Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu, or A Whisker Away is a movie with the main theme of cats. Yes, many cats, a lot of cats. A light romance content with the supernatural matter involved, resulting in a perfect combination of the movie.
Story - 9/10
The story starts off pretty quickly, so watching a trailer at least once is recommended. The storytelling begins with Miyo’s family, Miyo’s relationship with her friends, and how she got a mask that allows her to transform into a cat. The overall concept can be understood within 10 minutes or less, giving you time to enjoy the whole movie instead of making you try to understand what’s going on. The whole concept is interesting and unique, making A Whisker Away became a must-watch. The movie also maintains the proportion of the supernatural element and the daily life element at the appropriate level, being not too heavy on one side. Lastly, I would say that the story contains both sad and happy moments, leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Animation - 10/10
Eye-friendly, tender, and cute, these 3 words describe the art perfectly. While not being as vibrant as Your Name or Tenki no Ko, instead, A Whisker Away shows its own charm of art in the usage of colors. The art matches and creates the tender mood and tone of the movie, and when combined with such high-quality scenery art, a score of 10 is obtained easily.
Sound - 8/10
The overall soundtracks are pretty standard. During my 104-minute watch, I noticed nothing outstanding, also nothing has bugged me. While A Whisker Away may not have the best soundtrack, it has the perfect ending songs, perfectly matched my music taste. Yes, 2 ending songs, both are sweet and lovely, and both performed by Yorushika. The 2nd song is kind of a surprise since the song hasn’t been released before.
Characters - 8/10
A 104-minute length might not be enough to introduce supporting characters fully, but it was able to introduce audiences the main characters to its fullest.
Miyo Sasaki and Kento Hinode, these 2 main characters are the star of the show. Miyo, or nicknamed as Muge, is introduced as an energetic girl, having a crush on Hinode, which is literally a normal guy. Miyo is being ignored and not being liked back by Hinode is not her only problem. While handling this matter, both Miyo and Hinode also have their own personal problems to deal with. Thus by not understanding each other may lead to hurting one another without knowing. This is how characters have completed the story and bringing the potential to the movie.
Enjoyment - 9/10
A Whisker Away is cute, being a unique watch, not many shows have animals as their main theme, and this movie is a success. What I enjoyed the most is the art and the theme song, which are totally charming and beautiful, matching the sweet and tender mood of the story. Overall, this movie left me an impression. My 104-minute watch is well spent.
Recommendations
If you are looking for a unique movie with a light supernatural element, romance, and eye-friendly art, then I recommend this anime, or even if you just love cats. Enjoy!
