Cat Soup – Review

Here is a special treat for you all! Cat Soup is most definetely considered Japanese animation, even if little in it looks like it. The story itself plays out silently, accompanied by music and squeaks from the characters. It is an extraordinary pieces of media that defys convention. It is a great short film, and very thought-provoking. Even after watching it several times, there are things I discover that I previously had missed. The story is about the adventures of two kittys in the afterworld after death steals their souls. The lead kitten, Nyaako, has a fever and her soul keeps wandering between life and death.

There are yet more disturbing tales such as that of the pig that shared their boat when the planet flooded over. The brother unzips him, pulls a chunk of meat out and starts frying that so that he can feed his sister. From God eating the planet, to the cats eating a friendly pig on noah’s ark and drinking an elephant, you won’t know whats going on at first. But, there is some stuff that can help you figure it out.  I’ve heard complaints about the weird insertion of English text in the movie, but I think the way its done is complementary to the strange style of the movie.

For a short, this was truely bizarre, yet it made me wish it was longer. An idea like this can be unlimited to create. Cat Soup would most likely fit in the category of random animation. It is most certianly not for young kids.  Director Tatsuo Sato has a very indirect way of saying things that many Americans don’t catch. His direction is subtlty and intricasy. One of the more experimental style anime films to be made, Cat Soup is set to serve up an interesting show for a particular audience.

I would recommend this to anyone with an open-mind, a love for niche anime titles, or a strange sense of humor. At times, some scenes make you wonder if you’re hallucinating or not. It is a rather deep and inciteful movie that everyone should go and see. It’s an experiance you’ll never forget. With only a 34 minute runtime and lots of space to fill, the quality really shines through. It is very original, stunningly beautiful and possess a great sense of strangeness and lyricism. To conclude, Cat Soup is an absolute treat for anyone.