Nekoappa!: Unedited Audio and Recording Notes

Intro

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• Welcome to this episode of Shonen Flop, where we talk about manga in Shonen Jump that didn’t make it big
• David: I’m David
• Jordan: I’m Jordan
• David: Next week we’ll be covering Kako and the False Detective If you’d like to read along with us. Be sure to join the discussion in our Discord and submit your six-word summary. You can find a link to the Discord in our episode description and on our website shonenflop.com
• But this week we’re talking about Nekowappa! and we’re joined by our guest sabrina pascual aka inakyu
• Guest: 30-second intro

Manga Details

• Title means cat-child
• Author: Matsumoto, Naoya (Mah-tsɯ-mo-toe, Nah-oh-yah)
  • Who they were assistant to:
    • Toshiaki Iwashiro (on Psyren)
    • Ryuhei Tamura (on Beelzebub) (you know for Hard-Boiled Cop & Dolphin)
      • Chapter 70 of belzebub has a cameo of one of the cats
    • Shouei Ishioka (on Belmonde le Visiteur) (FLOP ELIGIBLE)
    • Teruaki Mizuno (on Metallica Metaluca)
    • Yoshi Sawai (Shinsetsu BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo)
• Author’s other works:
  • This was their debut work
  • Pochi Kuro (2014-2015, 4 volumes, 43 chapters, Shonen Jump Plus) - launch title for Shueisha’s digital platform Shonen Jump Plus
  • Kaiju no.8 (2020-present, 9+ volumes, Shonen Jump Plus) - OLD MAN PROTAG; anime adaption next year
• Run dates: Nov 9, 2009 to Feb 15, 2010
  • Series it replaced:
    • Kagijin by Yasuki Tanaka (Summer Time Rendering)
      • It’s about keys. FLOP ELIGIBLE.
  • Series that replaced it:
    • Lock On! by Kenta Tsuchida
      • It’s about photography. FLOP ELIGIBLE.
  • Series in the same serialization round:
    • Shinseiki Idol Densetsu Kanata Seven Change by Shuichi Aso (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)
      • It’s about idols.
• Chapters/Volumes: 13/2

About the Manga

• Plot
  • Tama Nekomori is a little girl in the first grade who was raised by cat gods, including her mom, dad, and grandpa. She has recently been tasked with going to the human world to learn how to be a human cuz she knows how to be a cat very well. Immediately she runs into a rich kid named Oyabin and his underling Torosuke. Oyabin tries to impress Tama with his speed and strength but Tama is waaaaaaay stronger than him cuz she’s got divine kitty powers. Her ultimate goal is to become a god herself, and to that end she has to grant wishes. She gets the chance to do this when Oyabin is kidnapped and Torosuke begs her to help. Tama quickly catches up to the kidnappers and beats them up with giant kitty paws. She then brings the two boys to her home where they meet the cat family and Tama realizes that she should go to school. After charging into the building and accidentally but fortunately stomping on the head of a pedophile teacher, Tama meets Rikka, the school idol, who wishes to confess her feelings to the guy she has a crush on. Unfortunately that guy is her adult teacher and it thankfully doesn’t work out how she wants but her and Tama become friends and Rikka might even have a crush on her.
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  • Suddenly the cat temple is confronted by Kibimaro Kitsunemi from the much larger fox temple. She’s pissed because Rikku had prayed to the fox temple but Tama swooped in and answered the wish first. Tama doesn’t care tho and immediately tries to find a dog named Pochi that an old man had wished to find. Kibimaro tries to find him first but Tama succeeds. Kibimaro then starts going to the school to defeat Tama but immediately falls in love with Rikka just in time for her to wish that someone save her from her stalker. This part isn’t super important except that Kibimaro reveals her ultimate familiar: Jierom. A muscular mostly naked fox guy who has a deadly buttack just like David. Next the cat temple is charged with helping Himiko Maeda, a beautiful girl who’s a powerful spirit medium. She is possessed by powerful demonic hands given to her by the goddess Ame-No-Uzume, who’s a really important deity in Japanese culture that I know from Persona 5. She demands that the cat temple protect Himiko so they employ her as a priestess to do chores like give the dad cat back rubs.
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  • The temple is soon attacked by Mangetsu Tanukiiwa from the Tanuki temple and her army of militarized raccoons with their dicks out. It’s actually not that weird it’s just how tanuki are represented in Japanese culture. She uses giant mechanized cat toys to distract the cat gods but Tama takes care of them easily. Mangetsu has a grudge against Tama because her crush, Akira Karasuma of the Raven temple, has a crush on Tama. Unfortunately the manga isn’t doing so well so Ame-No-Uzume shows up to tell the cats that it’s time for the exam arc. Tama, Mangetsu, Kibimaro, and a snake guy from the Snake Temple named Ikkaku Hebinuma (as well as Akira but we don’t follow him) are all competing to be gods. The test is very confusing and there’s a point system that makes no sense but everyone tries really hard. Ikkaku tried to take Tama out with poisoned sandals but her cat familiars save her and he gets disqualified. Everyone passes except him and there’s a montage where everyone’s parents react to it. Ikkaku gets chewed out by his dad but fuck that guy, and Tama is now officially a god.
• Characters
  • Tama
    • MC
    • Learning to be human
    • Raised by gods
    • Super strength n shit
  • Oda Nobutaruo aka Oyabin
    • The bossman
    • Oyabin
    • Biggly smartman
    • Minion Torosuke
  • Hashiba Torosuke
    • Underling
    • Cares about boss
    • Dreams of being a manga artist
    • Is trying to write the very comic that we are reading at this moment
• Cat parents
  • Very cute and caring
• Himiko maeda
  • Shrine madon
  • The go to sexualized character

Why it failed

• This kinda feels too much like DB
• Of course bad representation of a poc
• I think it's just mediocre enough it doesn't stick with you
• Maybe it's obvious but I'd like to have learned more about the indigenous religion of Japan through this
• The porn mag part is really weird these are legit little kids
• I feel the art gets kinda sloppy midway through
• It never gives characters time to breath like every major character is one after another
• Ah fuck a tournament arc
• Yeah tournament arc was kind of a pain

What it did well

• Art’s very solid
• Seems cute
• Has some fun DB vibes to it
• The gags are cute like the running on the ceiling rule
• It's just a nice reasonable chuckle
• The giant cat splash pages look dope

Where it could have gone

• That God challenge thing was dumb just make it a solve 100 favors thing why not
• Also establish some direction it just felt kinda aimless a lot

Misc Thoughts

• Idk why this makes me think of airbud
• Maxy Bee thoughts:
  • There’s a lot of stuff about Tama (the way she runs, her unstoppable strength and straightforward naïveté) that evokes Arale from Dr. Slump. Not a rip-off, but close enough that you can see the direct inspiration.
  • Chapters 2-4 were translated by a friend of mine back in 2009. Not really manga trivia, but I was surprised seeing his name in the credits of the scan. In the years since he’s become an excellent translator and the internet’s foremost expert on Weekly Shonen Sunday.

Final Verdict

• Six Word summary
  • Community
    • Tucker: Kitty litter-tier Dr. Slump ripoff
    • Maxybee: We have Dr. Slump at home
    • Portal Man: Being a god is too Purrfect
    • Riel: This manga was an utter Cat-astrophe | Dr Slump but bad, with cats
    • Meru: ps ps ps ps ps ps
    • Orange: neko goku is best goku nya
    • Duderocks: The school needs a better H.R
    • KuroMahou: His CATalogue consists of  CATastrophies stories
    • Emerald Mudkip: Jerome’s fundoshi cab service is here
    • Yeti: Foolhardy feline female fulfils fantastical fancies
    • SpookySkelly: I've gone catatonic while reading this | Cats possessing humans? Feline fine time!
    • 090Z: Neko Whopper would've been more entertaining
    • Cram: it's Goku, erh, Tama from Kittyball!
    • Diego_MT: Cat girl Goku's Cat-astrophic shenanigans ensue
    • Resident Warhammer Nerd: Catgirl Caterwauls, Catechizes, Catnaps, Catches Catnappers
  • David:  sometimes you need a moderate chuckle | uwu no-WHY IS THERE FOX BULDGE | Meow that’s what I call manga
  • Jordan: cute kitty with litter box plot
  • Guest:
• Flop or not
  • Not a flop it was a fun harmless read
  • If not, how it compares to Chainsaw Man
• Is this the best/worst series we’ve talked about