arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review! 

This lovely sort of slice-of-life mixed with soft fantasy was a quiet, captivating read. When a Cat Faces West follows Chima Kondo, a 35-year-old stuck in a 12-year-old body due to a natural phenomenon called Flow. Sometimes acting on its own, sometimes reflecting the worries of people on earth, Flow is a natural occurrence that changes the world in response to things being out of balance. Sometimes delightful, sometimes distressing, Flow has led to the formation of Flow cleanup squads. Chima joins Flow investigators Hirota and Shacho to check out Flow events and try to solve them. 

I am a huge fan of soft, low-stakes fantasy, and if you are too this is sure to delight you. The stories are reflective and thought-provoking, and if this makes any sense, it's the perfect manga to read next to an open window. At times I didn't enjoy the art style, as despite being in a 12-year-old's body Chima often looked just looked like a very short older woman. I think her character design could have been different to reflect that. But otherwise, I really enjoyed the slow-moving plot and little stories, and this is sure to delight anyone who adored Mushishi.