Creative Staff
Original Story: NEKO WORKs
Adaptation: Tam-U
Translation: Eric Sanders
What They Say:
What’s NEKOPARA? Why it’s a cat paradise!
Kashou Minaduki, the son of a long line of Japanese confection makers moved out to open his own shop “La Soleil” as a patisserie.
But upon moving out, hidden amongst his things were two of the catgirls, Chocola and Vanilla, that the family had been raising. When he tried to send them back, they begged and pleaded until he gave in and now they’ve opened La Soleil together.
With two catgirls who really, REALLY love their master trying their very best and occasionally failing — a heartful comedy opens for business!
Based on the best selling Visual Novel by NEKO WORKs and adapted by Tam-U, the NEKOPARA Manga is a whole new way to enjoy life in cat paradise!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Kashou Minaduki has decided to open up his own patisserie, La Soleil. Opening day is almost here and everything has gone according to plan. Well, almost everything. He wasn’t expecting to find two catgirls while opening boxes at the shop. By the way, in this world catgirls have integrated into human society. Sometimes as family, other times as life-partners. Oh my! These two catgirls, Vanilla and Chocola, actually belong to his little sister. What were they doing in those boxes anyway? They simply wanted to see Kashou. They’re quite fond of him. He’s flattered but he’s got a shop to open up. He doesn’t have time to play with catgirls. Hey, they can helpful! In fact, Chocola and Vanilla help Kashou sort all the boxes. He wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. They’re right, you know? He thanks them for the help but they still have to go home. Why would you send the cute catgirls home!? Vanilla argues that catgirls can be helpful in other ways. They can even do this and that. Oh là là! Okay, so they’re adorably lewd catgirls. Gotcha. Either way, they still can’t stay.
Kashou tries to call his sister take the catgirls back but she won’t answer the phone. Chocola and Vanilla spend the rest of the day trying to change his mind. He was the one that found them when they were little. They were sick and he spent the entire night taking care of them. Ever since then, they’ve been fond of him. He’s the only master for them! They don’t understand why Kashou won’t let them stay with him. Catgirls just want to be close with the ones they love! D’awww. That’s pretty adorable. In the end, Kashou lets them stay and help at the shop. Score a victory for Chocola and Vanilla! The next day, the catgirls are ready to work. Sadly, they can’t just yet. If catgirls want to work in public, they have to get a bell that acts as an independent action permit. There’s a lot of rules regarding catgirls, huh? Speaking of catgirls, ther rest of the Minaduki catgirls show up accompanied by Kashou’s little sister, Shigure. Kashou doesn’t have to worry about a thing! Shigure and the other catgirls will help them study. Well, Shigure will at least. The other catgirls tried to help but it didn’t go so well. Let’s just say that they’re lucky they have their bells already, haha. They certainly wouldn’t have passed the exam on this day.
With Shigure’s guidance, Chocola and Vanilla manage to pass the exam on their first try! Heck, they’re even the youngest catgirls to ever get a bell. Impressive! Kashou is very proud of them. Chocola is very happy that she gets to spend so much time with him now! Kashou will be counting on her from now on. He needs her by his side. Having her around fills him with life. His kind words stir something inside of Chocola. If you’ve played the visual novel, then you know where this is going. Chocola acts strange for the rest of the day. Kashou wants to take her to the clinic. She’s not sick though! Then what’s up with her? Vanilla knows! Chocola is clearly in a heap. Uh? Oh! She means Chocola is in heat. Wait, what!? Yup, Chocola is in heat. Kashou doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do in this situation. Again, Vanilla knows the answer. He has to give her an outlet. If you’re confused, it means that he has to have sexy time with Chocola. Kashou contemplates his feelings. He loves Chocola but does he really want to go this route with her? On the other hand, Chocola is ready to go. Catgirls don’t overthink things. They just do what makes them happy. I admire that. Vanilla tells Kashou to just do it. And you know what? He does. Kashou and Chocola have a passionate night together while Vanilla watches. Spicy!
I guess Chocola is Kashou’s catpanion now. But she’s not the only catgirl that fancies Kashou. It’s no surprise that Vanilla also wants to be his catpanion. As one of his customers put it, he’s a regular cat-sanova. Delicious cat puns. I approve. Anyway, it’s implied that Kashou also has a passionate night with Vanilla. She doesn’t get a steamy scene like Chocola did in the manga though. Sorry, Vanilla fans. To reward the catgirls for their hardwork, Kashou decides to take Chocola and Vanilla out on a fun day. They go to the aquarium and have a blast at an amusement park. It was an amazing day for all of them. Kashou realizes that Chocola and Vanilla are truly precious to him. He hopes that these happy days will last forever.
As for La Soliel, things have been pretty busy. Kashou has been overworking himself and even fell ill. There’s a whole chapter of Chocola and Vanilla doing everything they can to help him get better. Granted, it didn’t go well but it’s the thought that counts, right? We already know they love him dearly. But the best thing they could have done was just stay by his side and he reminds them of that. More importantly, it’s clear that Kashou needs more help at the shop. That’s why Shigure has instructed the other catgirls to join the staff. Now he has six catgirls working under him! No wonder his patissiere gets the nickname “Cat’s Paradise.” The future is looking bright for Kashou!
In Summary:
Kashou is quite the cat-sanova, huh? I guess the cat is out of the bag! Alright, that’s enough cat puns. This manga basically follows what happens in the first volume of the NEKOPARA visual novel series. If you’ve played it, then you know what to expect. While I still think the visual novel is the best way to enjoy NEKOPARA, the manga was still charming in its own way. You definitely get to see more of Kashou, that’s for sure. But no one came here for him! I just want you all to know that I’m resisting the urge to make a dirty joke right now. You’re all just here for the adorable catgirls, am I right? Of course you are. And if you’re here for the lewd stuff, the manga does have some ecchi scenes sprinkled throughout. You’re probably better off playing the uncensored version of the visual novel though. As someone who has played the visual novel, it was fun getting to experience the story in manga form. I’m sure anyone else who has will feel the same way. I’m not kitten! Sorry, I just had to get one last cat pun in there.
Content Grade: C+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: M for Mature
Released By: Sekai Project
Release Date: September 3rd, 2020
MSRP: $6.99 (US)
