Wandering Cat’s Cage Review
Writer & Artist: Akane Torikai
Translator: Jocelyne Allen
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Book Description: 344 Pages, Black-and-White
Hardcover Price: $34.99 US
ISBN-13: 9798875002397
Release Date: October 27, 2026
When Sanada needs a little time for herself, she heads to
the batting cage. After hitting balls around the room for a while, Sanada
treats herself to some candy from Granny, who sells the refreshments. But today
is different. As Reijo sits on a bench facing the chicken wire barrier, he
offers her a job.
Sanada is taking a break from her needles. Still, she can't
say no. She and Reijo have a long history together and are more alike than
different. What will Reijo ask Sanada to do for him? And how will it change
their lives? Let's take a boat to the shanty town, leap into Wandering Cat's
Cage, and see!
Story
When Reijo mentions a rat sneaking around his place, he
doesn't mean a rodent. So, as Sanada walks the narrow streets, she looks for
likely suspects. When the acupuncturist warns a pickpocket that she could kill
her by pressing a mechanical pencil into her neck, the teen gives her the day's
haul. But when Reijo says the girl isn't the rat he's looking for, Sanada asks
her to find the woman who's been scoping out Reijo's home. After giving Sanada
all her money, Ejima needs to earn more. Without money, she and the strays she
protects will go hungry.
In Wandering Cat’s Cage, abandonment is a familiar concept
to everyone in the shanty town. Life may seem better in the modern town across
the water. Yet many, like the twins Ejima found, end up on the streets. Still,
perhaps that's better than how Reijo lives. Even though he brings joy to many
others, the only man in the shanty town relies on marijuana to get through each
day.
After introducing Sanada and Reijo and showing how a
skulking rat binds them as the leaders of a growing family, Akane Torikai
transports readers across the river. While Dr Otsuka cares for the Minister of
Health’s daughter, her own daughter struggles in school. Like the girls who
breathe unexpected vitality into Sanada and Reijo’s lives, Mirai questions the
system. Yet like Sanada, Mirai also wonders what life is supposed to be about.
As Akane Torikai slowly peels back the layers of this
society to reveal the dilemmas facing its leaders, the story also tackles how
governments respond to change. When science offers leaders a means of
population control, they redefine the truth. Their world grows more organized
and easier to control. Yet, it also becomes a lonelier place, where people care
less about others and forget the joy of living, in Wandering Cat’s Cage.
Art
While steel roofs top boxy homes, a few buildings have flat
roofs. Only one resident has transformed the roof into a comfortable outdoor
room. Yet outdoor living hasn’t brought Reijo happiness. As he sits in his
waterfront home, perched above the sunken coastline, Reijo rolls his marijuana
joints, sprawls in a robe on his upholstered sofa, and regards everyone with a
disconsolate expression.
Sanada's long hair tumbles down the back of her T-shirt. Yet
in a world ruled by women, Reijo wears a blouse, printed silk slacks, and
jewelry. Like Sanada, he doesn’t cover or restrict his short hair. Unlike Reijo
and Sanada, most people bind their hair with clips, braid it, bundle it, bind
it into buns, or cover it with hats, hoods, or scarves. In the town, Mirai and
her friend Ino also wear their hair loose and uncovered. But then, the two
girls buck the system that intends to shackle them in Wandering Cat’s Cage.
As Akane Torikai draws buildings and backgrounds with
exacting detail, gray and black fall lightly upon the art. The gentle shading
on buildings and surroundings evokes brushwork. Hatching on necks and near eyes
also enhances the characters' features. Generously sized uppercase letters fill
balloons with minimal arrows. Or, like the zygotes prized by the leaders, no
tail may extrude from the dialogue balloons. Thanks to Fantagraphics for
providing a physical review copy.
Final Thoughts
The drapes that shield his canopy bed cannot hide how Reijo
spends his evenings. Nor do the fluttering paper lanterns on his covered porch
rouse a smile. Giving pleasure to others may allow Reijo to live free and well.
But that's only as long as none of his visitors tell the authorities that a
fertile man lives in unsupervised comfort in Wandering Cat’s Cage.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see Wandering Cat's Cage Preview.
