Anime Review: Cat Soup

Cat Soup is an extremely difficult film to describe, due to its awesome surrealism and almost nonexistant dialogue. It is more a work of art than an anime. There are many underlying themes, such as the transcience of man's existence, but it can be enjoyed without understanding any of them. The plot, though simple, isn't necessarily understandable without being explained. The main character, a cat named Nyatto, embarks upon a journey to save his sister's soul, which was ripped in two when Nyatto tried to save her from Death. She trails after him, brain-dead. They encounter many brilliant, mind-bending situations, beginning with a disturbing magic show.

(Source: ANN)

Cat Soup Genres: Comedy, Psychological

Cat Soup Synonyms:

Cat Soup Studios: J.C. Staff,

Cat Soup Review

A bizarre animation treasure encapsulating tribute, experimentation, and surrealism.

~~~img600(https://cinetalkblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/catsoup.jpg)~~~

On May 10, 1998, mangaka [Nekojiru](http://anilist.co/staff/103953/Nekojiru) committed suicide. Three years later, [J.C. Staff](http://anilist.co/studio/7/JCStaff) put together an experimental short film called Nekojiru-Sou, liberally translated to [Cat Soup](http://anilist.co/anime/601/Nekojirusou) in English.

I bring this up because the first instance I had heard of Cat Soup was simply under the discussion of ?artsy animation.? I had no previous knowledge that the film was inspired by the works of a mangaka, and it is only until I wrote this review that I had even bothered to look through Nekojiru?s stories and characters to conclude how similar they really were.

The story of Cat Soup follows a sick, anthropomorphic cat who gets kidnapped, and as her brother tries to save her, her soul gets split into two parts. When her half-soul is returned to her body, she?s not dead, but could barely be considered alive, as she does not respond to any stimuli. The journey begins through strange and bizarre lands, from carnival to desert, as the boy attempts to find a flower that contains the other half of her soul.

img400(http://i.imgur.com/9WjxtcK.jpg) img400(http://i.imgur.com/g5QAkmP.jpg)

[Nekojiru Udon](http://anilist.co/manga/48753/NekojiruUdon)?s fourth chapter, ?Soul?, follows the same [plotline](http://i.imgur.com/UaYhLwJ.png), but rather than going on an excruciating adventure, the flower happens to be in a nearby garden. However, I believe that Cat Soup understands Nekojiru. Similar tones, themes, and moods can be found in both, like how both series view [animals eating other animals ](http://i.imgur.com/7GhIefp.png)as perfectly normal and mundane, ignoring all moralities, regardless of the pleas that are being cried out.

img400(http://i.imgur.com/RkNUfZ6.jpg) img400(http://i.imgur.com/V6FlGvb.jpg)

I rarely bother to summarize the plot but Cat Soup?s lack of dialogue and dream-like visuals make it challenging to understand exactly what?s going on. The worlds that the two cats travel through break all laws of physics and go beyond the common sense, which is why the film is considered surrealism.

Death in Cat Soup is trivialized and made into entertainment. A woman brutally gets sawed into various pieces but through an illusion is pieced back together. A pig who is soon dissected into different cuts of meat, then brutally worked to death as the two cats ride him until his muscles and fat turn into dust. A playful water elephant who saves the siblings from dehydration, only to vaporize from the burning sun.

img400(http://i.imgur.com/9S6RCWS.jpg) img400(http://i.imgur.com/AKDDbK4.jpg)

img400(http://i.imgur.com/3TzfMa9.jpg) img400(http://i.imgur.com/vDRIlN4.jpg)

But in these graphic scenes, we have two deadpan main characters, one of his own volition, and one because of her lack of soul, and in combination with the absence of a musical score, only sound effects, it makes these grueling images seem ordinary because there is no reaction.

There is no change in music because there is none.

There is no change in expression because there is none.

And that?s the genius behind Cat Soup.

Surrealism is often thought of to be an amalgamation of strange images, and in its own right, it is, but to go one step beyond is to frame your surrealist world and vision in a context that makes sense, while still being illogical. "Why is our hero okay with all the crazy things happening to him and his sister?" Well in this world, the things that happen aren't necessarily so crazy.

Perhaps the most influential work that touches on surrealism is Alice?s Adventures in Wonderland.

~~~img450(http://disneyinfinitycodes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/alice-in-wonderland.jpg)

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A series filled with characters being over the top, exclaiming how mad they are, while being just a bit unusual. Cat Soup is a little like the opposite. There?s still all the strange creatures and people that the two cats meet, but everything is viewed as completely natural, exclaimed as completely natural, and the silence serves in opposition to the loud, bustling world of Wonderland.

Cat Soup acts as a thirty minute imagery marvel as it jumps from psychotic scene to absurd imagery that provides excellent nightmare fuel. But as a film that is dedicated to a fellow member of the industry who loved the craft, Cat Soup is the anime adaptation that perfected Nekojiru?s visions.