Alternative title(s): Red Cat Ramen
Manga Adaptation by E&H Production
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

A young woman named Tamako applies for a job at a ramen shop, but seeing as the shop is run by cats, it’s not quite the job she thought she signed up for.

Jel’s verdict: Catnip (for me anyway)

I love cats and I love weird anime about weird cats (see also: The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today) and so far, this seems to fit the bill. It’s strange because the cast of Ramen Akaneko are cartoon cats with the intelligence and emotions of humans but also… kind of real cats? Like they still need to be brushed and have cat toys and catnip and what not? And then there’s one like, real life size tiger working for them and NONE of this is even remotely explained?

I have a feeling the lack of logic or world building might drive some people crazy, but I love it. It keeps the focus on the important part of the story: the found family that has developed in this little ramen shop. Each cat has a different personality that rounds out the group, led by Bunzo, the hard boiled ramen master (Side note: I like this show enough to put aside my long standing beef with Kenjiro Tsuda, who voices Bunzo. He’s really good for this role, it might break the curse!). The key moment in episode 1 is when Tamako gets her employment paperwork and she breaks down in tears because someone cares, unlike her last job. I think that set the tone for where the show is going, and I like it.

That said, it’s also possible that Ramen Akaneko will be a likable but boring grind where everyone is nice to each other and nothing bad ever happens. At least nothing worse than some Yakuza goon complaining about cat hair in his ramen, which admittedly was pretty great. Either way, I liked the first episode and I’m willing to give it a few more.