Well, this is an interesting one. While they do not originate in Japan, since 2005, with the opening of Tokyo’s Neko no Mise, they have become almost an emblem of the country. Today, many visitors and Japanese people taking time out of their day to spend an hour or two with out four-legged friends, who are especially good at relaxing us after a difficult day.
Moreover, while it’s fun to pet the little furballs, haven’t you ever wondered how fun it must be to be a cat? Do be petted and given your food, while you get to just sleep and hang out? That’s part of the charm of Neko ni Naritai Tamagawa-kun, known in English as Tamagawa-kun Wants to Be a Cat. Is this short yaoi anime OVA, possibly a pilot for a TV series, the cat’s pajamas? Or is it a little less than meow-velous?
Plot Summary
For Tamagawa-kun Wants to Be a Cat’s titular protagonist, Chiaki Tamagawa, every day is difficult. He is a concierge at a fancy hotel, but the wealthy patrons who make unreasonable demands — including getting furious when Tamagawa couldn’t find them sold out concert tickets — are consistently berating him. To relieve his stress, rather than go out drinking or binge-eating, he volunteers at a cat cafe.
His affinity for the furry felines is apparent, and the store owner is happy to have him volunteer, as he gets along with all of the cats in the store. It’s also good for the cats to be socialized, as any of them can be adopted by visitors, and brought home.
One fateful evening, a famous young novelist passing by suddenly gets the urge to visit the safe, and is taken in by Tamagawa. The author, Rai Shindo, seeing Tamagawa asleep under a pile of cats, grabs him by the collar and asks the owner to take him home, and despite Tamagwa’s protestations, she allows it, believing that Tamagawa needs to learn how to be spoiled and looked after. Will Shindo bring Tamagawa out of his tortoiseshell, or will he get the claws?
📺 Where to watch: Bilibili TV (Eng sub) / フル☆アニメTV (Japanese)
Impressions
Although the manga has run to two volumes, this one-shot episode is a taste of the full story. As such, it is difficult to form a full impression in the same way that one could of even a mini-series, and it is possible that this was used to gauge audience interest in a potential full series.
However, going on what we have, I found this episode to be interesting, but (understandably) quite rushed. There is a lot of ground covered in just twenty minutes, from Tamagawa’s background to his “adoption” by Shindo to a taste of the effects of his new situation. The pace was a little too brisk for me, and although it’s meant to be a comedy, I found it a little absurd that Tamagawa just kind of rolls with being, essentially, abducted by a stranger.
Shindo’s insistence on treating Tamagawa like a cat was also a little off for me, but some people might like it, as a sort of soft pet play. I did like to see that, after being treated so well by Shindo, we see Tamagawa gain a little more confidence at work, and he becomes more efficient at looking after the entitled guests. That said, I thought his sudden eviction, leading to his now needing to live with Shindo, was contrived and certainly problematizes their relationship.
Sound and Visuals
The visuals are clean and colorful. The main characters themselves stand out well and look nice, with the large number of cats on screen also animated well, and each being fairly unique. As a (kind of) slice-of-life romance, there aren’t opportunities for any real action, though there are some cute “cat-sona” moments, as well as sudden chibi changes that add some pep to the proceedings.
As a one-shot, there is no opening song, nor ending track, which is pretty unusual. The score itself is light and inoffensive, and fits well with the generally laidback vibe of the show. It’s not a score that will set the world alight, but it isn’t distracting, either.
Conclusion
Being only 20 minutes long, it is difficult to make a serious recommendation, as it is both brief and very fast-moving. However, if you have a half-hour free, and feel like giving it a whirl, you’ve got nothing to lose — and hey, if you like it, you can start reading the manga. As for where to watch Neko ni Naritai Tamagawa-kun, it is not officially available yet, but can be found online with a little effort.
Read our honest review of Neko ni Naritai Tamagawa-kun — a short yaoi anime OVA where stress, affection, and pet play intertwine. See if this cozy BL story is worth your watch.
