Fantagraphics' Takumigraphics imprint, dedicated to East Asian-focused manga, is releasing Akane Torikai's dystopian shojo manga, Wandering Cat's Cage. The publisher has provided an exclusive preview of the title, which is now available in bookstores.
Wandering Cat's Cage is a collaboration between Fantagraphics and MSX: Mangasplaining Extra. The story is set in a near-future where only a small number of women can menstruate and few males are born to them, leading to reproduction being medically controlled. Society is divided between the tightly controlled, prosperous citizens of 'The City' and the free but humble residents living across the river in a rundown shantytown.
The narrative follows Sanada, a young acupuncturist living in the shantytown with Reiho, a man who caters to wealthy women from The City seeking experiences they cannot have. Their small family unit expands when they take in other young women displaced from the city. Their lives are disrupted when Reiho is abducted and taken to The City's breeding program. Sanada then joins forces with other outcasts to rescue him, confronting difficult truths about love, self-actualization, society, safety, and humanity's future.
Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics' Vice President and Associate Publisher, stated that Wandering Cat's Cage is a fitting addition to the Takumigraphics line. He noted that Torikai builds on the traditions of shojo manga and dystopian fiction, employing her distinctive artwork to convey an urgent and potent voice relevant to contemporary times.
The Takumigraphics imprint launched earlier this year with the release of Lovers of the Empire.