I wasn’t expecting much. In fact, I expected it to be so bad that it would be laughable. I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case.
Kitamura Kazuki was delightful as Madarame Kyutaro the unemployed samurai living away from his wife and daughter while he tries to find a job. Nearly destitute and unable to pay his rent he is approached by the servant of a wealthy man who hires him to kill the man’s cat. The servant tells him it’s a monster cat stealing his master’s energy. Madarame finds the cat and in the last instant is unable to kill her and takes her home to his small room instead. This begins his revolutionary change from hardened, self-center warrior into a compassionate human being. He was once described as the man with the face of a devil and the heart of an angel. He let his better angels win in this drama. By slowly bonding with the cat and learning to care for her he learns more about himself and how to take care of and care for other people.
There were two moments in the drama I had to hit the pause button because I was laughing so hard. There are truly heart-warming moments and very funny ones as well.
The music was okay. The best music was when Madarame was singing his own theme song to himself and adding verses to it as he performed different tasks. Of course, it always ended with kill it or slay, slay, slay! Many episodes included him reciting a haiku or poem. With the translations it was hard for me to tell what the counts were.
The cinematography was unexpectedly beautiful. It’s rare for older dramas to have such gorgeous shots.
The only drawback to this drama was that these were some of the worst wigs I have seen in any drama. You can see the netting. Thankfully, Madarame’s wig looked great on him.
All the actors played their roles well so I have no complaints there either.
I hope I have purr-suaded you to give this meow-nificant drama a try.
I leave you with the words of the Samurai Cat.
Living in Edo
I have no money and I have no job
But I take a nap under the sunshine
What a perfect day for a cat.
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Story of The Samurai and White Cat
I was expecting a slapstick manga-like comedy when i started watching. But it wasn't.The story was about how the male lead turns from a cold/self-centered man to a more caring human being, after meeting the cat.
Male lead, Madarame, i think he had the grumpiest face ever. I love his interaction with Tamanojo. I was kinda surprised the cat didn't have any dialog. But she did awesome just by being present (♡‿♡)
Acting was great!
The pacing was okay, the problem is they replayed some flashbacks for too many times.
The music fits the vibe
"Kirubeshi, Kirubeshi, Kirubeshi"
Overall it's a purr-fect watch ^^
It's only 20 minutes per episode, so it's easy to rewatch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Pliant, Floppy Cat is so chill and adorable she steals everyone's heart
I was searching for Dramas with cats and this popped up, AND it was available free on Amazon Prime. Quickly decided I'm IN. The premise is simple and straightforward but where this entire series excels is in the execution, which is beautifully done. Some parts seem like slapstick but others are beautiful, the cinematography of the steps to the mountain shrine is particularly exquisite. The music is short, and reused very often in the 20 minute slice of life episodes. Each episode ends with a 5 line Japanese Poem.The Hero has the male version of resting bitch face, his in between eyebrow frown has him looking like he is an uber grumpy man. In nearly every scene he goes around looking like he's in a bad mood and about to pick a fight with anyone. The fact that he's jobless, poor and starving probably contribute to it. Donut lady, Cat lady, devoted servant, Master, adversary, investigator and even the mail man all do credible jobs. But the real star of the show is that cat. Not a CGI cat, it is probably one or more cats.
The cat playing Tamanajo needs an animal Oscar, NOW! She (according to the show) is an all white domestic short hair cat with pink toe beans, pink nose leather and the most gorgeous roundish almond shaped gooseberry green eyes. Sort of like the short haired version of the Fancy Feast Chinchilla Persian. Aside from the stellar looks, the cat is pliant and floppy. In many scenes, She's being held by various cast members and doesn't struggle or seem to be tense, she seems to be saying "okay human, you picked me up, that's fine, I'm just gonna chill here in your arms / lap / held in the air". It's very comforting to watch. Reminded me of my poor departed Persian who also was all DGAF about being held like a baby. Damn I miss her.
Even if one were not a cat lover, there was a scene where the cat straight crawled to the Samurai and put her head in his lap. His expression softened as this reviewer's heart just melted into a puddle of "aww, that's so sweet". There is no way, and I mean ZERO way to resist that kitty's charms. I epic failed as much as the characters in the show. I mean, I want her, or a cat with her personality. If only I could read Japanese and ask the Production team whether the kitty from the series has been adopted yet or not, because I would take really good care of that irresistible cat. Gimme!!
This series is short, and will be finished in no time. It looks like I'll have to start with Season 2 since I need more Samurai with that cat.
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The acting was very good, too. Kazuki Kitamura never disappoints, of course, but this has only proven how much I enjoy seeing him! Characters are mostly very easy to relate to, either from the main cast or the side characters.
I am not that big on cats; but Tamanojo is surely a beautiful cat. And even as a dog person, I was feeling so nice, seeing how many people in the series share love for cats. It was just so nice to see after watching so many heavy dramas. This was a very relaxing experience for me.
Music in this dorama also gets you set into the time period of Edo. Simply lovely, for me, this dorama is a 10 / 10 !
Before this TV series, I've seen the movie, which gave me a general idea of what the story is about - But to see that the TV series is diferrent, it honestly surprised me! I'm looking forward to watching the 2nd series now.
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