Now that was a enjoyable #anime film...!
A WHISKER AWAY (previously announced here) was easily digestible animated feature film, featuring serviceable aesthetics set against exceptional background art (scroll thru to view SPOILER videos, especially the music video at bottom of this post), with interesting character designs - one example being Muge's unkempt school uniform was a nice touch and add to her character.
The "everyday" urban lifestyle-wear is juxtaposed with the magical realm of the cat-world, which very interestingly features "traditional Japanese-wear" aesthetics, so things still remain "familiar", and in return makes the circumstance somewhat "believable", IMHO.
The non-too cliched character tropes achieved emotional depth as the feature chronicled each protagonists past (with flashbacks), and interesting juxtaposition and points of view revealed, and as they individual journeys moving forward, coinciding with each others - view differing points of perceptions - the result of which was a emotionally satisfying tale of love (uncomfortable considering their school-going age tho / This Anime is rated "PG"), with a theme that did not need hitting hard on your head with.
The next sole screensnap I took (featured in Insta below) essentially describes the female protagonist's actions for this film, and once you recognise that and understand this is a slightly-skewered feature project (AKA "not your traditional boy-meets-girl love story"), the sooner you'll come to terms with what you are watching, versus what you feel is "right or wrong".
The "magical" aspect was enough to interest but not overwhelm, and neither did they attempt to over-explain how things work (one thing I adore about Eastern genre-projects), with folks familiar with similar-themed notions (ala "Spirited Away") being able to instinctively accept and enjoy the story (*at least for me!), without the need to ask "why" too often.
What also appealed to me initially was the (somewhat) wish-fulfilment of being a cat traversing the human world. The self-monologue was fun, although it is something we see all too often in Western "human-celebs-voicing-animated-animals" features LOL
I also liked that this was a one-off feature film (Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes), although I am finding it hard(er) to find a parallel ("non-Ghibli") film project to compare this with (purely for reference, of course), alas I do not have an extensive viewing experience ...
Is it worth applying for Netflix to watch this? Not really.
Is it considered "essential viewing"? I would not say so specifically.
Is it watchable? This is an easy 6/10 for me, in terms of being entertained and evoked enough investment of emotions with a decent pay-off, IMHO.
PLOT SUMMARY: "Miyo "Muge" Sasaki is a peculiar second-year junior high student who has fallen in love with her classmate Kento Hinode. Muge resolutely pursues Kento every day, but he takes no notice of her. Nevertheless, while carrying a secret she can tell no one, Muge continues to pursue Kento. Muge discovers a magic mask that allows her to transform into a cat named Tarō. The magic lets Muge get close to Kento, but eventually it may also make her unable to transform back to a human." (Source)
"A Whisker Away" (known in Japan as Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu (泣きたい私は猫をかぶる, lit. "Wanting to Cry, I Pretend to Be a Cat"), is a 2020 Japanese animated film produced by Studio Colorido, Toho Animation and Twin Engine. From "Sailor Moon" director Junichi Satoh and Tomotaka Shibayama, and "Anohana" writer Mari Okada, featuring the (Japanese) voices of Mirai Shida as "Miyo Sasaki" (Muge), and Natsuki Hanae as "Kento Hinode".
I watched the Subtitled version, and really liked the dialog!
According to it's Wikipedia-page, the film was originally scheduled for release in Japanese theaters on June 5, 2020, but it was pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was then sold to Netflix who released it digitally on June 18, 2020 in Japanese. The English dubbed version was made available on June 28, 2020, due to production delays caused by COVID-19.
The theme song, "Hana ni Bōrei" (A Ghost in a Flower), and its ending theme, "Usotsuki" (The Lying Moon), are both performed by Japanese rock duo Yorushika.
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