It was a long day, so I decided to unwind with a little trip to Studio Ghibli. Not really having heard anything about The Cat Returns, but having enjoyed the Studio's many other works, I decided to give it a shot.
The film tells the story of Haru, a teenage girl who saves a cat from being run over by a truck, and in exchange, the Kingdom of the Cats decides to reward her by making her the prince's bride. Trouble ensues.
To be honest, I was left wanting so much more from this movie. I wanted to know more about the Cat Bureau, more about how the Cat Kingdom fits in with the regular world. I wanted to see more creative cats, cat inventions, cat tricks, and cat obstacles. It felt underwhelming after Miyazaki, a sketch of what could have been much grander. I did enjoy the character of the Baron, but I felt he was constrained too much to the role of guide/narrator. I wanted to know his history, and I believe it could have played into the story just fine. It felt as though it had been strained for content or even "dumbed down," and I wasn't that interested after a while. The challenges just weren't that great.
I'll recommend this just to say you've seen it. Nothing really life-altering or ground-breaking. Though I'm taking the message of believing in myself to heart, it was presented in a rather raw, unfinished way. Whether this is the fault of the original writer or the translator remains to be known. Three stars.
The film tells the story of Haru, a teenage girl who saves a cat from being run over by a truck, and in exchange, the Kingdom of the Cats decides to reward her by making her the prince's bride. Trouble ensues.
To be honest, I was left wanting so much more from this movie. I wanted to know more about the Cat Bureau, more about how the Cat Kingdom fits in with the regular world. I wanted to see more creative cats, cat inventions, cat tricks, and cat obstacles. It felt underwhelming after Miyazaki, a sketch of what could have been much grander. I did enjoy the character of the Baron, but I felt he was constrained too much to the role of guide/narrator. I wanted to know his history, and I believe it could have played into the story just fine. It felt as though it had been strained for content or even "dumbed down," and I wasn't that interested after a while. The challenges just weren't that great.
I'll recommend this just to say you've seen it. Nothing really life-altering or ground-breaking. Though I'm taking the message of believing in myself to heart, it was presented in a rather raw, unfinished way. Whether this is the fault of the original writer or the translator remains to be known. Three stars.
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