Overview

A melancholy ex-boxer (Yosuke Kubozuka) who is self-medicating for the injuries that ruined his career comes across a stray cat who brightens his day, but she is taken by a humorous grungy mechanic (Kenji Furuya). The odd couple is unexpectedly dragged into a political conspiracy with Saeko (Yui Ichikawa) and her son at the core, calling each other by the dueling names they gave the cat, Maru and Lily. After seeing another instance of the economic and social elite preying on the vulnerable, the two stray cats set off on the road to redemption, or at the very least tranquil cat ownership. (Fun fact: Yosuke Kubozuka and Kenji "KJ" Furuya recorded the single "Soul Ship" in 2017 in addition to starring in Alley Cat. In Dragon Ash, Kubozuka takes on the roles of Manji Line and Furuya.) -JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film