Ranked #637

Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko

This OVA, though barely five minutes long, has more emotional depth and impact than many longer anime.

The animation is, simply put, incredible. Beautifully drawn black and white scenes that are contrasted against detailed backgrounds - this could even remind someone of an old live-action film (as improbable as that sounds, just watch it yourself). Everything looks incredibly realistic except for the cat, but it was purposefully drawn in a simplistic way to put emphasis on its persona and plight.

There was very little music that I can remember but I liked the cat's calm, quiet, maybe even melancholy, voice. Although the main character is a cat, he speaks like a wise scholar.

The story...well, there's actually none, but that hardly matters since the fluid, interesting narration was the meat and bones of this OVA and more than made up for its lack of plot. She and Her Cat is about a cat's romantic love for its owner and how it sees life. Sounds a bit boring to you? You'll be surprised and impressed at how much thought Makoto Shinkai put into this. The cat's remarkable intelligence and subtle narration actually made me contemplate about my own life, and all the mistakes I made throughout it. For such a short piece, is nothing short of astounding.

There are only two characters here: a cat and its owner. You'll learn an impressive amount of information about these two, even though this anime is so short. I was actually able to relate to, and feel sympathetic for, the cat's wistful love for his owner, and his heartbreaking desire to have a lover that was more like her. For everyone who has ever loved someone who was unattainable, this will definitely strike home. As for the cat's owner, you'll learn through the touching monologue why the cat loves her so.

Overall, an excellent use of 5 minutes. You will not be disappointed in the slightest. If only a third of all anime series were as profound as this... 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

What exactly makes this short interesting... Well, to me it's more the fact that "She and Her Cat" will foreshadow, so to say, the style of Shinkai's (better) future works... but it's not only that. There is a lot of emphasis on building the atmosphere of the short, on creating an emotional connection with the viewer. The story is very simplistic and there are no real characters. That's because the entire clip is actually a narration, a narration aided by visual imagery and sound. The only character is the narrator and the visuals portray shadows of his imagination, or pieces of his memory. I think this would be most appropriately described as a love letter to no one. And that is not only because of the ending line.

A few words about its "story" and "characters". At first sight this looks like a short film describing how a pet and his owner found each other and the relationship between them. You can definitely watch it as a cute story like that, but it doesn't really seem to be one if you look more into it. I took everything I watched more as an allegory, or something in the same vein. The short seems to at least hint that. For example, the entire animation is done in a realistic looking style - yet the cat, who the narrator supposedly is, is drawn in a very simplistic manner... suggesting that it stands for something maybe, a mask like the characters of fables wear. Then there's the whole monologue, its tone and wording don't seem to come from a cat but rather a very, very close friend trapped perhaps in a one sided love with Her. The cat is only a personification.

By the way, the entire short is a pretty good example of limited animation. The animation consists primarily of camera movement and one or two objects animated in that frame. This minimalist approach fits the overall tone of the film and at the same time also saves some time, since "She and Her Cat" is after all a one man job. The sound follows the same approach, with very little background music and noises. Most of the short's sound actually consists of Shinkai himself narrating.

I won't go that far and recommend this to everyone - even though pretty much everyone could find something to like during these 5 minutes while the short lasts - but I'd definitely recommend this to Shinkai fans... The same fingerprints that you can see on "Voices of a distant star" or "5 cm per second" can be seen here as well. If you liked those you'll most likely like "She and Her Cat". read more

Story
There doesn't seem to be a story beyond 'I am a cat. This is my opinion of the world.' That by itself makes for a philosophical short with an interesting take on life. Anyone who's owned a cat has wondered what goes on between those ears, and I believe that if cats could talk they'd agree with everything that this cat does.

Art
The art in this OVA is rather interesting - it's done in a black-and-white, simplistic, somewhat grainy manner. Despite the fact that the human is very realistically done and the cats are simplified and 'chibi', it still maintains an intriguingly real appearance.

Sound
Perhaps I am biased, but I had a hard time with the sound. Although it is nicely done, the sound effects and music are much louder than the vocals and detract from the overall enjoyment.

Character
Although you never quite become bonded close enough to the human of the series to feel for her, you do bond very quickly with the cat and his quirky philosophy. Although the cat feels somewhat flat, anyone who has dealt with a cat will quickly recognize the "I'm so smart" face they try to put on.

Overall this is a very enjoyable, and quick watch for someone looking to have a 'Five-Minute Philosophy Break', or who is just looking for a quirky anime. read more

Now this obviously isnt your typical anime, the story of a cat living with is owner is something im sure most companies wouldnt want to put there money behind. but this anime was actually very well executed. the story is told by chobi, a cat living with a single woman. chobi tells the story in a very simple yet intelligent way. this was what really attracted me. the idea of showing the world from a cats view was astonishingly well done.

At first the story seems quite mediocre, but after about 1 min the story kicks in. keep in my that this is nothing on an epic scale. see it more as a modest love story between pet and master. as it unfolds there are twists in the story, which given its small time frame were done very well. and as the story reaches its end you come to appreciate for more and more

The animation was also brilliant, being done in black and white made me feel as though i was watching a manga unfold, with its own sense of unique realism. chobi the cat looks like he has been drawn by a five year, (or me) lol. but he stands out from all the other pieces of art, which if that was the goal work perfectly. its short,precise, and well done. She and her cat wont dissappoint read more

Story-
A simple yet sweet storyline. At first, it would seem kind of dull but the way the main character describes the world around him makes it all better. It doesnt waste time on unimportant matters and it is, in the best way possible, calming.

Art-
Extremely well drawn characters. Each one of them was shown as they personality reflects. Black and white blended the mood and the scenery in am amazing way. Its as if everything was thought out meticulously.

Sound-
No extra bit of sound was added to any scene. As the screen moves, so does the sound echoing the action.

Character-
Extremely simple. The cat reflected its way of being drawn. The girl was described in a way that seemed admirable.

Enjoyment-
I tend dislike most black and white shows but this one was better than a lot of great animes i have seen.

Overall-
Great show. It was a little on the short side but it was worth the search for it. Simple story, detailed art, geat sound, and realistic characters. This is something worth going out of your way to look and it doesnt take that long to finish. read more

"She and Her Cat" is a short 5 min OVA featuring a cat talking about his owner. It was okay... but to be frank, I'd be pretty surprised if a 5 minute anime can be much better or much worse than simply "okay".

The animation of this short clip seems to clash in places - the drawing style of the cat sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to everything else. Also the relationship between the cat and the girl (as described by the cat to his "girlfriend") feels a little freaky to me. What does stand out for this anime is the melancholy atmosphere it manages to create in such a short space of time, but sadly, there's only so much you can do in 5 minutes. As a result I found "She and Her Cat" to be a cute little anime that is ultimately very forgettable. That's not to say it's a bad anime - I wouldn't diss it or anything, but I honestly find it impossible to get the same amount of enjoyment out of a 5 min OVA that I can from a season long series, just like I can't derive the same amount of pleasure from a poem than I can from novel. Call me uncultured if you want, but I'm just not really a poem kind of person, and "She and Her Cat" is definitely a poem type anime. read more

"Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko" or "She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points" is one of good philosophical anime. It tells story about a cat and the owner life but from the cat points of view. In just 5 minutes it presented 5 phase of what happened in daily life of the owner and the cat. The cat (Chobi) dominate this anime by his mind telling and analyzing situations of what happened recently to his owner. Being voiced by Makoto Shinkai itself Chobi really stands out for 5 minutes long of this OVA, the voice's kind of plain but it's what makes you keep wondering with question and idea in your mind. In short, this anime is really an intriguing and philosophical.

Romance is one of main topic of this anime, since it's just between the girl owner and the cat, they develop the relationship of owner-and-pet since they met. But like the title said, everything is being told by the Chobi points of view. A feel of realistic and emotional is being presented too since the cat minds is like very honest. The cat grew likes her and very fond of her at the state of telling she's the most beautiful girl and doesn't at fault at everything she did. That's what every pet'd think if the owner is good too.

There's really nothing much to complain since the anime being presented by how it's must to be, it's psychological, drama, yet romance. The art seems pretty good by only looks with black-and-white character and background, the flow of the line for the art really intriguing. The sound, well nothing to comment since it's only Makoto's Voice, but i noticed a girl voice in the middle of story. It's the a little problem for me because if it's just Makoto's voice i'd be fine, but if there's another voice there should be a dialogue at least.. for explaining what happened. That's how it makes this anime being a little dull since it's just like reading manuscript by how it's presented. That's aside leave an interesting story and make the viewer to conclude it up to their idea.

I do recommend this to everyone, especially who has a pet since it's only 5 minutes, it's better to watch it rather than daydreaming. read more

Originally published on Anime Viking: http://animeviking.wordpress.com/
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Told entirely from a cat’s perspective, She and Her Cat remains one of Shinkai’s more interesting ideas to this date. But similar to Tooi Sekai, She and Her Cat is more of an experiment than a proper story.

It is more about how it is told than exactly what is told. Despite dropping a few subtle, yet too vague for speculation, clues at something larger than what we witness, it is clear that this is not important to She and Her Cat.

The way it is conveyed, on the other hand, is smart. As I mentioned, everything is from a cat’s perspective, which lends itself well to creating sort of a melancholic atmosphere. This, along with the equally melancholic music and visuals, helps draw you in for a neat, if not too special, little ride.
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Small, black-and-white, absolutely static, almost deprived of a plot, almost not having characters, but the deep, shrill, innovative, arthouse film. Simple graphics, correct words. Beautiful animated cartoon. The idea quite good, but I waited all the time for something. Any turn of a plot, unpredictability. The subject of loneliness is expressed here rather deeply. I would tell that this work for certain subcultural groups. For those someone is admired by similar tragic shots, sad words which flow the slow river. Everything is too predictable alone - beautiful expressions, smooth foreshortenings and surely a rain.
But warmth blows from this film at the same time. This cat is the unique pleasure of the girl, her friend, happiness lump. The cat loves the hostess, it is enamoured exactly really of it . He meets her every evening and sees off for work every morning. And she... She hurries to he. The cat managed to make what many people can't - he shared with she this silence of the stiffened existence, divided with she loneliness cargo, thereby having given she a support, desire to come back home. The girl feels that there is such soul which considers the moments to a long-awaited meeting with shi. It is here - loneliness for two. Together alone :)
The film is actual. It reminds us of eternal, monotonous, pressing loneliness. But everyone will understand it in own way. And it is fine! Remember, after all even when it seems that life is a continuous dullness, is the one to someone you are necessary! read more