Source: IMDb
“The world is filled with things I hate and things I don’t need. But if there’s nothing when I step out of here, I wouldn’t want that.”
Everyone experiences certain situations in their lives when they feel like running away is the only solution, that if they run far enough, the problem would also be left behind, and eventually, it would magically vanish. The thought of leaving our responsibilities out of fear is a part of the human experience.
Is it, however, the best way to fix one's problem? Junichi Sato, in his attempt to provide an answer to this, addresses the concept of escape as a means of dealing with one's predicament in ‘A Whisker Away’.
Introduction
Movie’s Name - A Whisker Away (Nakitai Watashi wa Neko o Kaburu)
Directed by - Junichi Sato, Tomotaka Shibayama
Genre - Animation, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Language - Japanese
Running Time - 1 hr 44 mins
Plot Synopsis
Miyo Sasaki is a troubled middle school girl from Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture, who has had a strained relationship with her stepmother Kaoru since her real mother left her. Despite constantly receiving rejections, she goes out of her way every day at school to flirt with her crush, Kento Hinode.
Miyo acquires a mystical Noh mask from a strange mask-selling cat one day, allowing her to transform into a cat. As Taro the cat, she visits Hinode at his house and entertains him as he studies pottery. She also listens to his troubles. Miyo yearns to tell him that the cat he adores and the girl he despises are the same people, but she's scared he'll reject her and refuse to see Taro again.
Movie Review
The movie's plot revolves around a young middle school girl who is hopelessly in love with her crush and will go to any length to make him happy. She'd rather overlook her own troubles and concentrate solely on his. As with all excellent coming-of-age stories, there are essential lessons gained about believing in yourself and expressing your genuine feelings rather than hiding them behind a smile.
It’s pretty obvious from the art, the story, and the profound meaning behind it all that it’s inspired from the Studio Ghibli films, so much that I even thought it was made by them. Although it's not as vibrant as Studio Ghibli’s Your Name or Weathering with you, the animation of ‘A Whisker Away’ is charming in its own way with its high-quality sceneries with soft and tender tones set the mood of the story.
Miyo is called by her classmates as ‘Muge’, short for Miss Ultra Gaga and Enigmatic and certainly, she lives up to it. She seemed a bit crazy to me in the beginning, launching her “Hinode Sunrise Attack” which is just butt-bumping her crush who, by the way, couldn't care less about her. But as the story progressed, the reason for her behavior started unveiling.
This small girl is incapable of even thinking that someone could love her including her own parents. When she was offered a chance to get away from it all, she took it without thinking twice. If she could receive Hinode’s love, she was willing to leave behind the human life that brought her nothing but misery, one where she had to hide behind smiles. Even if the one he loved was Taro the cat and not Miyo.
The original title of the movie was “Wanting To Cry, I Pretend To Be A Cat” which is the literal translation of the Japanese title. I like it better since it's so amazingly expressive and kinda has a poetic feel to it. The cat mask is symbolic of the easy escape route that people desire when they’re in a predicament. When in reality it's nothing but an illusion of comfort, a bubble that will sooner or later burst.
The story shows that every person puts on a mask to get through different situations of life like how Miyo puts on a happy face to live peacefully with her father and stepmother, creating an illusion that she’s happy when she’s not. But in the end, the mask is just a mask. It's a mere accessory that cannot become one with our flesh and no matter how much we convince ourselves, the face hiding behind the mask will always be the real one.
The Bottom Line
The movie’s plot is simple and easy but evokes big emotions and has a satisfying finale. Even though the ending was predictable with enough hints to where the story was going, it was still enjoyable to see it all unfold. All in all, the animation is beautiful, the music goes with the mood changes perfectly and the message behind it is all too relatable.
MyAnimeList ratings - 7.4 on 10
You can watch the movie on Netflix
Written By - Sanjana Chaudhary
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