She and Her Cat - Their Standing Points

She and Her Cat - Their Standing Points
Directed by Makoto Shinkai, Japan, 1999
Total Running Time: 4:49
Source: You Tube
English Subtitled

She and Her Cat - Their Standing Points is a story about a cat and his owner. This less-than-five-minute-long animation is divided into five sections - 'Introduction,' 'Her Ordinary Life,' 'His Ordinary Life,' 'Her Loneliness,' and 'She and Her Cat.' Through out these five sections, the season changes from early spring to winter, and a cat named Chobi observes the girl’s ordinary life. He watches her tying up her long hair neatly and putting make up every day. Chobi says that he is not that interested in her job or what she is doing outside the house, but he just loves the girl for the way she is because she is kind as a mother and beautiful as a lover.

Makoto Shinkai, the Director of She and Her Cat - Their Standing Points, is one of the most famous animation makers in Japan. He was a literature major, and used to work for a game company. He did not have any education on the computer or animation before. While working in the game company, he started to learn the basics of software and make animations alone after work. In the end, Shinkai quit his job in 1999 in order to make animation seriously. This animation, She and Her Cat - Their Standing Points, was made in 1999, right after he left the company. He did everything by himself but music and the girl’s voice, which means the voice of cat, Chobi, is actually the voice of Shinkai himself. He tried to shorten the production period and the cost of production, therefore the animation was made in black-and-white.

The narrator of the animation is a cat, not a person. With the animation’s unusual point of view, the film shows something that people do not pay attention. The cat narrator sees trifles that ordinary people just ignore. For example, the girl's unintended action like humming. Also, the cat says that he is not interested in his owner’s job, and I guess the film tries to tell the viewers that it doesn’t matter what kind of job a person has, it is the person that matters. Although he said he does not care about her job, he still concerns about her when he sees the girl opening heavy metal door and going outside alone. Furthermore, he is in love with the girl, instead of viewing them as different species especially when he describes her with her coat on.

I first saw this animation two years ago. Whenever I see it, it leaves an impression on me that last long. The film starts quietly and ends quietly, like someone has thrown a pebble into a pond and disappeared. The calm wave in the pond remains for a while. The animation effectively depicts loneliness and sadness that people feel in everyday life, and warm feeling that the girl and the cat are sharing. Although life can be sometimes harsh and painful, you will be able to enjoy your life if there is someone who can share your heart. We always say "I am screwed," or "my life sucks," and so on. But we wake up in the morning, have meals, meet friends, and feel happy. It means we still like the world, like Chobi and the girl say at the end of the animation.