At the beginning of Ghost Cat Anzu, Tetsuya and his daughter Karin travel to Iketeru (known as the town of eternal summer). They visit because Tetsuya owes a loan shark money, and he hopes to borrow funds from his dad to pay back his debt. However, he last saw his father about twenty years ago, and his papa refuses to lend him the cash. This incident results in Tetsuya traveling back to the town he fled from to earn money somehow, all while leaving Karin behind.
After Karin's father, who will not be winning a Dad of the Year award anytime soon, leaves Iketeru, Anzu becomes her protector, and they build a friendly bond. Anzu is a ghost cat that has inhabited the town for a while and is the helpful feline everyone wants to befriend. Karin's grandfather found Anzu out in the rain when he was just a kitten, rescued the fun-loving stray, and raised him. After Anzu lived 20+ years without deteriorating health, he was deemed an eternal ghost cat.
As a character, Anzu is upbeat, likable, and humorous. There's nothing this craftsman cat can't do as he travels around town helping the locals. Whether giving an older man a massage for his debilitating back pain or helping drive cormorants away to protect one of the town's food sources (fish), this kitty is a jack-of-all-trades. Yet, he's not entirely selfless and comes equipped with sass, which only adds to his intriguing personality and the film's sense of humor.
That said, what starts as a promising feature set in an enchanted world with an amusing protagonist quickly loses momentum. Ghost Cat Anzu's issue is that it attempts to introduce other important plot points far too late in the story. When these pivotal moments are explored, they feel fleeting and never have the intended emotional impact.
Take, for example, the exploration of grief that Karin is experiencing after viewers learn that her mother passed away years prior. When the pair have the chance to reunite briefly, this sentimental encounter is overshadowed by the turmoil of the adventure unfolding around the story. During the film's more touching moments, you can't help but feel disengaged as a viewer, as there isn't enough groundwork laid up until that point to earn emotional resonance. Ultimately, Ghost Cat Anzu fails to connect the animation's fun, light-hearted side with its deeper themes. Often, the film's most heartfelt scenes feel rushed through and more of an afterthought.
That's not to say that Ghost Cat Anzu doesn't have some redeeming qualities, as it certainly does. The animation keeps viewers engaged, and the feature excels at world-building. Even if the result is a narrative that remains in the surface-level territory, Anzu is a charming character you root for and, above all else, playful, wacky amusement for 90 minutes.