A Whisker Away Review
There have been some brilliant anime films released in the last few years that have dealt with high school relationships and young love in creative and authentic ways. From the critically acclaimed hits like Your Name to A Silent Voice, there have been some great recommendations for fans of the genre and those looking for an emotional and passionate story crafted by compelling characters.
A Whisker Away is the latest film to come from Studio Colorido, the same animation studio behind the feature film Penguin Highway and the YouTube shorts series Pokemon: Twilight Wings. However, does the film’s romantic leads make a teary-eyed and loving story that would be remembered fondly for years to come?
A Whisker Away
The film follows teenager Miyo as she tries to gain the affection and attention of her classmate Kento, but repeatedly fails. It’s not until she owns a mask that can transform her into a cat to get closer to him that she must deal with the unexpected consequences of her newfound ability with her family’s relationship and Kento’s personal life.
This simple plot certainly intrigued me, but unfortunately the story overall didn’t keep me invested in the chemistry between the two romantic leads. The main reason is that Miyo’s journey isn’t very compelling. We see some emotional struggles with her confronting her own feelings towards the people around her, but there just isn’t much time invested in these developments. It also doesn’t help that we never get too much of an establishment for why she loves her classmate as much as she does.
Kento himself goes through some emotional arcs through the eyes of Kiyo in her cat form, but his realisation of his own feelings doesn’t come into full effect until the third act of the film and feels forced and unnatural.
Kento and a Transformed Miyo
But when it comes to the animation, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
With both Miyo and Kento’s emotional developments, the animators were able to really bring out a wide range of expressions and body languages. Even with the more subtle moments like them looking out the window, it does add some depth to the scenes despite the script itself not having the most coherent story.
The style, however, feels very similar to other forms of anime that a lot of fans might come to expect from this genre. While the characters aren’t badly animated, they don’t exactly stand out nor do the scenes feature anything new despite the use of magic.
It’s also the magical elements that perhaps didn’t make a huge impact to me. While these scenes do add a bit more variety in the locations and something fresh from the re-used suburban areas that are repetitively featured, they do feel a bit out of place and instead feels a bit more like padding the story and complicating the film’s simplicities.
Miyo and Her Magical Mask
A Whisker Away certainly has an interesting premise, but unfortunately it doesn’t really follow through and reach the potential of being the next romantic hit anime. I was left feeling disappointed and emotionally disconnected as so many other anime titles ready to stream on Netflix were able to keep me invested in their stories and relationships.