She And Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa

Book Summary

She and Her Cat is a book with four short stories written by Makoto Shinkai and drawn by Naruki Nagakawa. The common theme of the stories is cats and their owners, who experience emotions such as sorrow, grief, and depression and interact with them. Cats, which in Japanese culture symbolize happiness and joy, are portrayed in this work as companions for humans, connecting them to good and hopeful days. An interesting point about the storytelling is the shift in perspective between humans and cats in different parts of the book.

In the first story, a cat, whose name is not mentioned, encounters a woman while lying next to a train station in a cardboard box. The woman is also involved in romantic troubles and this encounter leads to changes in their mood and atmosphere in a way that the woman takes the cat home and names it "Chobi," and they start spending happy moments together. In the second story, a young artist girl who is confused about continuing her studies gradually develops an interest in a stray cat and feeding it, which proves to be very effective and useful in calming her mind and making appropriate decisions for continuing her education.

The third story tells of a young girl who has recently lost her friend and feels guilty about it, and finally a divorced woman in the final years of her life is trying to bring happiness to herself by taking care of a cat. In any case, the authors of this book have tried to show people that their friendship with animals can shine a light of hope in their darkest moments and create conditions for them to experience the future with more energy.

About the Author

Makoto Shinkai, born Makoto Niitsu on February 9, 1973, in Japan. In addition to writing, he is active in directing, voice acting, producing, and animating. After graduating from high school, Shinkai studied Japanese literature at university. In 1998, Shinkai successfully completed his first animation project and began working with Comics Wave Films Studio, producing numerous short and feature films that garnered much praise from the public and critics. Some of his written works and films include: She and Her Cat, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Suzume, Weathering with you, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

Who Should Read the Book?

It is recommended for individuals interested in works written in the field of Japanese literature or who love cats to read the presented work.

Book Quotes

Society is mostly made up of words. I realized this when I found a job and stepped into the world. Everything was "finish this task" or "tell so-and-so about this." Work was only done through exchanges of vague words that would vanish and disappear. Everyone dealt with this as if it were completely natural, but to me, it was more or less magical.

I enjoyed dealing with documents and records because I felt they lasted. It seemed that my colleagues didn't like these kinds of tasks, so I was ready to do them and be useful to my colleagues as a result. Without a doubt, working with documents and records gave me more comfort than dealing with people.

I wasn't talkative, and I rarely had anything more to say, but my friends loved to talk. Whenever I spent time with Tamaki, whom I knew from my university days, he effortlessly chatted away and made me laugh heartily. Tamaki could find meaning in any situation, as if he could see things that I couldn't. He always seemed like an amazing person to me.

I liked people who were talkative. One of my friends was Nobu. He was a year younger than me and talked a lot; about his job at the insurance company, about science fiction movies, electronic music, and ancient battles in China. He talked to me about all kinds of things. Thanks to him, I knew a lot about insurance mechanisms and the names of military commanders.