Neko Atsume has been an app oasis for many people since it launched in 2014, providing a soothing distraction from the garbage fires of the internet.
In the game you collect items, set out food, and wait for a variety of kitties to come enjoy themselves in your yard. That’s it. But the simplicity of the game hasn’t stopped one Japanese production company from attempting to make it into a live-action movie. Game Jouhou, a Japanese gaming site, is reporting that the production company MediAnd is producing the film with director Masatoshi Kurakata (Crossroads) for a 2017 release.
Here’s a translation of the film synopsis published by Siliconera:
Meet Katsu Sakumoto (portrayed by Atsushi Ito), a best-selling author who won the newcomer’s award at a young age. Lately, Katsu has had a severe case of writer’s block, and hasn’t been able to write anything at all. In order to get a fresh new start, he moves away to quiet lands, but it doesn’t quite help out his case.
One day, while at a loss and looking at the garden from his porch, a single cat appears. Katsu makes an attempt to speak to the cat, but it simply just walks away. The thought that even cats would desert Katsu made things more depressing for the writer. However, that night, he decided to leave some cat food at the corner of the garden before going to bed. The food was gone the following morning. This brings a sudden interest in Katsu—and how the story of the young author’s “Neko Atsume” begins.
I suppose we’re all a little like the film’s protagonist, frustrated with our lives and the world and finding solace in the inscrutable nature of our feline companions. Video game movies like Pixels have sent us into a rage spiral, but it seems this Neko Atsume movie could actually capture the spirit of what makes the game great.
H/T Polygon