Henneko

Summary: >

Sitting on a hill is a cat statue rumor has it will grant a wish if offered something you value. Yuto decides to wish away the fecade he hides behind, so he'll be more honest. While there he meets Tsukiko, a girl who thinks she's too emotional and wants to hide this side of her. It turns out the rumors are true, but wishes have strange consequences. Yuto loses his facade, but now blurts out anything that comes to mind. Tsukiko feels the same inside, but can't outwardly express any emotion. Yuto eventually regains his facade, but Tsukiko is now stuck this way.

As the two become better acquainted, it turns out Tsukiko has long been interested in Yuto. Yet for some reason he doesn't remember her. Many problems seem easily fixed by making requests of the cat god. Yet each time wishes are granted, things only get more troublesome. Perhaps the cat god could offer a way of getting these two together, or perhaps it's already caused them more issues than they realize.

Thoughts: >

Hentai Prince and Stony Cat (usually abbreviated "Henneko") has the unfortunate problem of having the word hentai right in the title. Hentai in this case meaning perverted, not referring to porn. Overlooking the title issue, the anime isn't anything special, but it does have a bit more charm and better story than I would have thought.

One big problem comes with gimmicky pandering to popular anime tropes. It's still fun, but tiresome if you're burned out on that stuff. Henneko looks like shallow fluff, but there's more to this one. From a drama perspective it tries a little too hard, but deep down it's a cute story. The cat god's mischief adds unpredictability, which kept me glued to a show otherwise not very remarkable.

The characters aren't worth mentioning as you've seen them done before, with the possible exception of Tsukiko. She seems typical for the emotionless anime girl, but the difference between her personality and her expression is more interesting. Tsukiko is still the emotional girl inside, it's only outwardly that she appears impassive. What she says comes out in a quiet monotone, but her reactions and words are consistent with someone far more energetic. It requires paying attention, and reading into her character, but it's a cool idea. Although I doubt most will get that.

If you're not tired of the usual gimmicks, there's a lot to like about Henneko. It's not exceptional, but fun enough (mostly). It's a little stronger than its peers due to the cute story feeling more sincere (even if slightly overdone at times). Henneko pulls enough out of the hat to make it worth the watch.

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