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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YURUCAMP SHIMA RIN STRIPE MUFFLER
YURUCAMP SHIMA RIN STRIPE MUFFLER

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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NENDOROID DOLL: MAD HATTER
NENDOROID DOLL: MAD HATTER

Adopt a Kitten, It Could Save Your Life

Posted on by Karandi
My Roommate is a Cat Post Title

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 1 Review

A slice of life/comedy? My favourite. (Please note: sarcasm.)

Actually, given I enjoyed Barakamon and Poco’s Udon World, both of which this one kind of reminds me of (though with quite a lot less impact), My Roommate is a Cat’s first episode actually kind of worked for me. I didn’t mind Subaru as the socially awkward writer who brings home a kitten on a whim and a flash of inspiration and I certainly could see my own cat in the kitten as it tried to make sure Subaru was alright (okay, my cat never gave me a bowl of cat biscuits but it certainly brings me grass-hoppers and she knows when I’m sick and stays with me).

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 1 Subaru and Cat

However, there isn’t a lot more to this first episode other than meeting the writer, who may annoy some viewers as he is a bit blunt and rude at times to his editor, and meeting the cat. There’s a few other characters such as the editor and I’m guessing the childhood friend (though friend may be the wrong name for it), however their impact in this first episode is pretty minimal.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 1 Subaru

The one part of the story that was a little unexpected was seeing the sequence from the cat’s point of view but that only added a little tiny bit to the episode, and to be honest we probably could have figured out most of that narration without it actually being narrated to us by the cat.

My Roommate is a Cat Episode 1 Subaru and Cat

So, this one I kind of enjoyed for a relaxing watch but there’s not a huge amount to recommend it. Everything about it is decent enough, and the OP is incredibly catchy and probably my favourite part about the show so far. Still, it’s got an anime cat in it that is absolutely adorable and it didn’t annoy me, so this one will stay on my watch list for now.

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THE ART OF THE CAT RETURNS
THE ART OF THE CAT RETURNS