English Dub Review: Chainsmoker Cat “Episode 1”
Overview:
Catgirl Yani struggles to pay rent and spends what little she has on cigarettes- until a simple call with her sister Imoko sparks a far greater crisis.
Our Take:
I’m going to get a little personal here for a second. I grew up in a household where everyone smoked cigarettes, so the smell of them has almost become nostalgic. But it also grosses me out beyond anything, and it almost seems like this show is leaning into all the things that make people sick about smoking. So if those are things that trigger you, then this might not be the show for you. But also, it’s hard to figure out who this show is for and what it’s supposed to be about. Is it showing the danger of smoking and nicotine addiction or glorifying it?
Especially with another “smoking” show hitting this season, the timing is weird. Did Big Tobacco suddenly start financing anime? I’m kidding for the most part. I’ve read Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, and it’s not glorifying smoking.
From a technical standpoint, this show is beautifully animated, and I’m looking forward to that. The bounce of the catgirl’s titties two minutes in was exceptional. So good, we got a scene of the landlord who caught her taking her shirt off, jerking off. None of what happened in this episode was something I expected. With catgirls, I expected some ecchi stuff, but what we got was a bit odd.
The way the team animated how bad a smoker’s breath and teeth are was something that gave me the ick. I know what I’m saying sounds bad, but I’m not sure that it is as of yet. Perhaps that’s what they’re going for, and most of this episode was an introduction to Yani as a character.
As for the voice cast, Netflix is pretty bad about releasing the cast, and it’s kind of a pain to track them down. I typically use one of two websites, which are My Anime List and Behind the Voice Actors. I have a pretty good ear for VAs, and I have some thoughts on who is voicing who, but I don’t want to say anything because I don’t know if I’ll get anyone in trouble.
I’ve never had a show so beautiful that it grossed me out so much. It’s only the beginning, and we’ve got a lot to see still. I’m cautiously optimistic about how this show will go, and let’s see if it has a main story that is interesting.
