Cat Nation: A Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture

Chris Broad, a Brit expat living in Japan, provides viewers with a cat-themed exploration of Japanese culture. Cat lovers will likely enjoy the film but there is not really much to it. The trips to a couple of islands overrun with cats are interesting but most of the material, such as the story of Tamu the stationmaster cat or the history of Maneki Neko, can be found online. Broad makes too much of the presence of semi-feral cats wandering around Japanese cities or cat-themed stores in Tokyo as a reflection of the Japanese psyche. Many European cities have large semi-feral cat populations (Florence and Barcelona for example) and we in Canada (which has about the same population as Greater Tokyo) have 'cat-themed' stores, cat cafes, cat sanctuaries, etc but no one considers us a 'cat nation'. There are some fun moments and the cats are either interesting or cute (or both), so watchable but nothing special.

Turkish cat enthusiast here. In this movie we are taken to a Japanese cat tour which is enjoyable and interesting if you love cats.

It could be informative too. Alas host knows nothing on the subject. He is not there to cover for that with interviews also. He just makes inane comments. It is evident that he is not a cat lover. He is not sarcastic also.

Don't expect Monthy Python or any other form of British humor. Just a person who is unfit for hosting making inane comments. You could feel insulted if you are Japanese. Don't expect information or insight. It is just a light visual tour with a lacking, banal host.

Cats. Real cats. Fake cats. Waving cats. Cat pubs. Cat trains. It's an interesting documentary on Japanese cat culture in a personal tour with Chris Broad.

Cat Nation: A Film About Japan's Crazy Cat Culture, the title speaks for itself. It's a documentary about cats, in Japan, where they have a weird obsession and fascination for our furry friends. If you're a cat lover you'll probaby find it interesting to watch, probably cute and adorable as well. But if cats aren't your thing there's not much value to this documentary. I love cats so I did like it, enjoyed watching this documentary. It's well made but not exceptionally well made. It's just interesting and informative, certainly if you want to learn more about a part of the Japanese culture and customs.

It has cats. It has sarcastic British humour.

Absolute masterpiece.

You can tell the host is not comfortable with cats, which adds to the charm.

If you enjoy British humour and cats, then you'll like this documentary.