Cat Shit One


Cat Shit One is a three volume manga series written and illustrated by Motofumi Kobayashi. It was published in North America and the United Kingdom in 2004 by ADV Manga. It was also released in Poland in 2006, also under the title Cat Shit One. It has been released in France, Belgium and Spain, as Cat Shit One, by Glénat in 2006.
In 2008, Kobayashi released a follow-up to Cat Shit One – Cat Shit One '80. Currently four volumes have been published in Japan.
A computer-generated original net animation series of Cat Shit One by Studio Anima began release on IDA Entertainment's YouTube channel in Japan from July 17, 2010, and in North America, Australia and New Zealand on February 5, 2011. The animated version is set in the Middle East rather than Vietnam, and a trailer indicates that the action takes place after 1991.
The manga follows three American soldiers in the Vietnam War named Botasky, Perky and Rats. All three are in the recon team called "Cat Shit One". Each mission shows the daily activities of the reconnaissance group in Vietnam. There are sections of the manga which give brief history and truths behind the war, such as the types of weapons used by different countries and the activities of forces in the war. At the end of volume one there is a chapter called "Dog Shit One"—separate from the main story—showing human characters.
In Cat Shit One '80, the story continues to follow the three main protagonists as they became involved in various low-intensity conflicts in the 1980s. Perky, now a member of the elite Delta Force, was attached to the Special Air Service and was involved in various SAS operations while Rats and Bota were involved with the US operation in Afghanistan against the Soviet invasion.
An animated adaptation of Cat Shit One was released in 2010 and set in the 21st century Middle East; however, it follows the Cat Shit One '80 storyline.

Character depiction

The manga depicts the characters as different animals according to their nationality as follows:
The following are new animals depicted in Cat Shit One '80:

Anime

A CG animated ONA adaptation of Cat Shit One was developed by IDA Entertainment. So far, only one episode has been released on Japan's YouTube channel on July 17, 2010, with plans for a 12-episode series currently in production, but as of 2023, no further news about this sequel was published. An English dub was released on YouTube on February 5, 2011, and will be independently distributed on DVD and Blu-ray Disc via Amazon in North America. In December 2022, a Kickstarter was launched for a DVD/Blu-Ray/3D Blu-ray set. However the Kickstarter failed to accomplish its goal as it made US$17,350 out of its US$77,227.

Reception

The recent Cat Shit One adaptation was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short category in the 9th Annual VES Awards.