In an interview we had with Dean Fujioka, producer and protagonist of “Pure Japanese” in 2022, he stated: “I started working in Japan about 10 years ago and as I spoke with the stunt crews on site, I learned that there are less opportunities for them to play an active part in recent years, which simply led me to think that we should make more action movies in Japan. Kind of like regeneration of old folk houses, I thought it would be great to see more opportunities for them to show the beauty of action stunts, Japanese legacy”. It seems his urging was heard, and in the last few years, we had a number of new action movies coming out of Japan, with “Baby Assassins” and “One Percenter” being two of the most renowned samples. Reiki Tsuno is another filmmaker dealing with the concept, presenting a movie that moves towards action comedy paths.
Mad Cats is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
Ever since his archeologist brother Mune went missing, Taka's life has mostly consisted of drinking, sleeping, and enduring his landlady's nagging over unpaid rent money, for the trailer he lives in. One day, however, his landlady brings him an envelope containing a tape that states that his brother is held captive at the place where they found a black cat. Taka decides to investigate but stumbles upon more than he can bargain, as he realizes that in order to save his brother, he has to face an organization of anthropomorphic cats, who have declared war against all humanity who exploits, or just does not abide by the wishes of cats, including pet shop owners. The concept of actually fighting, for such a timid guy as himself, seems impossible. However, eventually he stumbles upon Takezo, a homeless man, and Ayane, who proves an astonishing fighter, and the three embark on a journey that includes forbidden Egyptian catnips and other terrible secrets, while fighting the aforementioned group almost non-stop.
Check this interview
Reiki Tsuno directs a film that can be described by a number of factors (tags if you prefer): low budget, b-movie, sexy girls with guns, anthropomorphism, fanservice, action, comedy and silliness. The amalgam is rather amusing and entertaining on occasion, but you definitely need to have a knack for the aforementioned elements in order to appreciate it. However, there are also a number of smart elements here, particularly the way a number of characters react as if they were actual cats on occasion, equally in their reactions, behavior and movement, in an aspect that is used both for laughs and in order to present some sense of sensualism. At the same time, the concept of cat world domination and the question of whether humans can impose their will on cats is also smartly implemented in the narrative, resulting in both comedy and action.
Also of note is the role reversal, in a fashion that becomes more and more common lately in Asian cinema. In that regard, the men here are weak cowards, to the point that women end up fighting just among them, ignoring them completely, with Ayane having the role of the protector as she fights scores of catwomen. The result of this girl-on-girl action is quite entertaining, particularly because the fights are well choreographed, and the girls look cool, sexy and mysterious at the same time, while Tsuno somewhat tones down the low-budget aesthetics by using frequent slow and fast motion. Also worth mentioning is the reappearances of a woman holding a Chinese sword while doing an intricate routing with it throughout the movie, in a concept that is so absurd, that is bound to make any viewer laugh.
DP Shintaro Teramoto captures all the aforementioned with gusto, fittingly throwing any kind of realism out of the window. Reiki Tsuno's editing implements a fitting fast pace, with the occasional sudden cuts being part of the humor. When the film slows down, however, and tries to be a bit more serious, the quality definitely decreases, although this aspect does not last for long, and at 88 minutes, the movie definitely does not overextend its welcome.
Sho Mineo as Taka and Yuya Matsura play the buffoons in entertaining fashion, as two of the main driving forces behind the comedy here. The one who steals the show, though, is Ayane (the actress has the same name as the character), with her laconic demeanor and her overall mysteriousness being a central point of appeal here. From the rest of the actresses, all of which are also quite pleasant to the eye, the one who stands out is Hikari Aiko as The Boss, as she is quite convincing within her bossy-ness.
“Mad Cats” is definitely a fun film, and will appeal particularly to fans of action movies that also embrace large portions of silliness within their movies.
