FANTASIA 2020: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
fantasiaIn The Travelling Cat Chronicles, Nana (voiced by Mitsuki Takahata) is a stray cat living on the streets of Japan. She explains the ins-and-outs of life as a street cat, noting that kind humans help make survival much easier, but that you must not let them become too close. However, she breaks her own rule when, following a hit and run and being left for dead, Satoru (Sota Fukushi) nurses Nana back to health. Despite being quite the pair, Satoru is forced to re-homeNana due to a change in life circumstances and the two embark on a journey to find Nana a new owner.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles is somewhat of an old-fashioned melodrama but it never delves into cheesy territory. Instead, the film depicts the pure and loving story of the loyalty of cats, disregarding the notion that cats do not care about their owners (they do, cats are just more unique at showing it). However, any animal lover will understand the bond that Nana and Satoru share.
Coming in at a two-hour runtime, The Travelling Cat Chronicles beefs up its story by exploring flashbacks of Satoru’s life. Writers Hiro Arikawa (who wrote the novel) and Emiko Hiramatsu do a decent job of adapting the screenplay. Satoru’s past remains intriguing as the film visits his youth, his childhood cat, Hachi, his time in high school and even his first love. Satoru’s past interactions with other animals show the audience why the present Satoru cares so much for Nana. Director Koichiro Miki ensures that The Travelling Cat Chronicles remains cinematic despite the TV-Movie story. The cinematography is especially well-done as the film remains bright and sunlit throughout the journey of Satoru and Nana’s relationship. There are beautiful shots of rural Japanese towns and Mt. Fuji that add awe and splendour to their travelling.
The acting in The Travelling Cat Chronicles, while sometimes over the top, is what makes Satoru and Nana’s relationship. Sota Fukushi’s Satoru is one of the kindest characters on screen, he cares so deeply for each and every single person in his life, but none more so than Nana. As a child, he is more of a troublemaker, but his immense love for cats blooms with the adoption of Hachi. Hachi and Nana even look the same, both black-and-white domestic shorthairs – another thread in Satoru’s relationship with Nana. Mitsuki Takahata as Nana’s voice is the best part of The Travelling Cat Chronicles. While Satoru only hears her meows, Nana’s narration helps show the audience the love she has for Satoru. She can be sassy, snappy and grumpy but her walls come down when she’s expressing her love for Satoru. Heartbreakingly, she can’t understand why Satoru is giving her up and continually sabotages his efforts to find her a forever home.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a sweet story of the friendship between humans and cats. It is unsurprisingly touching and becomes much more profound as the film unveils why Satoru needs to find Nana a new home. The chemistry between Nana and Satoru alone is enough to make The Travelling Cat Chronicles a compellingly beautiful film that bares its heart to cat lovers and cat haters alike.