‘A Whisker Away’ isn’t Purrfect, but it’s Fine Enough
It’s been a while since I’ve watched a Netflix original that wasn’t vulgar or bleak. During this pandemic and other crazy things going on in the world, you might want to watch something that won’t bring you down.
A Whisker Away is Netflix’s latest Japanese animated original, about a teenage girl named Miyo (Mirai Shida) who is in love with her classmate, Hinode (Natsuki Hanae). Miyo struggles to win his affection, but one day, she gains the ability to turn into a cat. As a cat, she’s able to hang out with Hinode without him knowing her identity; but soon enough, problems arise when Miyo considers remaining a cat forever.
The concept is silly, and while one may think this movie is for a younger audience, it does touch on issues such as divorce. Miyo’s parents have separated and her dad has a new girlfriend. Miyo struggles with it, and hides those feelings during school. I rarely see a protagonist dealing with this in movies, especially animated ones, so this was an interesting change. Usually, the protagonist has at least one dead parent, which can get old after awhile.
Despite Miyo dealing with the divorce, I didn’t like her that much. I understand that she’s struggling at home, but at school she’s different. She’s exceptionally obsessed with Hinode. She tackles him, calls him from across the hall, nearly jumps to her death in order to stop some kids from bullying him. She’s trying to be cute and not annoying, but she’s pretty annoying and dampers the film’s enjoyment a bit.
What I did like though, was the strange Cat World that Miyo ends up going to. The world is within this gigantic tree and cat people are roaming around, acting like everyday humans. It’s a cool setting, but we don’t stay there long. We’re mainly in Miyo’s school, and I didn’t find myself invested in those scenes. I cared more for the magical elements, but was somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t as much of that.
As far as diversity goes, it’s a full Japanese cast with a teenage girl as the lead. While I wasn’t much of a fan of Miyo, but becoming a cat and wanting to stay as one in order to hang with her crush is an interesting twist.
Overall, A Whisker Away is a fine film that deals with a family issue that isn’t shown much in movies. The animation’s stunning, especially when we’re transported to the Cat World, and I enjoy how the title is a pun on another animated film: Spirited Away. Both films star a female lead who explores a different world, but I found Spirited Away much more engaging.
What’s also funny is that the 10 year old protagonist from Spirited Away is much more mature than the teenage protagonist in A Whisker Away.
