CAT lovers will always love anything cat-related— and this anime will certainly be on that list.
‘Ramen Akaneko’ (Red Cat Ramen), is a manga written and illustrated by Angyaman about cats who solely run a ramen restaurant without human help, not until Tamako’s interview. The unique story about a human and feline relationship has later on been adapted into a 12-episode animated series under E&H Production which aired from July to September this year.
Considering the cats’ nature, you may wonder how kitchen duties work for our furry staff. One serious issue they are trying to resolve is the possibility of cat hair ending up in a ramen bowl. To address this, they decided to hire a human staff to maintain a hygienic operation of the business.
Meet the Cat-racters and their kitchen roles
The restaurant functions the same as most businesses with its furry crews sharing equally delegated responsibilities and contributions.
Bunzo is the striped ginger cat behind their best-selling ramen menu. As the head chef, he takes charge of the restaurant’s signature dishes with his composed and nonchalant demeanor, leading the kitchen with craftsmanship.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
The chinky gray tuxedo cat, Sasaki is the store’s manager (and the real boss). He may not touch food the same way Bunzo does, but Sasaki runs multiple errands for the shop. Sometimes, you could see him at the cashier counter, going to the bank, or talking to a legal counsel, making sure the business runs smoothly.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
Their friendliest staff would be Sabu, a young inquisitive black cat with a quirky personality. His task is to assist Bunzo in the kitchen whose expertise is creating side dishes. One recipe he takes pride in is his famous gyoza.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
Hana is a charming white cat who can be a bit guarded at first, often showing her tsundere side. But beneath the sassy exterior, she provides top-notch customer service, serving ramen bowls with her overflowing cuteness.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
Krishna’s strong physique as a tiger isn’t as fearsome as when you hear her speak. She is shy, socially anxious, and has only two duties: to regularly make ramen noodles and to occasionally deal with rude customers.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
The only human staff in the titular ramen shop is Tamako Yashiro, who is hired part-time to brush all the cats’ fur to prevent them from shedding. Apart from being the cat’s groomer, she also helps with washing the dishes at the restaurant.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
A comfort show
In a span of 20 minutes per episode, you get to witness what an entire shift at ‘Ramen Akaneko’ looks like—the best word to describe it: heaven.
Photo courtesy: @ramenakaneko | X
“I need a place like that in my life,” a Reddit user shared on the platform upon watching the first episode.
Tamako’s job is every cat lover’s dream. She spends her days surrounded by cats and enjoys the perks of an ideal workplace with proper compensation, a healthy working environment, no overtime shift, and a free bowl of ramen!
“A job where you clock in at 9, brush a bunch of cats and a tiger, then clock off after having a free lunch? Boss cat Bunzo, can you hire me too?”
Everything about the show is just too good to be true, especially with how cats interact with humans. They are warm, accommodating, and very friendly.
In real life, cat owners can attest to their cats’ independence. They are low-maintenance pets often needing a little care when grown-ups.
However, in the realm of the show, Bunzo, Sasaki, Sabu, and Hana take feline independence to another level. They don’t just live on their own—they speak, work, and function similarly to humans, coexisting with society like ordinary citizens.
Those who have seen the anime mainly watch it for its simple yet endearing plot full of laughter, cuteness, and a slice of life. However, some Reddit users pointed out in an episode discussion the use of computer-generated animation in the series which affected its viewership.
A user who has completed the series commented, “While I think of it as a b-tier production, it still has charming characters, a few funny gags that’s stuck with me, and a simple plot that increases my faith in humanity.”
“Entertaining low-gear healing vibe anime, slightly wooden animation but I’ll roll with it as a stylistic choice. MC [Main] character design has some yesteryear eyes, [an] interesting choice, that is very kind/vulnerable look. Casting is where it shines the most, so I’ll have my headphones for this one.”
Each character has heartfelt back stories to anticipate, and these are brought to life by notable voice actors Kenjiro Tsuda as Bunzo, Noriaki Sugiyama as Sasaki, Noriaki Sugiyama as Sabu, Rie Kugimiya as Hana, and Saori Hayami as Krishna. Meanwhile, the voice behind Tamako Yashiro is the debut of the voice actor Kurumi Orihara.
We need Season 2
The last episode, which was released on September 19, ended up with an increase to 62 percent airing score progression. The story concluded with a hanging scene and a note from the cast saying ‘We look forward to seeing you again,’ at the finale.
This sparks hope among viewers on the internet who look forward to what comes after in the following installment.
“There better be a second season. We never even found out what was going on with Rat Bar.”
Meanwhile, other viewers bid their farewells to their comfort series on its last episode forum amid the uncertainty of season two’s release.
“This was one of the shows we look forward to most each week. We will miss it. It was cute and soft… Excited for new shows but I doubt it, anything can fill the fluffy void.”
“Goodbye to my favorite show of the season. You will be missed.”
If you haven’t seen this series yet, you can watch it for free in specific South East Asian countries at Ani-One Asia and Ani-One Philippines official YouTube channel.
With reports from Nami Padilla
