Although romance as a genre, in both manga and novels, has been expanding its boundaries in terms of what makes it to mainstream publishing, both omegaverse and furry (as opposed to shifter) titles still face some headwinds when it comes to readership, or at least overt readership. That can make titles like Arata Asanae's My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman have a harder time finding its audience, especially when it also comes wrapped in plastic with an M-rating and “Explicit Content” notice on the cover. But fans of warm love stories shouldn't let that deter them from picking this up, because underneath the sometimes-off-putting factors mentioned above, this book is a story about finding acceptance and love for who you are, not what society says you are.

The story is set in an alternate version of what appears to be the late 19th century. It's “alternate” in two senses: one, there are beastfolk with their own nations, and two, it's an omegaverse. If you're not familiar with the latter, that's a subgenre of romance where genders are further subdivided into alpha, beta, and omega, with the latter being associated with excessive and powerful sexual pheromones. It's often used as a way to write nonconsensual fantasy and male pregnancy stories, using the alpha/omega dynamic as an “excuse.” That's not true of all omegaverse stories, but it can make readers leery of the subgenre. Fortunately (or not, depending on your reading preferences), My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman doesn't lean into those elements for titillation. Instead, it uses both of these alternate-world factors as a way to explore systemic bias and abuse, as well as cultural differences between the beastfolk countries and the human ones.

Our main characters are Toushirou and Alex, who are human and Nyartigian respectively. As the name suggests, Nyartig is a country of catfolk, and Asanae's art leans into that; both Alex and his colleague Rodney look like human-sized bipedal cats, complete with paw pads and retractable claws. Alex is a career diplomat, and upon his arrival in Japan, he is gifted Toushirou as a servant. Toushirou's half-brother tells Alex that he can do whatever he wants with him, heavily implying that Alex should use him for sex rather than as a regular servant. Alex, for his part, is confused by this, because among his people, not only do omegas not exist (the world-building tells us that they came about from humans and beastfolk interbreeding), but they also don't have the sex-based class system that humans do. Interestingly enough, Alex and Rodney's conversations indicate that many other countries have taken steps to eliminate omega abuse, but Japan is, in their words, backward in this respect. Although not much is made of it in the book apart from a brief meeting with two people with English names who work to protect omegas, it's still an interesting statement that may function as a veiled critique, especially when we consider that it appears in a book about a gay relationship.

In any event, Alex's kindness both confuses and pleases Toushirou. He's never been treated with anything approaching warmth, and we can see that the two men are slowly falling for each other as they live together. Rodney, filling the role of society's voice, is concerned that Toushirou is a means for the locals to manipulate Alex and that his omega pheromones will bring out Alex's latent beast qualities, and both of these concerns are dealt with in the text, albeit not in great detail given that this is technically a complete story in one volume. (There is a sequel, but no indication in the book that it was planned.) While this can give the story a bit of a rushed feel, it still doesn't take away from the main point of the romance, which is that Alex cares about Toushirou as a person, which is the way Toushirou has always hoped someone would see him. It's a warm, sweet center to the book, and it works impressively well.

Despite the warning, rating, and plastic wrap, this isn't a hugely explicit volume. There are two fairly understated sex scenes (no genitals or overt penetration shown) and two-odd panels of slightly more explicit sexual assault to show what Toushirou was subjected to for most of his life. Most of the work of the book, however, is emotional, and the decision to mark this as explicit content seems to be more of a preventative measure on the part of publisher Yen Press. While I can't blame them given the current political climate in the U.S. around books and specifically LGBTQIA+ books, it would be a shame if that decision kept this out of the hands of readers who would enjoy the sweeter aspects of its story. That said, this does have those two instances of sexual assault and some harsh language about how Toushirou is seen in society, so do take that under advisement.

My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman is, however, a love story about overcoming the odds underneath it all. Yes, one character is a giant humanoid cat and this is an omegaverse book, but if those aren't immediate turn-offs, Alex and Toushirou's relationship is a loving one. It's about finding someone who loves you for you even when other things get in the way, and in that, it succeeds with flying colors.