The Traveling Cat Chronicles is a film adaption based on the novel of the same name written by Hiro Arikawa in 2012. She also wrote the screenplay for the film starring, Sota Fukushi, Mitsuki Takahata(voice only), Yuko Takeuchi(Queen, Strawberry Night), Alice Hirose, Ryosuke Yamamoto, and, Takuro Ohno. Koichiro Miki directed the film and Emiko Hiramatsu helped revised the script for film. I'm interested in reading the novel since it was published in English a little while ago.
A young mad takes a journey along with his cat to visit all the people who have made an impact of his life. None knows the sudden reason for his journey but his cat stays by his side the whole way. This is their story…….
Arikawa's storytelling about a cat and her owner might as well brace it's self for being thrown into the "man's best friend" category of movies. Many American viewers will instantly think of films such as a Dog's Tale or something along those lines. The Traveling Cat Chronicles give you a lot of bonding between owner and pet to get your animal lover fix but the film also doesn't completely consist of just hugging up on a cat. The cat actually makes the film more of a joy ride in the animal's sassy, quirky, unbothered behavior showcased through voice acting. Seeing a cat be so independent while being connected to their owner was funny yet interesting. A good half of the film deals viewers a background of the main character when he was a child. You get some history about the cat too, giving a stronger foundation to understanding their relationship. I must say that I didn't expect to get so emotionally attached to this film at all. I wasn't even prepared for the major heartache that comes about in the storyline from the start to the finish. Another portion of the film shows the travels of the guy and his cat as the meet people he once knew. All of their background stories come to light which makes you all the more interested in the mystery why he started this journey in the first place. Figuring out he was even traveling for a certain reason didn't cross my mind until the films starts pointing you in that direction. I honestly though he was just going on a road trip with his cat. The Traveling Cat Chronicles uses all human emotion at the expense of people's hearts. On top of this, the film gives you the answer to the mystery of "why?". The answer will pull the rug out from under your feet and if that doesn't it's because you're already on the floor after one other was revealed. The Traveling Cat Chronicles isn't any old animal lover film. It takes you on a ride of relationships you make in life that through time you wish to maintain, because you don't know what might be tomorrow. One the cat s note, I like cats, I'm not IN love with cats. So this film held no kind of bias over me.
Mitsuki Takahata steals the show voicing Nana the cat. I felt a mix of emotions from her performance. She will make you laugh before making you want to cry. Sota shines the most during the second half of the film. The love he has for Nana was very bittersweet but his acting leaves a strong lasting impression on the viewer. I also have to give it up to the child actors who brought tears to my eyes. I haven't cried watching a film in a couple of months. These actors got me good though. This coming from a guy who doesn't cry easily.
I don't have much to share in terms of the shooting style for this film. Most of the outward shots mixed in with the shots from above make this film look similar to a special about traveling rural places in Japan. I loved the mountain view and the field full of yellow flowers. Checking out scenery that isn't metropolitan is always a treat.
The Traveling Cat Chronicles was a better film than I expected. Don't you love when films that seem happy go lucky in the trailer turn out to be deeper than you imagined? I would recommend this film to people who don't even like cats.
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