Kuro Nyago

When I started Kuro Nyago I initially didn't know what to expect. I initially believed this to be another part of that "moe" craze that's been infesting youngsters these days, what with the dancing loli catgirls and all. With that in mind, one can only imagine my cap flying off my head when I sat down with a bucket of popcorn and pressed the play button.

It only took 5 out of the 181 seconds this animation presented until I realized I stumbled upon the equivalent of the gold of Fort Knox participating at an Elvis concert celebrating the latest pyramid the aliens had built.

At first, ... my mood was calm when "The Black Cat" flashed on the title screen. The background appeared, and my eyes widened. The first pair of cats appeared and started dancing, and my eyes just about blew out of my head as my jaw hit the floor. The cats danced, "Meow meow" and I sank into my chair, lower and lower as the spectacle of the white cats, the black cats, and the black cats with the red collars hit me with the force of an atomic bomb.

All I knew was that I couldn't dare take my eyes of the kitties. I wanted to dance and sing with them. I wanted to play hide-and-seek around the trees with them! I could not be the tabby. I could not be the tiger. But I knew it was my calling in life.

At the end of the film I was bawling more than I ever could have managed when I was a wee lad in diapers. With my basement flooded in tears, I knew there was only one thing to do. I had to join these cats in eternal dancing and singing harmony. That night, I hung myself from the ceiling. As my eyes rolled back into my head, I sang, "Meow meow."

Watch this, everyone. Seriously.

Well first off I've always liked old animated shorts. I remember back when I was a kid I would borrow and watch my Aunt's VHS tapes that would have animated shorts on them like Christmas specials, Disney Cartoon Classics, etc.... When I seen that Crunchyroll uploaded an handful of old Japanese classic animations I was excited to see them. The first one that caught my eye was Kuro Nyago or "The Black Cat" Since I'm probably like the hugest cat freak I know I gave it a shot.

Story:

Its basically about these kids who want a black cat that dances. Thats pretty much about it, but ... it was interesting and somewhat entertaining none the less.

Art:

Well since this is from 1929 the art isn't going to be as good as it would be if it were later on or in present day. The backgrounds like trees, bushes, etc.. are still images while the characters are the only thing that move. I thought the art was decent for its time, but I've seen better.

Sound:

The entire three minutes is basically music. For sound it was very good for it being one of the first ever being accompanied by music. The song is called "The Black Cat Dance" sung by Eiko Hirai. A couple moves accompanied by this song reminded me of something I've seen from somewhere and I just picked up on it when I was rewatching it just now when one of the kids said "Nyan Nyan" and did a certain move and I was like Oh I seen this before just animated better *cough*macrossfrontier*cough*. Well anyways back to the song I thought it was very catchy and it is something that could be enjoying to listen to more than once.

Characters:

Well not much to say here since its hard to tell anything much in just three minutes except that they all danced like they have been possessed by evil demons especially The Black Cat's younger brother the tabby cat. Better watch out for him he is after blood I seen that twisted look in his face he is not to be trusted.

Overall:

If you are one of those people who enjoy watching things from the dawn of animation or a cat lover then it wouldn't hurt to give this a shot who knows you might end up enjoying it this little short.

Note: Sorry if this review sucked its my first one on here...

It should be noted that this is one of Japan's earliest sound cartoons, if not the very earliest.

It should also be noted that this isn't just normal hand-drawn animation, but made from cut-out pieces of paper.

When considering you are watching animated paper, you can imagine the work & skill that went into creating these delicate pieces. Though a cheaper way of creating animation, you can definitely tell that it was lovingly made.

Plus, it's just really darn cute. Who doesn't love singing and dancing cats?

A must-see for cat lovers, animation and history nerds. No understanding of the Japanese necessary, though ... it helps a bit. :)