Lily C.A.T.

The Deep Sleep Capsules, technology that has allowed man to reach out to the stars. These chambers slow the aging process by 95%. A 20-year trip passes, and the traveler has only aged 1 year. It definitely has its advantages, but after you've been on a few trips, it sure gets very lonely.

Right now, however, that's not the big issue. The year is 2264. The Syncam Corporation has sent the Saldes and its crew of 13 (and 1 cat) out into deep space to explore the potential of a newfound planet 20 years away. Soon after they awaken from their stasis, however, things are happening one after another. First, the crew learns that two of the crew are not who they claim to be. Then, one by one, crewmembers die suddenly. Then, the ship begins to turn against them. And as if it couldn't get any worse, they find another mess on their hands and it is ugly.

What was supposed to be a simple exploratory mission has become a struggle for survival in the depths of space. 20 years from home, they're all alone and no one can hear them scream.

(Source: AnimeNfo)

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Background

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Episode Videos

Episode 1

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Characters & Voice Actors

Takagi, Hiro

Main

Hase, Arihiro
Japanese

Hamilton, Mike

Main

Saka, Osamu
Japanese

Carolyn

Supporting

Koyama, Mami
Japanese

Jimmy

Supporting

Tanaka, Ryouichi
Japanese

Berry, Dick

Supporting

Otsuka, Chikao
Japanese

Guy

Supporting

Shioya, Kouzou
Japanese

Stroustrup, Nancy

Supporting

Katsuki, Masako
Japanese

Dular

Supporting

Oohira, Tooru
Japanese

Scott, Morgan W.

Supporting

Genda, Tesshou
Japanese

Watts

Supporting

Sogabe, Kazuyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Macek, Carl

Producer, ADR Director

Toriumi, Hisayuki

Director

Mosdell, Chris

Theme Song Lyrics

Amano, Yoshitaka

Character Design

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"Listening to the Angels" by Teressa Jonette

Reviews

Jun 10, 2011

Colonelfancy

Recommended

Lily C.A.T. is a pretty cool slice of classic sci fi/horror from the 80's, and not just in anime, but directors that want to dabble in the horror genre can learn some small, yet vital points from this; the less your audience can understand from your monster, the scarier the creature is. And by that I mean, this blood-thirsty creature can't be reasoned with. It's out to kill you, and that's final. This is one of the essences of true horror.
Granted, there are better offers in this genre in terms of quality and production value like Wicked City and Demon City Shinjuku, Lily CATs ... appeal is that it's closer to a desperate struggle of survival from civilians as opposed to battling the supernatural on questionably equal grounds. It's like an anime incarnation of John Carpenter's The Thing right down to the monster's method of stalking prey. All it was missing was Kurt Russell pooring beer into a computer game and calling it a "cheatin bitch".
The set up for all of this makes it a hybrid of Alien and the aforementioned film; a select group of humans have been incubated for 20 years (with a halted metabolism) while the ships computer indicates a rouge bacteria has made it's way in. This sets up for the slow build towards the monsters apperance.
The cast of characters is pretty darn good, even if some of them are certified monster chow, and even if they come off a little under-utilized, I don't think it matters much as far as the conflict goes. They're pretty likable and work when neccesary and personalities aren't forced down your throat. In fact, I was rooting for as many as possible to make it out of there.
Now, back to the monster: If there is one thing that the mid to late 80's era of anime can do well, I mean REALLY well, is monsters, aliens, and demons. The indeterminate mass of the beast kept in the shadows, the tenticles, the rows of sharp, serated teeth, those 80's creepy crawling sound effects. The anime monsters of the 80's were some of the most horrifying, vicious, freakish hellspawns I've ever seen with nothing but rows of teeth and a bad attitude, and this monster didn't disappoint.
IN CLOSING: Lily CAT is actually pretty good and holds it's own well against some of the big budget heavy hitters of it's time. It was released in a time when sci fi and horror were at their zenith, and if you're a fan of classic anime or survival horror, this won't disappoint. Don't let it's age or obscurity fool you; Lily CAT is a buried treasure that any fan could appreciate.

STORY: 7
ART:7
SOUND: 7
CHARACTERS: 8
ENJOYMENT: 8
OVERALL SCORE: 7 out of 10

PROS: Very well written, Visuals are pretty great, decent cast
CONS: English voices are kinda cheesy, deus ex machina near the end there

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Apr 18, 2022

ArkonBlade

Mixed Feelings

Good premise but not well executed

This anime was heavily inspired by The 70s movie Alien and The 1982 version of the Thing. Which should make it an awesome anime as those movies are really great. Sadly It misses the mark. While it borrows those cool ideas and even art style. Its heavily lacking in what makes those movies good.

The anime does well in its pacing and quickly sets things up and gets going. Its only a little over an hour long so it moves pretty swiftly. To swiftly in fact. We dont get much for alien interaction or even much horror or ...

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Feb 25, 2016

Paraturtle

Not Recommended

Story:
It's Alien in anime form, but it tries to set itself apart by having more character backstories and a weak moral theme in the second half. It's nothing special, and not nearly as intriguing as it could have been. It's also really predictable, as the title and early sequences essentially strip away part of the mystery.

When it comes to story telling, we don't even get five minutes into the film before it's telling us things out right through forced dialogue. A real shame.

The Captain was the only interesting character and the rest are potential canon fodder for the alien creature to munch on, which we ... never see. We also don't see very much of it either because we're constantly shown boring sub-plots that don't matter because we're expecting everyone to die anyway, so it's not even a good horror film where we get to watch the creature kill things. That is not to say horror films should just be glorified snuff, but if a movie fails to have any compelling characters or themes, then it sure as hell be fun to watch - which this wasn't.

Audio and Soundtrack:
I enjoy an orchestrated soundtrack in horror films. It was neat to hear piano, and an absolutely beautiful and compelling track during the opening credits. What I don't like is different genres jumping around on me. Orchestration to some electronic to rock and roll. It's overbearing and pulls you out of the immersion. Songs are cut short at awkward moments as well, which pulls you out again.

The audio is nothing special. It works. It's got a retro feel to it.

Animation:
Not very good. There are better animated films that were released in the 80's. None of the perspective shots are scary, and most of the time I wondered why I was being shown hallway after hallway with a different color pallet. I understand it's on a ship, but a ship has different locals. Maybe a hall with windows? Perhaps the sleeping quarters, kitchen, entertainment room, bathroom??

The creatures animation was pretty neat. I wish more scenes were shown with it. If so, the film would have been much more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts:
I said I'd watch it last October but forgot. That's the only reason I picked this up. From what I've come to learn, most horror anime aren't very interesting and fail to be scary. I don't think I can even say that I enjoyed myself while watching this. I've kicked the habit of looking at my phone when watching films/shows, but this one had me pull it out once or twice because I was so bored.

However, the film isn't offensively bad, it's just boring. I can't say I'd go so far as to NOT recommend it to people, but I won't say anyone should watch it, either.

((If you liked this review, friend me for new reviews on other works, both manga and anime!))

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Lily C.A.T.

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Characters & Voice Actors

Takagi, Hiro

Hamilton, Mike

Carolyn

Jimmy

Berry, Dick

Guy

Stroustrup, Nancy

Dular

Scott, Morgan W.

Watts

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Lily C.A.T.

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-