I sometimes wonder why some shows get made at all, especially ones of this nature. I mean, not only is it four episodes (and a brief OVA), they don’t run that long anyway, so this is a Double-Double (Short Pull and Short Run). “She and Her Cat” (“Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko”, subtitled “Their Standing Points”) is about a girl (Kanojo) and her cat (Kuroneko) and how they interact with their time together. The biggest problem I had with this show is that I knew how it was going to end by the first episode, so I was just along for the ride.

It was also done by Makoto Shinkai and this person does a lot of these short-approach offerings, like “Garden of Words” and “Dareka no Manazashi”. This means two things: one, it looks gorgeous. A lot of time and effort is invested in the artistic approach, whether it be the backgrounds or the environment that we have placed these characters into. Two, the plot is maddeningly thin. I always get the feeling that more could be said, but it just isn’t, and so it gives the impression of being incomplete or not fully brought forth. Almost like a test run scenario.

At least we have the cat ‘talking’ and trying to understand the world that he finds himself in (for the OVA it is a white cat named Chobi) and what it all means. I would recommend watching the OVA first, and then the series, as it moves things along better. The only other drawback to this show is the succinctly brief nature. You barely get into it and it’s over. Could this get the full treatment? That is a problem with this director: you can’t tell. He also did “Children Who Chase Lost Voices” (a real feature-length film) and that frustrated me, owing to directorial decision that were made that I felt hurt the film.

In any case, I would check it out. Even if you do not like the plot or how it is handled, you are going to get a real visual treat.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           9 (Simply magnificent)
Plot                  6 (Telegraphed its end)
Pacing              8 (Slow, but deliberate)
Effectiveness   6 (Lost because of the abbreviated nature of it)
Conclusion      5 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service     0 (A similar show would be “Honey and Clover”)

Overall            7 (Beautiful, but too brief)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. This world, I think we like it.