In April, Netflix announced the Japanese anime film A Whisker Away would debut on the streaming platform on June 18th. The movie was originally slated for a theatrical release in Japan on June 5th, however, it had to be canceled due to the Covid19 pandemic. Luckily for fans, Netflix acquired the movie for global release.
A Whisker Away may come from a newer studio but it is already set to be a hit. It is packed with many notable figures in the anime industry and one of the most unique stories for an anime film. Fans of anime, romance, and cats should check out this movie.
10 From the Same Studio of Pokémon: Twilight Wings
Studio Colorido is fairly new so it does not have too many big titles under its belt yet, however, one that viewers may recognize is Pokémon: Twilight Wings. The YouTube series is inspired by the Pokémon Sword & Shield games. There are a total of seven episodes and they each run about 5 minutes.
The studio is also responsible for Typhoon Noruda, a short film about students in Japan, and Penguin Highway, a science fiction anime movie. They are also in post-production for an anime movie titled "Burn The Witch," which is set to debut in the Fall of 2020.
9 By The Director Of Sailor Moon & Prétear
Long time anime fans may recognize the name of A Whisker Away's director, Junichi Sato. Sato has worked on many popular titles, the most known being Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R. Sato's career in the anime industry spans many decades and as a result, he's also worked in various areas of anime production.
Sato has writing credits for Prétear, Magic User's Club!, Kaleido Star, and others. He has also worked as Sound Supervisor for Romeo x Juliet as well as miscellaneous crew roles on other titles.
8 Same Writer As Anohana & O Maiden's In Your Savage Season
A Whisker Away tells the story of Miyo Sasaki, a junior high school student who has a crush on a classmate, Kento Hinode. When Miyo is not able to confess her feelings, she stumbles upon a magical mask that has the power to transform her into a cat. With such a unique story, it is no surprise the person behind the pen is no one other than Mari Okada.
Okada's writing career stretches back to 2001 and she's penned anime, OVAs, and live-action films. She's known for her work on Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, O Maidens in Your Savage Season, Black Butler, and many more.
7 Miyo's Voice Actress Appeared In My Hero Academia & The Secret Wold Arriety
Viewers of anime will have no problem recognizing the voice actress behind the main character Miyo, Mirai Shida. She has had many stellar anime roles, including Melissa Shield in the recent My Hero Academia: Two Heroes and Arrietty in Studio Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty.
Shida is not just an anime voice actress. She also stars in traditional Japanese television shows and films. She's a part of the science-fiction franchise, Kamen Rider Ryuki.
6 Voice Actor From Demon Slayer & Tokyo Ghoul
Another anime powerhouse that joins A Whisker Away's roster is Japanese voice actor, Natsuki Hanae. Fans of the smash 2019 hit Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba should recognize Hanae's voice as that of Tanjiro Kamado. Natsuki's resume doesn't end there, though. He voices Ken Kaneki in Tokyo Ghoul, Kousei Arima in Your Lie in April, Haruichi Kominato in Ace of Diamonds, and Taichi Yagami in Digimon Adventures tri among other roles.
Natsuki Hanae has also lent his voice for the gaming industry, voicing characters in Dragon Ball XenoVerse, Tokyo Ghoul: Carnaval, Fate/Grand Order, and more.
5 The Meaning of the Japanese Title
The English title of A Whisker Away does not immediately reveal to viewers what the film is about and without seeing a trailer or poster, they may not have a guess. However, the film's Japanese title is a lot more revealing since "a whisker away" is not a direct translation.
The Japanese title of the film is Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburo, which directly translates to "Wanting to Cry, I Put On a Cat." While it still is not entirely clear to non-Japanese viewers, the phrase "Neko wo Kaburo" translates to "put on a cat" which is a Japanese saying about pretending to be something you are not.
4 It Includes Cat Island
Japan is famous for many things but one that sticks out is its Cat Islands. There are a few but the most famous one is the small town of Aoshima in the Ehime Prefecture. The cats were brought to the island to deal with rodents but ended up staying and massively reproducing.
In a trailer for A Whisker Away, Miyo can be seen entering a place that appears to only be inhabitable by cats. There are anthropomorphic cats wearing clothes, walking around, and drinking at a bar.
3 The Cats Are Being Voiced By Industry Icons
If an island filled with human-like cats that can walk on two legs, talk, and drink at bars wasn't enough, A Whisker Away really ups the ante by having a stellar cast to voice some of the cats.
Some of the cast includes Eri Kitamura and Shin-ichiro Miki. Kitamura voices Mina Ashido in My Hero Academia and Sayaka Miki in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Miki voices Sir Nighteye in My Hero Academia and Turkey in Netflix's new hit, Dorohedoro.
2 It Includes Original Music From Yorushika
Arguably, the soundtrack is one of the best parts of many anime movies. Studios often book one artist or group to perform original music for the theme song of the movie as well as the ending song. The songs usually become synonymous with the film for fans.
For A Whisker Away, the Japanese rock duo Yorushika performs the main theme song "Ghost In A Flower" as well as the ending song "Yoitsuki." Yorushika is made up of producer N-Buna and vocalist Suis and they joined forces in 2017.
1 It Is Being Adapted Into A Manga
Most anime shows are usually mangas that are then adapted into shows. However, for most anime movies that are not part of a franchise, they are usually created as original stories and later adapted into light novels or manga. Such is the case for A Whisker Away.
The manga is being drawn by Kyōsuke Kuromaru and the chapters are being released the 4th Friday of every month on the Comic Newtype website in Japanese.