Pending Plays > Comics & Graphic Novels > The stray cats of Manila – Book Review

The stray cats of Manila – Book Review

Title, right: "mga walang pangalan pero andyan (those without names but are there) by Archie Oclos." Left: "Frolicsome, wanderers, and said to have nine lives—these are the characteristics of the leads of this story. Whitey, the combo, pirate, princess, and the batman, they are the six cats we will be following in Those Without Names But Are There by renowned street artist and muralist, Archie Oclos. cat, street, journey. Three words only. For every illustration. For every page. A few meows, several little rustles, while witnessing the journey of the said cats to the city. Join them in slipping through twists and turns: from the jeepney terminal, cafeteria, vulcanizing shop, condominium, grocery store, and other such alleys. What is it that they see from where they’re standing? What is it that we experience as creatures braving the streets?"
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(Those Without Names But Are There)


Interesting. Creative. Empathetic.

Minimalistic. Rich. Life.

Six. Cats. Philippines.

Informative. Afterword. Explanations.

Recommended. Children. Adults.

CriteriaScoresOur Score
Art1-55
Pacing1-54
Characters1-55
Writing Style1-54
Originality1-54

Ps: Read it in german; an eARC was provided to me by the CulturBooks publisher (thank you!) through Netgalley. ‘Die Straßenkatzen von Manila‘ (9783959882460), the german translation of ‘mga walang pangalan pero andyan‘, is set to release on March 27, 2025.

Knowing that the original edition is in filipino as well as in english, I would have wished for the german edition to keep that format, by simply replacing the english translation with german while keeping the filipino words and therefore being a bilingual book.

Text on the left: "tinig (voice), bakit (why), tinik ((fish)bone)". On the right is a white cat with a close up of a grey car in the background. We see the cat from a bug's perspective; the cat is looking up, having seen something that caught its attention. Page 017.
Image from Istorya Studios, the publisher’s website.

Finished reading: 22nd March 2025
~Arden Skye

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