The Cat and the Dragon — Episode 1

Content Warning: Blood, Animal Gore 

What’s it about? In the depths of a forest, a fire-breathing dragon calls a clowder of cats family. Orphaned from the time his shell cracked, he’s only known fur and whiskers—never the life a dragon might lead. As a “weird cat”, he’s been given the name Uncle with Wings, but to humans, he’s the Cat Dragon…

Episode 1 begins in a world filled with swords and sorcery—a world we’re all quite familiar with. Only in this realm, one dragon calls a clowder of cats home and family, having only known feline company since the moment he hatched. Orphaned from birth, though loved by his cruelly slain mother, Nekoryu (literally Cat-Dragon) still has found warmth in the fluffy paws of Mama-nyan, a Cait Sith.

However, this peaceful life isn’t forever, and when Nekoryu’s mother is summoned by magic and turned into a familiar, it’s up to her growing litter to find a way ahead into their own adulthood as they leave the nest and master their magic. Only there’s one problem: Nekoryu doesn’t realize he’s not a cat, which causes quite a bit of confusion as he starts to figure out what being a mature dragon means…

The Cat and the Dragon is the kind of sweet fantasy series that I can’t help but immediately love. It’s so dang charming from the start, especially since it’s an uncanny fantasy found family. It feels exactly like how a lot of the modern queer cozy fantasy feels, bringing sweet and comfy stories like Legends & Lattes to mind (also, Nekoryu does speak in meows to other cats and it’s INCREDIBLY CUTE!).

Part of that is the juxtaposition of a cat rearing a dragon: having to teach him how to hunt but also, how to breathe fire magic. While she can’t breathe fire, she can be a mother and can teach the rules of the world—including how to survive when humans come to their forest home. While it’s immediately obvious that Nekoryu is very different, that’s never a flaw or a joke. Instead, this show plays his involvement in the litter straight, positioning him as the younger brother and eventually, an uncle to his older sister’s first kittens.

And damn, if that didn’t immediately grip my heart! There’s just so much material here and we’ve barely scratched the surface. That’s not even to mention Nekoryu’s internal struggle with deciding how to interact with humanity—will he be the magical beast that terrorizes others, or will he establish himself as a protector to the felines that once guided him through the start of his life? It’s interesting enough that I never felt distracted, and if anything, I just really wish I had another episode to munch on kettle corn with, but alas: I must find my inner patience to wait another week.

The Cat and the Dragon isn’t revolutionary by any means: if anything, it feels like a lovely continuation of “Dragon goes into the world and does something you wouldn’t expect” like say, Dragon Goes House-Hunting. I quite like this specific niche within fantasy anime because I’m the type to always wonder, “What does [insert fantasy creature] do when the humans aren’t around?” This show provides an answer to that, positioning cats as mythical fae-like beings and Nekoryu as the Imperial Dragon who, unbeknownst to humanity, just really cares about his family. By the end of the episode, that seems to extend to humanity as well, even with his misgivings and experience with poachers. 

This is a such a genuine premiere that I can’t help but be eager to get more of ASAP. Unfortunately, we don’t have the novels or manga—yet. This absolutely feels like the type of series Seven Seas would snap up. For now, my cuteness aggression—and I’m really feeling some cute aggression for Nekoryu’s cat-dragon form—must remain contained to weekly episodes, and if that’s the case, well… I suppose I shall soldier on for this extremely enjoyable premiere. Highly recommend you join me in squeeing on the couch over this year’s best dragon.