Review of A Whisker Away

"Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu" has got to be one of the most bizzare anime films I've ever seen. While some may speculate that this is due to the subject matter of a girl turning into a cat, it's not. It's more so the fact that said girl is unintentionally (I think) portrayed as a complete cringe worthy lunatic who's freakishly obsessed with a boy who barely even acknowledges her existence. STORY - 6/10 The story, as stated by the summary, is about a girl who gains the ability to transform into a cat in order to get close to her crush. A potentially cuteand wholesome story marred by freakish character motivations and generic plodding. The concept of the story could have been really interesting given the right direction. There are moments where the film explores the philosophical dilemma of whether or not giving up your humanity is worth a carefree and happy life, though unfortunately this concept is abandoned after about two minutes of attention, and again we're forced to focus on a girl's uninteresting journey towards one sided love.

Art - 8/10

Nothing to really complain about. It's good, it's pretty, it's safe. Environmental backgrounds are nice to look at.

Sound - 6/10

I give this a 6 because...well, there isn't really anything noticeable that sonically occurs besides one mediocre guitar pop song. It's completely forgettable.

Character - 5/10

Muge, the protagonist, has to be one of the most unintentionally disturbing and bizarre lead characters I've ever seen. This girl is OBSESSED with the male lead, Hinode, and the film never really bothers to tell us why. Not once are we given an explanation as to why Muge is so madly in love with Hinode, or even how they really know each other. This creates a dynamic between the two that is incredibly cringeworthy. For example, there are scenes in which Muge will frenetically declare her love towards Hinode to the whole school. Knowing that Hinode clearly does not feel the same way about her, along with the rest of her classmates looks of confusion and judgement, creates such a strong sense of secondhand embarrassment that it almost made me want to stop watching.

About halfway through I stopped seeing this film as a cute ghibli esque movie and instead saw it as a character piece about a girl who's seriously psychologically damaged and needs therapy. This perception made the film a bit more humorous and entertaining, but that's obviously not what the film was going for.

Enjoyment - 6/10

The cat's were fun when they appeared. That's about all I enjoyed really, were the cat scenes. All the human elements of the story were so strangely and predictably pieced together that it became annoying to sit through. Though, as stated previously, one could view the film differently than the filmmakers intended. Instead of a cute boring cat film, it could become a seriously messy and ironic psychological drama.

OVERALL - 6/10

This movie was fucking weird man. What could've been a cute and romantic yet intricate meditation on the costs of desiring to escape humanity instead becomes a creepy and cringe worthy film that follows a young girl stalking and making unwanted advances on her one sided crush, and how that's apparently a good thing according to the films ending.