’t mind that. In fact, she wants that to happen. They can both make each other purr. I’m not kidding, she actually said that. I don’t know how I feel about this. The volume ends with Aria and Tama taking a bath together. She wants to use Tama as a sponge to wash her precious place much to his chagrin. Oh my! Just the thought of it gets Aria excited. Okay, she’s definitely into some kinky stuff. That’s all I’ve got to say.
In Summary:
If I was reincarnated after I died, I wouldn’t mind being an adorable kitten with a beautiful master that dotes on me. This story managed to be cute, sexy, funny, and weird all at the same time. It definitely managed to keep my attention throughout the entire volume. And I must admit, it was way more entertaining than I thought it’d be. It kind of reminded me of another manga/light novel series that I’m currently reviewing, Woof Woof Story. By the way, it’s also available from Yen Press. If you’re just here for the ecchi stuff, you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth. I still don’t know how I feel about Aria wanting to do naughty things with Tama. It’s more than a little odd. It’d be hilarious if it turns out that Aria was a cat in her previous life and reincarnated as a human in her current one. That’d be quite the twist!
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: M for Mature
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 21st, 2020
MSRP: $13.00 (US), $17.00 (CAN)
