Cat's Eye Omnubus Volume 1

Tsukasa Hojo's classic 1981 manga is the precursor to his more widely known City Hunter series, but that makes it no less iconic - Rui, Hitomi and Ai run the Cat's Eye Cafe by day, but take to heists at night. Leaving a Cat's Eye calling card before they even attempt a theft, the daring siblings steal their father's artwork from galleries hoping to find clues to his whereabouts. Hitomi's witless boyfriend, Detective Toshio, has yet to put together the link between his girlfriend, her cafe and the thefts. It hasn't even occurred to him that taking her on dates to prospective targets and telling her about all the security arrangements might be the reason they're constantly outfoxed. Even after he accidentally ends up groping Hitomi on a heist in the dark and discovering that "Cat's Eye" is a woman, then being told by Hitomi she won't marry a detective it still doesn't seem to ping his radar. Columbo he is not.

Despite Toshio's annoyingly clueless nature, there's a charming levity to Cat's Eye that I really enjoyed. Manga doesn't age the same way that anime does, even the fashions depicted in here have aged well, most of the characters in suits or casual clothes never feel dated. Only Toshio's wonderful hair really gives the game away, along with the lack of modern technology. As a huge fan of crime shows like the aforementioned Columbo, the 70's and 80's have always occupied a place in my heart for simpler times when the use of a telephone booth could give a criminal away and if a phone was mobile, it was massive.

Cat's Eye was first translated into English by the MangaHotto online service in 2024, which was surprising. This manga uses an updated English translation from even last year's take, and it reads very well. But to take over 40 years to land in the West just boggles my mind, though it is perhaps timely as a new Original Net Animation series is now streaming on Disney+, with more episodes due next year.

Save a few hairstyles and the technology of the time, it really doesn't feel "dated" in any way

Each chapter deals with a new heist, the sisters dancing rings around the authorities while we gain a new snippet of backstory to flesh out the characters. The art is absolutely gorgeous - clear, concise panels convey the action while the characters themselves are full of character - every sly smile, romantic glance and determined stare bring the stories to life, it's a real pleasure to see a master craftsman at work. Introducing Detective Mitsuko Asatani in Chapter 5 adds an element of genuine danger for the girls, as she's far more competent than Toshio and immune to Cat's Eye's charms. All subsequent heists are far more engaging as a result, while the author still manages to balance the cast brilliantly. As a reader, you're on both sides, wanting our daring damsels to succeed, but also finding their pursuers likeable and worth rooting for.

All would be for nought were the heists themselves no fun. The ways in which Cat's Eye outsmart the police are often clever and inventive, sometimes they even have rivals to contend with like "the Bride of Lupin", offering up a patsy to give the hapless Toshio the occasional win. 

Kana's omnibus gives us 23 chapters of Cat's Eye, which is a generous portion indeed. The print quality is sharp, with no muddy tones - it feels pretty fresh despite the age of the material - the cover is nice (though easily damaged so handle with care) and the interior has occasional splashes of colour which help to elevate the feeling of quality (though I prefer my manga uncoloured as a rule). 

It's criminal that we haven't been gifted the chance to read the series before now - it's an enjoyable read with engaging leads, the chapters keep things moving at a snappy rate and the crimes themselves are fun to see, with the "howdunnit" usually a delightful surprise. It's a shame the series is noted to end rather abruptly, but we still get 135 chapters (hopefully) to discover for the first time. If you're a fan of classic crime capers, you'll find much to love here.