Bakeneko Anzu-chan

Karins Vater ist ein Hallodri; nach dem Tod der Mutter lädt er die Elfjährige beim Opa ab, einem Mönch, der einem kleinen Tempel am Land vorsteht. Dabei wird er von einer großen, aufrecht gehenden Geisterkatze namens Anzu unterstützt, die sich nun auch um Karin kümmern soll. Das Mädchen aber, von der ganzen leidigen Situation ins Grantig-Bockige getrieben, macht sich auf den Alleingang. Und dann dauert es nicht lange, bis das Tor zur Unterwelt, natürlich aus Versehen, geöffnet ist und guter Rat teuer. Sanfte Farben, weiche Formen und unerwartete Wendungen zeichnen diese aufrichtige Geschichte über Abschied und Neuanfang aus – und ein warmes Herz. (Alexandra Seitz)

Based on a manga by Takashi Imashiro, BAKENEKO ANZU-CHAN is an animated film about unlikely friendships, unprocessed grief and the need to say goodbye to those we love. We follow the adventures of Karin, an 11-year-old girl who has lost her mother and been abandoned by her father, and Anzu, a ghost cat (a curious mixture of Garfield and Doraemon) appointed to take care of her. The relationship between Karin, who is often sulky and frustrated, and the spirited Anzu is hardly a walk in the park—but their bond deepens and strengthens as the story advances. Directed by Kuno Yoko and Yamashita Nobuhiro, BAKENEKO ANZU-CHAN is the result of a complex production that included a live-action shoot subsequently transformed into Rotoscoped animation. A soft, watercolour palette gives an impressionistic touch to the settings, creating a vivid contrast with the fairytale character of the ever-more plentiful anthropomorphised figures. The action becomes denser as the plot moves from the surroundings of a Buddhist temple to Tokyo, before finally ending up in Hell. BAKENEKO ANZU-CHAN confronts us with the mysteries of a universe where the line separating the living from the dead is magical and diffuse. (Cristina Álvarez López)

Kuno Yoko: AIRY ME (2013, K)

Yamashita Nobuhiro: LINDA LINDA LINDA (2005), THE MATSUGANE POTSHOT AFFAIR (2006), A GENTLE BREEZE IN THE VILLAGE (2007), MY BACK PAGE (2011), THE DRUDGERY TRAIN (2012), TAMAKO IN MORATORIUM (2013), LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM (2015), OVER THE FENCE (2016), ONE SECOND AHEAD, ONE SECOND BEHIND, LET’S GO KARAOKE! (2024), SWIMMING IN A SAND POOL (2024), CONFESSION (2024)