by Linda Kay

Starring: Zuku, Muku

Directed by: Reiki Tsuno

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Ne’er do well Taka Kurosawa (Shô Mineo) receives a message that his brother Mune (So Yamanaka) is being held captive and sets out to find him, aided by a homeless man named Takezo (Yûya Matsuura) and a mysterious woman (Ayane) in this Japanese action comedy.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Throughout the film whenever Taka thinks about his brother he refers to a photograph of himself and Mune with the latter holding a black kitten. Flashbacks show the brothers when this photo was taken.

The opening credits include a lot of animated cat imagery which ties in to the story to come.

During dream sequences, Taka sees Mune holding the cat in an empty void.

It turns out Mune is being held in a house by a group of cat monsters; cats who have changed into female form. They are holding him because he discovered some ancient catnip in Egypt which belonged to the cat god Bast. During his attempted rescue of Mune, Taka meets Takezo who gets drawn into the drama against his will. They are joined by Ayane who has a connection with Mune we won’t reveal here.

To say much more would be giving away too much (and it is frankly too bizarre to adequately explain anyway). This film does not take itself seriously at all and to enjoy it you shouldn’t, either. Just enjoy the brief performances by cat actors Zuku and Muku who play Mune’s kitty.

Kitty Cameos: Also appreciable are the female cat-like performances and the proliferation of Poor Cat Screeches every time one of them dies. Photographs of cats also turn up on cat food cans and in a television commercial for cat breeder (Michael Aaron Stone).

Final Mewsings: Cats actors don’t mind when human actors play cats (as long as real cat roles are also included).

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