Mii the Tabby (1999) [TSHS] 2 part Leiji Matsumoto mini-OAV

Just as Maurice Sendak’s beloved terrier Jennie made cameos in many of his works, eventually getting a book of her own (Higglety Pigglety Pop), legendary mangaka Leiji Matsumoto often drew cats inspired by his own faithful companion, Mii-kun. In 1978 Matsumoto created a manga devoted to Mii-kun, and in 1999 it was presented as a two part anime micro-series, featured as bonuses on the DVD releases of Queen Emeraldas OAVs 3 and 4.

Mii-kun is a feisty female tabby, adopted by Toshiro (not to be confused with Tochiro) Oyama and his family. Despite the fact that these are cute cat adventures in a tranquil domestic setting, with no fighter planes or spaceships or robots, familiar Matsumoto themes of life, death, and love are woven into the storytelling. This is kind of a cheap piece of animation, with that late 90s digital ink & paint look, but for me at least, I thought the story was charming enough to overlook its technical shortcomings.