Bernie no Enikki

Many stories about growing up handle a teenager or adolescent's story, this manga takes on the challenge of a much younger central character and pulls it off very well. It's hard for me to put my finger on what it was I enjoyed so much. The story is a narrative from the perspective of a young cat about his first year of grade school. Each chapter ends with him drawing the story he experienced in the drawing diary he was given at school. This is not however a narrative purely for children. The stories are simple but deeper, more adult themes shine through. The art was refreshing and although there wasn't much room to develop each character they all had unique appearances that hinted at their personalities. Overall the art reminded me of something from a children's book (in a good way) and made a perfect fit for the story. It's a quick red and I'd recommend it to anyone open to reding a feel good, but far from sappy, story about life and growing up from the perspective of the very young.