Kôendôri no nekotachi

Shin'ichi Nakada's movies are mostly wholesome family entertainment with some educational purpose, meant for young people. 'Cats of Park Avenue' has a charming premise - a group of young dancers preparing for an upcoming dance musical based on a bunch of neighborhood cats, while the said cats watch them and occasionally intrude into their lives. The narrative does a lot to establish the world of cats as an independent society cohabiting the urban spaces of streets, alleys, buildings and terraces with their human counterparts; and assigns the cats with human character traits as the reverse becomes the story's backbone. Soon enough, the human and feline characters begin to watch each other. Ingenious as this all may be, the story soon begins to plod, as there is not much one can do within the restraint of a child-friendly content. Human relationships are intense and complex, and to explore that through the shared perspective of urban stray animals is an idea that requires more in-depth serious speculation. Instead we are presented with mildly pleasant situational comedies and occasional smart lines.