With a manga title like A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke, you’d hope the mangaka has a sense of humor and the series is something of a comedy. Well, the good news is both are true for the comic adaptation by Otori and Ema Okadachi. It’s a shojo series and romantic comedy for sure. And, because of that, the series is actually at its best after heroine Marie Arila Diramin is turned to a cat by her younger half-sister Emilia and ends up adopted by Duke Reinhardt Valery Merck, the man she was supposed to marry.
Editor’s Note: There will be some spoilers for the first volume of the A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke manga below.
As is common with these sorts of shojo stories, there are a lot of identity issues going around. Marie is the actual good sister in the family that is loving, kind, and intelligent. Her half-sister, who has everyone charmed by her beauty and seemingly saccharine behavior, is in actuality awful and the reason Marie is turned into a cat. The duke is mistaken for being cold and cruel. In truth, he was wise enough to recognize the insight from a remark Marie left anonymously and is a genuinely good person. Misconceptions abound and, in all honesty, I wasn’t all that captivated since it starts out very similar to stories we’ve seen before.
Image via Yen Press
However, once Marie gets turned into Chiffon the ugly cat, A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke manga picks up immensely. The initial reaction of strangers and her attempts to get back to her original home are a little heartbreaking. I found it more sympathetic and easier to identify with than the earlier depiction of the heroine.
And once she’s actually adopted by Duke Reinhardt, it gets even better. While this does provide the typical “see, he’s not cold or cruel after all” insight, it also means we see him as an absolutely doting pet parent. He adores Chiffon. Even though, as a cat, she’s pretty goofy looking and lets out odd meows, he’s smitten. He treats her like little royalty, and in turn we see his staff show the same sort of affection her feline self. It exemplifies the whole “ugly cute” thing.
The story also picks up from there not only because the shojo elements of the A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke manga are stronger, but because it becomes more unique. The demeanor of Reinhardt is more through the lens of someone who is being kind not due to being suddenly smitten with a woman, but as a result of his genuine personality that people may not see. It’s him letting his guard down. And, while the early chapters quickly try to establish Marie as smart and resourceful, I found it more compelling when considering how she might get out of the situation now that she is, well, a cat.
A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke is a shojo manga that gets better once you get past the introductory chapters. Once the actual premise kicks into gear, it feels like all of the more generic elements fade away. Instead, we get to appreciate how this woman is going to deal with being a goofy-looking critter and recover her true identity. Sure, there will eventually be some romance too. But the real charm comes from the comedic cat interactions.
A Timid Lady Was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting Is Picked Up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke manga volume 1 is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on October 27, 2026.
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