2016-03-25

She and Her Cat - Everything Flows -

She and Her Cat - Everything Flows - (彼女と彼女の猫 -Everything Flows-) is a new short series by Shinkai Makoto, revisiting and greatly expanding the concept established in his short film of the same name from 1999.  The four episode story came out weekly in March 2016.

    The story follows a young woman, Miyu, and her cat, Daru.  Miyu has moved out of her mothers house to become an adult but things become problematic when her roommate moves out a year later.  Faced with loneliness and an uncertain future Miyu falls into a deep depression.  Daru, who has been connected to the woman since she was young, does the best he can to help his lost owner.  But he understands that even he is limited in what he can do.



    This is Shinkai at his most basic form, a simple tale of the attachment two living things have for each other.  It is also an emotional trap as Shinkai thrives on weaving stories of loss, regret and sadness.  It goes with out saying that the story is a melancholy one.  The story simply conveys the mental struggles of the young woman and the reflection of her faithful cat as he tries to comfort her.  The artwork fits the tone of the story well and is less realistic than his other creations.  It has a soft dream like feel to it.

    This is a very enjoyable if sad tale.  It is unlikely that it will ever see a disc release in North America and is currently available on Crunchyroll.  If you are a fan of the things Shinkai does you will want to watch this.

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