The Cat Returns is to me the seminal work of the Ghibli stereotypical strong-female lead. The main character is usually headstrong, and at the same time insecure about the events going on around her, and though this isn’t a Miyazaki joint, it still epitomizes the strong female at all times.

Studio Ghibli is an institution of excellence. They’ve made films simple and wonderful enough for children to love them, and they’ve made films which have made some adults scratching their heads. I’m sure there are classes in film schools dedicated to deciphering the magic behind these staples of animated film. Am I gushing yet?

The Ghibli formula appears simple enough. Take a seemingly normal, average girl and put her in extraordinary situations. From Spirited Away to My Neighbor Totoro, Ghibli has a habit of mixing the down-trodden bored with her boring life heroine, with the fantastical stories that seem straight out of childrens storybooks. Sometimes they stray from the formula(princess mononoke, and Pom Poko are the obvious choices), but they never stray from their time-honored tradition of honoring nature. A lot of Ghibli films are about nature vs. civilization. Humans deviate from their human path into the path of nature, and sometimes nature gets fuckin’ pissed(Princess Mononoke, and Pom Poko are the obvious choices). This however shows a playful flirty side to nature that is almost cheesy in its ways to capture man(or in this case a woman).

The Cat Returns is about Haru. An exceedingly average girl who only wastes her days away pining after the cute guy in school and constantly being late. It’s worth noting that Haru reminded me of Makoto from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. She over-exaggerates and isn’t a very likeable character until her and a friend are walking along and see a cat carrying a box wrapped up with a nice bow. The cat walks along and crosses the street, but drops its box halfway across. Coincidentally a massive truck is headed its way, and the driver doesn’t even notice the cat apparently. So Haru grabs her field-hockey stick and runs to save the cat. She scoops him up, and barely avoids the truck herself. After she regains her composure a bit the cat stands on his hind legs, and thanks her while wiping the dirt off of his fur. He tells her he will repay her for this and come back for her later. This sets of an extraordinary chain of events that leads Haru to the Cat Kingdom to be married to the cat she saved, who is coincidentally the prince of the whole kingdom. Along the way she meets up with the cat figurine Baron Humpbert von Gikkingen who you may recognize from the previous Ghibli work Whispers of the Heart, and Muta (also from WOTH if memory serves correctly). They vow to help her avoid being married to the cat prince Lune.

Prince Lune and Haru

To me this film is the perfect portrait of what the Ghibli woman is. Haru isn’t terribly smart, nor is she very agile. She has her share of problems, but when she is confronted with this whole new set of problems, she picks herself up and continues on. At on point she almost gives in, she almost just stops fighting. Then the Baron shows up and she is reminded of what she was and who she could be again.

Without divulging anymore let me say that the ending is a tad expected, and almost trite, but the message is still powerful. In the beginning when the Baron and Haru first meet, the Baron tells Haru that she must always know who she is, and that after that everything else becomes easier. Sounds a bit like an after-school special doesn’t it? Still, it was necessary for her to hear those words. I think its necessary for everyone to hear those words. Too often does society try dictate who we are, and who we want to be. To me being happy is making decisions that make me happy. I try not to live by a strict moral code. Discovering who I am and what makes me happy before I die is the only thing I want out of life.

For being so perfect, and reminding me what stories are capable of this movie gets a 97/100. Its also now one of my favorites and on MAL its my number 4.