Cat Shit One

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined Watership Down and Modern Warfare, then animated it in CG? Me neither, but I wish I had. That’s exactly what you get with Cat Shit One, IDA Movie’s new animated series, directed by Kazuya Sasahara and based on Motofumi Kobayashi’s manga, and it is awesome. The name’s sure to throw a few people off (when the manga was released in the states, it was retitled as the sickeningly punny Apocalypse Meow), not only because of its comically profane “engrish”, but also because there aren’t any cats (or shit, for that matter) to speak of in the series. The protagonists are anthropomorphic rabbits (another pun, as the Japanese word for bunny is “usagi”, thus “USA G.I.”) cast as American soldiers in a Blackwater-type merc outfit stationed in the Middle East. The 23-minute short (supposedly the first of many episodes) primarily concerns cowardly Botasky (voiced by Tom Flynn) and all-around badass Sgt. Packy (Will Prescott) staging a rescue op that quickly goes from bad to worse. The animation, while not up to Pixar caliber, is quite impressive for a production of this size. The bunnies and camels (as the Middle Eastern antagonists are somewhat-offensively portrayed) are beautifully rendered as they gun each other down in ever-so-graphic detail. The gritty and realistic violence (throat-slitting, headshots, and grenade explosions are all on display here) makes for an interesting contrast with the ultra-cutesy character designs. The only thing that serves to disappoint is the sub-par English dub cast, although as Japanese Animation dubs go, it could have gone much worse. If you’re an anime fan, gamer, military enthusiast, or just a general lover of bizarre shit, do yourself a favor and check out Cat Shit One, which is available to watch for free on IDA Movie’s YouTube channel until February 19th (it’s also available on DVD and Blu-ray, but I can’t in good conscience recommend shelling out the cash, considering the short runtime).