Cats, Cats and More Cats

So while I'm neglecting to finish outlining my essay, I decided to watch The Cat Returns, this month's March movie for the anime/manga club. This is one of the Studio Ghibli films that deserves more recognition cause it really is good. And no, I unfortunately have not seen Whispers of the Heart but I would love to if I got a copy.

This film is a story of a girl named Haru, a shy and clumsy high school student. Her normal life takes a turn when one day, she saves a cat from being hit by a truck; a talking cat for that matter. That same evening, a ton of cats visit her front door and express their thanks for saving not just any cat but the prince of the Cat Kingdom. But everything turns for the worst when the cats send her gifts of catnip, mice and even the prince's hand in marriage. Their constant harassment makes her consult the "Cat Bureau", led by a cat figurine brought to life named Baron, to get help.

And well that's as about as much as I can give of the plot without spoiling. This is one of the shortest Studio Ghibli films at 75 minutes. Overall, it's just plain cute (not meant in a bad way). If you're a cat person you're gonna love the visuals they present with all these cats and it can be very hilarious. Speaking of, a lot of what makes The Cat Returns a good movie is the comedy presented. There's just so much hilarious dialogue and the situations the characters are put in. You'll get quite a few good laughs out of this movie.

And I rather enjoyed the English voice acting too. The cast includes big stars like Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle and Tim Curry. Dubbing's not an easy job but they make it work in providing so much emotion and over the top reactions to make these characters interesting and stand out.

The animation: You all know it. It's Studio Ghibli. Everyone knows that whatever they produce, it's going to look fantastic with the worlds they create with beautiful imagery and some occasional very creepy facial reactions (mostly the Cat King voiced by Tim Curry).

Overall, it's just a good movie full of fun entertainment for everyone of every age to enjoy.

All's Well that Ends Well

A few weeks ago I borrowed some anime from a friend just for something quick to watch. So today I finally finished it, and I absolutely loved it. This 12 episode series is known as Okami-san and her Seven Companions.

This romantic comedy features a tomboy named Ryoko Okami. She works as a member of a "trading" club known as Otogi High School Bank. Here, Ryoko and the other members fixes problems for students in exchange for returning the favor later. Now Ryoko seems to have a bit of a load on her hands when classmate Ryoshi Morino is recruited to the Otogi Bank after a failed love confession to Ryoko. And the majority of the series other than some rather silly requests being fulfilled by the Otogi Bank is Ryoshi trying to become stronger for Ryoko and be able to protect her while fierce, wolf-like Ryoko appears to be getting a crush on the shy boy while trying to hide the hurt girl "wearing a wolf's clothing".

As far as romantic comedies go, it's got your basic mixture of the two genres. A lot of fluffy and cutesy stuff with the tsundere girl still trying to be tough and not really show directly that she has feelings for the guy with really great comic relief. There's even a narrator that makes way for occasional fourth wall jokes and a lot of the comments she makes are pretty hilariously delivered.

Though surprisingly I did see some genuine drama in this that's almost a tear-jerker. When you find out about Ryoko's past and the pain she went through and the current struggle she's going through to stay strong, it's really heartbreaking. I seriously wanted to cry. And I like this about Ryoko and girls in general like her; she can be tough and fight her own battles but can still be vulnerable at times. She has a strong sense of independence but can still rely on others to help her in times of need and doesn't always have to mask her feelings. I like characters like that who don't always have to be pitch-perfect and have flaws; that makes them more realistic.

And speaking of characters, the rest of the cast is great too. Everyone is memorable with their unique personalities and quirks and have their own back stories to give them character. Of course I do love Ryoshi with how he changes throughout the series wanting to be strong for the girl he loves. It really makes him such a sweetie.

The animation is really nice with that shoujo sense of giant expressive eyes and bright colors. My favorite aspect of the animation style in this anime was the fighting scenes. It's pure eye candy to see the characters move at such a fast pace in these battles and gah! I just love it.

And last but not least, the story and morals it teaches are great. There are subtle allusions to multiple fairy tales in the episodes and I think it's creative in developing these characters.

Check out Okami-san if you're looking for something cute and funny to watch.