Anime: Chii`s Sweet Home

ART & SOUND SECTION: 7/10 [What’s this? It’s a game; it’s a game!]
Very simplistic in both sections. The animators didn’t bother much with it and frankly didn’t need to. The focus is the jokes and the moody kitten and anything else is just dressing. So, everything in the series is a very simple drawing, with almost antithetic placket colors that don’t have much variety or detail. Plus, the sound department is just simple music pieces and simple dialogues. What make them really impressive are the expressions and the body language everyone has. Chi for example, really acts and talks like a real kitten most of the time. She only cares about herself, and reacts to everything as if they are either a toy or an enemy. The people in the series act as normal, everyday citizens do, so their differences are huge. Both her reactions and those of her human caretakers are making even the simplest everyday chore to appear hard and funny. Even how everyone talks is do darn funny! Since Chi does not speak or understand the human language, everything she thinks usually has nothing to do with what the humans tell her or expect from her. So even the most mundane dialogue leads to a funny misunderstandment. In a few words, although animation and sound appear totally simple at first sight, in reality they pack a lot of context that really matters to pay attention to. And as I said, it is very funny if you love cats or know how those whiny critters react to something, such as water or hot food or sudden sounds and movements.

STORY SECTION: 3/10 [I peed properly!]
There is not much of a story in general. It is just slice-of-life, everyday situations with a kitten being the epicenter of all. Every episode lasts for only 3 minutes, so most stories are divided in three to four episodes of events that if I describe to you may feel totally boring. Yet, the story has a somewhat development, as a problem Chi overcomes never bothers her in the future and almost knows how to react to it thereafter. It even has a somewhat logical learning curve or natural development, as more or less these are the issues anyone owning a cat has to go through in the same order. So, at first it’s about Chi accepting to live in a house, then learning to pee in a sandbox, then dealing with the habit to scratch things, then getting to a vet, then dealing with her fur falling all over the place and so on. The ending is not really and ending and she doesn’t seem to grow any bigger at all. Yet, it’s one of those stories where the ending does not matter and you can always expect a sequel or something.

CHARACTER SECTION: 7/10 [I am not a cat. I am Chi!]
Just like the animation and the sound, the cast is simple but likable. The kitten is of course the main character and everyone else seems to exist just to deal with her. Yet, they all do their part without ever becoming unnecessary. If the father or the mother or the boy or the black cat or the landlord were to be taken out, a great deal of pleasure would depart as well. Each one of them offers something different to the story, so there are effectively no stunts present. None has an imposing presence or matures in something; yet they are all there for a reason. Although Chi is a remarkably simple yet wonderful character, she would be just a boring cat without the humans to cause trouble to.

VALUE SECTION: 4/10 [Make it move again!]
Most episodes can easily be skipped in a second viewing. Yet the events occuring in the series are easily memorable and will remain in your minds for good.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8/10 [Wanna play?]
The pace is generally very fast and does seem ironically realistic if you know of cats. Besides a dozen episodes where nothing much happens, it is a generally very entertaining series for the entire family. It is definitely not boring. Even action lovers will find it at least cute.

VERDICT: 6/10
Oh, such a cute kitten! How can such a fluffy little thing not be likable to someone?

SUGGESTION LIST
Potemayo
Azumanga Daio

Like many people i'm sure, I held this little series in complete and utter contempt from the word go.

Pride goeth before a fall etc.

This series, despite its somewhat simple and occasionally inconsistent methods of doing so, is a shining example of animu as communication, instead of entertainment.

And what it communicates is joy, which we all need more of.

The animution is the foundation of the effort; despite the fact it has no major technical merits. The timed use of extremely effective character mutations combined with smooth transition is quite impressive, to term it somewhat too grandly. Character design (that is, Chi) is downright inspired, and much good was done with her. However, the fact that this is Chi's Sweet Home, instead of the Trials And Tribulations of the Yamada-ke means that no-one else gets this much work, including the background. Not that this was unintentional, it works but it is still a mark against it.

Sound is again inconsistent, or perhaps the word centric would work better. Chi is composed of win, but everyone else (bar Yohei maybe) is working as (outstanding) generics, which is sad when you find out who is actually doing the voices. OP is sweet, but will drive you nuts in short order; BGM is fairly repetitive, but given the length of the eps, is tolerable.

Story (ahaha!); it is simple, effective and conducive to good humors. Hell, it may even be considered original. But it is for the midgets amongst us. Even though they tried a few reliable (cheap) tricks to get some emotional provokement, I doubt it will be prompting manly tears any time soon. But it was fun to follow, and I expect a second series will appear sharpish.

Character development is entirely focused on Chi, with a few peripherals; this is good, effective and efficient use of 5.2 hrs. It is not especially involving, which depending on your schedule may be a good thing. It does however skip a few inconvenient parts on the way, again efficient &c. but reduces the amount of possible new options in present and future.

As I said before ( and will probably receive hate mail for over generalisation) this is for midgets. The fact we outstanding developments of the human race have the opportunity to partake there in is an unaccounted bonus which was not wholly capitalised on. So the only likelihood of rewatching is probably with your favorite midget.

But you will enjoy it, for such is the will of The Emperor. This is joy dispensed in compact 3 minute segments, and will improve most grades of grey day up to but not including those caused by physical injury.

P.S. ; Yoroshiku were very thoughtful in including OP skipping facilities, I suggest you make use of them before ep 98.