Review of A Whisker Away

Synopsis: Charming with an interesting premise, the film ultimately disappoints anyone seeking an interesting romantic story. Review: The film starts with an interesting premise, what if you were a cat and privy to your crush's life? The main character, Miyo, faces her mother abandoning her and her alienating feelings with her new household dynamic and ostracization with her classmates. In response, she puts up an energetic and eccentric personality. Miyo has a crush on a boy, Hinode, who she met at a festival when she first transformed into a cat which Hinode names Taro. Hinode doesn't know Miyo is his "pet" cat Taro. Thus we and Miyolearn about Hinode's struggles through Hinode's confessions to Taro the cat as well as dialogue we hear in his household. Miyo has the ability to switch between her forms. As a human and through her new connection with Hinode she flirts with him at school much to his dismay.

Miyo confesses to Hinode who turns her down in a rather harsh way leading Miyo to force a conflict with her family and ultimately run away to become Hinode's cat Taro. Eventually Hinode seeks Miyo and she decides to become human again.

However, the film undercuts its story when the plot takes a turn in the third act. Miyo loses her human form, and immediately regrets it. She finds her human identity stolen and must go on an adventure to the cat world to retrieve her body.

We have Miyo and Hinode separated for the majority of the third act. The film missed an opportunity to have both characters work off each other and meaningfully resolve their personal struggles together to reinforce a romantic undertone that the film wants to achieve. This new problem the characters face hurts the main story by providing no resolution for Hinode and Miyo's struggles.

Instead we get a reunion near the end and a conflict with the cat salesman that results in nothing meaningful. Yes, we get Miyo's body back, but what is the point of the third act and the journey the audience went through? We could have cut it entirely and not felt like we missed something. The third act feels like an excuse for the artists to draw what they think is interesting at the detriment of the narrative and pacing. It has a heavy handed moment at the cat bar where the cats describe their regrets. Why do we need this? We already know Miyo regrets her choice. The cat mask seller talks about taking Miyo's life, but why does he care. He doesn't seem to show an interest in becoming human. Doesn't matter. Villain needs to provide conflict. It hurts to watch a movie with promise, and have it transform into a bloated uninteresting film.