Read on Renta!:
Kabukicho Cat Honey by Nekojita Udon & Toriumemaru
Japanese Title:
歌舞伎町キャットハニー
Links:
Nekojita Udon Twitter
Toriumemaru Twitter
B.Pilz Twitter
Brite Publishing
Part of me wonders if I even have to post a review for this series, as it already seems incredibly popular. It really doesn’t need an extra push from me—the cover and description already seem to be doing the trick. However, there’s no rule on the blog that says we can’t talk about things we love that are already extremely popular, so I’m still gonna go for it anyway.
Kabukicho Cat Honey is a BL manga by writer/artist duo Nekojita Udon and Toriumemaru. This is actually their second book together, their first being My Private Love Actor (プライベート・ラブマイアクター) which is also released by B.Pilz and localized in-house. While it’s hard to say going off just two releases, it would appear the two mostly work together on BL projects, though Toriumemaru has also done some illustrations for a couple BL novel series and is currently working on a horror josei manga.
The story of Kabukicho Cat Honey follows a young man named Haru. Haru works in Shinjuku’s gay district as an escort, and is popular as a specialized top since he’s quite tall. He’s not just popular with the men, though—the hostesses who also frequent the bar his brothel runs out of love him as well, and so one night they invite him along to a host club with them. Haru doesn’t understand host clubs—he doesn’t get the appeal of being lied to with sweet nothings—but is forced to go by his boss since he was invited by paying customers.
There he meets Shinya, the number two host. His first impression of Shinya is that he seems arrogant and far too friendly, but they quickly bond when they realize they have the same phone case of an indie band they both love. Just as Haru lets his guard down, though, Shinya starts asking him about his work as a prostitute—and why he specializes in topping when he’s so obviously the perfect bottom. Lean build, slender hips, slim neck, beautiful face, soft hair—Shinya makes it clear he would gladly ravage Haru and make him squirm.
Thus starts the push and pull between Haru and Shinya. It’s true: Haru has always wanted to bottom, but he wants his first time to be special and with someone he loves. And while Haru sees Shinya as a fake and a playboy—an issue that gets in the way of their relationship throughout the story—Shinya’s actually just young and dumb and a bit awkward, and deep down wants nothing more than to be the person Haru spends that first night with.
So, what’s the appeal of Kabukicho Cat Honey? I think the most obvious one from just a glance is the fact that the art is so unique. I do think Toriumemaru’s linework is actually quite soft—which is my usual preference—but just the faces have a certain angular quality to them that makes them incredibly striking. Also, while the details in the clothes, hair, and faces tends to be thin and clean, everything is outlined in thicker, darker lines that make everything feel just a bit moody. It really adds to the atmosphere of the story—especially since the setting is Shinjuku’s nightlife. There’s something about it that feels very retro as well, with just the slightest nod to styles seen in the late 80s and early 90s.
Also, the colored artwork for Kabukicho Cat Honey is just to die for—it’s so bright and vivid and fun to look at. I especially love the coloring from the chapter four cover, as well as the cover for the tankoubon version. (Haru’s little pink nips… 
)
The themes are also really appealing to me. A complaint I saw in some of the reviews on various other sites was that the series wasn’t as dirty as they were hoping, and that Shinya was actually a lot sweeter than they expected, so those who’re looking for a ton of kinky ero scenes with a super sadistic seme should actually be warned that Shinya has a very sweet side to him, and his reason for loving Haru so much isn’t actually based on how sexy he is, nor on really wanting to make Haru cry. While he is a bit of a sadist, he’s very much in love with Haru and would probably like him to be happy and in his arms at all times.
The issues in Haru and Shinya’s relationship are based heavily in communication issues that have a lot to do with lack of confidence and trust. Haru is constantly second-guessing that Shinya is actually interested in him, refusing to believe he’s gay (or even bi), assuming Shinya is playing with him, and pushing Shinya away. The miscommunication on Shinya’s end comes from the fact that he doesn’t seem to realize he’s not properly conveying his feelings, which constantly leaves Haru in limbo, feeding into Haru’s insecurities. Because it’s really easy to see why these misunderstandings keep occurring, it makes both characters a lot more relatable and easy to root for, and adds a lot more depth to their personalities. I was definitely relieved when they were finally able to push past their boundaries and properly connect.
Nekojita Udon also did a great job on the worldbuilding around Kabukicho culture, and how that plays a big role in both characters’ lives. One of the milder themes of the manga is the fact that, especially in a district like Kabukicho, everyone has their own story and their own trauma, and their own reasons for going into sex work (and connected industries). I think Kabukicho Cat Honey does a really good job conveying that these are all people trying their best to live their lives and get by, the same as anyone else.
As was noted earlier, this manga leaned a lot less into the sexy scenes than some might expect. There are definitely sex scenes, but there’s a lot more focus on Haru and Shinya as people, and their relationship with each other. There’s quite a lot of petting and making out and flirting that only goes half-way. What ero scenes we do have, though, have a lot of surprisingly kinky content: choking, BDSM, sounding, etc. They do have some very tame, sweet ero scenes, though, so there’s a little something for everyone. I can’t wait for everyone to read chapter six, because there’s a bath scene that’s just 
both because the ero content is so good, but also because they’re finally being sweet and emotionally vulnerable during it.
Overall, the biggest selling point in Kabukicho Cat Honey to me is simply how fulfilling it is so see Haru learn to trust his feelings and trust Shinya, and both of them opening up their lives to each other. This is a rare occasion where I like the top and bottom almost equally. Haru is just so cute and Shinya can be kind of an idiot when it comes to conveying his feelings, but his heart is in the right place from the start. So them eventually finding comfort and stability in each other is just so charming and cute, and I enjoyed it a lot. The scene at Dreamy Dreamland in chapter three healed my soul about five years’ worth.
It’ll still be a bit before the final chapter comes out in English (sorry!), but I really hope everyone enjoys it! I know I did! I feel like the final two chapters tend to be the deciding factor how someone feels about this manga, so I’m on pins and needles waiting for everyone to read it! Once you do, I would love to know what you all think.
I actually love this manga so much I bought it a few days before the release date (Animate stocked a small stack of early releases, so I dashed there after work…). It’s truly a series that makes me glad I work this job and get to be introduced to tons of manga like this, because who knows if I’d have been introduced to it otherwise? So, a huge thank you to Brite Publishing for letting us license their manga and share it with the world. 
And to Toriumemaru and Nekojita Udon for creating such a fun, enjoyable series as well.
While you wait for chapter six, please be sure to check out Toriumemaru‘s and Nekojita Udon‘s Twitter accounts, because both of them posted quite a few illustrations for Kabukicho Cat Honey (as well as My Private Love Actor). It’s a great opportunity to enjoy some of Nekojita Udon’s artwork, too!
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