Torajima no Miime

Two of my favourite things in this world are Cats and the creations of Leiji Matsumoto. So understandably I watched this 2 episode short as soon as I knew it existed. Based on Matsumoto's Manga of the same name this OVA follows the story of a tabby cat named Mii-kun and her new family. Inspired by Matsumoto's childhood pet cat by the same name. The first story is about Mii-kun meeting up with her new adopted family and then about a neighborhood stray going to dangerous means in order to win her heart. This is followed by a second story which sees an old petcat to the family return, after a decade of being feral, for one last night. The two stories are basic but also quite melodramatic. Given that Matsumoto's style is melodrama this isn't much of a surprise but it does bring a smile to my face to think he could even make the life and times of a kitten a family melodrama but that's what this is. The Animation is digital and for 1999 this is an actually pretty solid looking production, the style of Matsumoto comes across and the colors are vibrant. It's not the best digital art from the era by any means but its perfectly suitable and nice to look at. The Soundtrack is also similarly solid and suitable, nothing amazing but gets the job done just fine. Overall for the 20 minutes or so these two stories take to watch I can easily say I recommend it. Leiji Matsumoto fans and Cat lovers will definitely find something to enjoy here.