Ranked #314

She and Her Cat

She and Her Cat is a bittersweet short anime about a woman, her cat, their lives, and their lives together.

The plot is revealed through narration. Told through the simplistic though reflective words of the cat, it is understood that this is a story most importantly about love. In the apartment that the woman and the cat share, their days pass contentedly, sometimes not, as the cat loves and ponders after the young woman. Her story is told through the cat, and her tale is one of loneliness and heartbreak.

Art and art direction for this anime was exceptional. It is done in black and white, giving the anime a sort of starkness in its look. There are a lot of still scenes where the camera pans over them as though, yes, we're seeing into the life of this woman, but not too much, giving the apartment a feel of guarded privacy just through the use of camera angles. And also, what is seen is significant as well. Small details especially were paid close attention. For example, clothes strewn aimlessly into a laundry basket, revealing to the audience that this woman has gone through heartache but it's not as though she has given up on life. The animation is also well done. Each drop of rain on the wet surface is animated, for instance. Such subtleties do pay off in the end.

There was minimal use of background music. The lack of BGM plays in high contrast with the spoken dialogue, giving it this private, melancholy atmosphere.

As for the characters, the cat is probably one of the more charismatic narrators ever seen in anime. He has a soothing voice, a simple though unorthodox outlook on life, and lives to see the young woman live her life. The young woman seems to be part of the plot, and her character mostly reflects and reacts to what's happening around her.

She and Her Cat is very enjoyable. It rings forth a lot of themes and sends an interesting message across. It takes a brief but poignant look at heartbreak and recovery with love and support from the closest of sources.

Overall, this is well worth the watch. For a quiet, bittersweet anime that won't even take five minutes of your day away, you can surely make some time to look at the lives of this woman and her cat. read more

She and Her Cat is told from the perspective of Chobi; a cat that was recently adopted by She, an unnamed girl. Chobi is quite a philosophical little cat but his observations don't go past of what a regular cat might think. He notes how the girl cries, but does not wonder why, only that She is perfect and must not be at fault. He notes that She leaves during the day, but does not wonder where, only that the scent of the outside world comes through the door each time. He just knows that they are together, and that's all that there needs to be.

Being that there is no color in She and Her Cat adds to the OVA rather than ruins it. This could've happened because of the popular belief that cats see in black and white (they really see in color), but it really makes this 5 minute story stand out that much more. There are many freeze frames in the OVA, with the most animation coming from the background images, but this makes the story more involved and focused on and therefore it seems to fit the mood.

As with the simple, but highly detailed animation comes the sound. Chobi's voice is constant in this OVA; he gives his side of his conversations and tells everything from a narrative point of view other times. There are a few other sounds such as sound effects, but the soft background songs in it are great and soothing.

There are just three characters in this: Chobi, She, and Mimi, the cat that Chobi dates in the summer. The unamed girl She is shown as a lonely person who's only true friend in life is Chobi. While Mimi, on the other hand, is a cute kitten who wants to marry Chobi. Chobi disagrees; he thinks it is a false promise due to her just being a kitten and that he loves the more 'adult' woman instead.

Overall, She and Her Cat was delightful. Very rarely can you tell a great story in just 5 minutes, but Makoto Shinkai pulled it off very well for being his first project. While maybe a little rushed, it was still a wholesome work of art. It's short, it's sweet (yet dark on some levels), and it has just a bit of innocence everyone needs once and awhile. And even if you think you won't like She and Her Cat, just try watching it once. 5 minutes is all you need. read more