She and Her Cat: Everything Flows

hamletsmage Apr 9, 2016

8

I'll premise this by saying I've grown up with cats, and that makes a bit biased when it comes to cat-based stories. I had watched the original anime, "She and her Cat" back in February, and this particular anime could be considered the prequel. But enough about that, on with the review! Story: The story is actually a non-story. As the tale is told from the cat's perspective, a lot of the girl's problems are seen through a different light. The female lead is a college-age student who has just lost her roommate and refuses to move back in with her mother and new step-father. She goes through a lot of hardship finding a job and trying to be on her own, and all of the story is told from Daru's perspective, which is kind of neat. It reminded me a lot of a book called "The Art of Racing in the Rain", which has a similar premise and a dog narrator.  Animation: The animation is lovely, if a little devoid of detail. Personally, I thought the animation suited the story being told. Had it been too flashy or detailed, it would have distracted from Daru's story. The simplicity of the animation lends a lot to the story being told from a cat's point of view, since a cat isn't going to worry too much about things outside of his range of vision.  Sound: The OST is very melancholy, but pretty. It sets a lot of the tone for the anime, and honestly, it was the OST that actually got me to tear up in this anime.  Characters: Ok, so how can an anime excel at characterization when the main character is a cat? Daru has a lot of development, a decent backstory, and his personality is shown through his interaction with the female lead. The other characters are shown from his perspective, but are given enough detail to make them interesting. The female lead has a lot of depth for an anime with a run time of 32 minutes.  Overall: Go hug a cat. 

valfontaine Oct 7, 2020

8

Short and sweet. The 7-minute episodes make it easy to complete it within a day or two, and it's worth it to take some time and watch it. It's told from Daru's perspective, yet it was done really well. Many western films or media narrated by pets don't turn out too well, whether it be not getting as much of the human's life, or being too stereotypical of an animal, or making cliche observations that make you want to stop watching. This short anime does it well. It's very simple, with a charming style and good voice acting. It isn't the kind of show that will make you on the edge of your seat the whole time and you might not watch it again and again or feel like your world views have been drastically altered, but it's sweet and enjoyable and leaves room for speculation after it ends. The relationship between Daru and Miyu is perfect. Not overdone or too dramatic, just a comfortable, reasonable relationship between cat and owner. Even though it's only about half an hour total, the time is used very well. The characters can't be too intricate, but we get to know them and start to like them all. Will I recommend this anime to friends? I might. It's worth watching if you've got a bit of time and feel like running through one in a day. 

AceII Feb 23, 2022

8

Yep this hurts, The animation was so freaking warm