Fridae

It must bring great happiness to cat lovers that, after several dogs titles in recent months (Marley & Me, Hotel for Dogs, Bolt, Beverly Hill Chihuahua, etc), a cat movie has finally arrived in our cinemas. Well, helloooo kitty!

Gu Gu The Cat is based on Yumiko Oshima's autobiographical manga. It centers on an unmarried comic artist Asako (Koizumi Kyoko) who relies on her old cat Ca Va for companionship. So when the cat dies, Asako is completely devastated. She becomes withdrawn and is unable to write or draw comics.

After much deliberation, Asako goes to a pet store and finds a new cat, which she calls Gu Gu. The cute cat quickly cures Asako of her depression and starts her creative juices flowing again. Indeed, Asako's newly-restored sense of joy even attracts the interest of a younger man�

Directed by Inudo Isshin, Gu Gu The Cat seems to do for cats what Marley & Me did for dog movies. Both films are based on autobiographical source materials. Both relate in simple, unpretentious ways the important role pets play in the life of human beings. And although Marley had famous stars (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) and Gu Gu doesn't, their modest approach to storytelling, peppered by little humorous incidents, are similar.

For cat lovers, Gu Gu The Cat is highly recommended. For non-animal lovers, this may seem like just another fur ball affair.