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| 7/10 , I didnt like Miyo because she was so clingy and it turned me off a bit. Nevertheless, the story was well decent (typical one). I liked the ending and the ost + animation there and the art too the most. Could be better, but yeah it's an agree to disagree situation after all. |
| An anime which answers the question of why life isn't easier as a cat. Interesting theme of regret. Muge and Yoriko rekindled their friendship which was realistic, sometimes that has to be done. Imperfect people who love each other imperfectly. Also wouldn't recommend stalking as love. Yikes. Muge knows nothing about love which does make sense due to her sad past and young age. Hinode is a rare example of a male tsundere. Tsunderes in general are unrealistic/a relationship with a tsundere would be difficult unless they turned into a deredere. Wish fulfillment and visuals along with interesting characters 10/10 |
Eris-w-Jul 18, 2020 10:42 PM
| Some pretty good themes of escapism etc in. Romance though? Nah, you hella missed me on that, cause it's a lot of things, but romantic isn't one of them. |
| my goooooddddddddddddddd KAMI-SAMAAA This was..... soooooooooo BAD I struggling between 2 and a 3/10 Also, the only likeable characters was the main girl´s friend fallowed by Kaoru. |
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| Delightfully, unexpectedly enjoyable, especially for a Netflix movie. |
| Very cute movie! And most of all, I love cats <3 My score: 8/10 I was very surprised the movie was uploaded on the internet the same day it was released. Very fast and fantastic *w* |
 [*]My Completed List [*]♪Listen ► [/list][/left] |
kanirolf said: EpicCh33se said: I... think you're onto something. That line about "the other side" was really strange to me too. I went back and listened to that scene again. The noun they used in Japanese is 向こう (mukou). I know this means "other side," but I'm unsure if this has the same connotation of "afterlife" like it does in English. Yorushika, the band who did the vocal songs for this movie, has a song called Yakou that was featured in this film. At the end of the song is a line that uses 向こう, implying that the person in question had died and was crossing "to the other side." Considering the music video even shares background shots with the film, I wouldn't be surprised if this was connected. I'd be really grateful if someone who is better in Japanese could give some clarification on this. I think 向こう can also just refer to "the other party". Japanese "pronouns" developed out of oblique directional references, after all. Still, they could have chosen other words to convey that same meaning, so there may be a deeper meaning/double entendre there. So it's possible they're using 向こう as a pronoun to refer to people (or cats, in this case)? I didn't know that! Thanks for the explanation. kanirolf said: EarlCiel said: It reminded me of a scene from another series I've seen before where someone is ferrying people into the afterlife on a river. It seems like the river scene could be a reference to the Sanzu River, which is a mythological river in Japanese Buddhist tradition where souls that are deceased must cross to go to the afterlife. I really began to find it interesting how this whole ferry thing was going on and also notice that in order to cross over to the other world there would need to be a bridge, just like the myth. I started to wonder if the cat island shown at the end was actually 'the after life' or representative of people who have died already. It is a little bit of a far out connection to make but another moment that really stood out to me was after they returned and when Mugi said "I hope everyone on the other side can be happy too". Another interesting thing to note is the movie is set in the summer, which in Japan is Obon season, which is when the Japanese honor their ancestors. The mythology associated with that tradition does involve the ferrying of the dead to and from the living world. Tenki no Ko, for example, was set at about the same time, and in the scene where they visit Taki (from Kimi no Na Wa) they're lighting a mukaebi (迎え火), a guiding light (or maybe an okuribi 送り火, idk it's been a long time since I watched it), for Taki's grandfather. The awakening of the tree in this movie (which didn't have much narrative or visual impact) might be related to Obon as well. Oh yeah, I recall the Tenki no Ko dub doing a better job of explaining Obon than the subs. The subs opted to just say "first anniversary" instead of directly saying "hatsubon." kanirolf said: I'm also surprised no one (in this thread, at least) is talking about the movie in terms of its Japanese title, 泣きたい私猫をかぶる, which I roughly translate to "I Want to Cry But I Put up a Front". In fact this comment got really close to mentioning it: 猫をかぶる literally means to wear a cat, but proverbially means to put up a front or play nice. It lends a bit more meaning to the literal act of donning a cat mask to hide one's true self, and is a better set up for the theme of being unable to truly express oneself. And true self-expression can only came after one recognizes oneself, which is pretty hard at Muge and Hinode's age, and even harder for Muge when she has to witness her biological mother and stepmother fight over Muge belongs to without really understanding who she is. The people at her school do her no better by giving her the nickname 無限大謎人間 on top of bullying her. Yeah, this is the main reason I really dislike the English title for this film. I guess "A Whisker Away" is supposed to be an homage to Spirited Away, but I feel that the title doesn't portray the messages and themes of this film at all. I understand that there's no direct translation of this Japanese figure of speech, but they could have at least tried... Understanding these little nuances makes me appreciate this film a bit more. I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I didn't know or find out about these details and their connections to Japanese folklore and wordplay. I think it's a shame that a lot of Western viewers who aren't too familiar with Japanese culture and are not too interested in this film won't dig a little deeper. |
EpicCh33seAug 2, 2020 4:10 PM
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| it could have defenitelly used more character development, i'm a bit disappointed but it's a solid 7/10 for me. |
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| The only good thing about this ONA are the visuals and animations. The story was so-so and it's not really something I would recommend to anyone who wants an anime recommendation from me. |
 She got him back. If you understand the characters well enough, you'd know she did! |
| I honestly thought it would've been way better had the fantastical elements been removed. It seemed to have a really interesting and grounded romantic dramedy at its heart, with a really interesting protagonist to boot, but all the cat stuff seemed to really get in the way. It probably didn't help that cat segments seemed to have a starkly lower writing quality(everything with the villain and the final act was comically bad). I adored Muge, but the journey to winning the heart of the one she loved didn't feel earned, as his development to get there just seemed missing. Even the movie seemed aware that it was in it's own way, half-heartedly wrapping up the actually interesting plot threads silently in the credits. The potential this had was staggering, which is why I'm really sad that it was overall just okay. |
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| The movie was cute! But I feel like this movie would have done better as a series, though? I feel like we only got little bits of pieces of everything when this movie definitely could have gone much deeper. There was a whole cat island to explore but the movie only scratched the surface of it. But other than that, the movie was cute. I actually hope they turn this movie into a series so they can delve deeper into the fantasy themes and the character's relationships. |
| For stories of similar nature, I tend to focus on the characters and the emotional resonance I get from the work. For Nakineko, everything was only half-way good. I think the main problem I had was wild Miyo was. Touching butts with your crush??? Jumping off from the bridge??? Crazy. I mean I guess it could be funny, too, but those type of actions felt overboard. Granted, the movie wasn't grounded in reality, the characters were really animated. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea since I prefer something more like Kokosake, in terms of drama. Although I found a bit of difficulty connecting with Miyo due to her overboard personality, I did like the scene of her outburst at Kaoru. While it was a hurtful outburst for Kaoru, the scene did a good job at showing the frustration Miyo has kept a lid on, faking her smiles and responding in pleasant ways. That's something I could definitely relate to, always trying to have pleasant interactions, avoiding any possibilities of negative or "too real" conversations. Seriously, who wants other people to see them cry? Kaoru didn't deserve to be yelled at, but Miyo is young, there are still many things she can't process (there are things adults have trouble processing, too). Running away from reality is definitely relatable. My friend and I, after reading the webtoon "All That We Hope to Be," we still say from time to time that we want to a cat rock. Miyo learns then that there are a lot of people who worry and care about her. I don't think she truly believed that no one cares about her, especially with how nice her father and Kaoru are, as well as her best friend, Yoriko (what an amazing friend, really). Miyo most likely just didn't want to accept that there are people who care about her, or she was too focused on her own pain to really see it. I wasn't really planning to write too much about this, because ultimately, I do think there's something about the execution or the story that just didn't make it that fun of an experience for me. I can't really pin-point what it is. Hmm, also, I wasn't very sold on Hinode liking Miyo back. But well, it's very possible to be interested in someone who gives you attention, when you usually don't receive much attention, and to put a cherry on top, that person seems to understand you because they heard your true thoughts as a cat. And as usual, the English title is kind of terrible and not in line with the Japanese title...the meaning is completely changed. Yorushika songs were great though~ Been listening to them since they were released. |
| Wasn't expecting much yet it was still rather disappointing. This movie's setting was perfect to explore some interesting family dynamics (Miyo's relationship with her stepmother being the most obvious one) yet it took the romance route without thinking it twice just to ended up with an unconvincing romantic relationship based on constant stalking driven by a very unhealthy obsession. Seriously, I swear I just can't understand Okada's sense of romance at all. Here, it felt completely forced with Hinode having no real reason for falling in love with her and the idea of Miyo returning from the Cat Island mostly because Hinode returned her feelings was... underwhelming to say the least. Yes, she also wanted to improve her relationship with Kaoru, his father and co. but come on, we all know those aspects were in the farthest sector of her mind. Anyways, not gonna give this movie so much thought since I found it mediocre at best so I'm just gonna mention how bad I felt for Kaoru and how much I wish the focus she received would have been related to her situation as stepmother instead of giving her screentime only because her beloved cat was missing. She was the only character I cared about and seeing her trying to close the gap between stepmother and stepdaughter throughout the movie without success was actually sad to see. And then... there was the treatment Miyo's detestable biological mother gave her. Seriously, how toxic can you be? I mean, based on what I saw and understood, it seems there wasn't any cheating and Kaoru's kind demeanour automatically nullifies that option so as far as I'm concerned, Miki was just a frustrated woman who couldn't get over the fact of her husband wanting the divorce. By the way, sending constant hate mails to Kaoru using the daughter you abandoned as excuse? P A T H E T I C. 4/10 - Overall, impressive art and animation, featuring a certain "Ghibli" vibe for moments but story-wise, this movie let a lot to be desired. |
SouthRzVaSep 2, 2020 1:03 AM
| Not really anything special. It was ok. But the Yorushika songs were lit. |
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| if there are cats, i'm in (^ΦωΦ) the plot isn't the mooost original but it works. actually I really liked some twists like the family issues. the main characters are very cute, a bit innocent but not annoying. I felt a little frequent the plot convenience, but I think it's fine for a movie that doesn't last that long. the art/ animation it's kind a Ghibli meets Tatsuyuki Nagai but lighter... or more watery, meaby? idk. the studio doesn't have many production but it seems polished edit: ONA not movie And I really like character design and personality of |
_anitaOct 21, 2020 5:41 PM
| A good movie for the whole family with a nice message on top of it. Not a fan of cats at all but this one i liked. But God i wanted to slap Muge for how she treated her step-mom. 7/10 |
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| That was an ok movie, it is a shame that the second half of the film was really stupid though. I can't believe they just half-assed it like that. *sigh* and I was getting my hopes up. Have to say the visuals looked weirder towards the end too, not sure if that was a me thing but that is what I got. Idk what to say, should I disappointed or not. |
| ok like wow the story was good and ending was not open ended.... this is all I look in the story...animation and elements were good too btw |
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| It was pretty cute, but no more than that Yorushika didn't disappoint 8/10 |
| Making deals with a shady anthropomorphic cat, getting close to the person they love by utilizing their special move HINODE SUPRISE ATTACK! and almost permanently turning into a cat. Never knew schoolgirls were this weird and stange by taking the catgirl thing to a new level. Jokes aside, enjoyable movie which really reminded me of a catversion Spirited away. Kinda wish they showed a bit of her initial reaction on turning into a cat and also the second half felts kinda meh with the the random human cats suddenly saving the day against the villain |
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| Absolutely stunning movie. Some of the visuals were really superb, and the storyline was just what I wanted. My girlfriend also loved it =O Anime often tends towards one-dimensional, subdued, and passive female characters which are much less interesting. So I really appreciated the strong, outgoing, and quirky female lead in Muge - she felt very lively and fresh. |
| Started off so well, pretty sad that it dropped so much in quality afterwards. |
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| I liked it. It felt like a Shinkai movie and a Ghibli movie had a one-night stand and this was the beautiful result. |
RegulusX said: ye u r right the first part was good until they go to cats island and stuff feels gibli after that lol...but i really like the 1st hour of this movie still a good movie to watch with a haooy ending lol...The first half was really good. But, the later part was meh. It was like "oh okay", "that's it?". It was too fictional, like Ghibli, and it feels like it was lazily written. Oh man, Ms. Okada did it again. But, I'll give it 7/10 because it's not that bad. The animation, visual and especially OST was pretty good. Good job! |
| I loveeeeeeeee this movie so much T_____T I loveeee Muge, I loveeee Hinode ❤️❤️ I really love it when Muge mention Hinode's name. She's so cute!! Big kudos to Muge's VA.. her voice really fit to Muge. I cried on "confession" scene! Her classmates is so terrible to read her love letter!! I cried when Hinode says he hates Muge wahhhh I love the ending scene and the ED song. 10/10 ❤️❤️ |
| Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. |
| Really nice movie, i was specting a lot less. - Superb art, sometimes remembered me Makoto Shinkai - Some characters was very nice, like Muge's BFF. Anyways, Muge is a pain on the ass, stupid, selfish, "first world problems" BUT that is the point of this story, and she almost was turned into a cat forever (for a short life) to learn something. 8/10, almost 9, but i feel ill forget thus movie. If next year i still remember it, so 9 it will be. |
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| Btw, worries that every Neko have access to a supernatural city where they live like humans, probably planing world domination and human genocide. Yikes, NOPE. Raise dogs, not cats. Look how the former Haru was a CUTE innocent dog! |
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| First half was good, but the writing fell off in quality throughout the second half of the film, which made me a bit disappointed really. 6/10 |
MAL EMOJIS - Get your specially formatted emojis for MAL forums.         |
| I literally dropped this movie because of that one cringe ass scene in the beginning of the movie. This girl took off her shoes just to act like a cringe cat and then she did a butt attack? Cringe as fuck. |
| This movie reminds me of Studio Ghibli's 'The Cat Returns' & also a bit of 'Kimi No Na Wa' ~ It gave me this nostalgic feeling that made me a bit teary at the end. The music was amazing of course, as I am a fan of Yorushika for a long time. The animation, and the voice actors & actresses were really good too! Storyline is quite nice, and wild. Although I do wish it had more interactions with the main leads to build up a stronger romance feeling. However, it still turned out nicely. I enjoyed watching this movie! |
| It was ok. Not as good as Spirited Away |
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| Guys, I have to admit one thing. This movie was better than I expected. I gave with pleasure 8.5/10. The story is full and not told too quickly. The love thread is beautifully explained. The characters are really well presented. OST is brilliant. It's been a long time since I cried at the end of anime, but this time, I shed a few tears. I really recommend and this movie is at the level of bestsellers such as Koe no Katachi. |
| ### ||| 私はアニメと日本文化が大好きです ||| ###"Kago-ni noru hito, katsugu hito, sono mata waraji-o tsukuru." ### |
| It's not bad score: ! 07/10 |
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