The Star of Cottonland: The Anime That Put Catgirls on The Map

The year is 1984, anime is in the early stages of entering its golden era where many more granular themes and genres find definitive formations. Nausicaa of The Valley of The Wind appears and just four years later Akira hits theaters.

At the same time as Nausicaa releases, though, a very easy to miss movie lands upon the silver screens: The Star of Cottonland. With the claim of putting Catgirls on the map in anime, it's the kind of movie that once you hear about it, you just have to check it out.

So, of course, I did. It's wildly far from what you might think. For one, the titular "catgirl" Chibi-Neko is not some anthropomorphic hybrid like the title relates to these days. Rather, they're just a real cat, who imagines herself (and other cats) as people. Similarly, she can't communicate with humans, so it's quite the stark contrast to where the style for catgirls (and other kemonomimi traits) exists currently.

Regardless, as a movie it straddles two eras. There are pieces that present as timeless, and others that struggle to find a station in any period outside of its own. Unsurprisingly, this indecision on execution is why it never broke through the crust and into the upper echelon of movies from the era.

In spite of those failures to engage larger audiences over longer periods of time, it's still a work worth watching. Thoughtfully adapting the earlier pieces of Yumiko Ooshima's hit manga, it's able to present a compelling story of adolescence, independence, and growth through both Chibi-Neko and her owner Tokio. Additionally, though not necessarily in the best ways possible, the movie features a significant portion of original material. Struggling to reach the same narrative highs of the earlier pieces, it pivots into a more "fun" adventure film perfect for a younger audience, complemented by a delightfully strong production effort.

I really do recommend checking out the movie if you have the time and curiosity, or if you want a better perspective without spending an hour and a half on it, I do have a review that tackles the contents of the movie.

Overall, it's a really interesting bit of anime history, and one that I really do want to share. Having only recently watched the movie though, I've still got some work ahead of me for properly filling out the interesting and odd details of the production, subsequent release, and the effects that the movie had on the industry.

Just as a little teaser of the weird world of The Star of Cottonland, did you know that the "most successful pianist in the world", Richard Clayderman, provided music for the movie? It's the only (currently known) instance where the famous pianist has provided an accompaniment to an anime, which is wildly surprising when you consider their disproportionately large Asian fanbase.