Cat Shit One
a review by sadJoe
a review by sadJoe
It may or may not come as a surprise when I say that what drew me into this work was a couple things: one, the title ("Cat Shit One"); and two, the cover (review contains possible spoilers).
Motofumi Kobayashi has had enough experience in his field; he understands that first impressions are a vital part of creating a successful manga (and any type of creative work, really). Judging this "book" by its cover alone, it would be hard not to just laugh at it. Who wouldn't want to laugh at some M-16 wielding bunny rabbits, clad in G.I. Joe gear head-to-toe (head-to-waist, in this case)? These were the key factors in me deciding to take the plunge. I took a dip into this story, not knowing what I would find within the pages.
There are numerous inglorious happenings which have taken place throughout the course of American history. Having been at war practically since its inception, the United States has found itself stuck dead in the middle of countless military conflicts. I feel that it is accurate to state that the details of the Vietnam Era is all too often glossed over when it comes to academic learning. Speaking from my own experiences during my schooling, very little seems to be mentioned about the Vietnam War. I am confident in stating that "Cat Shit One" provided a far more detailed explanation regarding the details of this conflict than any history course I've ever taken.
This story takes place during the years that the United States played a direct role in the Indochina conflict (1965ish-1970ish). It is a piece of historical fiction; it does not really have a main character/protagonist. The majority of the events that take place within the manga are centered around three rabbits: Sergeant Perkins ("Perky"), Sergeant White ("Rats"), and Botasky. The three are American soldiers and members of the SOG (Special Operations Group) Team, Cat Shit One. These three young men find themselves thrown into the midst of a tumultuous struggle between "good" and "evil." As they progress through their tours of duty, the line between light and dark blurs, becoming even grayer.
What a reader will first begin to notice upon reading the manga is the different kinds of animals that appear. It might even bring to mind George Orwell's Animal Farm. There's rabbits, pigs, pandas, monkeys, bears, dogs, rats, kangaroos, koalas, and--last but not least--cats. There are no humans in the work, so one might be able to guess what the various animals represent.
Yes, they are a stand-in for the different ethnic groups that all played some type of role in the Indochina Conflict (i.e. Vietnam War). The mangaka did a good job at implementing this, and he capitalized on both the comedic and dramatic tones in the narrative as a result of this method. A good example of this would be how a cat's onomatopoeic "meow" is used to illustrate the language barrier between the Americans and Vietnamese.
Whenever the cats (Vietnamese) appear in battles or firefights with the main cast, their words are shown as meows.
This helps establish a language barrier, along with the general lack of understanding that existed between the various groups involved in these deadly battles.
I enjoyed the way the mangaka employed the rest of the dialogue throughout the work. To be honest, alot of times, it is cheesy. The way the rabbits speak (Americans) resembles the archetypal war hero film. Much of it may be viewed as cliche, short, and lacking of substance. Though this is the case, there are many scenes which demonstrate this as a good choice. The simplicity of the dialogue is able to capture a certain level of endearment, and it emits itself from the pages.
I am convinced of the mangaka's aptitude and talent for what he does. He put in a lot of research time. This was as comprehensive of an historical manga of this caliber I've seen. His art was both cute and solid enough to get the intended message across. It was able to depict the brutality of the war without getting too graphic. His ability to do this with animal characters, most of whom happen to be stereotypically viewed as "cute", speaks volumes about Motofumi Kobayashi's talent.
Through the use of anthropomorphic animals, Kobayashi was able to do accomplish a great deal more than if he had chosen the route of just drawing human soldiers. His characters allowed for subtle humor and various puns to be mixed into the work. The manga demonstrates that despite cuteness, innocence, etc, war exists in this world.
Being a seinen manga which places a focus on history, the scope of audience appeal is limited. So, if you're interesting in reading something that provides a thoroughly detailed background of a tragic historical event, all the while doing it in an emotionally conflicting way by replacing human beings with various animals, then I'd recommend reading this.
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