Meaning is meaningless

Nekojiru Dango offers little more than a disjunct collection of gorey, dark humored tales from the perspective of our two adorable, immoral kittens; Nyako and Nyatta. All that encompasses their daily life is a habitual tendency to spread murder, maim and despair through a series of wildly unfortunate events. The most unfortunate, however, is when their mother hits them on the head.

The chapters all follow different, wildly entertaining stories maxed out in gore stats. Those who also love good dark comedy are in for a delectable snack. That said, there are no real punch-lines, gags or jokes. The comedic value simply lies in the sheer absurdity and inanity. From befriending a Kappa and freeing his enslaved friends to going on a joy ride on a stolen truck and killing innocent bystanders, there's not much else to be found. The last chapter, however, is an especially interesting and somber one. Featuring only human characters, curiosity still pecks away at my mind as to why Nekojiru decided to cease her anthropomorphism.

There is no real meaning sought after or to be found in these 8 chapters. Perhaps one could conjure Nietzsche's spirit and argue that the desensitization of death and gore points to a nihilistic theme bouldering as they continue by the hands of our evil cats. That perhaps the devoid nature of an all-encompassing theme, actually presents a theme devoid of themes and meaning devoid of meaning.

Me? I just think that Nekojiru Dango is about evil fucking cats being evil.

Deadpan and lifeless

The crude, bland art suits this dark series well. Nekojiru draws her anthropomorphic characters with thick lines, round faces and bodies and little detail that's compromised by the variety of different animals species in this series. Blank ink spills and splatters in bloodiness, guts explode and spill out, and twisted faces bound the series' personality very crudely.

What I love most, however, is Nyako and Nyatta's deadpan faces. Absolutely devoid of emotion and thought, their bulbous pupils swirling with black peer into the deepest levels of Tartarus. These two sisters are the ones greeting you when your soul is to be weighted after death.

Conclusion