Ranked #844

Cat Soup

Cat Soup is as surrealist as surreal anime can get, replacing most human beings with cats, but presenting the same interesting story, perhaps even better than human characters would have done.

The storyline is by far one of the most unique one I have come across in a long, long time. Nyatto, a little boy... cat is trying to make his sister happy again after her soul is taken from her. What I like about Cat Soup is that it seems that there's so much visual metaphor and symbolism. It's like seeing personification in action, and it succeeds. It isn't like other surreal anime where the plot is so convoluted that the message behind it will escape a regular viewer, but that does not mean that it is by any means shallow. Cat Soup is deep, despite its innocent appearance.

Speaking of appearance, the art style is also very unique. The character design and background design is simple yet very good. The animation is also very well done. Some of the settings are brilliant--things that come straight out of dreams, and it shows.

The sound suits the anime quite well; playful in places, deeper during more serious scenes. There isn't any real spoken dialogue, so if listening to voice actors is your thing, you may want to be wary about this movie.

The characters in this anime have outdone so many other human characters. Nyatto and his sister are characterised so well, it's a wonder why screaming young men or ditzy girls from other anime can't take a page or two from them. Nyatto is a oddity--he seems almost sociopathic, but his love for his older sister shines through most of his questionable behaviour. His sister too, silent and unable to emote, is a presence on-screen.

Cat Soup is a violent and explicit anime, you must be warned. There are some scenes that are gruesome... but geez, isn't Nyatto so cute anyway? That's what you'll be thinking when watching it.

If you don't like surrealism, violence, or cats, then don't watch this movie. If you can manage liking the three, and want to see a great anime, then place an order of Cat Soup and enjoy. read more

Every once in a while, a truly magnificent and original anime shows up. Being a media everyone relates with silly characters, a fun story and a little ecchi now and then, the typical anime-lover would get a mild shock from a movie such as this.

Through the film, we follow the cat Nyatto on his quest to reclaim his sister's lost soul. They embark on a strange journey filled with mystery, darkness and disturbing obstacles. There isn't much more to say, really.

Nyatto and his sister - and also a few other characters - were all in Nekojiru Gekijou, the series this film spawned from. Although this story takes place in the same world as the original series, this is not similar to it at all. All the black humor that Nekojiru Gekijou was built upon have been replaced with a dark and disturbing tale.

When people watch a movie such as this that blends surrealism and symbolism into a lovely mix, they usually react differently. The writer might not have had any ideas behind all of it, and there's a possibility that there are no real answers to the mysteries. In other words, you're free to interpret it as you like. That's what made David Lynch's "Eraserhead" so popular amongst some, while being hated by others.

The only thing I don't like with Cat Soup is that it's a tad too short. There's potential for so much more. One can only hope for some kind of sequel in the future.

-Fred read more