English Dub Review: My Roommate Is a Cat “Because You’re Here”

Wow, Subaru is truly terrible at taking care of himself… luckily he doesn’t have to.

Overview

Subaru is struggling to write an afterword for his latest novel. Stumped, he heads to the living room to find a cat owner interest magazine and walks in on Haru stretched out in front of the window Intrigued by the concept, Subaru decides to imitate his pet, and he falls into a deep sleep right there on the floor. In his dream, he recalls his early friendship with his neighbor Yasata.

Subaru not only had a great love of books as a child, but he also memorized them. He did so with a childhood book “The Sun & The Moon” and he even wrote a sequel to it. His parents were incredibly impressed with his efforts and their support nurtured his interest into a budding career. They elder Mikazukis read Subaru’s college novel and gave him nothing but encouragement which gave him the confidence to submit to a writing contest, win, and subsequently get his first novel published starting his career. All through this time. His neighbor Yasata was at this side. Though he never truly understood Subaru, he was always supportive of his bookish friend, helping him out when necessary.

In the present, Yasata has dropped in for the latest of his numerous home visits, and he’s scared Haru. Subaru walks in to see what all the commotion is about and sees Haru on top of the fridge. He coaxes her down, but when she jumps to him, she lands on his head and kicks him. Subaru passes out, and when he awakens, he discovers Yasata and Kawasei taking care of him. It turns out that his sitting in the window overnight resulted in him catching a cold. Subaru’s two friends cook him up a hearty meal to help him recover as he lays in bed recuperating.

Haru, when we switch to her perspective, goes on a small slapstick adventure. She sees Subaru passed out and thinks to get some food for both of them. She manages to open the cabinet where Subaru keeps all the food, but can’t get her wet food out of its tin. She manages to roll the can behind a stack of newspapers, get her head caught in a can, and her paw stuck to the rug. This mess precipitates the mess that Yasata would then make trying to avoid stepping on her tail. After Yasata and Kawasei head off to cook for Subaru, Haru sits on her friend’s chest, watching over him to make sure he gets better.

Our Take

Another masterfully done episode from My Roommate is A Cat. Through a new set of prodigious flashbacks, the show manages to create a believable world that Subaru has not appreciated, then lost, but offers him redemption in the friendships he makes with Haru and the humans in his life. This episode was especially effective in showing his parents’ support for his artistic endeavors. It was nothing short of heartwarming to see them sneak-read his book when he was home from college.

It was also effective to get some background for Yasata and Subaru’s friendship. They’re certainly an odd couple, with Subaru barely even acknowledging their connection in some of the earlier episodes. By seeing their past together, we come to understand their relationship as one of two people bonded even though they have little in common. Yasata immediately cements himself in Subaru’s neighborhood as a popular sports-lover, while Subaru is a bookish loner. The two never seem to let their differences get in their way, though. I assume this has something to do with all the time Yasata spent at Subaru’s house during their childhood when Yasata’s parents took one of the siblings we met last week to the hospital. I wonder if we’re building to a chronic illness in Yasata’s sister.

Some things kept this episode from perfection, however. Haru’s subplot didn’t feel nearly as organic as it could have. The two perspectives didn’t seem to coalesce at all, and the last five minutes that were devoted to Haru felt like a short in their own right that didn’t have much to do with what Subaru and the humans were doing. While I never fail to be impressed with how each is able to play a bit part in the other’s story-line, Subaru and Haru’s worlds have meshed more effectively than this. Additionally, a few translations resulted in some pretty out there lines this time.

An interesting prop this time around was Subaru’s sequel to “The Sun and the Moon”. It concerns the sun and the moon intending to switch jobs for the time being. I found myself wondering who it represents. Is it Subaru and Yasata? Whereas Subaru’s family took care of Yasata as a child when his parents were going to the hospital with his sister, is Yasata’s family returning the favor by checking in on Subaru every so often? Is it Haru and Subaru? Subaru takes care of Haru by feeding her, was her attempt to feed him a reversal of the same? It would tie the two stories together a little better. Either way, this isn’t a level I’d seen My Roommate is a Cat work on just yet, and I was interested in the mystery.

My Roommate is shaping up very well at what is likely the two-thirds mark of the season. Around now, I would usually be worried that a show has dropped a subplot or has nowhere left to go between this point and the finale, but My Roommate is a Cat is making this look easy. Their limited toolbox has only served them well at this point in the season. They spend just enough time away from characters to make me miss them (Anyone else wondering what Nana and her brother are up to?), and they rarely overuse anyone, save Kawasei slightly, but I trust they have plans for him. My Roommate is a Cat has become a staple of my week, and I am truly going to be sorry to see it end in a few weeks.