Free Collars Kingdom

(Volume 3)

by
Takuya Fujima

Del Rey, July 2007, 214 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-345-49267-8

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Manga
Reviewed: 2/5/2008

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Manga Page

Synopsis

Siam is determined to take over East Ikebukuto, but she and her army are going to have to get through the cats of the Free Collars Kingdom to do it. So, she sends out the Siam Army Pest Exterminators to clean out unwanted riff raff. These Pest Exterminators are using Happy Trick, a product that uses silvervine, a substance that contains Nepetalactone, which causes cats to trip out and gain extra strength. The cats of the Free Collars Kingdom are able to put a stop to the Siam Army Pest Exterminators after Cyan defeats their leader, Assassin Chami. Cyan then wants to go after Siam, but Amesho convinces him that he is not ready, as he barely defeated Chami.

After training, when a citizen of East Ikebukuto sends out and emergency signal from the Sunshine Aquarium, the Free Collars cats are off to the rescue. Coon is the one that sent out the signal and Scottie has been captured. Coon has had a spell cast over him and attacks Cyan. Cyan are able to save Coon and Scottie, but he realizes that something must be done about Siam. He and the Free Collars Kingdom cats march over to West Ikebukuto to face Siam and her army on their own turf. This is going to be the mother of all battles.

Free Collars Kingdom - Volume 3 is a manga book written and drawn by Takuya Fujima. This book was translated and adapted by William Flanagan and Lettered by North Market Street Graphics. This book contains the following Cat Tales (chapters):

Cat Tale 13: Cyan's Rage

Cat Tale 14: Behavioral X Rehabilitation

Cat Tale 15: The Place One Must Be

Cat Tale 16: Siam's Collar

Cat Tale 17: The Return of the Queen

Cat Tale 18: (Final Chapter) A Stray Cat's Heaven

There is also some special extras in the following sections: Author's Note, Honorifics Explained, Cultural Notes, Bonus Mini Manga: Free Collars Love Theater, and Translation Notes. The book reads from right to left and back to front, just like a book from Japan. This manga book is intended for readers ages 16 and up.

Review

Maybe it is the translation by William Flanagan , or maybe it is the writing, but this book is extremely hard to follow. Maybe that's why there was only three books in this series? I don't know, but once again, after having liking the first book so much, I found myself not really enjoying Free Collars Kingdom - Volume 3 very much as I should have. There is a ton of dialog which does not flow very well in English. Sure, it is the final book in this series, and, yes, it does tied up all the loose ends, but it was very hard to follow what was going on.

The artwork is beautiful, but sometimes cluttered and confusing. The concept of the story is pretty cool, it is just the execution that left me wanting more. I really wanted to understand about the lives of these cats, but just didn't get into the story very much.

Overall, I thought Free Collars Kingdom - Volume 3 was a good book that could have been great if the reader could have understood what was going on a little better. Too bad . . . it had potential.

I rated this book a 6½ out of 10.

I rated this series a 7 out of 10.