Brought to you by Toho Productions, Studio Colorido, Twin Engine, and distributed to you by Netflix most likely (unless you live in Japan), comes a story of a girl who turns into a cat, to get closer to her crush: A Whisker Away (2020) (warning: this review contain spoilers!)
Boisterous girl Miyo has a crush on school classmate Hinode and struggles to express this to him. Instead, she decides to turn into a cat by wearing a cat mask provided by the Mask Seller to spend more time with him. Lines blur as her cat life and real life start to collide. Miyo must choose whether to stay human or remain a cat permanently in this fantastical family anime.
Animation
Known in Japan as Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu , the 2020 Japanese animated film A Whisker Away, is produced by Studio Colorido, the creators of 2018’s Penguin Highway. The film is also produced by anime titans Toho Productions, their most popular work including My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), and Spirited Away (2001), Oscar winner for best animated feature in 2003. The animation in A Whisker Away is very strong. Clear detailed images, with an emphasis on the way nature moves and interacts with the characters’ surroundings, provide an escapist fantasy from the harsh reality of 2020 and the pandemic.
How it makes you feel
The story is original and unusual. In no way is turning into a cat possible, so the film transports you into a world with its own rules. The film makes you feel like you are on a magical journey, experiencing events as they unfold with the characters we follow in the narrative.
The film is originally in Japanese but is also available to watch in English. Furthermore, Netflix has provided options to watch the film in Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese. Watching the film in English is just as enjoyable in my opinion, because the greater emphasis is on the visual spectacle. Netflix’s transnational approach allow the film to be watched in multiple different languages. Therefore, the Netflix original can be enjoyed in the language of the viewer’s choosing, deciding to experience the film in a language more relatable, or something new and unfamiliar.
Final Verdict
A Whisker Away is a romantic anime set so far away from 2020. The crisp clear animation, its magic of turning humans into cats and vice versa, and its fantastical storytelling, provide the feature with an uplifting, and entertaining story. This film is a heartfelt story for all the family to enjoy.
A Whisker Away is available to stream on Netflix now.
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