Backlit Pixels

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Reviewer’s Note: I received a review copy of The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap Vol. 1 from Yen Press in exchange for an honest review of the volume. I was not compensated for my review, nor will I be compensated post-review. All manga reviews are spoiler-free and image-free unless noted in the review. Opinions are my own.

I’m changing it up on Day 3 of the 25 Days of Manga read-a-thon: today, we’re going with a cute fantasy title. Namely, I’ll be reading The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap, a Yen Press title and an isekai. I haven’t read a good isekai in a while, but this one seemed quite promising, especially since it’s a shoujo isekai.

You could say it even sounded…purrfect.

Okay, enough with my puns: I need to stop before I become too paw-erful! Okay, okay, seriously: I won’t toss too many cat puns in. So, before I stop being so claw-some…

…okay, let’s just get into the review.

The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap (hereafter White Cat’s Revenge) is an isekai that follows female lead Ruri and Asahi, her friend. Things are great… well, Asahi’s kinda dense and quite selfish. She doesn’t realize that Ruri is the constant target of resentment from Asahi’s groupies and fans. 

Yet when Asahi gets summoned to another world to become their Priestess Princess, Ruri finds herself dragged along and eventually -really, immediately– branded a traitor who’s sent away in exile. Why? Well… it’s because she’s rumored to be attempting to kill Asahi. Yet now that Ruri is able to be her own person, the world seems a bit brighter. Maybe it’s time for a new beginning…

Right off the bat, Ruri is intensely relatable. Described by the story as a “beautiful yet misfortunte heroine”, Ruri instantly won me over. I’m always a big fan of a character who talks big but is a sweetheart, and Ruri certainly slots into that roll perfectly. Despite having an incredibly rough start -and harboring a massive desire to drop-kick everyone who caused it- she’s actually quite a kind young woman with a lot of potential.

As the titular white cat, we do see Ruri become said cat in the volume and what a cute cat she is! I was a bit surprised by how late that comes, but rest assured, reader: you’ll see her become that pretty kitty on the cover, though the circumstances around it are pretty curious and quite humorous, if I’m being honest. I’m looking forward to her making her way to the Dragon King’s lap. I bet that’s going to be just as funny as well!

Additionally, the exploration of why Asahi is so intensely popular is also fascinating: it seems there’s more to her than just “no thoughts, head empty”, though it’s hard to hate Asahi. She’s more annoying if anything, and far more a thorn in Ruri’s side, in the end. I imagine we’ll get more Asahi content in future volumes, especially as a reunion seems all but inevitable, even from this inaugural volume.

The world itself is equally fascinating. There’s your typical mix of humans, demi-humans, and fairies, but there’s also a nation of dragon-folk, which is always a nice inclusion into any fantastical world. I found the draconians -this world’s dragon-folk- really interesting too. Hopefully, volume 2 will give us a bit more background into their world and natures. I’d love to see a snippet or two about the actual denizens of this world past the folks Ruri meets.

Art-wise, the series is quite cute: it’s got all the things I love about a good shoujo series. Ruri is super cute, and Asahi is extremely cute. However, the former hits differently: it reminds the reader that Ruri is actually quite the charming girl. She’s just been stuck in Asahi’s shadow. On the other hand, the latter only exeplifies Asahi’s charms and how they’re often misused against Ruri, unwittingly or otherwise.

Additionally, the world feels a bit like reading a manga-fied storybook. Fitting for a shoujo fantasy isekai! I found the magical creatures of this world quite charming, and there were quite a few panels -including a chapter splash page- that were really stunning. I definitely think this volume is worth it, just for the art! Thankfully, the story thus far is rather enjoyable as well.

Overall, White Cat’s Revenge Vol. 1 is a pretty solid entry to an absolute romp of an isekai. Ruri is probably one of my favorite protagonists this year, and honestly, she’s just a delight. I like how normal she feels, despite all the abnormality around her new life in another world.

Volume 1 ends on a bit of a cliffhanger which has its hooks in me! That being said, I truly look forward to Vol. 2 of the series, though it won’t be out until February 2021. Still, I think that it’s well worth the wait, if only because I wanna see Ruri finally get her time to shine! (And I wanna see her get some revenge!)

On to the next read!

TL;DR: The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap Vol. 1 is a delightful shoujo isekai set in a fascinating world with room to grow in the upcoming volumes. The first volume is solid and introduces an incredibly relatable and likable heroine in the character of Ruri, a girl with a lot of potential and this series’ titular white cat. This is a definitely a series to keep up with, especially if you’ve been craving an english-language shoujo isekai with a likable heroine and a charming plot filled with magic in a pseudo-european world.

Read If You Like…
*Isekai and/or Female-led isekai
*Fantasy
*Shoujo Manga
*Twenty-somethings in another world

Rating: ★★★★ / 4 out of 5 stars
Bingo Card: “Read a Shoujo”

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