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The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Satoru is a young man with a warm heart. He has a cat named Nana, but, due to circumstances, he can't raise cat Nana anymore. He travels with Nana to find a person who will take care of Nana. During his travels, he meets various people like his childhood friend and his first love. His unknown past and secret are revealed.

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Movie Score

October 26, 2018,

Koichiro Miki

Sota Fukushi, Mitsuki Takahata, Yûko Takeuchi, Alice Hirose, Takuro Ohno, Ryosuke Yamamoto

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The Travelling Cat Chronicles (Tabineko ripôto) Reviews

This depiction of love and sorrow is made all the better by its feline star, a worthy centrepiece for Miki's impressive family drama.

Full Review | Original Score: 4 / 5 | Sep 4, 2020

A heart-warming depiction of the special bond that exists between owner and pet. Just don't forget the tissues.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 30, 2020

Satoru's life, and his relationship with Nana, is an exemplification of how to extract strength and joy out of the most difficult moments of our lives.[Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Aug 17, 2020

It offers a more substantial narrative, more striking imagery and more sophisticated technique than, say, bizarre crossovers, such as Samurai Cat or Neko Ninja, or the cellphone-game-turned-movie Neko Atsume House.

Full Review | Oct 25, 2018

It's a movie that we need right now, to remind us to be strong, and to retain positivity, no matter what the world throws at us.

Full Review | Jul 30, 2018

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

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Book Reviews

'travelling cat' chronicles friendship, loss and life on the road.

Ilana Masad

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

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When I first started The Travelling Cat Chronicles — by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel -- I was admittedly skeptical. I am a cat lover, obsessed with my own kitties as well as the myriad cat memes and wholesome videos that pepper my social media, but I wasn't sure how to react to what seemed, at first, like a schmaltzy novel partially voiced by a proud male stray. But soon I realized what the trouble was — and it wasn't with the book, but with me. My busy, cynical, constantly enraged mind didn't know what to do with a book that was, at its core, joyful. As a book critic, I tend to engage with so-called Serious Books that take on Big Issues. But The Travelling Cat Chronicles is no less valuable for facing issues of friendship, family, loss, and grief with an optimistic and loving outlook. In fact, the book's greatest strength is that it allows its readers to experience vicarious happiness even as a sense of impending loss begins to creep through the pages.

It was easy to stick with the book, as it's full of cat logic gems. When the novel's central character Satoru asks a cat he's just met, "I guess you want something in exchange for being stroked?" the cat responds with his signature haughty style: "Quick on the draw, this one. Quite right. Got to get something in return for having my sleep disturbed." When this cat is hit by a car, he crawls up to Satoru's silver van, hoping to be helped, and is rewarded not only with medical care but with a home, too. Satoru takes the cat in and names him Nana — seven in Japanese — because of how his tail crooks to one side and looks like that number. The pair live together happily for a few years before, due to unforeseen circumstances, Satoru is forced to try to find a new home for Nana, and sets off on a series of brief road trips to visit friends and loved ones from his past.

Here, Kitty, Kitty: Even Dog Lovers Should Read 'The Guest Cat'

'The Friend' Is No Shaggy Dog Story

Satoru first visits a childhood friend, Kosuke, whose wife has recently moved back in with her parents. It is during this chapter that we switch out of Nana's point of view — he narrates about half the book — and into an omniscient narrator who tells us about the boys' friendship and how they bonded with a cat called Hachi (which means eight) when they were both in elementary school. Soon after, though, during a school trip, Satoru was called home — his parents had both died in a tragic accident, and he was forced to move in with a childless aunt who couldn't take Hachi in as well.

The second friend Satoru visits is Yoshimine, now a farmer. Yoshimine and Satoru have been friends since their junior high days, where they were both new students who'd moved to the district due to family difficulties — Satoru's parents died, and Yoshimine's were both so busy with work that they sent him away to live with his grandmother. The third visit Satoru makes is to a couple he's been friends with since high school and university days, Sugi and Chikako. He once had a crush on Chikako, but Sugi, in love with her himself, begged Satoru to keep his crush to himself.

None of them — Kosuke, Yoshimine, Sugi and Chikako — are a good fit to take care of Nana, for a variety of reasons, all of which Nana contributes to, not wanting to be left behind. He's a proud cat, but he's loyal and loving. On a ferry trip, when he's forced to stay in an animals-only room, Nana is shamed by the other animals, accused of being pampered because of how often Satoru visits him, asking if he's lonely. Until, that is, a chinchilla cat tells them all to shut up: "Don't you understand? It's his master who's the lonely one?"

Indeed, Satoru is the lonely one, but with Nana by his side, it appears he can muster up the energy for one last tour of Japan, one last meeting with beloved friends. At each turn, in each history of friendship revealed to us readers, it's clear that Satoru has always been a cheerful person, despite his hardships. He's been loving and attentive and has always tried to do his best for those around him. He is a study in kindness, a true cat fanatic — as Nana correctly identifies him — and his story winds to an end in a beautiful, loving, heartbreaking way. I found myself sobbing through the last 40 pages or so, unable, unwilling, to let this joyful little book go. I doubt many readers — as cynical and hardened as they may be — will get through it dry-eyed themselves. And you know what? Sometimes a good happy-sad cry is just what the doctor ordered.

Ilana Masad is an Israeli-American fiction writer, book critic, essayist, and editor for hire.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles (2018)

Original title: 旅猫リポート.

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Satoru is a young man with a warm heart. He has a cat named Nana, but, due to circumstances, he can't raise cat Nana anymore. He travels with Nana to find a person who will take care of Nana. During his travels, he meets various people like his childhood friend and his first love. His unknown past and secret are revealed.

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Where to stream the cat caper comedy ‘argylle’ online.

Inspired by the book of the same name, the film features Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, John Cena and breakout star, Chip the cat.

By Danielle Directo-Meston

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Thrill-seeking feline fans , stop everything right meow. After releasing a travel collection for adventurous felines (and their humans), Argylle is now streaming on Apple TV+ .

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Below, keep reading for more ways to watch Argylle online, plus where to shop the book and official line of cat accessories.

Where to Watch Argylle Online

Aryglle is available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+ or to buy online at Prime Video .

A subscription is required to watch Argylle on Apple TV+, which costs $9.99 per month or $99 per year and includes a seven-day trial for new customers. Subscribers also enjoy access to Apple Original content including Emmy-winning series Ted Lasso and The Morning Show , Golden Globe-winning film Killers of the Flower Moon , Oscar-nominated movie Napoleon , new releases such as Masters of Air and Palm Royale , sci-fi series including Constellation and Foundation , and more.

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Want to try Apple TV+ for free? In addition to the tech company-owned streamer’s standard one-week trial, new and qualified returning subscribers have more options. Best Buy is offering three free months of Apple TV+ , T-Mobile is including the streamer with its Go5G and Plus plans, Apple is also giving 90 days of the service for free when you purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac. Learn more about the best Apple TV+ streaming deals here .

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See and shop the feline-friendly merch and the book that inspired Argylle below.

Argylle: A Novel

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New Releases from NYU Alumni

April 15, 2024

As we usher in a new season, it’s the perfect time to explore some fresh creations from the minds of NYU alumni. From captivating books that transport you to new worlds, to compelling movies and shows that ignite the imagination, and thought-provoking podcasts exploring various topics, these works promise to entertain, enlighten, and inspire. Dive in and discover something new to watch, read, or listen to this spring, from a vast array of NYU alumni talent.

Please note this is not an exhaustive list and only includes a small number of the many talented NYU alumni who work in these respective fields. Inclusion does not indicate endorsement. 

Daniel Dae Kim (TSOA ’96) as Lord Ozai in Avatar the Last Airbender

Tisch alum Daniel Dae Kim stars as Lord Ozai in this series, which follows the journeys of the protagonist, Aang, and his companions as they embark on a mission to rescue the world by vanquishing Fire Lord Ozai and bringing an end to the devastating conflict with the Fire Nation.

Donald Glover (TSOA ’06) as Mr. John Smith in Mr. and Mrs. Smith

Two unrelated individuals separately decide to join a secret organization, assuming the roles of undercover agents posing as a married couple named "John" and "Jane" Smith. Together, they face a series of missions where their espionage abilities and evolving relationships are pushed to their limits.

Bryce Dallas Howard (TSOA ’20) as Elly Conway in Argylle

Elly Conway, a reclusive author, crafts chart-topping espionage novels featuring a protagonist named Argylle, embarking on a quest to dismantle a worldwide spy syndicate. Yet, as the narratives of her books begin to mirror the clandestine operations of an actual spy group, the boundary between fiction and reality becomes increasingly indistinct.

Mahershala Ali (TSOA ’00) as Clay Sanford in Leave The World Behind

A family vacation on Long Island is interrupted by two strangers bearing news of a blackout. As the danger escalates, both families find themselves confronted with difficult choices on how to navigate through the impending crisis, all while wrestling with their own roles in this unraveling world.

Veena Sud (TSOA ’01), Writer and Directori  The Strangers

A seemingly ordinary rideshare driver's world turns upside down when she picks up a mysterious passenger in the Hollywood Hills. What begins as a routine trip spirals into her worst nightmare, spanning 12 intense hours as she traverses the dark and dangerous side of Los Angeles in a harrowing game of cat and mouse.

Mateo Askaripour (CAS ’12), This Great Hemisphere   (‎Dutton) (Coming July 2024)

Award-winning author Mateo Askaripour crafts a tale of courage and determination as Sweetmint, an invisible woman who has fought to be seen throughout her life, defies the expected and embarks on a journey to find her brother, the prime suspect in a high-profile investigation.

Nell Freudenberger (GSAS ’00), The Limits (‎Knopf)

Set against the backdrop of Mo’orea and New York City, two teenagers—Pia, uprooted from her island home, and Athyna, struggling with the weight of responsibility—navigate privilege, isolation, and societal inequalities, culminating in an insightful exploration of nation, race, and family.

Omotara James (GSAS ’19), Song of My Softening (‎Alice James Books)

This anthology delves into themes of tenderness, vulnerability, and honesty. Through James’ lens, readers are offered a raw portrayal of perseverance, unadorned and unapologetic—a reflection for those navigating cultures beyond their own. Within these poems, echoes of resilience resound, painting a vivid picture of multifaceted survival.

Toby Lloyd (GSAS ’15), Fervor (‎Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster)

An eerie and unforgettable tale unfolds as a tightly-knit Jewish family in London finds themselves on the edge of despair when they harbor suspicions that their daughter possesses witch-like abilities.

January Gill O'Neil (GSAS ’97), Glitter Road (‎CavanKerry Press)

In Glitter Road, the narrative reflects on the dissolution of a marriage, experiences of loss, and the emergence of a new relationship amidst the changing seasons of Mississippi. Delving into the intertwined histories of Emmett Till and the narrator, the book illuminates how their stories intersect and the profound impact of race that connects us all.

Gregory Pardlo (GSAS ’01), Spectral Evidence (‎Knopf)

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gregory Pardlo explores race, faith, and the complexities of the law, blending profound reflections on historical figures with contemporary social issues, inviting readers into a deeply personal and thought-provoking journey through poetry.

Morgan Parker (TSOA ’22), You Get What You Pay For (One World)

Acclaimed poet and writer Morgan Parker candidly explores her personal struggles with loneliness, depression, and the pervasive effects of racism in America. Through a collection of essays, she examines America’s cultural history and relationship to Black Americans through different time periods.

Sara Shepard (CAS ’99), Nowhere Like Home (‎Dutton)

In Sara Shepard’s Nowhere Like Home , the main character Lenna is drawn into a mysterious community in the desert by her long-lost friend Rhiannon, and uncovers unsettling secrets and confronts her own past. This novel explores friendship, trauma, and unexpected twists.

Take A Day Trip (Denzel Baptiste TSOA ’14 and David Biral TSOA ’15), Producers, “ Human Made” by Kid Cudi

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Fletcher (TSOA ’16),  In Search Of The Antidote

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Karina Longworth (GSAS ’05), You Must Remember This

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Maggie Rogers (TSOA ’16), “ So Sick Of Dreaming ” 

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Lindsey Weber (CAS ’08),  Who? Weekly

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How Love Begins , the Grammy-winning jazz vocal album captivates with its original compositions, drawing inspiration from the environment around us.

Are you involved in something new? We’d love to hear about it! Email [email protected] to be considered for inclusion in future content, and submit a Class Note to share the news with your fellow NYU alumni.

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A Conversation With …

She Dreams of Pink Planets and Alien Dinosaurs

Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, hunts for aliens in space by studying Earth across time.

By Becky Ferreira

Have dinosaurs evolved on other worlds? Could we spot a planet of glowing organisms ? What nearby star systems are positioned to observe Earth passing in front of the sun?

These are just a few of the questions that Lisa Kaltenegger has joyfully tackled. As the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, she has pioneered interdisciplinary work on the origins of life on Earth and the hunt for signs of life, or biosignatures, elsewhere in the universe.

Dr. Kaltenegger’s new book, “Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos,” to be published on April 16 , chronicles her insights and adventures spanning an idyllic childhood in Austria to her Cornell office, which previously belonged to the astronomer Carl Sagan. She spoke with The New York Times about the intense public interest in aliens, the wisdom of trying to contact intelligent civilizations, and the weirdest creatures she’s grown in her lab. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

You look for real aliens in the observable universe. How much is the diversity of opinion and emotion from people around the search for extraterrestrial life top-of-mind in your research? Or are U.F.O.s and sci-fi E.T.s something you have to tune out?

For me, it’s inspirational that so many people are excited. The other part of that coin is that we are so close, because we have the James Webb Space Telescope now being able to look at these small planets that could potentially be like Earth. We don’t have to go with dubious or hard-to-interpret evidence anymore.

I wrote this book because I think a lot of people might not be so aware of where we are right now, and that they are living in this momentous time in history. We can all be a part of it.

How should people prepare for a potential detection of signs of something living in a distant planet’s atmosphere that’s not like you see in the movies, that’s maybe less satisfying?

If we were to find signs of life — any signs that we can’t explain with anything else but life — then that just means we live in a universe teeming with life, because we’re just at the verge of being able to find it. And it’s so hard, even with the best telescopes, so if we find anything, that means there’s so much more to find out there. I’ll celebrate, whatever it is.

The title “Alien Earths” refers to alien worlds, but also the past and future versions of Earth that are alien to us. What is a moment in Earth’s history that you would want to go to?

The moment and place when life started. Because it is such a mystery. You don’t need the whole planet to have conditions to get life started. It could be a niche somewhere. It could be an asteroid that hit just with the right speed and energy and mixed the chemicals on Earth up the right way. It could have been on an ice shell, or in a shallow pond.

There is an overlap between the pioneers of the search for alien civilization and the development of nuclear weapons. Do you think that kind of complicated heritage has shaped expectations about the longevity of intelligent civilizations?

Absolutely. I think in our search for life is buried the hope that if we find life everywhere, on planets older than us, that we will make it. By definition, to be able to travel the stars fast or with propulsion that can get you very far, that same technology can destroy the world you live on and everyone on it.

The question that always comes, and I think it’s a normal question, is: Will you have the wisdom to use this power for good or evil? That’s usually the story. Will you have the wisdom to survive this capability, and this technology?

There is a heated debate over whether we should be actively trying to contact alien life, or if we should just be passively looking for signs of it. Where do you come down on that question?

I was at a Vatican Observatory conference and I was actually the speaker after Stephen Hawking. Oh my god, right? Amazing. But it’s really interesting because he was one of the people who cautioned very much against this.

We are two billion years too late to worry about it. Anybody who would have looked at us for two billion years would know that there’s life on this planet. Basically, the cat’s out of the bag.

But I think it is a very valid concern in terms of social science or sociology, because we don’t want to do anything to scare people. It is worth asking the question to ourselves, too: Are we at the point, all of us, where we’d actually like to communicate with other civilizations? And what would we want to ask?

What inspired you to create the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell?

I’m an astronomer by training, and I worked on the design of a mission to find signs of life in the universe. We were only looking at carbon copies of modern Earth. But we know that Earth has changed, so if we only look at this tiny part of the history of Earth, compared to its 4.6 billion years, we are going to miss young and future Earths.

To actually answer the question of how our planet works, you need a network of many different departments and many different ways of life. The more diverse background you can get, the more ideas you can get and the more complicated problems you can solve.

You have a lab where you’re growing microbes to inform the search for life. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve grown?

A pink fungus. You have to be very careful about fungi because they spread like crazy. This is why I’m working with microbiologists. One of my team’s microbiologists is like, “I’m not touching this and contaminating all of Cornell with pink fungus.” Imagine that.

So you had to take special precautions to make sure that this alien didn’t invade.

I just imagine a world overgrown with pink fungi.

You have published a stud y that simulated conditions analogous to the age of dinosaurs on other worlds. How can we specifically search for alien dinosaurs? Because I want to find alien dinosaurs.

During the age of the dinosaurs, there was more oxygen and also more methane, and that allowed for these huge creatures. At least that’s the idea , right? More oxygen can actually make creatures bigger, thus huge dinosaurs.

The fun part when I talked about this with my teammate, geologist Rebecca Payne, is that actually it could be much easier to find a dinosaur planet, to find “Jurassic World.”

Now the question is, of course: Does it have to be dinosaurs? They could be really funky different kinds of organisms that don’t look like dinosaurs.

The realities of probability tell me that dinosaurs can probably exist only once and yet my heart will not believe it.

We have 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and there are billions of galaxies. We have billions and billions of possibilities.

Let’s say that we are optimists and we say where life could start, it does start. That’s a hypothesis: We have no idea if that’s true. But maybe dinosaurs twice is actually an option.

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Keep track of things going on in our solar system and all around the universe..

Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event  that’s out of this world with  our space and astronomy calendar .

Scientists may have discovered a major flaw in their understanding of dark energy, a mysterious cosmic force . That could be good news for the fate of the universe.

A new set of computer simulations, which take into account the effects of stars moving past our solar system, has effectively made it harder to predict Earth’s future and reconstruct its past.

Dante Lauretta, the planetary scientist who led the OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve a handful of space dust , discusses his next final frontier.

A nova named T Coronae Borealis lit up the night about 80 years ago. Astronomers say it’s expected to put on another show  in the coming months.

Is Pluto a planet? And what is a planet, anyway? Test your knowledge here .