Chi’s life of play and prey continues in this third volume of Chi’s Sweet Adventures, and it’s full of adorableness as usual.
But the first thing that really stood out to me was that the titular kitten’s adventures seemed a bit short. I went back and checked the first two books in the series, and they both concluded on page 91 (minus the advertisements). Here, the main story ends on page 89; plus, unlike the other two, there is a two-page character introduction. So this volume ends up being about five pages shorter than the first two. Normally five pages wouldn’t be a huge deal, but considering that chapters can be that short, it’s a notable dropoff in an already short manga.
As for the story, Chi’s Sweet Adventures continues to chronicle the life of the little kitten and her friends and family. It’s a blend of cat curiosity, animals “talking” with each other, and the interactions between people and their pets. Like any other comedy, some sections are funnier than others. The scary/grumpy character having a scary smile is always a classic. The fact that a kitten (Cocchi) does it makes the whole thing even more fun, especially when Chi does it so effortlessly. However, the hide-and-seek chapter feels too much like a rehash of a section from Chi’s Sweet Home.
Overall, I felt the quality wasn’t quite as good as the previous volume’s stories. Maybe part of the reason I didn’t feel like the volume didn’t leave a strong impression on me was that a lot of strips feel like other people or animals are co-starring with Chi instead of being a guest star. Mr. Yamada tries to enter Chi in a chic cat contest. Blackie gives lessons. Yohei runs away. It’s nice that so many characters get attention, but it’s almost like the series should be titled Chi and Friends.
I think that’s why my favorite chapter was the one where Chi is home alone. I like the strips where Chi and the others react to each other (like Cocchi and Chi’s cat lessons not going well due to Chi’s energy), but sometimes, Chi needs to hog the spotlight. Also, cat on a Roomba = instant win.
Combined with the cheerful, full-color art, Chi’s Sweet Adventures volume 3 is still a good option to pick up whenever you need a mental pick-me-up. But compared to the previous volume, it’s like the difference between the cat video you liked and the cat video you liked enough to send to your friends.