Cat Soup
Encyclopedia
is a 2001 Japanese animated short film directed by Tatsuo Sato
, inspired by the work of manga artist Nekojiru
. The surreal black comedy
follows Nyatta, an anthropomorphic kitten, on his travel to the land of the dead
and back in an effort to save his sister's soul. Cat Soup was released direct-to-DVD on 21 February 2001.
, (known as Jizou in Japanese) and follows them. Nyatta tries to claim his sister's soul back by pulling her arm. Jizou doesn't let go and Nyāko's soul gets split in two. Her brother runs away with one half. Jizou sends a clue about a flower they must search for in order to retrieve the missing part, then walks away with the other half.
Meanwhile, Nyatta's father finds his son in the bathtub and revives him. Then, all the family members gather in Nyāko's room to find out that she is dead. Nyatta gets closer with the half-soul in his arms and puts it back in his sister's body through her nose. Nyāko wakes up braindead
. After that Nyatta and Nyāko begin their journey (because their mother asks them to go and buy some fried tofu). During their outing they visit the 'Big Whale Circus', the final act of which is a giant penguin-looking bird "filled" with various weather, causes a flood of water which covers everything. The two of them end up on an Ark-esque boat with a pig, which they eventually begin to eat (by unzipping his stomach and pulling out butcher slabs). God drains the world of the oceans (by holding up the world so the water on it runs down his arm), leaving the cats and pig stranded in a desert. The pig bites off Nyatta's arm, which is repaired by a desert-dweller who makes dolls from the pieces of other cats.
Traveling across the desert, they are brought to a house by the smell of food, and are invited inside by a man. They are fed, and when full the man attempts to turn them into soup, attacking them with a pair of scissors. He ends up falling into the cauldron, Nyatta cuts him into pieces with the scissors and the cats escape. Wandering further across the desert dehydrated, Nyatta digs and finds an elephant made of water, which cools them off and travels with them, though the elephant eventually evaporates from the heat. God accidentally stops the flow of time and disrupts space, and the cats play with the time-frozen scenes. Father Time turns time back on, shooting it forward and reversing it, showing various scenes of random events either rapidly going forth in time or back. Eventually the cats find themselves back on their boat in the ocean. They drift into a marsh of metallic plants and creatures, coming across the flower they were seeking. Nyatta places the flower on Nyākos face, which restores her to normal. Together, they go back home.
In the end, the entire family of cats are gathered in their house leisurely watching TV. Nyatta leaves them to visit the toilet, and while he is gone, the other family members disappear one by one in thin air. The show on the TV also disappears, leaving only a flashing screen behind. Nyatta returns, noticing that everyone is gone, and outside the nearby lamppost also turns off leaving the house in darkness. Finally the movie also "turns off", leaving behind a flashing screen of static before the credits roll.
, the "Best Short Film" award at the 2001 Fantasia Festival
and the Silver Award for Animation 2003 New York Exposition of Short Film and Video.
Tatsuo Sato (director)
' is a Japanese anime director most famous for Martian Successor Nadesico.- Works :* Martian Successor Nadesico* Cat Soup* Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars* Stellvia* Ninja Scroll: The Series* Tokyo Tribe 2...
, inspired by the work of manga artist Nekojiru
Nekojiru
, known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist.In 1990, she debuted in the June issue of the monthly manga anthology Garo with Nekojiru Udon, which is now considered her definitive work. She committed suicide on May 10, 1998...
. The surreal black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
follows Nyatta, an anthropomorphic kitten, on his travel to the land of the dead
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
and back in an effort to save his sister's soul. Cat Soup was released direct-to-DVD on 21 February 2001.
Plot
Nyāko, the older sister of Nyatta, lies very ill in her room. By accident, Nyatta drowns in the bathtub and while being clinically dead he sees his sister leaving the house holding hands with the Japanese version of KsitigarbhaKsitigarbha
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb"...
, (known as Jizou in Japanese) and follows them. Nyatta tries to claim his sister's soul back by pulling her arm. Jizou doesn't let go and Nyāko's soul gets split in two. Her brother runs away with one half. Jizou sends a clue about a flower they must search for in order to retrieve the missing part, then walks away with the other half.
Meanwhile, Nyatta's father finds his son in the bathtub and revives him. Then, all the family members gather in Nyāko's room to find out that she is dead. Nyatta gets closer with the half-soul in his arms and puts it back in his sister's body through her nose. Nyāko wakes up braindead
Brain death
Brain death is the irreversible end of all brain activity due to total necrosis of the cerebral neurons following loss of brain oxygenation. It should not be confused with a persistent vegetative state...
. After that Nyatta and Nyāko begin their journey (because their mother asks them to go and buy some fried tofu). During their outing they visit the 'Big Whale Circus', the final act of which is a giant penguin-looking bird "filled" with various weather, causes a flood of water which covers everything. The two of them end up on an Ark-esque boat with a pig, which they eventually begin to eat (by unzipping his stomach and pulling out butcher slabs). God drains the world of the oceans (by holding up the world so the water on it runs down his arm), leaving the cats and pig stranded in a desert. The pig bites off Nyatta's arm, which is repaired by a desert-dweller who makes dolls from the pieces of other cats.
Traveling across the desert, they are brought to a house by the smell of food, and are invited inside by a man. They are fed, and when full the man attempts to turn them into soup, attacking them with a pair of scissors. He ends up falling into the cauldron, Nyatta cuts him into pieces with the scissors and the cats escape. Wandering further across the desert dehydrated, Nyatta digs and finds an elephant made of water, which cools them off and travels with them, though the elephant eventually evaporates from the heat. God accidentally stops the flow of time and disrupts space, and the cats play with the time-frozen scenes. Father Time turns time back on, shooting it forward and reversing it, showing various scenes of random events either rapidly going forth in time or back. Eventually the cats find themselves back on their boat in the ocean. They drift into a marsh of metallic plants and creatures, coming across the flower they were seeking. Nyatta places the flower on Nyākos face, which restores her to normal. Together, they go back home.
In the end, the entire family of cats are gathered in their house leisurely watching TV. Nyatta leaves them to visit the toilet, and while he is gone, the other family members disappear one by one in thin air. The show on the TV also disappears, leaving only a flashing screen behind. Nyatta returns, noticing that everyone is gone, and outside the nearby lamppost also turns off leaving the house in darkness. Finally the movie also "turns off", leaving behind a flashing screen of static before the credits roll.
Awards
Cat Soup won an Excellence Prize (Animation Division) at the 2001 Japan Media Arts FestivalJapan Media Arts Festival
The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs since 1997. The festival for a nominal year was usually held during February or March next year, rather than at the end of the nominal year. For instance, the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival, where...
, the "Best Short Film" award at the 2001 Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
and the Silver Award for Animation 2003 New York Exposition of Short Film and Video.
External links
via Internet ArchiveInternet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...