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Welcome to my very first Anime Review. Today we shall be covering one of the animated films streaming off Netflix. “A Whisker Away”. This film has gotten some very mixed reviews so I thought I’ll just go ahead and give you my honest opinion about the film. Now this review was originally written for a YouTube video I was planning but considering I wrote a decent amount I figured it would be suitable for MAL. Anyways let’s get on to the review!

The Story:

I loved the story in this movie. It was very different and unique. It’s one of those films that just feels atmospheric ... and gets you really immersed. Like Alice in Wonderland or Spirited Away where the protagonist experiences an amazing and beautiful fantasy experience. The story introduces our main character Miyo who is head over heels in love with her classmate Hinode. Both characters struggle with their own personal life problems which forces our protagonist into a state of depression and moments where she wants the world, she lives in to end. Then she meets The Mask Seller. And… is it a job requirement to be creepy to sell masks? This guy literally puts chills down my spine. He offers Miyo a mask that gives her the ability to transform into a cat. She uses this to run away from her own personal issues. We later learn that Hinode actually found her as a cat and the moment they shared is what made her fall in love with him in the first place. Life as a cat starts to feel a lot better then how it was as a human. I don’t blame her. You trade in school or work for a life of belly rubs. However, it’s obvious things won’t be good for long. (Don’t trust creepy mask salesmen) We get to learn why the Mask Seller does this business of selling masks, the drawbacks of this gift that was given to her and some very interesting plot twists that tied the entire story together nicely.

The Animation:

The animation here might be one of the strongest points for most people. It can be bright and beautiful and especially during the later half of the film where we get a glimpse of Cat Island and the great art direction there. Now it’s not to the level of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name or anything and it’s not the greatest thing ever but it certainly is good, solid and nice to look at. You can appreciate the detail that is placed in certain sceneries and the vibrance as a whole. Just the cover art itself is gorgeous and enticed me to watch it right away.

Sound:

The Music for the film was good. Nothing outstanding that blew me away but pretty good and fitting for the story. Nothing extraordinary but overall good tracks that fit the feel for the movie.

Characters:

I believe this is where most people had issues with the film. Miyo is a fine protagonist but to most people she comes off VERY…and I mean VERY strong. I said earlier that she was in love with Hinode. Well, that was to the extreme where she was basically announcing it obnoxiously everyday while he just tries to ignore her existence. Now when watching it I did think she was very extra and I wasn’t a big fan of this character trait but it didn’t make me hate Miyo. She’s just a high schooler crazy in love. Also, a bit of a stalker while she was a cat but…It didn’t ruin the experience for me like how it might have for others.
Then we have Hinode who is an okay average character. Nothing particularly interesting about him as a character and nothing to dislike either. I guess this average personality could cause some to dislike him as a whole. But we do get to experience some development on him and how he grows in the movie and his relationship with Miyo as a whole.
The rest of the characters aren’t really worth mentioning. Yoriko is just… a nice friend to have…And I don’t like seeing her cry. The mask seller though, might just be the best thing about this film. The definition of creepy and eerie and so mysterious that it just intrigues you every time he’s on screen. The core of the plot comes together because of him so…let’s give him an applaud… And no, I’m not just saying that because he has me as a hostage.

Conclusion:

Overall, I enjoyed the film. It kept me interested throughout the entire watch and every time I had to pause for whatever reason I couldn’t wait to continue watching again. I think the overall movie is one of a kind and something you don’t normally see. Again, you may have issues with the film with Miyo as a character and the romance itself that goes on in this movie, but it wasn’t enough to make me knock too many points for the series. I give this film an Apex Score of 7.8/10. I very much recommend giving it a watch. If you want to watch some similar, I also recommend the award winning Spirited Away to look into. Thank you for taking the time to read my review!
Side Note: Hollywood should have totally funded this movie over Cats(2019 film)!