The premiere of the animated adaptation of Yani Neko quickly became one of the most talked-about topics of this weeks, but the reasons are far from positive. Although many applauded the production committee's decision not to censor the source material in any way, a huge wave of Japanese viewers took the drastic step of abandoning the series halfway through its first episode. The reason is simple and compelling: a deep and unbearable sense of revulsion at the intimate and incredibly vulgar situations that the story presents in such a direct manner.
How does the audience see it
The most ironic aspect of this controversy is that the widespread backlash stems precisely from the project's technical excellence. Comments on Japanese 2ch highlight that the quality of the animation is surprisingly high, but it is that absurd level of detail in depicting grime, bodily fluids and general filth that ultimately exceeded the audience's tolerance threshold. By adding colour and extremely fluid movement to the dense panels of the original manga, the unpleasant elements became so intense that they completely overshadowed the entertainment value for the average viewer. Some users even pointed out that the series would have worked much better with a clumsier visual style and a more modest budget to soften the brutal visual impact.
Not every negative aspect has to be bad
This kind of extreme comedy is definitely not for everyone, and the first episode acted as a harsh filter, weeding out a large portion of the audience. Several long-time readers of the franchise admitted that. Although the printed work was already quite hard to stomach in its own right, seeing these infamous scenes brought to the small screen provoked an almost immediate aversion in them. However, this exodus of viewers has an interesting analytical angle: just as happened in the past with divisive series such as Jimoto Saikou, the fact that the more sensitive audience is jumping ship so early ensures that future episodes will likely be free of complaints, leaving only the true fans who genuinely enjoy this dark and disgusting niche.
Some trivia you should know
The original title is Yani Neko (ヤニねこ) which roughly translates as tar cat or nicotine cat. The English official title is Chain smoker cat. And there is also the magic numbers in the OP: 3301 and 3401. In Saizeriya's Japanese menu system, these specific codes correspond to two of the most commonly ordered adult beverages:
- 3301: Draft Beer
- 3401: Red Wine
And the OP is also filled with a lot of cultural references, like The King of Comedy, Ready or Not, Stand By Me, Trainspotting, Nirvana's Nevermind, The Usual Suspects, Fallen Angels, Fight Club, Spiderman 3, the Wednesday's dance, Flashdance, Saturday Night Fever, Lord of the Rings, Evil Dead and Resident Evil: Extinction.
The series is being released in two versions:
The uncensored Evil Dragon Unleashed cut. Respects the work's directorial intent on some of the episodes.
And the clean On-Air cut for the terrestrial TV broadcast.
Plot summary
Set in a modern-day world where cat-people, known as beastfolks (juujin in the original), co-exist with humans. The series follows the daily misadventures of Yaniko, a cat girl who lives in a small apartment building in Nyagamihara (based on Sagamihara, Kanagawa prefecture) and is addicted to smoking, regardless of the damage to her environment, her psyche, or her family. As the series progresses, Yaniko's friends and other troubled cat girls with their own issues are introduced along with their human landlord, who mysteriously tolerates their antics.