Why does the Dark Cat anime remain one of the biggest flops as an original series? Explained

The Dark Cat anime is still regarded as one of the worst flops from the 1990s. Iku Suzuki, best known for animated films like Descendants of Darkness, Maze, and others, directed the anime, which was made by Agent 21 Studio and Nikkatsu Corporation.

The anime follows the adventures of two brothers, Hyoi and Ryoi, who have the ability to transform into cats. Now, as the plot develops, Hyoi and Ryoi must try to solve the mystery of the creeping, tentacled demon plague before it engulfs them and their friends. However, as simple as the story appears, there are those who wonder why it failed.

Thus, here is a brief examination of why the Dark Cat anime remains one of the biggest flops as an original series.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

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The Dark Cat anime's animation, plot, and sound design were all subpar

The Dark Cat anime had a runtime of 60 minutes and was released on November 28, 1991. However, it only received a 3.23 score in MyAnimeList and a 4.3 out of 10 rating from IMDB as it was being released. Now, many would question how it could perform so poorly. To this, one could argue that there were multiple reasons.

The main reason for the Dark Cat anime being a complete flop as an original series was that it had three different stories going on at the same time. As a result, it was challenging to determine which story was being told when and for what reason, further complicating the situation. Moreover, the story seemed rushed because the anime had a time limit.

Viewers also felt that the animation was flat and executed without any thought or passion, particularly during the gore scenes. In addition, the characters were only occasionally animated. It appeared as though the still images of the characters were being moved from one place to another.

Why does the Dark Cat anime remain one of the biggest disasters as an original series? Explained (Image via Agent 21 Studio/ Nikkatsu Corporation)

Furthermore, a small percentage of viewers found the anime to be repulsive to watch as there was much body gore in which tentacles with teeth and spines tore out of people's bodies and deformed characters. The voice acting was also poorly done. The dialogues were challenging to follow because the voice actors used run-on sentences.

Additionally, the sound design was subpar. For instance, there was no sound when tentacle demons punched someone or broke windows. This made the animation boring for viewers.

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Final thoughts

To sum up, it can be said that the Dark Cat anime was not created with a clear understanding of how it should handle fan service. Furthermore, it appeared to be made without any proper execution. Some viewers believed that if the stories were dealt with properly, the anime might have been more tolerable to watch.

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