Sometimes a movie can be amusing and charming to look at, but not so much fun to watch. Such is the case with the Japanese animated feature Ghost Cat Anzu (based on the 2006 manga by Takashi Imashiro). The animation is colorful and the style is cute and enjoyable. It can be funny simply looking at the title character and his goofy expressions. The story is quite weird, which wouldn’t be a negative if it also wasn’t extremely meandering.
There is no way to get a handle on the narrative because there really isn’t one. It is probably most accurately defined as episodic, but the segments themselves are basically just a bunch of things that happen. It is generally difficult to figure out what this is about or whose story it is attempting to tell. The eccentricity got boring after a while, which is a shame because the artwork is so inviting.
Karin is a little girl who is abandoned by her father at a temple while he goes off to find a way to pay back loan sharks. That is where she meets Anzu, a cat the size of an adult human, who walks on two legs and talks. Karin sulks and Anzu wanders around town, until they sort of become friends and go on a wacky adventure together.
There is very little connective tissue between the various events in Ghost Cat Anzu (90 minutes without the end credits). Stuff just kind of happens, then some other stuff happens. If the stuff happening was entertaining, this wouldn’t be a big deal. It is intermittently entertaining. There is finally a semi-major plot development in the last act that approaches being exciting, yet it comes too late in the game for anything to make an impact, and it ends up having about as much effect as everything else here does.
The ambling nature of the movie could have worked if the characters were three-dimensional, but they are barely even two. Maybe this would be a decent pick to put on in the background while you’re doing other things. It might not seem as strangely dull that way.
The art style is definitely the best feature here. It is an interesting cross between traditional anime and American Saturday morning cartoon. The colors are bright, without being overly vibrant. The characters aren’t super expressive, though the designs are specific enough that basic emotions come across easily. Anzu is a very clever creation. Merely seeing him walking through a convenience store or riding his bike is enough to generate a smile. He looks so content, and also completely out of place in every situation. I never felt like I truly knew him, yet I liked seeing him. Things drag when Karin is the focus because she has the same depth and a significantly blander personality. At least the giant cat is a giant cat.
I wanted to like Ghost Cat Anzu, however, there isn’t a lot to like. Or dislike for that matter. It is a thin product with some silly cuteness, disarming weirdness and not even the slightest sense of purpose. It is a real oddity that might be worth a peek for anyone seeking something different. It is also instantly forgettable.
2½ out of 5
Voice Cast:
Noa Gotô as Karin
Mirai Moriyama as Anzu
Screenplay by Shinji Imaoka
Directed by Yôko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita
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