I rarely write anime reviews, but this one is so long that I had to compile my feelings on it. Not only is it one of the longer ones I've watched, it's also the oldest one I've watched. It's also one of the most realistic, meaning I was stepping outside of my comfort zone to watch it. The realism is what might make Cat's Eye seem boring at first, but a lot is done with the realism to set up tense environments. The three main characters, collectively known as Cat's Eye, are criminals, but they're definitely the nicest criminals compared to any of the othersin the show. Different gangs and crime bosses with authentic personalities are portrayed in many of the episodes, serving as the bad half of the crime spectrum, whereas Cat's Eye serves as the good half. The darker criminals often make this anime feel like a modern day crime drama.
But Cat's Eye, a trio of sisters, are the recurring criminals. From oldest to youngest, there's Rui, Hitomi, and Ai. Rui, who was my favorite of the three, is the beautiful one. She remains clearheaded in every situation, and comes up with rational ideas. Hitomi, who's usually the one to steal the art, is more of an anime girl you'd find in modern anime. You can see this through her frequent interactions with her boyfriend, who I'll get to later. Ai, unlike her older sisters, is still a kid going through school. However, she's advanced enough to create interesting gadgets for Cat's Eye to use in their heists. She has a lot of personality that brings life to this anime.
Every episode has Cat's Eye stealing a piece of art, usually one of their lost father's masterpieces. Each art piece is guarded or hidden in a different way, forcing Cat's Eye to come up with clever strategies in order to secure them. This is done enough to perfectly classify this anime as one of the more unique genres: tactical.
Of course, what are criminals without police to arrest them? Or at least, try to arrest them. This is what the Inunari Police Station always attempts to do, and what they always fail to do, despite how close they come to actually catching Cat's Eye. The Inunari Police Station consists of three main members: Utsumi Toshio, Mitsuko Asatani, and the Chief. Utsumi and Asatani are polar opposites in every way, though they often have to work together. Asatani is typically the efficient, serious one. Only in the very latest episodes do we see her character start to unwind and unfold. Whereas, the lazy and clumsy Utsumi is often the subject of many of the anime's jokes. The worst member of the police trio would have to be the chief, as he often does nothing but yell and call Utsumi and idiot. Fortunately, later on down the line, we see that the chief actually cares for Utsumi, which is how his character got redeemed for me.
Catching Cat's Eye wouldn't just be bad for Cat's Eye. It'd also be bad for Utsumi too. As it turns out, Utsumi and Hitomi are dating. Yet, Utsumi's never able to put 2 and 2 together to realize that Cat's Eye and Hitomi are one and the same; Hitomi as Cat's Eye usually hides her identity just with the pure night itself. While this aspect of the story does make it stand out, I personally find it ridiculous Utsumi rarely had any suspicions of his girlfriend. But this element does work in the times when Utsumi and Cat's Eye are trapped in the same place, and despite their rivalry, have moments of bonding. This makes Utsumi close to both sides of Hitomi, even if one is his worst enemy.
If you can get into this anime, it's worth watching. It may be repetitive in one aspect, but there were still individual episodes with stories that helped them stand out. Even the ones that don't stand out are extremely well-written, plus they do have other criminal organizations, or individual crooks, that serve as main plot points and prevent everything from just being cat-and-mouse between the Inunari Police Station and Cat's Eye. It should also be noted that the second half of the anime is a major improvement in terms of enjoyment. The episodes were more varied than before. Most of my favorite episodes are found near the end of the anime; they have the most unique stories, as well as relatively better pacing. But regardless of the part of the anime you're in, you're always greeted with a soundtrack that fits the stories well. The music that plays during police chase scenes, for example, couldn't be any more appropriate.
I found that this anime would often try things that ended up working out for it. It does take dedication to be able to watch through, but the brilliant writing is always there, just waiting to be appreciated.
Recommended
I wish there was more. The story line to Cat's Eye is a pretty simple premise. You'd think it would get old quick, but honestly, the premise doesn't wear thin until you get very late into the show. The thing about Cat's Eye is that it's only linked by one element and unfortunately, I don't remember that element ever being dully resolved. It ends as if there were more to come, but still manages to feel like a proper wrap up. In other words, there aren't any huge plot lines left open, just that there isn't a full resolution. Nonetheless, the shenanigans and near misses thatToshi and Kisugi sisters get into are entertaining.
The art is good. It feels era appropriate and I genuinely enjoyed it. There are some odd things like the eyes always seem to be crossed. Not a huge bother and actually becomes charming after a few episodes, but does seem odd. Otherwise the art style closely resembles Scooby-Doo from my childhood, but even better.
The sound was great. Both intros were fun to listen to and very 1980's as were the outros. The background music was a 1980's stylized swing/jazz and was always used appropriately and is great to listen to.
Characters are well developed and acted. I never got tired of seeing the characters nor did I feel annoyed by any one character. I'd like to see more interaction between Toshi and Hitomi, but the limits we get were more because of the end of the series.
Overall I enjoyed the show, although once you get in to the last 15 episodes or so, I found that it became a bit more tedious to watch. It felt as if much of the scenarios had played out and that story lines were merely being wrapped up. Despite this, I think this is a great show from the 1980's and I highly suggest it.
KuKuruna_Dagurasu
October 17, 2020
Recommended
What makes a good cup of coffee? Reliability, potency and of course flavor are some hallmarks of really good cup of Joe and its this quick metaphor I will use in describing my assessment of this classic anime. Cat's eye is a series that works because the cast of characters consistently achieve their episodic objective of satisfying you with its sexy charm of the Kisugi sisters and the incredible fun of the goofy, yet gallant detective Toshi. Further the voice actors performing their roles perfectly suit their characters, especially the multi-emotive Yoshito Yasuhara as Toshi, the sultry calm Toshiko Fujita as Rui, the sarcastically sweetChina Sakamoto as Ai and the the relatable cool Keiko Toda as Hitomi have excellent chemistry together as a set and when isolated leading the action. The overall animation is appealing mostly for its traditional design that will appeal to a more Western eye and while the overall animation flow is stiff for modern tastes, the personal action pieces for the sisters are solidly entertaining and never disappoints this viewer.
Overall, the biggest flaw a newcomer will notice is the story is limited to the standard formula that goes nowhere mostly at first but curiously picks up dramatically in the latter part of season one only to be let down with a couple halt of progress in the second season. Thusly, how can anyone truly ignore a fatal flaw in this formulaic action comedy? Well, like I said a good cup of coffee is not judged in how it will surprise you or fill you but how reliable of pick me up it can be on your mood. And there few better anime cafes than the one run by the Kisugi sisters when you are feeling low, restless and indifferent to bring that spark back into your heart.
All three sister will provide some element of elation to reinvigorate your spirits with Hitomi's determination to make the score and her sincere affection for Toshi always proviing a nice blend of thrill and tenderness you don't get with most alluring thieves. And little Ai is a bundle of joy that relates so well to anyone's little sister that know with each smile and every frown how precious family can be in your life. And with Rui you have an elder artist that holds the show together with steady wit and subtle sultriness that stays with you with each reflection.
Finally, we have the lovable Toshi who at first glance is the basic buffoon of the show but if watched honestly is really the rock of the show that leaves the audience fully awake in laughter and attention. Because when Toshi's hilarity drives the show is when it shines the brightest as all the characters work well around him including the cliche police Chief and the prudish detective Asatani. The romance between Toshi and Hitomi does progress nicely in the 1st season but it never truly loses its spark in season 2 because the bond between them is genuine and sweet.
Another highlight I have to commend this series are the beautifully portraits segmenting each episode by their incredible detail and diverse style. For the peak period of the show, I highly recommend watching for the latter part of season one to witness how much you will start to care about the missing Michael Heinz and the girls search for him. And in particular, episodes 33-35, is the rare moment when Toshi's goes from goofy to galant and boy does it drive up the stakes and make this series percolate it almost burns your tongue. The biggest plus for season 2 is simply the animation is greatly improved in lighting, color and design as the girls get even more beautiful if you can imagine.
Thusly, the point of my passionate defense of this work from famed City Huner creator Tsukasa Hojoyou is that dependable anime goodness like Cat's Eye should be respected and adored for being a simple comfort that warms your heart consistently with humor, thrills and decent sensuality, too.
AnAnimeTopScholar
September 28, 2017
Mixed Feelings
Cat's Eye is a 73 episode long TV series that premiered in 1983. It was made by studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) and was directed by Yoshio Takeuchi (Harlock Saga) for the first "half" and the second "half" was directed by Kenji Kodama (City Hunter). Cat's Eye follows the three sisters Hitomi, Rui and Ai Kisugi. During the day they work in a cafe called Cat's Eye, and by night they become the notorious theives Cat's Eye. They rob museums and take paintings and other artifacts that belong to a German artist called Michael Heinz. Heinz is actually the three sisters father, who has disappeared andthey hope that by reclaiming their fathers collection they can figure out where Heinz is hiding.
Cat's Eye quite clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the novels of Arsene Lupin and series such as Lupin III. Just like Lupin III, Cat's Eye is a completely episodic show. Unlike Lupin though, Cat's Eye tends to stick to it's formula of them figuring out where the next piece in Heinz's collection is and goes to steal it. Very rarely does it do something other than that. But that is not to say that the heists are the only thing that happens in an episode. Apart from the heists you also get to see Hitomi's struggles trying to keep her relationship with detective Toshio Utsumi going. Toshio is one of the detectives who is trying to catch Cat's Eye, yet he has no clue how close she actually is. There is also quite a lot of comedy sprinkled in as well as some fanservice. Now, the fanservice in this show is just some light teasing, so it never gets too bad.
The animation in this show was actually a little better than I thought it was gonna be. It was not great, and the first half I thought the animation was slightly worse than in the second half. In the second half, with the change of director they also slightly changed the character designs. I am still not sure if I think the new designs were better than the old ones, but it wasn't worse either, just slightly different.
The music in the show was ok for what it was. It worked well during the heists and I also liked the music played when they were in the cafe, but ultimately, those two pieces were the only music that stood out to me. They also play them quite often, so if you don't like them you are definitely going to get sick of listening to them,
Overall I thought Cat's Eye was a fun show. Me being someone who really like Lupin III, I was looking forward to see how this show would play with that formula. Ultimately I thought the show played very safe and simply stuck to what it knew how to do, and with this being 73 episodes it can make for a bit of a boring watch in the long run, but it never became too much of a problem for me. I did however appreciate how the show portrayed the relationship between Hitomi and Toshio and how hard it was for Hitomi that she had to deceieve the man she loved. At least I enjoyed that when they were taking it seriously. One thing that I did not like about the show though was that despite having this underlying plot of Cat's Eye trying to find out where their father is hiding, that never really got explored and they simply decided to focus on Cat's Eye stealing back Heinz's collection. I would have liked to see them do more with that. Overall I thought Cat's Eye is just a slightly above average show. It had potential to do so much more than what it did, but ultimately it decided to just play it safe. So even though it was an enjoyable ride I can not say that I would recommend people to watch this show. I would rather just tell you to go watch Lupin III.
