When an anime veteran sees something like “Cat Planet Cuties” they will immediately lump it into a stereotypical fan service type anime. Simply on that face value, some people will immediately buy it while others will blow it off. Both parties, though, will be surprised that it’s not exactly what they thought it would be.
The story revolves around a young boy named Kio (voiced by Aaron Dismuke), who discovers a strange girl by the name of Eris (Tia Ballard) at one of his family gatherings. It is discovered that Eris is a genuine alien, from the planet known as Catia. While their people look similar to humans, the obvious difference is that Catians have real cat ears and tails, not to mention that Eris have breasts that seem disproportional to her body.
The first two episodes of Cat Planet Cuties have very heavy on fan service, making sure to hook in that kind of audience, which is almost a standard for most anime. It will easy weed out those who are interested and those who will choose to blow it off.
Blowing off the show so early may not be such a wise idea though. After the initial “hooking” episodes, fan service isn’t as presence as it was and focusses on the sci-fi elements involved. “Cat Planet Cuties” is a more episodic kind of show than linear, although some elements do transfer from show to show.
The story doesn’t really need a central plot though. It’s a standard “fish out of water” tale, so the show focusses on the Catians discovering the strange things of Earth. Almost everything is played for laughs, which is sometimes hit-or-miss. Many dramatic elements don’t feel paced too well, but it does have a good heart to it. The love harem between Kio and the girls does drive many of the episodes, and is resolved at the end with information that could have solved all of it within the first arc.
A lot of money went into the show. Deep details of space ships and gun battles are showcased in almost every episode. It is also good to see that every girl has their own distinct look, instead of all of them looking similar.
The show’s biggest strength comes from Kio’s two friends, Aoi (Monica Rial) and Manami (Brittney Karbowski). While it is obvious that the two of them have crushes on Kio (as it seems to be the standard for all anime these days), they don’t really seem to spend a lot of time around them. They’re usually off doing their own thing. In this way, they become more fleshed out, and the chemistry between the two of them works really well.
It’s the opposite for the leads though. Eris and Kio are just standard archetypes of the characters they portray. Kio is the nerdy schoolboy who means well and Eris is the innocent, busty alien girl who doesn’t know any better. It’s something that is done to death in anime (with and without the alien part) and really brings down the quality. The two of them, while have great chemistry, are just boring, which is devastating if you’re the lead characters.
The voice acting is also very well done; but, this is Funimation, of course it’s going to be well done. Casting for each of the characters seems to fit perfectly, from Ballard’s amazing feeling of innocence for Eris to Rial’s strong, yet feminine vibe from Aoi. Unfortunately, the script is a bit weak, but that’s more to blame on the kind of material that they are trying to adapt.
“Cat Planet Cuties” is a fun show, and while it can take itself too seriously at points, it still manages some way to keep you interested. Some people will be turned away by the fact that this is a “fan service” show, and new comers to anime may just be put off completely, but those who decide to give it a chance will be pleasantly surprised. The show is only twelve episodes long, as well as containing an OVA (filled with excessive fan service). “Cat Planet Cuties” is good to watch with a Funimation Elite membership, or borrowing it from a friend to see what it is, but not really one of those shows that need to be purchased right away.
