When I first saw its trailer, I felt like A Whisker Away is my kind of anime. Sure, I appreciate and will watch all anime given the chance, but when it comes to the film format, I prefer the whimsical variety with a softer approach to its animation. There’s a guarantee that the story is crafted to tug at the heartstrings, especially when your central characters are high-school aged, prime candidates to convey slice-of-life narratives. It also helped that the film’s low maturity rating meant I can watch this with my daughter.
Sasaki Miyo is a daughter of divorce, living with her father and stepmother, while her mother is trying to convince her to choose living with her instead. Known for being energetic and without filter, she is public in declaring her feelings for classmate Hinode Kento. But while Hinode seems to be more embarrassed than touched by these public displays, Miyo thinks that he’s worth all the trouble because she knows what he’s like outside of school. With the help of a magical mask, Miyo turns into a kitten that visits Hinode every afternoon. Hinode, showering the kitten “Taro” with affection, makes Miyo more inclined to be a cat rather than be in her human form.
In terms of looks and overall feel, the film has the obvious influences of Studio Ghibli and the more recent works by Makoto Shinkai, especially with its melding of fantasy and human stories. The main draw of the film is Miyo’s experiences living a double life as human and cat, and it’s entertaining to watch the differences of her interactions in either form. There’s humor to be found in scenes where she incorrectly narrates her interactions with Hinode so she comes off as delusional, her efforts to conveys her feelings but couldn’t be understood because she’s a cat, and in the moments where she acts like a cat (though I think being cat-like is inherent in her) and forgetting that certain actions are beyond her human form.
Yet, in between those scenes are the struggles of a teenager, with Miyo keeping a friendly exterior but not making an effort to connect with her new parent figure or addressing how a broken home has affected her. Hinode is similarly affected, with his widowed mother pressuring him to get into a prestigious high school to help support the family eventually, not giving voice to his desire to become a potter like his grandfather. Therein lies the crux of the film, where Miyo finds that being a cat is more appealing than staying in her human form, which is exacerbated with her and Hinode’s inability to deal with their own personal issues. And with the Mask Seller adding pressure to Miyo to become a cat forever in exchange for her human face, Miyo finds herself backed into an emotional corner with her family life and in Hinode’s response to her affections.
I have to admit that I predicted how the film would go, given the heavy influences that I mentioned previously, but I still found myself enjoying the film. It realistically touched on the struggles of Miyo and Hinode, and succeeded in driving home the lessons that both should learn in order to move on with their lives, all the while giving it a layer of fantasy and adventure to make it fun. I don’t think this will achieve the same critical acclaim as the Studio Ghibli films or the cult following of Makoto Shinkai’s recent films have garnered, but it’s still a joy to watch. And with the world giving off some pretty heavy feelings these days, a little bit of cat related fantasy would do you good.
Happy viewing!
PEPS LIKES TO 