Yani Neko gets color pages in next issue of Young Magazine

The manga Yani Neko will have a cover and color pages in the next issue of Young Magazine, which goes on sale on November 2. The magazine published a preview of the chapter, with a couple of pages that already make the tone of the series clear.

The work, written and illustrated by Niko Nichola, is serialized in the same magazine and follows a stray cat with a rather particular personality. The protagonist is a chain smoker, the kind that doesn't bother with rules of coexistence. She pees on plants, throws things at people, and shows no interest in being liked. In short, a cat that lives however she wants.

The contrast comes from her owner, a human who tries to bring order without much success, and from the neighborhood cats, who also don't quite know what to do with her. The premise doesn't beat around the bush: it's a cat comedy with dirtier humor than one would expect from the covers.

The preview shows the cat in one of her typical scenes: smoking, with a grumpy face and surrounded by characters who can't quite figure out how to deal with her. There isn't much more to dig into in the published pages, but they serve as a reminder of why the series has stayed in the magazine.

A cat that doesn't ask permission

Unlike other cat manga that lean into cuteness, Yani Neko goes another way. The protagonist isn't adorable nor does she seek the reader's sympathy. She's an adult cat, with vices and an attitude that borders on antisocial. And that's the fun of it.

The series' humor rests on that tension between what's expected of a house cat and what this cat actually does. Nichola only needs the cat's expression and the reaction of others to set up the scene.

The chapter with color pages is a good excuse for readers of the magazine to give it a chance if they don't know it yet. And for those who already follow it, the preview confirms that the series keeps its usual tone.