Wow, it’s kind of crazy how quickly how fast time is moving; we’re already halfway through the semester and just past midterm season! So to lift some spirits and bring some energy for the rest of the year, I thought to suggest a light-hearted comedy romance. Meow Man is exactly that! The series was created by Olso and began publication on July 22, 2019, releasing four initial episodes. It ran for 154 episodes, with the final episode ending the series on July 14, 2021 (so close to hitting the 2-year mark). Meow Man is well-rated at 9.69/10 and received over 30 million views from its audience, though it slowly lost traction as the series continued.
Brief Introduction:
Once again, we set our sights on modern South Korea as we follow the life of college student Bonnie Han. On a stormy night, she stumbles upon a small white cat stuck in the downpour. She decides to take it home with her, but to her surprise, she wakes up with a cat-man(???) on top of her. She learns that his cat-man is actually the cat she rescued the night before and that he can talk and shapeshift between a cat, a man, and a cat-man. Also, the cat’s name is Claude, a prince from a dimension ruled by cat-people. Okay, so this is a lot already, but he’s beautiful, so Bonnie gives him a pass. The plot follows a set path of Bonnie trying to hide Claude from the world as he explores the human world and tries to win Bonnie’s love. At college, we meet the supporting cast of Bonnie’s classmates, who are a surprising mix of humans, cat-people, and DOG-PEOPLE. Hijinks ensue when these groups intertwine, and drama and history spill out from all ends. Unexpected twists, laughter, tears, and a heart-warming ending lies within this tale.
Review!
I first saw this WEBTOON reading from the peripheral on my cousin’s phone. I thought that it was a not-very-interesting story filled with gags every so often, but Meow Man is so much more than that. The webcomic is much more comedic in the beginning and plays well on the craziness of cat-people. The art style is more cartoonish than most, but I think it gives the characters more expressive faces. The cast is considerably small, but I think that is the WEBTOON’s strong suit. By focusing on each character and adding to their story, we connect better with every single person while also adding to the overarching plot. Throughout most of my read, I found myself more interested in the side characters and their plot lines, but that doesn’t mean Bonnie and Claude’s path is dull. These characters would not work without their central characters, but as the webcomic continues, they slowly become their own character.
Meow Man is a fun read, and I would recommend it as one of WEBTOON’s smaller publications. The episodes are divided further into a couple of comic panels, so it’s easy to digest. Each character is interesting on their own without the need for others. I would say that the plot might be cliché and maybe a little outlandish initially. It might take some time to get into the story, but if you agree to the story’s rules and go with them, it will be much more fun!
“. . .but he’s beautiful, so Bonnie gives him a pass.” I think this sums up a lot of fantasy-esque stories. The point about a small cast and how it impacts the overarching themes was really good. I think stories benefit the most from believable, fleshed-out characters. Some series struggle with this, including many characters that ultimately feel “flat.” I think this is especially a problem when characters are supposed to embody a “value” and ultimately feel more like a concept than a person. I like the examples of the cartoon-ish art style, and your belief of how it aids in conveying emotion.
I discovered this Webtoon in the pandemic last year and I loved it! At the time I was reading omniscient reader so this was something very different from what I was used to, but it made me laugh a lot! (Spoiler alert ahead)
I remember that I laughed a lot with the chase scenes where the “cat men” jumped through the roof, it was very funny to read. Another scene that I had a hard time getting over (because of how entertaining it was) was when it is discovered that Claude is actually the prince of a kingdom, and the other cats were his subjects. I have the same reaction with the appearance of the black cat (whose name I remember now) as Bonnie’s first pet.
It is without a doubt a story that has made me laugh a lot, I even found it touching, especially in its grand finale. I really enjoy reading your blogs, being that I also really enjoy reading Webtoon, I can’t wait to see what else you talk about! (I’ve recognized all the stories you’ve written about so far so it will be interesting to see what’s next).
I kind of also tend to always have the same thought of you when you glanced over at this webtoon on your cousin’s phone. I always tend to take these types of things for face value and never look deeper into them. I view it as something that I think won’t interest me and then move on with my life. However, on the rare chance I do look deeper into comics/ animes I sometimes can find a lot of joy and entertainment in them. There was one anime series that I used to love as a kid called Bones that I used to have the same feelings about. If I didn’t buy a comic from the book fair with some leftover money, I would have never known how much I liked it.
I really enjoy your commentary on this WEBTOON. I really enjoy you saying, “… but he’s beautiful, so Bonnie gives him a pass” because I think that is such a common experience and trope in fantasy novels and written works. Like, this guy is a cat-man which is really weird, but I guess he’s handsome so I’ll let this fatal flaw slide. It reminds me a lot of Beauty and the Beast and literally almost every superhuman comic and show. I don’t think I would read this WEBTOON because I think it’s a little odd, but I definitely see the intrigue for reading. Good job!