The Life of Toby Catsumoto

The Life of Toby Catsumoto (猫トビオのバラード, Neko Tobio no barādo) is a Japanese gag-manga series published in 1995. It is a licensed parody of The Ballad of Tobio where the characters are portrayed as anthropromorphic animal versions. the series was serialized in Kodansha's Comic BomBom from January to May 1995.

A larger color version was published in the United States by Marvel Comics under their short lived Paramount Comics joint-venture. (Paramount Global owns the North American license to The Ballad of Tobio IP) unlike in Japan in which Mangas were traditionally read from right to left, it was read from left to right.

Plot
Just like in the original manga and adaptations, Tobio Katsuneko (Toby Catsumoto in the English translation) is an orphaned street juvinile cat who wanders the streets of Japan. Despite his situation, he is a skilled street fighter who could take on any foe. He eventually saves Robert Drool, a middle-aged Rottweiler from America who served in WWII, from a thug robbing him for belongs. Impressed with the young kitten's ability, he raises him to be a potential boxer.

The next day, Tobio saves another young cat, American exchange student Hannah Cataronie, from a gang of thugs led by Maku Kawa, (Mack the Bite in the English translation) a mischevous Otter who leads his group the Mad Mask Gang to commit petty crimes. They retreat after Maku embarrasingly loses to Tobio in a rock paper scissors game. After which, Tobio and Hannah begin a relationship.

REST TBA