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10 Best Japanese Anime Movies (and Shorts) For Cat Lovers

10 Best Japanese Anime Movies (and Shorts) For Cat Lovers
Have you ever wondered why so many anime movies and shorts feature cats? That is because they are Japan's most popular pet.

Do you love cats and animated movies too? From The Cat Returns to Whispers of the Heart, we have rounded up 10 iconic anime movies and short films that feature felines as main or supporting characters.

1. THE CAT RETURNS

Munchiecat The Cat Returns
When Haru saves a cat prince named Lune from being run over by a truck, she is forced to become his fiancee. The 17-year-old girl is brought to the Cat Kingdom, where she sprouts tan ears, paws, a nose, whiskers, and even fangs. To help her gain her freedom, a large white cat named Muta leads her to Baron Humbert von Gikkingen and Toto, two statues that can magically come to life.


2. A WHISKER AWAY 

A Whisker Away on Netflix | Munchiecat
Junior high student Miyo "Muge" Saki has a secret crush on her classmate Kento Hinode. She relentlessly tries to catch his attention every day, but he never notices her. Then Muge buys a magical Noh mask that changes her into a cat called Tarō. She's finally able to connect with Kento but starts losing the ability to understand humans. Will Marge stay trapped in her feline body?

3. STAND BY ME DORAEMON!

Stand By Me Doraemon! | Munchiecat

Sewashi travels back in time to save his great-great-grandfather, Norbita Nobi. The fourth grader is an unathletic, chronic underachiever. He is also an unlucky pushover. Desperate to take control of the situation, Sewashi pressures his beloved blue robotic cat, Doraemon, to help. But Doraemon is frustrated by Norbita's pitiful state and tries to flee to the 22nd century. Unfortunately, he is forced to stay in the 20th century because of his computer programming. To tackle Norbita's troubles, Doremon uses his four-dimensional pocket—a bag that can hold any object.

4. CAT SOUP

Cat Soup Munchiecat
When the soul sister of Nyatto's older sister is ripped in half, he journeys through the underworld to save her. Nyaako follows him, brain-dead. They encounter water elephants, samurai, fishing pigs, and even death. This dark and gory anime movie also has kawaii, off-world characters that twist and turn with warped backgrounds.  From consensual cannibalism to an all-encompassing flood, Cat soup is essentially 'Hello Kitty' without the 'o'.

5. THE LIFE OF BUDORI GUSUKO

The Life of Guskou Budori (1994)

Guskō Budori lives with his parents and younger sister, Neri, in the beautiful Tohoku forests of northeastern Japan. When an endless winter separates him from his family, Budori ventures to Akahige’s marshlands. But not long afterward, the crops are destroyed by the punishing cold. Then he teams up with scientists at the Ihatov Volcano Department, agreeing to induce an eruption to save his beloved homeland. Can Budori protect the people who are closest to him?

6. SHE AND HER CAT: THEIR STANDING POINTS

She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points (Video 1999)
This 5-minute, black-and-white short by Makoto Shinkai tells the story of a lonely young woman. On a rainy spring day, she adopts a stray tomcat, Chobi. He falls in love with a female cat named Mimi during the summer. But he won't marry her because he is madly in love with his owner. In autumn, the young woman becomes depressed after a long phone conversation. Chobi stands by her and comforts her. By winter, she and Chobi are happily living together and say in unison, "I think that the both of us probably like this world."

7. NEKO NO SHUUKAI ("A GATHERING OF CATS")

A Gathering of Cats Munchiecat

When an orange tabby cat named Chobi has his tail stepped on too many times by his family, he dreams of merging with other cats and rampaging through the city like Godzilla. Tuna and petting calm his inner demons.

8. TAMALA 2010: A PUNK CAT IN SPACE

TAMALA 2010: A PUNK CAT IN SPACE
Tamala is a genetically-engineered cat from Meguro City, Tokyo. To find her homeworld, Orion, she flees the Feline Galaxy. That is because Cat Earth has been conquered by a massive conglomerate called CATTY & Co. Tamala crash lands in Hate City, which is populated by a violent mix of cats and dogs. Then she meets a young male cat named Michelangelo Nominos and starts dating him. They investigate CATTY & Co. and discover that Tamala is a reincarnation of the goddess Minerva.

9. KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE

Kiki's Delivery Service Munchiecat

Kiki is a 13-year-old witch in training with a talking black cat called Jiji. In exchange for room and board, she befriends a baker named Osono and opens a "Witch Delivery Service." She also meets Tombo, a geeky boy obsessed with making a flying machine from a bicycle. When Kiki is intimated by Tombo's friends, she loses her ability to understand her familiar Jiji or fly on her broomstick. An artist named Ursula tells Kiki she can regain her magic if she can find a new purpose. Kiki then sees Tombo hanging from an airship on TV. Will she be able to rescue him in time? 

10. WHISPER OF THE HEART 

A Whisper of the Heart Munchiecat

Based on the manga by Aoi Hiiragi, Whisper of the Heart follows Shizuku Tsukishima, a 14-year-old girl who wants to be a writer when she grows up. One day, she realizes the name Seiji Amasawa is stamped on the checkout cards of every library book she's ever borrowed. Amid chasing after a mysterious black cat, discovering a magical cat statue named The Baron, and drafting her first fantasy novel in two months, Shizuku runs into the mysterious boy who may be her soulmate.

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