This was an odd film to say the least. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. The plot revolves around a young girl who gains the ability to turn into a cat. She then proceeds to use that power to grow closer to her crush. It is a coming of age story and while the characters’ ages can partly explain their behavior there were some things I couldn’t get behind.
Miyo (Mirai Shida) is an odd girl given the nickname Muge by her classmates. She doesn’t have many friends and is more of an outsider. She has an obnoxiously huge crush on Hinode (Natsuki Hanae). She greets him each morning by bumping butts with him. He ignores her, but any word muttered in her direction causes her to swoon.
As I said, obnoxious to the point of it being unhealthy. Her home life is not much better off. The film begins in flashbacks that happen fast almost confusingly. Her father has recently remarried and the mom who abandoned her now wants a relationship with her. It’s understandingly a lot for a middle school girl to deal with.
It turns out that Miyo meets a mask seller who sells her a cat mask. When she puts on the mask, she turns into a cat allowing her to visit Hinode any time he wants. Hinode adopts Miyo and calls her Taro. He relies on this cat to get him through the difficulties he’s facing at home.
It’s kind of awkward to see a cat deriving so much pleasure from the human boy giving her so much love and attention. That’s my main problem with the film: Miyo has an unhealthy obsession with Hinode and it’s hard to root for them to end up together. It’s a shame because seeing Miyo and Hinode deal with their respective home lives is much more interesting and had they relied on each other to cope without the use of cat transformation, I wouldn’t feel so mixed about the film.
As things get more and more difficult, Miyo loses her human face causing her to eventually become a cat permanently. Unable to turn back into a human after the mask seller takes her face with him, Miyo sees first hand how much her classmates and family care for her.
The animation is unsurprisingly beautiful. Miyo as Taro the cat is just about the cutest little thing. The film culminates in a trip to cat island so that Miyo can try and regain her face.
The message of the film (ignoring the unhealthy obsession) is a good one. It’s a good reminder that no matter how bad things get, you are surrounded by people who love you. Running away from your problems can be tempting, but facing them head on is always the best solution.
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