Is Cat's Eye Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read

Quick facts
Format	Manga (shōnen), 18 volumes
Run	completed
Community score	MangaUpdates 6.9

Overview

Cat's Eye follows three sisters — Hitomi, Rui, and Ai Kisugi — who run an unassuming café by day and moonlight as an elite team of thieves by night, stealing back a collection of paintings their father, an artist, was forced to sell off before he disappeared. Complicating things is Toshio Utsumi, the detective assigned to catch the elusive Cat's Eye trio, who's also hopelessly in love with Hitomi — completely unaware she's the woman he's chasing. Tsukasa Hojo's earlier hit before City Hunter, it's a tighter, heist-driven action-comedy with the same stylish confidence he'd later bring to his bigger series.

What it does well

The heist structure is the clear engine here, and it works well — each arc gives Hojo room to design an elaborate theft, complete with gadgets, disguises, and close calls, and the plan-then-execution rhythm stays satisfying across the run. What elevates it past a straightforward caper series is the Toshio-Hitomi dynamic: watching an earnest, competent detective fall further for a woman he can't recognize as his target, chapter after chapter, is a genuinely well-sustained joke that never feels like it's just spinning its wheels. The three sisters also each get real specialization and personality, so the heists read as a team effort with distinct skills in play rather than one star with two accessories.

Hojo's art, even this early, already shows the confident, stylish linework he'd become known for — the thief costumes, the action choreography, and the overall sense of cool all hold up well for a manga from the early 80s.

Where it falls short

Because the structure leans so heavily on case-of-the-week heists, reading big chunks in a row can expose how similar each arc's shape is: plan, complication, daring escape, repeat. The bigger mystery behind the sisters' father and the missing paintings takes a back seat for long stretches, moving forward in small increments rather than driving the plot consistently. And some of the comedic beats and gender dynamics are clearly a product of their era, reading rougher than the more polished (if still dated) comedy Hojo would refine in City Hunter.

Verdict

Cat's Eye is a fun, stylish heist series that shows Hojo's talent for action and romantic comedy already fully formed early in his career. If you enjoyed City Hunter, or just want a classic thief-versus-detective setup done well, it's worth tracking down.