Sebastian Seidel

A Whisker Away can potentially be viewed as a breakthrough for Studio Colorido. While the film is essentially a coming of age story of two junior high students, it brings the magical charm and storytelling of a Ghibli movie, all paired with the cuteness of cats. The plot, while simple and easy to follow, evokes big emotions and depicts the struggles of the protagonists quite well. At no point did the story feel convoluted or superfluous. Every scene added depth to the characters and helped to connect with the audience without stretching it too far. Some parts might feel slightly too slow paced for some, but the story is well written and leading to a clear finale and conclusion. The only critique might be that the story is all too predictable and there are plenty of hints where it will go, either through dialogue, the characters actions and expressions and even some very consciously placed sound effects. This does not diminish the experience though, especially since the art is just gorgeous to look at and the animation is buttery smooth. This is truly a new big anime movie that is full of emotions and well worth your time.