What's Michael?

What's Michael?
File:What's Michael.jpg
ホワッツ マイケル? (Howattsu Maikeru?)
Genre	Comedy
Manga
Written by	Makoto Kobayashi
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	[[Image:Template:Country flag alias United States|border|25x20px|Template:Country alias United Statesの旗]] Dark Horse Comics
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Morning
English magazine	[[Image:Template:Country flag alias United States|border|25x20px|Template:Country alias United Statesの旗]] Mangajin [[Image:Template:Country flag alias United States|border|25x20px|Template:Country alias United Statesの旗]] Super Manga Blast
Original run	1984 – ongoing
Volumes	22
Original video animation
Studio	Kitty Films
Released	November 25, 1985
TV anime
Studio	Kitty Films
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	April 15, 1988 – March 28, 1989
Episodes	45
Original video animation
What's Michael? 2
Studio	Kitty Films
Released	July 25, 1988

What's Michael? (ホワッツ マイケル?, Howattsu Maikeru?) is a Japanese manga series created by Makoto Kobayashi. In 1984, it began its serialization in the Weekly Morning magazine. The comic shows Michael, an orange American Shorthair tabby cat, his feline friends, and other domesticated pets in a series of humorous episodes.

The manga was adapted into two anime OVA series in 1985 and 1988, and a 45-episode TV series in 1988-1989. It is currently released in the US by Dark Horse Comics. The comics were presented in the standard left to right American reading format.

In 1986, What's Michael? received the Kodansha Manga Award for general manga.

Story

The manga was adapted into two anime OVA series in 1985 and 1988, and a 45-episode TV series in 1988-1989. It is currently released in the US by Dark Horse Comics. The comics were presented in the standard left to right American reading format.

Most episodes of the series fall into one of two kinds of stories. The first portrays the cats in a realistic way, living out normal lives with their owners. It finds humor in how humans observe their pets' naturally quirky behavior. The second type of story is complete fantasy. All the animals are given human characteristics such as walking on two legs, wearing clothes, and being able to talk to each other. These episodes place the animals in a clichéd storyline, and mixes up their human personas with normal animal behavior.

The manga was adapted into two anime OVA series in 1985 and 1988, and a 45-episode TV series in 1988-1989. It is currently released in the US by Dark Horse Comics. The comics were presented in the standard left to right American reading format.

External links

• What's Michael? (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• "Translated Manga Pick of the Month" -(J-pop.com)