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| also 7/10 for me quite adorable movie <33 |
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| Very nice movie. I give it 9/10. I watched it a long time ago when I was younger and re-watched it today with my friends. Loved the characters. |
| I liked the VA and personality the staff gave to Muta, they really suit him. Exactly what I would have imagined from watching Whisper of the Heart. Him and Haru for best characters. So a very sweet movie, not much content maybe, but quite refreshing: sort of Ghibli in a non Ghibli way, it's hard to explain. |
EratiKApr 21, 2013 7:58 AM
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| Nice movie, and my favorite character was Buta! XD I have this feeling that I had seen this movie before, though I'm not quiet sure yet. I'll give it a 7, since it is probably directed toward kids (my sis really enjoyed it), and I don't become a fan of one unless I had seen it when I was a kid. |
| Of course, a stairway of crow! Why didn't I thought of it before? I'm so ashamed of myself now! Bland first half, hilarious second half, cheesy fourth quarter. Dump out the cliche "Prince love someone else" and it would have redeemed itself as a comedy show ಠ_ಠ |
| This is almost so cool as totoro, still, totoro will always be my favorite |
BLaCkGuN69Dec 30, 2013 8:52 PM
| EL PSY KONGROO!!! |
| That was pretty weird. |
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| Why is the movie called: The Cat Returns ? |
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| man this has been released for more than a decade but i just started watching Ghibli movies last year, and and like the other ghibli movies i just love the story, and the cats are sooo cute |
| Good story. I think my favorite thing were the characters. Baron is my role model now. Muta was hilarious. And Haru was both cute and kind. |
"There is nothing outside of yourself that enables you to get better. Everything is within. Seek nothing outside of yourself." ⛩️  |
| Didn't really know what to expect going into this, but this was certainly NOT it ... what a crazy ride! Having Haru turn into a cat and try to escape the Cat Kingdom was pretty funny XD I didn't really get how she "found herself" or anything, but it was a pretty funny movie and certainly was unique. Those cats can get pretty crazy :P It was a fun movie to watch but I didn't really love it as much as some other ones I've seen. The characters were all right, and the animation was good but a bit different than what they normally do I think. Music was good and it was a fun ride, but just not as good as some other Ghibli movies I've seen. 8/10 |
 Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022 |
| This definitely had a different feel to it compared to most Ghibli films (I agree with OP about it not having a message like they normally do) but I still enjoyed it a lot. The return of the Baron and Muta from Whisper of the Heart was awesome and it was really funny in places. Overall 8/10. |
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| I watched the movie for Kaze ni Naru and that was the best part of the film. I felt like I had the whole movie figured out when she got to the Cat Kingdom and saw the white cat. It was just so obvious how it was going to play out from there. The biggest weakness this had was that it seemed like it wanted to have danger but couldn't because it needed a family rating. We're throwing cats from windows to what seemed like their death but it never felt dangerous, or it's suppose to be funny because cats land on their feet? Or how Haru's mood about going to the Cat Kingdom changed once she got their. Even though she was so scared about getting married that she listened to a voice from the sky for help. Btw how did the one cat talk to Haru? That never got explained. All that and a little bit more that I don't feel like typing out aside the movie at its core was a fun magical journey which is exactly what I was hoping it was going to be. So even though there were a lot of things I didn't like about this movie I had some fun watching it and that's all that matters in the end. 6/10 |
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| now she has a crush on baron a cat how stupid, but overall it was okay for me. |
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove  |
| I apologize to all those who have seen the film driven by the vote I gave him. In truth I did it because without this film it would remain in oblivion, but even if it does not live up to the expectations that the Studio Ghibli gave you so far, this film can be fun and funny. The story may not have been well exploited by a somewhat minimalist narrative, but it is excellent for spending time with your grandchildren and without braying your brain. The designs and style are not those typical of the best Ghibli films, but the quality is not inferior. I also found it interesting to refer to the movie "Whisper of the Heart" through the character of Baron Humbert von Jikkingen. 8/10 |
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| Just finished rewatching it. Great movie. The crazy Cat King's the fucking best! He made me laugh so hard |
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| It actually went much better than I thought after a point. Liked Haru's development and Baron x Neko Haru was pretty shippy. |
| what a beautiful movie S2 8/10 |
ProxyLainAug 26, 2019 8:09 PM
| I have a theory that this is the story Shizuku wrote in "Whisper of the Heart". Or at least a version of it, as it was unfinished. |
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| I'll just mention that when I first saw Haru, the one thing that came into my mind was how different she looks from nearly every other Ghibli MC but despite that, she looks super cute~ I had pretty low expectations for this as a Ghibli movie after seeing the score and how it's a spin-off of Whisper of the Heart which was good but not really my type but this turned out to be one of my favorite movies from the critically-acclaimed studio purely because of how much fun I had watching this. I was completely charmed by every single character of the main cast and I had a genuinely good time watching this. Seeing the ridiculous antics of Haru and those felines never failed to get a laugh out of me and the constant motions of the whole movie got me excited from start to end. The scene where the Cat King attempted to entertain his future daughter-in-law and throwing out those who failed to do so was the most hilarious part of the movie~ |
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MsBanana said: I have a theory that this is the story Shizuku wrote in "Whisper of the Heart". Or at least a version of it, as it was unfinished. Omg! That's what I thought so too! Wouldn't that be nice if that was the case? - - - Also, I find it cute when Haru told Baron that she may have a crush on him! I would too! After all the things Baron did in order to save Haru.  |
 She got him back. If you understand the characters well enough, you'd know she did! |
| Decent movie. 5/10 |
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| This is movie will leave you a big smile on your face, 100% |
MsBanana said: I have a theory that this is the story Shizuku wrote in "Whisper of the Heart". Or at least a version of it, as it was unfinished. it all makes sense. bc this story also looks like unfinished |
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| That was pretty cute. Pretty different artsyle from Studio Ghibli's other films too. I don't think I liked it as much, but it was serviceable. Which is probably a good word to describe the film as a whole. Certainly not amongst Ghibli's best, but still a pleasant enough little watch that didn't overstay its welcome. Solid 7/10. Oh and random side note: This is my 800th completed anime entry on MAL as it turns out, though admittedly I'm not sure about the real accuracy of that count. Regardless, cheers! |
| A very weird and not so much memorable Ghibli film. I don’t know why this one felt so weird compared to others but it did. The animation part and the 2nd part of film were good but overall it doesnt feel like it has magical touch that Ghibli is known for. I think its definitely not the worst but far from being as good as other films of the studio that aren’t even masterpieces. 7.1/10 just,feels fairly good to give out for this one |
| The first thing I noticed was the art and animation looking starkly different from a Ghibli film. In fact, the sound design, character motions, art style, coloring, camerawork, dialogue, and overall speed of scenes were all different. I think the most telling difference were the character designs, particularly the eyes, which didn't carry the distinct Ghibli aesthetic. I had to check to make sure if it was actually animated by Ghibli. From what I could tell, The Cat Returns was intended to be a test film for future Ghibli directors, as it was the second or third film not directed by neither Hayao Miyazaki nor Isao Takahata. For better or worse, it didn't feel like a Ghibli film, as I could have mistaken The Cat Returns for an independent film. It feels new, but it also doesn't feel distinct. I'm not sure if it's better to keep to the Ghibli aesthetic or to do something new, but I'll be fine as long as the end result is good. The Cat Returns is...fine? There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, but it also felt so straightforward that I couldn't really form a strong opinion. I guess if I could compare it to another film aesthetically and story-wise, it felt like something from Mamoru Hosoda, perhaps something along the lines of Mirai no Mirai or Bakemono no Ko, especially after Haru turned into a cat. However, there's a level of awkwardness throughout the film, such as Haru seemingly falling in love with the Baron, dark comedic moments like cats being thrown out of the banquet room seemingly to their deaths, and Haru agreeing to get married to a cat to begin with which made the film feel off in a way. |
| it was a nice movie But there wasnt that big of a plot or message behind it all. It was more a watch n enjoy movie. |
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cool was the movie oy film but from the second part everything becomes much more interesting🖤😎 |
| Cute little movie about cats, I had fun. Was pleased to have another spin on the Ghibli designs. Ayano Tsuji, who sang the ending song, kinda looks like Haru's mom. P.S. The cat king was played by the same person who voiced a character in *Twilight of the cockroaches*?! How did they even cast him lol. Very weird combo. |
St0rmbladeJun 8, 2021 1:57 PM
| I loved it!!!!!!! |
| Its a good film but I don't think it has that Ghibli charm the other Ghibli films have like Howls moving castle and Whisper of the heart. I only watched it because it was related to Whisper of the heart. Overall a 6/10 anime, Above average but nothing special it didn't even feel like a Ghibli film. |
| A very nice movie. When watching it, I could tell that it was a Ghibli movie. It had that art style that is pleasant and lets you know that you are watching a sort of fairy tale. The story wasn't complicated and that worked fine. I wanted to watch this because it had cats and I knew that it would be a pleasant watch. The characters were humorous and the main ones had a bit of fleshing out to them. 8/10 and a great watch! |
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| The plot wasn't very grand but it was fun. A nice short little movie suited for kids. 8/10. |
| It's the worst Ghibli movie that I've watched. That white cat Yuki is basically an omniscient and telepathic plot device. Communicates with Haru telepathically while none such powers is shown to be possessed by other cat members. Plot device. Knows about the Cat Bureau for some reason even though none of the characters from there recognize her. Plot device. Is the sudden love interest of the Prince and hence the getaway for Haru. Plot device. Fake character development. This Haru bitxh after her little adventure acts all mature and stuff while there's no reason for her to act that way. She learnt nothing. She didn't suffer. She was unreasonably helped at every step of the way. She didn't do anything for herself! Such a bitxh. Fake theme. The theme of believing in yourself or whatever it was, rings hollow when the film has nothing to show for it. All words and no pudding. Atrocious voice acting. I get that Ghibli tries to get realistic voices for their movies but that doesn't mean it's good since real life Japanese is hella boring to listen to. The characters sound lifeless like how real life Japanese people sound. No emotions in voice. That Haru bitxh's VA couldn't even scream properly. Good thing rest of the anime industry didn't pick up on this. This film tries to act like it has something while being completely hollow and devoid of meaning. It's riddled with bad voice acting, plot devices, bad characters and fake themes. This is not even suitable for children to watch, as other children shows like Doraemon are way better at the things which this movie fails at horribly. Steer clear. Nothing to find here. |
Alpha_DruidJan 21, 2022 4:52 AM
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| Of all the Ghibli movies I have seen this might be the weakest in term of storytelling although I enjoyed watching it for what it is. |
| This movie is so CUTE COOL AND FUNNY :))) My favorite from Studio Ghibli |
 張大です for 張大勇督察 |
| Cute. The character art is a major direction away from most Ghibli but I didn't mind that. The King looks so bonkers. Haru is adorable as a cat. Not huge on the story as it feels it lacking a lot but I had a good time. |
| It's not the best story but it was very fun to watch. |
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