December 3, 2024 12:47 pm
It is a perfect anime movie to relax to.
Created by Japanese studio Shin-Ei Animation and France's Miyu Production, this anime is unusual in every way – from its leisurely storytelling to its mix of techniques – and has captivated audiences of all ages on the festival circuit.
Ghost Cat Anzu recently received a streaming release, and here's why you shouldn't miss this full-length anime.
What Is Ghost Cat Anzu About?
What does an 11-year-old girl do in a small town by the sea? Karin finds herself in Minamiizu, a place in the middle of Japan's east coast. Here, her father left her in the care of her grandfather and disappeared.
It's no wonder that Karin, like Lewis Carroll's Alice, feels like she's in a wonderland, and then follows not a white rabbit but a red, Garfield-like cat.
Actually, he's not an ordinary cat, but a bakeneko: a werewolf or ghost that a domestic cat can become if it grows a tail too long, jumps on a dead person, gains weight rapidly, or lives for 13 years.
Anzu is the latter: he's already 37. In addition to helping out at the temple, he also works as a traveling masseur and does other odd jobs when the pay is worth the trouble.
Ghost Cat Anzu Is a Perfect Slice of Life Example
The plot doesn't immediately emerge from this routine: the Franco-Japanese anime is as unhurried as its title character. This is partly because the original manga by Takashi Imashiro is a collection of sketches about Anzu and other townspeople.
Karin and her family drama were invented by the directing duo Nobuhiro Yamashita and Yoko Kuno to make the story work. At the same time, the directors value the slice of life genre and the possibilities of animation, which is why their Ghost Cat Anzu is more detailed and varied than eventful.
Despite the Genre, the Last Part Is Full of Events
As for the plot-packed final third, it would be better to keep it a secret so as not to spoil the surprise. Here, Ghost Cat Anzu acts as a real slowburner, where the horror-makers accumulate imagination and fervor to unleash them on the audience in the final scenes.
You shouldn't expect any revelations, but there will be a chase, mysticism, crowds of demons and of course a heart-to-heart talk that will help Karin, if not to grow up abruptly, then at least to come to terms with the fact that everything in the world is supposed to happen slowly and incorrectly.
However, the good intentions of people and spirits still deserve to give this planet a chance.
Where to Watch Ghost Cat Anzu?
Ghost Cat Anzu is available to stream on Apple TV.
It is a perfect anime movie to relax to.
Created by Japanese studio Shin-Ei Animation and France's Miyu Production, this anime is unusual in every way – from its leisurely storytelling to its mix of techniques – and has captivated audiences of all ages on the festival circuit.
Ghost Cat Anzu recently received a streaming release, and here's why you shouldn't miss this full-length anime.
What Is Ghost Cat Anzu About?
What does an 11-year-old girl do in a small town by the sea? Karin finds herself in Minamiizu, a place in the middle of Japan's east coast. Here, her father left her in the care of her grandfather and disappeared.
It's no wonder that Karin, like Lewis Carroll's Alice, feels like she's in a wonderland, and then follows not a white rabbit but a red, Garfield-like cat.
Actually, he's not an ordinary cat, but a bakeneko: a werewolf or ghost that a domestic cat can become if it grows a tail too long, jumps on a dead person, gains weight rapidly, or lives for 13 years.
Anzu is the latter: he's already 37. In addition to helping out at the temple, he also works as a traveling masseur and does other odd jobs when the pay is worth the trouble.
Ghost Cat Anzu Is a Perfect Slice of Life Example
The plot doesn't immediately emerge from this routine: the Franco-Japanese anime is as unhurried as its title character. This is partly because the original manga by Takashi Imashiro is a collection of sketches about Anzu and other townspeople.
Karin and her family drama were invented by the directing duo Nobuhiro Yamashita and Yoko Kuno to make the story work. At the same time, the directors value the slice of life genre and the possibilities of animation, which is why their Ghost Cat Anzu is more detailed and varied than eventful.
Despite the Genre, the Last Part Is Full of Events
As for the plot-packed final third, it would be better to keep it a secret so as not to spoil the surprise. Here, Ghost Cat Anzu acts as a real slowburner, where the horror-makers accumulate imagination and fervor to unleash them on the audience in the final scenes.
You shouldn't expect any revelations, but there will be a chase, mysticism, crowds of demons and of course a heart-to-heart talk that will help Karin, if not to grow up abruptly, then at least to come to terms with the fact that everything in the world is supposed to happen slowly and incorrectly.
However, the good intentions of people and spirits still deserve to give this planet a chance.
Where to Watch Ghost Cat Anzu?
Ghost Cat Anzu is available to stream on Apple TV.
