Cat's Meow

Taruto, the heroine of this 2001 broadcast series, is a kitten who looks like a little girl. The human and cat characters are drawn in the same style, so it's often difficult to tell them apart--only the ears and tails distinguish the felines. Although she just remembers her life with her beloved master Ioji, she's actually the lost princess of the kingdom of Ganache. Masked agents from Ganache's enemies, two hench-cats who belong to a sinister neighbor, and a weird woman who "collects cats" are all after Taruto, but there isn't a hint of menace. Taruto invariably botches her attempts to invoke her magical powers, but the mishaps aren't funny. A treacly mixture of magical girl and sweet little animal genres, Taruto may charm very young girls and devotees of kawaii (ultra-cute) anime; others will find it induces insulin shock. (Rated 7 and older: cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon