Let me pour my soul out, because this manga deserves a positive, well-written review that many of the recent ones have not been. This manga was, still is, and always will be my life saviour. I've read this manga about, what five times? Maybe even more. It is one that I hold very dear to me due to the sheer amount of heart and encouragement embedded into its writing.

About 4 years ago, I was in a very, very bad place in my life, where I was severely depressed and, very similar to Keito in the sense that I was not attending school properly. I had so many absences from refusing to attend school that I was almost held back a grade... Yes, it was that serious. My relationship with my parents was also at an all time low, and every night I would cry myself to sleep because of a fight with my parents or simply just being depressed and anxious about my life. Thoughts similar to suicide such as "I wish I could fall asleep and never open my eyes again," were so constant that I would spend my free time sleeping because I felt that dreams were more beautiful than reality. That's how bad my depression was.

So, one day after one of the worst fights I've ever had with my parents, I remember laying on my side in my bed with tears streaming down my face and into my pillow, trying to find something to take my mind off the anger and sadness from the fight that just occurred. At that time I began reading a lot to take my mind off of reality and escape. "Cat Street" happened to be a manga saved on my tablet at the time, so in desperation I opened it and began reading it. Immediately, Keito's story, her emotions, her life were so similar to mine at that time I instantly connected with her on an extremely deep level. Her journey, was my journey and the many words and realizations Keito has during her healing and re-entrance into life became words that I latched onto for dear life. Small quotes like "Please capture your own happiness" moved me, a young, impressionable, sad girl, so incredibly much. By the end of the manga, I felt like I was reborn and I needed to begin taking steps to begin healing myself instead of wallowing in my own sadness like I did before. Reading that manga became a turning point in my life, and since then I have not once thought that I should ever stop improving my life and myself. And whenever I feel down, and at a point in my life where I felt so battered by the world I would sit down and reread this manga and come out feeling refreshed and motivated.

Now to touch upon the more technical points of the manga, and ignore my sob story for a bit, I still think this manga was still impeccably written and planned out perfectly. Every time I reread this story I have never felt once that the pacing was wrong. Admittedly I wished the story wasn't so short, but it needn't be any longer than it is now. And people who complained the pacing of the story increased near the end; it increased because Keito was already walking down the right path. And once you realize you've walked down the right path in life, that walk becomes a sprint and life becomes much brighter than you will ever imagine. Or at least that was what the mangaka intended. And for those who didn't like that the romance was very downplayed, it was done that way so it wouldn't steal the spotlight from Keito's story. The story wasn't one of Keito's romance, but rather it was a story of Keito's healing and her journey from an overgrown grade schooler, to a successful, beautiful and shining woman. The story is rather unrealistic because opportunity does not present itself that conveniently in the real world, but the message is still there. To work hard and strive towards your goal no matter how many times you've been knocked down. And I believe the mangaka did a beautiful job at expressing that. All the characters were loveable, if not relatable, and all the challenges Keito faced were ones that helped her grow, no matter how small that growth was. Its every page teaches individuality, kindness, forgiveness, and most of all: perseverance. It is written beautifully, and I find it appalling that others do not see the worth of this manga past many of its technical flaws (such as many of the unrealistic events that happen).

To end this incredibly long review, this is a manga that should be read by lost souls, and people who desperately need a pick-me-up in their life. It is a manga that saved me from myself, and I believe that it can save others as well. Call me immature, gullible or any other name, however I believe that work simply is a masterpiece and one that can be enjoyed by anyone who has experienced the pain of feeling inadequate and useless. Because if a girl who couldn't even read her own first language could find success and happiness on her own, Kamio Youko wants you to know you can too. Never give up, and always keep being your best self!

(Thanks to anyone who actually read through this entire review. Congratulations!)

I have been putting off this manga for a very long time since I first wanted to read it. Not because I think it is uninteresting, but on the contrary, I was afraid that after I read it I would have a very hard time finding another series to top it off. Needless to say I had a very high expectations before reading this. And they were, all in all, surpassed.

First of all: the characters. They were all generally quite unique. I don't see anyone of them being a carbon copy of manga stereotypes - they each had a defining thing in them that sets them apart from typical shoujo characters. Each character is well developed, and the characters' interaction with each other and, consequently, growth throughout the series are a pleasure to read.

The plot. Well, the plot has a special place in my heart because I was, at some point in my life, in a somewhat similar situation with Keito: locking myself in my house and refusing to see the world out there. El Liston is also - and some of you may find it quite hard to believe - a realistic place. Schools like that really do exist. But I don't know if you'd find it as wonderful as Keito did...or meet people as nice as Kouichi, Rei and Momiji (they're wonderful friends! I wish I have friends like them!) None of the plot really stood out as being unrealistic, unlike most mangas. Some, I find, would be a rather bizarre thing to have happened but it's not quite impossible. All in all, nothing makes me want to smack my head out of the sheer ridiculousness of it, which seems to be a common problem for shojou mangas out there, even mainstream ones such as skip beat. In fact, I find that the emotions in this manga are very sincere and easily relatable

The romance. Wellll...as some of you would have read from other reviews, the romance isn't too predictable. It's not like you see the guy and would immediately know he's going to end up with Keito. I was not disappointed by the romance. I find it realistic and natural. (I was rooting for the guy she ends up with anyway...I kind of saw the possibility of it and hoped it would come true. To the guy who shall not be named: I love youuuu~!!) They had a real connection and really helped each other to grow. What a wonderful dynamics these two have. They're not a "hot" couple, so to speak. (Not one of those "sensual" couples), but definitely a sweet couple. xD Definitely a plus for me.

Go read it now! It's really good!! But it might leave you wanting more when it ends... The ending itself is great. It wraps things up nicely without feeling overdone. One of, if not the best shoujo manga I've ever had the pleasure of reading!

... Last updated on May 29th, 2010, 2:11am

I love this story, it gives me so much inspiration, and has so much meaning. I could just huggle this series for forever. But.. there was something bugging me for a while, besides all the neat little hints, there always seemed like the manga lacked something, but towards it's end seemed to start to gain, but not completely.

... Last updated on December 14th, 2008, 9:04pm

Cat Street is one of the few great mangas out there. Many are good, but they all usually lack something to be great. Cat Street does not.

Of all the aspects in Cat Street, it is its characters that shine the most: their interactions with each other and their evolution as time goes on are simply one of its kind. Cat Street succeeds in telling a 'touching story' while never becoming an 'over dramatic story'.

From a male perspective, Cat Street is one of the few drama/romance mangas that succeeds in conveying its story in a realistic manner. What separates it from the rest, however, is that Cat Street is not only reasonable and realistic, but it is also spectacularly touching and endearing.

... Last updated on December 15th, 2008, 7:51pm

I have to agree with jhalf everytime I see a release my heart ~w~ This has to be one of the best shoujo manga I have read. The characters are interesting, the plot is great and the art is beautiful. I'm not sure if I want to compare HYD and Cat Street but I think Cat Street has a stronger plot.
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Okay after finishing this I have to say the ending is a little weak. I think that Kamio needs to work on closing her stories :/

... Last updated on November 4th, 2008, 12:08pm

This is probably one of my all-time favorite mangas, but even I will admit that it has its problems. Though the character development is actually pretty solid, unlike what a few users claimed below, there is quite a bit of drama towards the end that made the later half of the manga feel rushed and unnecessary. However, I hesitate to even call it "super dramatic" as it is just a few or so turns that felt ultimately a bit unnatural to the entire concept of the manga.

Nevertheless, it is still a really beautiful manga that has an amazing lesson to teach. It essentially follows a girl who is trying to get back on her feet after the loss of her identity from a failure. This will probably touch base with all of its readers, but most especially, it's for a lot of cases of what I like to call "Asian burnout", where many pressured students that have been pushed and forced to work a single aspect of their life end up burning themselves out after a single failure or loss.

For some complaints about Keito being annoying or immature or static, I actually personally found her refreshing and much more realistic than typical shoujo heroines. She was a bit naive at times, but I can promise that her character development is fairly satisfying and slow. I didn't really like some of the other characters' personalities, including her friend Rei, but Kouichi (who is cool, calm, and composed) and Momoji (who reminds me a bit of Miwako from Paradise Kiss and Black Finger from Spirit Fingers, but I suppose it's the goth aesthetic and the coming-of-age plot that they all share) were really great with bringing out Keito in her truest form. And the side characters were very useful for Keito's development and very well explored with their own side character development, which was cool.

TL;DR: Ultimately, I would very strongly suggest reading it despite its several problems with melodrama, plot holes, and annoying character flaws. It had lovely, clear art, nice dialogue, realistic characters, and a beautiful message. Therefore, 8/10.

... Last updated on March 24th, 2019, 12:59am

I love it. The art reminds me of Hana Yori Dango, so I like it

It´s very realistic. I really identify myself with this manga. Even though I don´t have a traumatic experience, I got an experience which changed my life and my point of view, I traveled to another country, which language I didn´t know and had to learned there, all this in my adolescence.

The way I was before the trip and the way I was after the trip were totally different. I became anti social, I glare at people (just like Kouichi do hahaha), I didn´t smile and I didn´t talk to anyone. Inside my house I was still the same girl, but outside I became anti social. And so I came to question the relationships between people, the so called friendship, and how I could get back to being how I was before the trip. And so I know how hard it is to not have someone to talk to, someone who will understand you and give you advices.

I also liked how Keito faced her fears, how she became more understanding as she faced life. And also there a part in the last chapter that remind me of the ¨Myth of the Cave¨ (Allegory of the Cave) of Platon.

I also like how the mangaka showed that life, as it can become meaningless in no time, it also can become the most wonderful experience in no time. But, of course, with the right guidance to show the right path and with the right friends beside you.

OMG..I LOVE THIS MANAGA!!!!!!!!!!...its not like the typical shoujo manga..its much much MORE!!..you guys should read it..definitely won't be dissapointed

... Last updated on December 6th, 2008, 7:58pm

The sole reason that I start read this manga is only because of successful of "Hana yori Dango". After I finished this manga, I am so impressive cause this one is better than I expected.
Good plot
Good Storyline
Good Characters : Not only face but behavior,vision,decision etc.
Good Theme
and Surely Good Ending

Used "Hikikomori Syndrome" (see : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori ) as plot device so story reflect some part of reality. Readers not only get fun but knowledge too,we learn about psychological issue,how to control your emotion,how to deal with others,what is called responsibility, etc. For me the most important thing is not only get own happiness by others but build it by own self.

The story is good from start to end. All character had its own dimension, nice created.Even I feel it's lack of romantic moments but it's good after all.

I really enjoyed this manga (which was a surprise), mostly because it was so different from other shoujo mangas I've read. For one, Keito doesn't end up with the first boy she crushes on (a very realistic scenario). Also, for the most part, the manga isn't overly dramatic and soap opera-like (unlike Hana Yori Dango, which I hated). It's a very character-driven story. Teens grow up, fall in and out of love and find out who they are.

To my surprise, I also really liked Keito. She didn't seem to be a very interesting character at first, but perhaps that's what I enjoyed. Not especially smart, beautiful, witty or the typical shoujo "I'm such a compassionate, sweet girl" type, she's very real in her flaws.

Although there were some exaggerated plot twists at the end--for example, she and the guy she likes don't speak for 2.5 years just because she assumes he's taken when he's not and he is lied to by her sister that Keito "never wants to see him again" (as if Keito would ever say that)--I still think that overall the manga is a 10/10 for me. It doesn't hurt that Keito ended up with the guy I'd been rooting for since the beginning