A Whisker Away

This movie was perplexing and captivating from beginning to end. As someone who has seen all of Studio Ghibli's films, I was left feeling as though this story took great inspiration from the beloved "Cat Returns" movie. The premise of a young, middle school girl, madly obsessed with her crush, will go to any end to make him smile. She would rather ignore the problems of her own life to focus soley on his. As all good coming of age stories go, there are important lessons learned about believing in who you are, and expressing your true emotions, rather than burying them with a smile. There is also a note of appreciation towards the whole of the group; each person in real life is made up of everyone else who has helped make them who they are, and I think this movie pays a beautiful yet subtle tribute to that, reflecting reality through the eyes of an enigmatic adolescent.

I expected no more than a cheesy drama but I was so wrong, i totally related with the girl and the lesson taught was actually pretty human (talking about a movie with a cat huh? Lol), it's beautiful not only with the plot but visually stunning it certainly is, give it a chance, it's totally worth it.

It's obvious from the get-go this movie was heavily inspired by Studio Ghibli and you can be allowed for making the mistake thinking it came from them; it has the same features - the strange fantasy elements, the deep philosophy about existence as seen from the mind of a teenager and a focus on strong character development. It's all there.

What I praise the movie for apart from the production quality is its daring; the main character isn't very likeable, and it's for good reason; her flaws as a character she needs to overcome. Not too many studios and directors would dare go into that. It is the archetype of the character who wants to run away from their problems and have things be magically easily fixed for them according to their own fantasies. I would say this makes it a very powerful movie for those teens/young adults who feel just like that.

Other than that, I am giving this one a 8/10 and not higher because I feel the ''fantasy'' elements got a bit too unneededly weird as the movie dragged on, removing value from its more mature themes.

Note: This is my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.

This movie is weird. That's just it, I don't want to spoil anything but if you watch it it's weird.

Note: This is my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.

This film feels like a combination of what Studio Ghibli and traditional Disney animated films give that makes them feel special, but this movie isn't necessarily special because of that. The animation is not bad, but not really noteworthy. Both the cinematography and soundtrack are good. The story isn't that bad, but it also doesn't give off the same feeling as when you watch other notable films from Studio Ghibli or CoMix Wave Films (Makoto Shinkai). The characters are alright, except for the main antagonist.

Still, amidst the current situation the world is in right now, it is nice for Netflix to release a movie like this. Basically, at its core, it's light-hearted, cute, and a feel-good film. If you're feeling down and have two hours to spare, try watching this movie because who knows, maybe it'll make your day feel a lot better than before.