The Star of Cottonland - Recommendations

• OVA (1 ep x 40 min)
• 1993

Momo is a young girl who finds herself on a bridge, waiting for someone; she doesn't know who she is waiting for, but she happens to encounter a boy her age there. He is also waiting for someone but unfortunately, does not remember her face. Momo and the boy then spend their afternoon waiting for their special someone. They soon learn that the bridge holds a legend: "Two people that meet on this bridge will surely meet again, becoming best friends or lovers..." Since Momo and the boy have been waiting a long time now for their unknown partners, the boy is skeptical of this legend; Momo then announces that she will make the legend come true, she promises him that they will meet again, and they part ways. Will the legend come true?

• TV (12 eps)
• 2001

Taruto, a young cat-girl, lives with her masters, Iori and Kinako, in a world where she and any other cat-person appears to be nothing more than a normal animal. Believed to be the descendant of an ancient clan of cat-people with magical powers, Taruto can't help but make many friends and enemies in their new home of Okashina. Can Taruto discover her roots, while managing to not foul up her magical powers at least once? Only time and an awful lot of practice will tell!

• TV (12 eps x 2 min)
• 2017

Konagai Tomoko is a first-year in high school and a shy girl. Tomoko owns three cats. The cheerful and live Munchkin Maa, the smart and responsible Russian Blue Rou, and the gentle crybaby Singapura Shii. Tomoko, whose only friends were her cats, one day becomes friends with Shiratori Azumi, who also loves cats. This is a fluffy and cute comedy about the daily life of Tomoko and her cats, Tomoko and Azumi's friendship, and the interaction between cats.

• Music Video (1 ep x 2 min)
• 2003

A young woman lives alone in a quiet apartment in Japan; her sole companion is her tiny orange hamster, who she carries with her and loves dearly. Through heartaches, first encounters, cooking sessions and beautiful scenery, the young woman’s relationship with her hamster thrives and remains a touching sentiment.

• TV (11 eps)
• 2020

In a city somewhere in Japan, there’s a flyer often seen on Third Street with a picture of a cat with a kinked tail, bearing the words: “Have you seen Tama?” A young boy gazes at the flyer, but he has fluffy ears on his head…!? Watch the dogs and cats from Third Street take on a human form and get up to some mischief. 

• TV (12 eps)
• 2016

30 year-old web designer Souta Tawara takes a leave of absence from his job in Tokyo to return to his hometown and sort out his family's affairs. His recently-deceased father's udon restaurant is now closed, and the house Souta and his sister grew up in stands empty. Ridden with guilt over disappointing his father, Souta is beginning to doubt the choices he's made in life thus far. While trying to figure out how he should move forward, he meets what appears to be a small boy sleeping in one of his father's old kitchen pots, but who turns out to be a shape-shifting tanuki! Cute, playful and full of energy, Souta names him Poco and the two develop a strong bond. But now he faces a conundrum: should he quit his job in Tokyo and remain in the countryside, or will he again leave his childhood home in favor of the big city, leaving Poco all alone?

• OVA (1 ep)
• 1991

• Movie (1 ep x 117 min)
• 2012

Hana was a student before she was a mother. She was bright and pretty, and her future held endless possibilities. Then she met a man, who turned out to be a wolf, and together they built a family. Hana loved her mate fiercely, but fate took him from her, leaving her alone with two unusual kids she didn’t know how to raise. Frightened of being discovered, Hana and her wolf children fled to the countryside to build a new life. Raising her little wild things was an adventure. It left Hana bruised, scratched, exhausted, and joyously overwhelmed as her pups grew stronger and wandered further every day. This is a mother’s journey. Teach your children to chase their dreams – and smile through the tears as they disappear into the world in search of who they will become. Hana wasn’t always a mother, but it was always what she was meant to be.

• Movie (1 ep)
• 1992

The sneaky Tanakayama has now been reduced to selling goldfish for a living, and he has just one lone fish named Gyopo left to sell. Suddenly, he notices Gyopi floating towards him and hides in the bushes, leaving the pink fish to become acquainted with Gyopo. Though the pair takes an instant liking to each other, the selfish and wealthy Chitose insists that Gyopi is not allowed to date a 100-yen goldfish and forcibly drags him away. Now, with Tanakayama using their love as an opportunity to finally nab the multi-million yen fish and Chitose trying to sabotage their relationship, it seems that Gyopi’s only allies are Wapiko and the gang. But with Gyopo being whisked off to Europe, will they be able to stop her from leaving?

• TV (54 eps)
• 1991 - 1992

Spoiled, stuck-up Chitose comes from a wealthy family and an expensive school in the city; that is, until her father suddenly dies and his company goes bankrupt. Now with not a single yen to her name Chitose finds herself attending Inakano Middle School in the middle of the countryside where even animals are admitted as students! When the family lawyer attempts to steal Chitose’s one remaining possession – her one hundred million yen pink goldfish, Gyopi - Chitose discovers that her father left her a large amount of stocks and shares. However, instead of using the money to return to her previous life, she decides to rebuild the shabby rural school. Now alongside her new friends Wapiko, Kitada and Aoi, Chitose tries to run her new school effectively and outdo her old rivals at Tokaino Gakuen. Though with Tokaino sending spies to the school and games of kick the can in enemy territory, the path to success won’t be easy...