We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat (We’ll Prescribe You A Cat #2) by Syou Ishida – whimsical Japanese fiction

We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat is a warm, gentle, magical, and whimsical Japanese fiction with a few slow patches and isn’t exactly as good as previous book but it’s still enjoyable.

Previous Book in the Series

We’ll Prescribe You A Cat

Synopsis

The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul reopens in this delightful follow-up to the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We’ll Prescribe You a Cat.

It’s time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.

Though it’s a mysteriously located clinic with an uncertain address, it can always be found by those who need it. And the clinic has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of its patients. This charming sequel introduces a new lovable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his boundless energy by demolishing bed linens and curtains, to tenacious and curious Shasha, who doesn’t let her small size stop her from anything, and the most lovable yet lazy cat Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.

As characters from one chapter appear as side characters in the next, we follow a young woman who cannot help pushing away the man who loves her, a recently widowed grandfather whose grandson refuses to leave his room, the family of a young woman who struggle to understand each other, and an anxious man who works at a cat shelter seeking to show how the most difficult cats can be the most rewarding. This moving, magical novel of interconnected tales proves the strength in the unfathomable bond between cats and people.

Review

Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul sits somewhere between a whimsical, a spell, and a riddle. East of Takoyakushi Street, south of Tominokoji Street, west of Rokkaku Street, north of Fuyacho Street. I was obsessed with this address in the first book, and I am happy to report that We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat still offers absolutely no help in making sense of the address. If anything, the mystery grows, but in a fun, whimsical way that suits the series.

We got a hint of the clinic’s origin in the last story of the previous book, We’ll Prescribe You A Cat, and the second story in this volume brings that history into sharper focus. The clinic once belonged to an owner who bred cats. When the business failed, he simply abandoned everything, including the cats. The staff tried their best to find homes for them, but when that became impossible, they too walked away.

Only a handful of cats survived, eventually discovered by rescue center and firefighters. These surviving cats now appear to those who need help the most. They run the clinic as a doctor and a nurse, looking human to the lost and troubled people who stumble through their door.

The foundation was already set in the previous book, but We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat gives an even clearer history and builds on the strange magic of the clinic. Just like before, we follow different people who reach a life changing cross-road in their lives and end up at the clinic, where they are prescribed cats. Through these cats, they slowly find clarity, courage, and the strength to move forward.

The first two stories feel more like standalones than continuations, but they set the tone well.

1. Kotesu, Noella, Bibi

This story follows Moe, who is convinced her boyfriend is about to break up with her. Her anxious wandering leads her down the wrong street, which naturally deposits her at Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic. Instead of one cat, she gets three. The first two create chaos, but they do help her delay the dreaded breakup conversation. The third finally works its quiet magic.

What I loved most was Moe herself. Even though the entire situation felt bizarre, she took the responsibility seriously. She cared for the cats, made sure they were comfortable, and did not run away from any of the mess, literal or emotional. It made her feel grounded and relatable. The story also pushed her closer to her friend, reminding her of what she had been missing while trying too hard to hold on to a relationship. She realizes it is not the boyfriend alone but the loneliness that kept her clinging to him.

While these cats do not deliver the profound wisdom I hoped for after the first book, and there is a surprising amount of pee and poop content that I could have happily skipped, they still help Moe shift her perspective. They give her the courage to face her boyfriend and remind her that she deserves a full life, with or without him.

2. Ms. Michiko

This story was comfortable and decent, although not particularly striking. There are some cat facts, glimpses of feline perspective through doctor’s commentary at Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic. This time, Tatsuya, 78 year old, is not prescribed a cat. Instead, he gets pressure therapy from a massive, very round cat.

A conversation about his grandson’s nocturnal habits inspires him to take walks at night. During one of these walks, he finds a missing-cat poster and recognizes the cat from the clinic. Returning the cat to its owners ends up being the catalyst he needed. It pulls him out of his reclusive rut and reconnects him with his grandson. The simplicity of the story is its charm, even if it feels a little light and not exactly I came to expect from this series.

3. Shasha and Hajime

Here, we follow Reona, Moe’s friend from the first story. She lives with an older cat named Hajime, originally her brother’s pet, but the cat chose to be a family cat instead. Reona juggles college and part-time work, and life seems fine on the surface, but she carries resentment toward her mother for doting on her older brother, who barely visits because of his job at a cat rescue center.

When her childhood friend Shousuke calls her over, she discovers he has a kitten from the same clinic. The real shock is learning that the doctor was her brother. She insists on visiting the clinic, partly out of curiosity and partly out of suspicion. She ends up being prescribed the same kitten, Shasha, even though she insists she has no problems. Clearly, the clinic disagrees.

This story finally gives the mix of wisdom and warmth I was hoping for from the beginning. Shasha helps Reona confront her bitterness and understand her mother with more compassion. She becomes grateful for her parents and even talks to them honestly about her feelings.

My only complaint is that we do not get to witness that important conversation. We are only told that it happened and that everything is suddenly fine. I wanted to hear those words. Still, the story lands well, and Reona’s growth feels satisfying.

4. Nikké

This story centers on Tomoya, Reona’s brother, and his cat Nikké. Through Tomoya’s viewpoint, we finally understand what his life looks like at the rescue center and why he rarely comes home. It was surprise to find out it was Tomoya who rescued cat from the unit that is now Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic and Nikké was one the cat that survived.

Nikké spends most of his time in a coma-like state, a detail that raises an interesting possibility. Although the book never directly confirms it, it made me wonder whether Nikké’s spirit was acting as the doctor at the clinic while his physical body remained unresponsive.

Nikké clearly has unfinished business linked to Tomoya, and the story slowly unravels what that is. It is emotional, a little haunting, and easily one of the stronger stories in the book.

We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat continues the theme and structure of the first book, with stories about people who are lost, hurt, overwhelmed, or stuck, and the strange clinic that appears exactly when they need it. Some stories feel lighter than expected, some deliver emotional clarity, and some offer the quiet, tender wisdom that made the first book special but this one didn’t land near to it.

Overall, We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat is a warm, gentle, magical, and whimsical Japanese fiction with a few slow patches, not exactly as good as previous book, but the final story ties everything together beautifully and gives the book a surprisingly strong finish.

Book Links

Goodreads | Amzon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Have you read this or any book by the same author?
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