Neko Hiki no Oruorane

A true Christmas gem. With only a short run time of 30 minutes, i recommend Orurorane the Cat Player to anyone who is looking for something cozy and heart warming. Orurorane the Cat Player might have a bit weaker animation than other anime from around its time, but I felt that the emotions and groovy happiness it portrays is still successful.

I felt this required a review as some might give this anime a pass based off its low watch rate and score. However you should definitely give this a chance if you are looking for a mid 90's feel good Christmas music comedy!

While a bit on the simple side, Oruorane the Cat Player works as a light slice-of-life drama focused on a young man developing a bond with an old man who trained his cats to sing following his loss of an orchestra job. The OVA appears to want to express the hardships that come with adult life, shown with the cold, wintry city setting and the struggles faced by those attempting to get by with their lives, particularly the young man's situation. However said challenges don't necessarily mean it's wrong to seek a temporary escape from it as the young man is granted the opportunity to ... learn how to use the old man's cats to learn how to harness their abilities for himself. The simple storytelling fits reasonably within the OVA's 30-minute runtime and will admit the antics of the cats had their amusing moments for me. Only major shortcoming I'd say this could have is its rather simplistic visuals, though I'd say the art style does work to fit the anime's intended tone. While I'm not sure if I may think much of Oruorane down the line given the OVA's obscurity, I don't regret the time I put into watching it given the simple slice-of-life story it tells about a down-on-his luck young man getting a temporary escape from his problems and I'd at least recommend watching it once.

A slightly androgynous young man, down on his luck after being fired from the orchestra, receives some singing cats from a wizard and teaches them to perform a concert.

That's the PLOT, but the actual purpose of this story is to give a short and sweet slice of life in the chilly winter of a small city. Nobody's that well off, the weather isn't great, and the protagonist never really improves his situation from being poor and jobless. Generally, though, the mood is happy, and the story focuses on the quiet, pretty moments that punctuate the hardships of a young adult life.

It's a bit too short ... to make an impact that will last a lifetime for me, but it's real pretty and real cute.