The Beginning of the Journey For The Cat and The Writer

Posted on by Karandi
My Roommate is a Cat Post Title

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Review

It seems weird to say the journey is beginning when we’re at episode 3 but it feels right now like the emotional connection between the characters has finally been established and they are both ready to maybe let the other one be more than just an occupant in the house they happen to share. My Roommate is a Cat has done an excellent job at making Subaru’s character feel emotionally cut off from others to the point where he genuinely felt no need to form connections. For some viewers that made Subaru an unsympathetic character or they felt he was a bit of a jerk, however for me I saw him as an introverted character who probably already tended to be emotionally cut-off and then after the death of his parents just became adrift from others until he had lost sight of any path back.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Subaru

More importantly, I kind of got Subaru because while I might not be the extreme introvert he seems to be at times when people in my life try and ‘help me’ by dragging me out of my comfort zone the end result usually isn’t good. Mostly because I was perfectly happy in the first place and my comfort zone is just that, comfy. So seeing Subaru not play nice in episode one when dragged out by his editor was something I enjoyed, and this episode reinforced the fact that Subaru’s editor really doesn’t get it.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Editor

Neither does Subaru mind you, but while everyone will be quick to point out Subaru isn’t picking up on social cues, an editor that invades his writer’s house on a daily basis in order to see his cat is pretty inept at reading the situation. And if he isn’t inept, he’s pushy and intrusive and neither one of those seems like a better option.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Subaru's parents

But what really sells episode 3 as a beginning is that we finally see the backstory on the death of the parents and we also see Haru and Subaru make a genuine emotional connection. The flashback establishes that Subaru was indeed a fairly anti-social child, but he did have some connections, mostly through his mother who continued to try to draw him out (though never pushed him). Finding the album in this episode and Subaru realising just how much effort his mother went to for him was a really great moment and for the first time we see Subaru really get in touch with the loss of his parents.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Subaru stares at Haru

Haru for the most part does behave pretty inexplicably in this episode until we see the cat’s perspective. Previously this gimmick of retelling events from the cat’s point of view has been cute but relatively unnecessary, but here it confirmed a suspicion you will have about the motive for the cat’s antics and adds further emotional weight to the finding of the album.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 3 Subaru and Haru

So with the story started in episode one, of the writer who lost his parents young, now kind of resolved with him feeling their loss and accepting what happened and that it is too late to fix things now, we now have a clean slate and a story of a writer who adopted a cat and the two have found in each other something they need. I’m really enjoying this because it is just easy to watch and I really do like Subaru’s character and the cat gets cuter every episode. Hopefully it continues to be an enjoyable and emotional story until the end though with the parents part kind of resolved they are really going to have to switch the focus to Subaru’s development from this point or introduce a new character for this to not end up feeling stale.

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Karandi James
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If I Sit On It, It’s Mine – So Says The Cat

Posted on by Karandi
My Roommate is a Cat Post Title

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 2 Review

Anyone who has owned a cat will get a good laugh out of this episode if nothing else. From the opening sequence of Subaru finding the cat asleep on his laptop to later being scared when he opens a box to find the cat asleep inside, these are wholly relatable moments for the audience to enjoy. I’ll admit though, my cat and I have come to an arrangement when it comes to keyboards and now she has accepted sitting beside the keyboard and just periodically swiping at my fingers if I’m not paying her enough attention. Negotiations with cats are always ended in favour of the cat even when the human thinks they’ve won.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 2 Cat on Keyboard

Realistically, there’s not a lot going on in this anime. It is very slice of life, author living with cat, and honestly other than the appeal of seeing my own cat’s antics on screen, there’s not a huge amount to cling to in terms of plot. Even though I quite like Subaru, I found his ‘misunderstanding’ at the pet shop a little bit on the painful side and while the rest of the episode rolled along smoothly, it seems every time the cat is absent from the screen things hit a bit of a rocky patch.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 2 Subaru at Pet Shop

As with last week, the final part of the episode flipped the perspective and we got the cat’s point of view on the events of the episode. Again, I’m not sure this adds a lot, but it is cute so we’ll just go with it.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 2 Cute Moment

While I’m not going to say this is a particularly good anime, if you like cats, don’t mind things just being cute for the sake of it, and can put up with something where about half the jokes don’t quite land, you’ll probably enjoy this. I’m enjoying it and it isn’t a genre I normally like. The love of cats goes a long way here.

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Karandi James
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How To Keep a Mummy Series Review: So Much Cuteness In One Little Package

Posted on by Karandi

There’s a mini-mummy, a back-pack sized dragon, a tiny oni and a whole bunch of other pint sized monsters all in one adorable anime package. What more could you want?

Review:

When Sora received a coffin from his father who was travelling through Egypt, he suspects the worst and apparently with good reason. His recounts of previous gifts certainly lead one to presume that nothing good can come out of the coffin. Don’t even ask why it is clearly an English style coffin rather than an Egyptian sarcophagus or how the mummy eventually breaks out given he never demonstrates that kind of feat of strength ever again; these are questions that should be asked of a show asking you to take it seriously rather than one that seems to excel at being cute for cute’s sake. For this story, it is all about how adorable the cast are on screen and the main goal of most episodes is to put the cast into cuteness inducing moments for the audience to tilt their heads and go ‘aww’ to.

Mummy1d

If that sounds like I’m being condescending, I’m not. I actually really had a great time with this anime given just the opening theme could start me smiling and any episode that Mii-Kun (the titular mummy in question) barked was enough to leave me grinning for the remainder of the day. There’s just something so soothing and cute about a barking miniature mummy and to be honest I don’t think I’m ever going to get over that. I think I need a gif on an endless loop of that just for days that go badly and then I can simply cheer myself by watching it over and over again.

Mummy12e

What works even better are Sora and Mii as a team. Sora by himself would be a pretty bland protagonist, but when coupled with Mii the two are a duo that would be hard to beat. The success of any episode in this series for me depended on the screen time these two characters were given. The other characters work, but all have diminishing returns in terms of cuteness and particularly the oni-child really don’t replace Mii as an adequate focus – or at least they don’t give me quite the same bliss out on over-cuteness.

Mummy9e

Still, cute really can’t be enough to carry a series. This anime manages to find enough interesting situations to stick the cast in a back-drops for their cute antics that you don’t actually get overly bored (though I suspect that binge watching this could become a bit of a problem). Still, the characters visit each other’s houses, the school, a temple and finally a mountain with a range of activities and interactions to sell each of the characters.

Mummy2d

Basically, there isn’t a lot of rewatch value in this and there isn’t a lot of depth, but if you are seeking the cute and fuzzy feels, this anime will succeed admirably.

Episode Reviews:

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Karandi James

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How To Keep a Mummy Episode 12: Cheesy and Yet Pulls It Off

Posted on by Karandi

This anime continued to play to its strengths all the way through and while it also pulled a family/friends beat all kind of ending it did it with the kind of earnestness that allows you to smile and just accept that is the kind of show you were watching. To be honest, it is the kind of anime that just makes you want to indulge it as it pulls out the super cute card over and over again.

Mummy12b

It is also the kind of show that makes you casually dismiss that the villain this episode is probably going to be killed off screen which could be sort of horrific but we’ll distract both the protagonists and the audience with adorableness so they don’t let that throw away line sink in. It might disrupt the cute bubble this anime has built.

Mummy12e

Still, it was a pretty good final episode. This series has been pretty even in its delivery from start to finish so if you wanted a show about a cute mummy, here it is and I’ll give a series review soon.

Previous Reviews:

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Karandi James

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How To Keep a Mummy Episode 11: Part of Me Wants To Say About Time

Posted on by Karandi

How to Keep a Mummy has been a super cute anime but with the promise of curses and problems with monsters raised in the first episode and then very seldom thought about since, it is nice to see the show bring that back in for the penultimate episode. Sora and friends inadvertently trespass at a solstice festival without invitations leading to a moment of genuine tension in the usually sickly sweet show and later we meet a collector before setting up the cliff-hanger that will drive us into the final episode.

Mummy11d

However, if you are watching this show for the cute mummy, you will definitely get your fill this episode as the anime pulls out all the stops in delivering Mii and his most adorable, including barks, helpful hugs, and genuinely being a life-saver. Also squishy.

Mummy11b

But if you also want some tension between Sora and Kamiya, this episode gives us a watered down drama between the close friends fuelled by misunderstandings and lack of communication. Really it is the best we could expect from this show at this point and it is truly pleasant watching even if it isn’t exactly deep.

Mummy11e

Previous Reviews:

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Karandi James

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Another way you can support the content here is by buying a copy of ‘Thoughts on Anime 2017‘ as an ebook. It contains a selection of reviews, features and top 5 lists from 2017 and while the content is available free on the site, this is a great way to give a one off show of support for the blog. It is available for $3.99.

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How To Keep a Mummy Episode 10: A Return To Adorable Formula

Posted on by Karandi

After last week’s average but not particularly bad episode of this anime, How To Keep A Mummy strikes back with an incredibly adorable return to the formula that made the first episodes of this season so irresistible.

Mummy10d

And in saying that, what I mean is they introduce a new player into the group who at first seems kind of scary but turns out to be a big softie. This one is a statue of Anubis that speaks and can turn its head but is otherwise unable to really move and as it hasn’t shown an inclination for curses is so far pretty harmless and mostly helpless.

Mummy10c

And this time the attempt to inject a tiny bit of drama into the episode worked beautifully with the title character being the one in the spotlight (right where his cute-self should be). That said, if I thought a barking mummy was adorable, the whole crew of creatures suddenly imitating someone with the hiccups is off-the-charts in terms of how cute things can be. A fairly solid episode from a show that really only has one draw and managed to get it just right this week.

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Karandi James

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Another way you can support the content here is by buying a copy of ‘Thoughts on Anime 2017‘ as an ebook. It contains a selection of reviews, features and top 5 lists from 2017 and while the content is available free on the site, this is a great way to give a one off show of support for the blog. It is available for $3.99.

Finally, you can use the affiliate link to shop at Play-Asia.com ifPlay-Asia.com - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more you are interested in anime, soundtracks, figures or games. Should you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

 

How To Keep a Mummy Episode 9: The Oni-Child Crosses The Line

Posted on by Karandi

Review:

Anime has a lot of heart breaking moments that really capture the spirit of what it is to be human, to be alone, and to suffer loss. How To Keep A Mummy doesn’t quite manage to land this lofty emotional goal but still delivers something that is cute in its very gentle and obvious dealing with emotional baggage.

Mummy9c

With Conny in trouble again for stealing pudding (gasp), Kamiyagives him a talking to but of course with his rough and direct way of speaking goes too far. In the morning Conny is gone and after a night of being missing the rest of the gang decide to look for him but Kamiya stubbornly refuses claiming it isn’t his responsibility. A facade which lasts for all of about three seconds.

Mummy9e

Part of me wishes they’d at least pretended at this whole conflict thing for a little bit longer, but the reunion was pretty adorable. Still, essentially we’re back to business as usual as we roll into another episode.

Previous Reviews:

Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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If you enjoyed this post and would like to see Patreon2more great content on this blog, consider becoming a patron for as little as $1 a month.

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Another way you can support the content here is by buying a copy of ‘Thoughts on Anime 2017‘ as an ebook. It contains a selection of reviews, features and top 5 lists from 2017 and while the content is available free on the site, this is a great way to give a one off show of support for the blog. It is available for $3.99.

Finally, you can use the affiliate link to shop at Play-Asia.com ifPlay-Asia.com - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more you are interested in anime, soundtracks, figures or games. Should you use the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.