Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu – 01

「デキる猫は今日も憂鬱」 (Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu)
“The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today”

GoHands has been on a roll this season. Over the years, the studio has become more synonymous with the glossy yet washed-out aesthetic that made shows like K gather eyes. But since then, this has resulted in the kind of lens flare and sensory overload that would garner a more divisive reaction in shows such as Suki na Ko ga Megane o Wasureta that have had to contend with its hallway scene spreading around online like wildfire. But will the studio’s second anime this season, Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu be restrained by the studio’s vices, or will its foundation be enough to keep it stable?

LIVING IN A CAT’S WORLD

Personally, I enjoy the chaotic look of every GoHands anime. Everything feels so uncomfortably glossy, the perspective is constantly hugging floors and surfaces, and the color palette is comprised of white, brown, silver, and blue. It’s such a campy aesthetic that it fits nicely with the chaos of Saku’s worklife and the attentiveness that Yukichi gives towards his household duties. To me, it felt less like a distraction and more of an art decision that compliments its fast-paced feel by counterbalancing it with the stillness of its character interactions.

Most of Saku’s problems feel more despairing than most work-related anime I’ve stumbled into based on how the production deals with a stressful workday or a nervous social interaction. It’s hard not to feel bad for her when she fails to catch Yukichi’s cooking while it’s still fresh. Through her familial interactions with Yukichi and her nerve-wracking conversations at work, it makes it all the more endearing to see when she’s able to appreciate the effort the people (and cat) who surround her put into helping uplift her.

Yukichi is also a very amusing character as someone who has a black cat. He has the same traits of a normal cat by taking up so much space in bed, loving tight spaces, and getting frightened by water. And yet, his sentience and size grant him a sense of humanity as he acts as sort of a house-husband to Saku. Where he is up for any challenge if it involves treating Saku to home-cooked meals and clean surfaces, even if he gets frustrated by the times she can’t enjoy his efforts.

It definitely fills more of a niche for those who are looking for a nice slice of life and can tolerate the GoHands production style. But it feels good to say I had a good time with Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu, and appreciated what it brought to the table.