Cats is a pop culture icon, though it may currently be for all of the wrong reasons. Adapting T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the original stage production was known for '80s inspired costuming and excellent dance sequences. This was recently translated to the big screen in 2019's Cats, infamous for its jarring CGI and outright bizarre nature. Its attempts to attach a plot to the mostly non-sequitur poems and musical were questionable, but its this plot that could ironically make the production fit in to an otherwise unrelated world: the world of shonen tournament anime. Here's how 2019's most fur-rocious flop could parallel works like One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z.
Jellicle Ball Z
The basic premise of Cats involves a group of felines known as Jellicles coming together for a special occasion. This event involves making the Jellicle Choice, where the group competes to be chosen by their leader Old Deuteronomy to ascend to the Heavyside Layer and start a new life. This choice is made by each member of the creative clowder performing a song and dance number that reflects their life and personality.
Each cat has their own reasons and desires to gain a new life, though strangely, many of them are fairly content with their current one. Others, such as Macavity and Grizabella, have intense investment in leaving their current plights, and are both regarded with disdain by cat society. This format is essentially just a gigantic tournament arc, which are common in shonen anime and manga. The only difference would be replacing said tournament's usual martial arts and combat focus to one involving musical numbers. Instead of flashing blasts of light, magic, and ki energy, "special attacks" would be in the form of the cats particular tricks and special talents. For instance, both Macavity and Mr. Mistoffelees seem to have outright magical powers, with the latter pulling things out of a hat and making decks of cards levitate.
Others, such as Gus, are excellent stage actors, while Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are seemingly identical thieves who can make off with anything. There are also more subdued talents, such as the gluttony of Jennyanydots and Bustopher Jones, as well as the almost hypnotic sexuality of Rum Tum Tugger. Each cat's ability to dance and sing is a highlight, and each number could be imaginatively brought to life, with the depth of their dancing, singing and the changing scenery representing how well they compete.
There's also already somewhat of a precedent for shonen tournament manga that don't directly involve actual fighting. For instance, Food Wars! features a format typical of most tournament and competition manga, but with cooking in the place of fisticuffs. An anime version of Cats could do the same thing, drawing the viewer in with how breathtaking each piece is in the same way that they would be invested in an intense, pulse-pounding battle.
The Wide-Eyed Protagonist
While she has a more marginal role in the stage version, the white cat Victoria was turned into the protagonist in the film version. The audience representative, she's as curious and untrained in the ways of Jellicle society as the audience is. Despite her ignorance, she quickly takes to the other cats' ways, and desperately wants to be considered a Jellicle. This makes her like the typical over-eager protagonist seeking to prove themselves commonly found in anime and manga, such as Gon from Hunter x Hunter or Ash Ketchum from Pokemon.
The Outcast
Grizabella is also a major character in all versions of the work, and is shunned by cat society for her former nefarious dealings. Despite this, she has an indomitable spirit that shines in the story's climax, showcasing the good nature that she had all along. This can be compared to characters such as Naruto Uzumaki, as well as his one-time rival Gaara. Naruto is hated by his village, and his behavior doesn't engender him any sympathy. Despite this, he has a good nature and strong spirit that pushes him to reach his dream of becoming hokage. Other outcasts with a seemingly unreachable goal include One Piece's Luffy, who despite the grand journey ahead of him and his relative youth, aims to be the king of the pirates.
Mangy Mentors and Lovable Losers
Every shonen has a secondary sidekick character who on the surface seems either weak or like a joke. This is reflected sometimes in their own power set, as they will either fail to learn basic techniques or doubt their skill. This can be seen in characters such as Dragon Ball's Krillin and Chiaotzu, and arguably Naruto's rock Lee Rock Lee. The Cats parallel for this trope would be the aforementioned Mr. Mistoffelees. Doubting his own talent and initially ambivalent to even sing in the movie version, he eventually wows the other Jellicles in a rousing magical and musical display (the stage version is more confident from the get-go).
Other similar tropes in shonen anime casts include comically obese cast members, such as Dragon Ball's Yajirobe and Naruto's Choji, who are typically underestimated due to their size. They could be compared to the Jellicles Jennyanydots and Bustopher Jones. There are also always wizened mentor figures who start off training the protagonist, before eventually being surpassed or even saved by their pupil. This is seen in characters such as My Hero Academia's All Might and Naruto's Sarutobi, who can be compared to the Jellicle elder Old Deuteronomy.
While it might not have made the best movie, Cats has the cast to potentially become an anime in the same vein as Dragon Ball, just with a lot more dancing furries.