It has been announced that the TV anime "Night of the Living Cat," based on a cat manga currently being serialized in "Monthly Comic Garden" (Mag Garden) and other publications, will begin airing on TV Tokyo and other networks in July. The story tells the shocking story of a mysterious virus that turns humans who touch cats into cats, causing a "Meowdemic" to break out all over the world. On February 22nd, Cat Day, it was announced that the anime will begin airing in July, not in "Meow Meow Month."
The cast members who will play the human characters who love cats but resist becoming a cat have been announced. The cast and crew of the film are said to be all cat lovers, with Mizunaka Masaaki playing the main character Kunagi, Reina Ueda playing Kaoru who acts alongside Kunagi, Reiji Kawashima playing Arata, a former track and field club member and ninja-obsessed university student, and Yu Serizawa playing Tsutsumi, who attends the same high school as Kaoru. Subaru Kimura will play Ren, Nakajima Yoshiki will play Masaki, Yasumoto Hiroki will play Taniguchi, and Ryota Takeuchi will play Gaku.
The second teaser video, depicting a world filled with cats, has been released on YouTube.
Mizuki, who plays Kunagi, a cat cafe employee with amnesia whose true identity is shrouded in mystery, commented, "Kunagi's aura, reactions, and love of cats. I love everything about him and I thought it would be great if I could play him, so I was overjoyed when it was decided. Cats are gods. This is a story about people who live their lives to the fullest, with as much love and respect for cats as possible, even in the midst of a meow-demic. Please look forward to it!" When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?" she answered, "First of all, I would be chased by about 100 cats, and when a cat jumps on me, I'll open my arms wide and embrace it, and become a happy cat, yes."
Ueda, who plays Kaoru, a cat cafe worker, commented, "I was very happy when I heard that I was cast as Kaoru. All the residents in this work are kind to cats and love them so much that they live their days in agony. I hope that through this work, the love of cats and our pets will reach all cats!" When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?", she said, "I would become a cat with all my heart. I would be happy if I could talk to my cats and live with them..."
Kawashima, who plays Arata, who was saved by Kunagi just before turning into a cat and comes to adore him and call him "Big Bro," commented, "As someone whose main job is posting photos of my cats, Ametori, on X, I really, really wanted to get into this production...!! I'm so happy. The production Nyaito is synonymous with 'cat sucking'!!!" When asked, "What would you do if a Nyandemicc happened?" he replied, "Rather than not being able to touch my Ametori!! I'd turn into a cat too!!!! Let's groom each other, huh!!!!"
Serizawa, who plays Tsutsumi, who has a cat allergy, commented, "When I met director Takashi Miike in person at the studio audition and received his direction, it was so much fun, and I would be happy to work with him! I really wanted to do it! So when Tsutsumi was chosen, I thought that my feelings, my love for cats, had been conveyed to the director and the cat god...!! All the characters in this work love cats. It's suspenseful, but also healing. Please look forward to it!" When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?", she said, "I would rather become a cat myself!!! If possible, I would like my cat to become a cat!! And I would like to live happily with the three of them. I would like to taste crunchy Yachuru and eat lots of my favorite fish with the cats!"
Kimura, who plays the Ward family's eldest son, Len, commented, "As a cat lover, I thought, 'I definitely want to do this!' from the moment I heard about the setting. I was able to get into the role in just two seconds. The characters are all very serious, so please watch without laughing." When asked, "What would you do if the Meow-demic occurred?" he replied, "Being a cat wouldn't be so bad, would it? I'd like to experience what it's like to be pooped."
Nakajima, who plays Masaki, the second son of the Ward family, commented, "It is an honor to be able to appear in this film, and as someone who lives with cats, I'm glad I participated in the audition wearing a cat T-shirt! Every human being has wished at least once to be like a cat, who lives a carefree and leisurely life. Right? In a sense, dreams come true in the film "Night of the Living Cat," which is both fleeting and profound. Whether you like cats, don't you, or you're already a cat's slave, let's immerse ourselves in this work!" When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?" he replied, "I would be grateful to become a cat. I've answered questions like, 'If I could understand cat language...' before, but I could actually become one. I'd like to talk to my cat. I'd like to know what it's thinking, and resolve any dissatisfaction it may have. At that point, I'd already be a cat."
Yasumoto, who plays Tanishi, a regular customer at the cat cafe where Kunagi works, commented, "I'm happy to be involved in this work, which depicts a strange world where cat lovers suffer because they love cats. My parents' house was originally a kind of animal house, so I hope I can make good use of my experiences there (laughs)." When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?" he said, "I probably wouldn't be able to resist. So I would just become a cat, a wild cat with a fish in its mouth, and be chased by a wife with a unique hairstyle."
Takeuchi, who plays Gaku, the owner of a cat cafe and Kaoru's older brother, commented, "When I was chosen to play Gaku, I was so happy that I told my cats first (laughs). As I was reading the original work, I nodded countless times saying, 'I get it, I get it...' It's a happy occasion, but... I want to pet them... so please enjoy the loving conflict between humans and the cuteness of the cats... no, please be frightened!" When asked, "What would you do if a meow-demic occurred?" he said, "I would try my best to keep running away! I would like to keep watching the cats, even if it's from afar. And I would imagine... myself petting cats... and petting them. Ah, I need to get stronger now..."
The series is a cat manga written by Hawkman and illustrated by Mekarouts that has been serialized since 2020. The story is set in the year 20XX, when a virus suddenly appears that turns humans who touch cats into cats, causing a "Meowdemic." The story follows humans as they resist the temptation to touch cats and try to survive in a world full of cats.
The anime will be directed by Takashi Miike and directed by Tomohiro Kamiya, and will be produced by OLM, the studio behind "Pokemon."
◇Staff (titles omitted)
General Director: Miike Takashi▽Director: Kamiya Tomohiro▽Series Composition: Irie Shingo▽Character Design: Maki Takao▽Music: Endo Koji▽Animation Production: OLM
◇Cast (titles omitted)
Kunagi: Masaaki Suichuu▽Kaoru: Reina Ueda ▽Arata: Reiji Kawashima ▽Tsutsumi: Yuu Yu Serizawa ▽Ren: Subaru Kimura ▽Masaki: Yoshiki Nakajima▽Tanishi: Hiroki Yasumoto▽Gaku: Ryota Takeuchi
