The release date for the 2nd feature film, “Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu” will be on Jun. 5, 2020, from Studio Coloride which is known for “Penguin Highway”. The special announcement video and teaser visual were unveiled for the first time.
Moreover, the main cast was also revealed to have Shida Mirai and Hanae Natsuki. Comments from the directors, Sato Junichi and Shibayama Tomotaka, who will be supervising the production of the film, and the scriptwriters from the production team, such as Okada Mari have arrived as well.
“Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu” is a youth fantasy story that takes place in the world of “cats” in Tokoname, Aichi. Sasaki Miyo, an unbridled and sensitive 2nd grade junior high school student who was given the nickname “Muge”(Infinite Mystery Human), obtained a mysterious mask that can turn her into a cat, which she later used to get close to her classmate Kento Hinode in hopes of having him see through her “true self”.
The directors for the film in production are Sato Junichi, a veteran in the Japanese anime world known for “Sailor Moon” and “Keroro Gunsou”, and the up-and-coming creator Shibayama Tomotaka who was involved in “Spirited Away” at Studio Ghibli.
The scriptwriter, Okada Mari has a reputation for expressing the delicate emotions of characters, such as “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” and “Her Blue Sky.”
And the cast includes Shida Mirai, the not only prominent actress in the business who voiced in “The Secret World of Arrietty” and “The Wind Rises”, but also with talents as much as origami folds, and the one and only Hanae Natsuki, who voiced Kamado Tanjirou from “Demon Slayer” and Kaneki Ken／Sasaki Haise from “Tokyo Ghoul”.
Shida will be playing Sasaki Miyo, the protagonist nicknamed “Muge”, and Hanae will be playing Hinode Kenta, another protagonist of the story.
Expectations for the “story of finding ‘your real self'” were heightened with the release of the special announcement video depicting the main protagonist’s delicate feelings intersecting with a mysterious world, along with the teaser visuals of the savage”Muge”‘s cat face.
＜Below contains the full commentary＞
【Shida Mirai（Muge／Sasaki Miyo, Cat／Tarou Role）】
<Thoughts on the decision of her role>
This time I was really surprised to hear that I would be playing the role of Muge. I also felt a lot of pressure to be able to work with Hanae-san, but I was really happy.
<About the character “Muge” she plays>
I thought she was a really bright and straight-forward type of girl. She is a child who expresses her feelings unusually at times, which makes her really pleasant to watch. However, there is the part where she doesn’t notice the love around her which is why there is a gap between her outdoor face that is seen at school and her indoor face that she shows in her room.
I believe that all of Muge were drawn charmingly.
<Message to the viewers>
I think this work gives you the courage to take a step forward in time. Muge looks very cute when she becomes a cat, so please look forward to it.
【Hanae Natsuki（Hinode Kenta Role）】
<Thoughts on the decision of his role>
It’s a work that has a very good atmosphere that gives off a very fantasy and exquisite feeling even though it’s about daily everyday lives, making it a wonderful work with a bizarre texture. A lot of cats appear in the film, and I really like cats too, so I thought this was a fateful work for me. I was really excited to be able to part of it, and I am greatly honored to be able to co-star with Shida-san.
<About the character “Hinode” he plays>
Hinode is a boy who is unable to fully express what he thinks, and has yet to decide how to pursue his future dreams or how he’ll face his future. A typical junior high school student who barely notices the feelings that Muge has for him. I think he’s just a boy in the middle of puberty. That is also one of his good points, but I think if he were do something about that feeling of his, slowly understanding it, he’ll gradually switch from a boy to a youthful man, that’s where the charm is at I believe.
<Message to the viewers>
This work contains the feelings and messages that everyone has to say about how fun it can be if you were to just say one line when communicating. It is an amazing work that combines the unrealistic fantasy elements of diving into a cat’s world separated from reality in a beautiful portrait distinct from everyday life, so please do look forward to it.
【Director：Sato Junichi】
It may be easier to live as a cat. You don’t have to hide your thoughts, pretend to be cheerful, or put up a smile. Shida Mirai-san, a girl who always hides her waving heart because she can’t do well and tends to act cheerful, and Hanae Natsuki, a boy who holds his flailing heart on his own, the two who sits close together in heart vividly played the characters with natural and tingling pain.
【Director：Shibayama Tomotaka】
I want to draw Muge, Hinode, and the cats in this chimney-lined city. To witness the “world beside us” that has yet to be seen, the process of building up little by little through trial and error with Sato and other trusted staff was an interesting and thrilling day. I would be glad if everyone felt a little closer to the world and time in which Muge live.
【Scriptwriter：Okada Mari】
With Sato’s craftsmanship, his deep love for the work, and the passion of each and every staff member only were we able to create such a nostalgic work. The nickname of the protagonist, Muge, stands for Infinite Mystery Human. It would be great if everyone watches over the growth of the mysterious Muge in the theater with its mysterious atmosphere.
（C）2020 “Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu” Production Committee
