Synopsis for the Feature Length Animated Film Neko No Ongaeshi (The Cat Returns), Watch Video

An ordinary 17-year-old girl learns to be herself through a strange experience in the Kingdom of Cats.

Haru is not finding life as a teenager in modern Japan to her liking. She finds the rush of the busy schooldays overwhelming and tiring, a flurry of boring classes and tiring sports.

One day, Haru spots a cat carrying a small box trying to cross a busy street against a red light. She impulsively dashes out into the street and saves the cat just as it's about to be crushed by a truck. That night, an unusual thing happens. The Cat King, accompanied by his royal retinue, pays Haru a visit. The cat that she has saved turns out to be the King's son, Prince Lune. Haru is presented with a list of gifts that the cats are preparing to thank her, including an invitation to visit the Kingdom of Cats.

The cats' gratitude turns out to be too much for Haru, and she seeks help from Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, of the Cat Business Office. The Baron introduces his associates- Lune, an enormous, rough-and-tumble white cat, and Toto, a giant black crow- and together, they do what they can to help. But it isn't enough to keep Haru from making an unexpected visit to the Kingdom of Cats. When Haru discovers that the king's plan is to marry her to Prince Lune, she vows to escape, but yet something holds her back. Being fussed over by an entire kingdom, Haru begins to think that being a cat might not be so bad, and the more she thinks so, the more she begins to lose herself and to look like a cat.

Can Haru return to her own world? Can she manage to be herself?

Contributors