She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points is Makoto Shinkai's first independent work, a five minute short that was released in 1999. The focus of the story is the relationship between a woman and her cat; the latter provides the narration, recounting events in the girl's life about heartbreak and loneliness.
It is animated entirely in black and white, reflecting on the minimalist nature of the cat's perspective. Through the use of detailed still images and careful incorporation of sound, the end result is a highly concise and sweet tale of love and innocence, elements that Shinkai will integrate into all of his subsequent works.
A four-episode TV series, titled She And Her Cat: Everything Flows (Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko ~Everything Flows~) was released in January 2016; with Makoto Shinkai's approval, the series was produced by Liden Films. The anime received a manga adaptation, simply titled She and Her Cat.
She And Her Cat provides examples of:
- Anachronism Stew: The 2016 TV series is the prequel to the 1999 short, but in spite of this, the mobile phones in the short are boxier compared to the more modern designs seen in the series.
- A Boy and His X: This is a gentle story about a woman and her cat, told from the cat's perspective.
- Deliberately Monochrome: The monochromatic art draws the focus of the story towards the beauty and simplicity of simple, everyday things.
- Inner Monologue: The cat provides a charismatic, direct narration of his thoughts on the world.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: The woman cares deeply for her cat and from the cat's insights, is also a kind person who appears to treat others as she would her cat.
- Prequel: The 2016 series is implied to be a prequel to the 1999 short film.
- Scenery Porn: Whether it be the raindrops impacting on a wet surface or the woman's clothes strewn aimlessly into a laundry basket, attention to subtle details breathe further insight into the story about the woman's life.
- Simple Score of Sadness: A few simple piano pieces quietly accompanies the calm, melancholic events.
- Shout-Out: Chobi and Mimi, the two cats in the short, appear briefly in 5 Centimeters per Second.
