Ouch

Well this was all around weird and not in a fun or interesting way in my opinion. Definitely not for me.

That was odd. I'm not sure what to think of it, partially because it says both Ch1 and oneshot. Is there more to this or not?

Cats can't play piano? Pfft, someone's clearly never seen Keyboard Cat.

last edited at Sep 16, 2025 12:02PM

Sometimes dreams just don't come true. And sometimes things just don't get better, they just end.

It's ok i didn't want to have a good day anyways .

hell yeah

Perfect way to start my day…

I wasn't gonna like it, then I liked it, then it was really tragic, I am not sure about the whole being a cat...is that psychosis? Either way, I love some bad mental health and alcohol tragedy mix.

Damn

Woah.

My goodness, that has to be the most disturbing thing I have seen in a while. (Second only to the fact that every antagonist from the manga about ninja and assassin living together ended up like red shirts, anyway. Don’t judge.)

Very well written, but really, I need some fluff after a tragedy like that.
After all, cats land on four feet, while humans…do not.
I’m guessing the constant failure made her go cuckoo and let go of everything?

The only thing that I am unable to understand is how she said how “that’s not what I meant” two times when she’s trying(?) to get something across and every time Quangyi just tells her to have some food.
Is that the conflict between the innocent happy thoughts and the bitter reality which is not a fairytale romance?

Whatever, that’s dark. This story’s going to live in my head rent-free for a while?

I bet if literature class use comics to make questions for students to solve, this one would spawn a full exam paper.

Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious, the format is a manhua, not a manhwa or a manga. It’s supposed to be read from left to right, and the names have that away too.
And I know it’s only hinted, but there are some suggestive scenes inside.

I hope the artist’s next work would be at least a bit happier.

Beautiful art style but what a painful to read story.

My goodness, that has to be the most disturbing thing I have seen in a while. (Second only to the fact that every antagonist from the manga about ninja and assassin living together ended up like red shirts, anyway. Don’t judge.)

Very well written, but really, I need some fluff after a tragedy like that.
After all, cats land on four feet, while humans…do not.
I’m guessing the constant failure made her go cuckoo and let go of everything?

The only thing that I am unable to understand is how she said how “that’s not what I meant” two times when she’s trying(?) to get something across and every time Quangyi just tells her to have some food.
Is that the conflict between the innocent happy thoughts and the bitter reality which is not a fairytale romance?

Whatever, that’s dark. This story’s going to live in my head rent-free for a while?

I bet if literature class use comics to make questions for students to solve, this one would spawn a full exam paper.

Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious, the format is a manhua, not a manhwa or a manga. It’s supposed to be read from left to right, and the names have that away too.
And I know it’s only hinted, but there are some suggestive scenes inside.

I hope the artist’s next work would be at least a bit happier.

I think it's just a way to illustrate the miscommunication between them. A'wu doesn't manage to convey her feelings accurately when she tries to complain - because she is worried with what happened with the mom (that we can see sliding the "animal shelter" flyer under the door btw) or when she is upset that Qiangyi spent her day off working overtime.

You can see Qiangyi reaction either a some sort of knee-jerk reaction, she is so used to take care of A'wu that if she tries to get her attention, it must be because she wants something from her (like one could assume that a cat comes to see them because they want food). Or it could be also a way to placate her and stir the conversation away from the actual issue, to distract her kind of. Because at this point she is already too exhausted and checked out to try anymore.

Or maybe, probably, a bit of both ?
That's just my interpretation obviously

last edited at Sep 16, 2025 12:29PM

This is the sad reality that you cant always help people with mental illnesses if they dont want to be helped

Great way to portray depression and dependency as being a cat who can't feed themselves or take care of one's needs

Anyway this destroyed me, altho the ending felt a bit unnecessarily bad

I wasn't gonna like it, then I liked it, then it was really tragic, I am not sure about the whole being a cat...is that psychosis? Either way, I love some bad mental health and alcohol tragedy mix.

It's a pretty obvious metaphor imo

Adding on to this, we tolerate certain behaviors from cats and even find them cute because cats don't understand, but the same thing doesn't apply to humans.

No one will lecture a cat for having "mood swings", demanding attention, or batting things off the counter and breaking them. One exposed belly and they're forgiven.

Based on the author's Weibo, I think this is a oneshot, not a series. Discovering that made me both slightly disappointed but also relieved that there's no further angst.

Also, I think on the very last page, what Qiangyi says to her new girlfriend is better translated as "Let's fuck" than "Let's go to bed".

I wasn't gonna like it, then I liked it, then it was really tragic, I am not sure about the whole being a cat...is that psychosis? Either way, I love some bad mental health and alcohol tragedy mix.

It's a pretty obvious metaphor imo

Not for me, I take things very literal, after reading the comments, it does make sense.

a'wu is like really clearly bipolar (delusions and all), god damn. unmedicated that can fuck you up big time. like it's depressing, but i can't blame qiangyi for checking out emotionally either. she's human, she only has so much of herself to give, and all of a'wu's wonderful words were just words. she had no intention of changing.

and from the other side, a'wu was basically licking her own wounds. feeling like shit and being helpless are seductive, in a sense? it's so easy to just Give Up, and the more you hurt yourself (verbally, physically), the more it feels not only deserved, but good and satisfying. i'm just regular depressed and never got into substance abuse and physical self harm, but i get the mental space to an extent. it's like why drug addicts don't quit? your life might be shit, but it's a familiar, comfortable kind of shit. when you're unstable, that's attractive.

that being said, i feel like the last couple pages were unnecessary tbh. it was like... a little too heavy-handed? i'm not sure how to explain it rn, but i think a subtler closure would've been better here. as it is just makes it feel like cheap shock value

Yeah that really hits all the feelings it should. The desperate reliance on someone else, feeling shackled to care for someone you used to love, the guilt and shame of giving up, as well as the joy of no longer having to put up with it.

that being said, i feel like the last couple pages were unnecessary tbh. it was like... a little too heavy-handed? i'm not sure how to explain it rn, but i think a subtler closure would've been better here. as it is just makes it feel like cheap shock value

Yeah the last few pages kind of left me a bit confused on how to feel about this.
The news report says "she had been admitted several days prior".
Qiangyi had already moved out and onto a relationship with this new girl (maybe even living together) just a few days after getting A'wu checked into that mental health facility? That is one fast rebound after getting out of a seven year relationship.

It gave me the impression that the author was feeling vindictive towards A'wu (or perhaps towards the real person who served as the inspiration for A'wu).

I enjoyed that, in a depressing sort of way. I notice that, when they have the flashback of them arguing and Qiangyi saying they have to break up, she doesn't have the bandage on her face. This seems to lead into A'wu on the floor, in a messy apartment, with the door opening - in other words, looping back around to the start, where her psychosis seems to have begun. The first thing Qiangyi says when she finds A'wu as a "cat", is "How can I blame you, when you're like this", and she now has wounds on her face. Seems like A'wu must have hit her, when they last parted. No wonder she cried when A'wu smashed the glass of water. The fact that she was able to cut ties and move on is probably for the best.

This is defenitly something you need to read and re-read multiple times to piece everything together. Even though I saw the twist coming the first time around, there's still so much to tear apart.

Like the cuddly toy with the scarf? It stands in stark contrast to the other animals at the "shelter", and it's re-appearance later made me think it's important... it's easy to miss, but in the BG of p. 30, you can see them winning it! And it even appears as early as p. 3!

Some things I'm left wondering:

• Why is there a prominent dead cicade on p. 37? That's one heck of a choice.
• Is there anything to Qiangy's facial wound? It's where she's always being kissed on by Qiangy in flashbacks.
• On p. 12, the noise from the "cousin" ... was A'Wu ever a competent musician to begin with, or is that part of her delusion? Then, her GF did suggest she take on teaching, so that might be wrong.
• Did I just read bestiality?

Instant favourite, it somehow reminded me of another manhua about a failed relationship, Frostbite.