Arguably the only anime ever made inspired by both Hello Kitty and Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, TAMALA 2010 is a futuristic techno fever dream that flows back and forth in time, following the adorable wide-eyed kitty Tamala on her home world of Meguro City, Cat Earth, a BLADE RUNNER-like mega-city controlled by the Catty & Co. corporation. Escaping into space, the God of Death waylays her and crash-lands near Hate City on the Planet Q, where she meets a new boyfriend, goes bowling and shopping in a thrift store – and realizes she may be the latest reincarnation of an ancient Greek cat cult with ties to the omnipresent Catty & Co. A heady, conceptual work of psychedelic sci-fi, influenced by the style of classic manga and anime such as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy and Takashi Murakami’s postmodern art movement Superflat, TAMALA 2010 is also a savage take on modern consumer culture: in Meguro City a giant Colonel Sanders stalks the streets with an axe buried in his head, and Tamala’s eerie cat’s eyes are everywhere, advertising chocolate, toothpaste and drugs for forgetfulness. Written, directed and composed by the two-person team of t.o.L. – their incredibly addictive electronica / space-lounge score is worth the price of admission alone – TAMALA 2010 is equal parts Philip K. Dick, METROPOLIS and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (with a few sly nods to THE SHINING thrown in for good measure.) In Japanese with English subtitles.

For thoughts on Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master that allows the film to look simply incredible. This HD transfer is free from artifacts and other potential instances of damage. Every flourish within the animation is left intact with no egregious digital manipulation to ruin the intended look. The largely black-and-white feature is dialed in perfectly with the gradients holding firm. Some sequences switch to color for narrative purposes, and those likewise maintain the desired accuracy. Black levels are impressive with no serious issue of banding or compression issues. The unique character designs and the textures of the dystopian environments are rendered with depth and clarity. This Blu-Ray is another winner from Deaf Crocodile.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with the original DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track in the original Japanese with optional English subtitles which brings this to life perfectly. Music is a very important element of this odyssey, and every cue is brought to life perfectly in your speakers. No matter how much is happening concurrently on screen, this track holds up with flawless fidelity. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without sound effects or the score overshadowing important information. The film conjures unique sound effects that are given the appropriate presence within the mix. The track handles atmospheric effects well at every turn in every locale. The audio holds steady no matter what is thrown at it. There should be no major complaints with this one.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film historian Samm Deighan provides an amazing commentary track in which she explores the film while diving into various thematic elements, influences on the visual language, references to cinema of the past, how it upends traditional animation, and much more.

Tamala Short Films: A pair of animated shorts featuring the character is provided upscaled from an SD source. These are entertaining extensions of the film.

- Tamala On Parade (2007) (24:28)

- Tamala’s Wild Party (2007) (16:20)

New Interview with co-director/co-creator K. of t.o.L: A 60-minute interview conducted by Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok is provided in which the creative figure discusses his background as a member of this creative force, influences from various mediums, developing the titular feline character, the origins of her name, the surrealist notions in the story, and much more that is well worth a listen. This is conducted in Japanese with an English interpreter.

Doesn’t She Ever Die?: A 15-minute visual essay from journalist and physical media expert Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and film professor Dr. Will Dodson. In this piece, the history of Japanese animation is explored along with the influence of Disney, the rise of commodification within the art form, the pushback from the punk scene, and much more.

New Tamala Film Teaser: This disc provides a minute-long teaser for a new Tamala film.

Booklet: A 60-page booklet is included in this release which features essays by Walter Chaw and Jennifer Lynde Barker which gives a great amount of context to the background and themes, the creation of this project, and more.

Final Thoughts

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is a truly bizarre anime excursion that does not hold your hand as it zips along from a satirical set piece to a thought-provoking philosophy dump and beyond. The character design is so heightened and unassuming in its adorable facade that you do not quite expect her to live up to her titular punk ethos so closely. It is chaotic yet rewarding if you hang on for dear life. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray which sports a fantastic A/V presentation and a grand assortment of special features. If you are looking for something a bit more confrontational and inventive in your storytelling, give this a spin. Recommended

Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Deluxe Edition Slipcase exclusively through Deaf Crocodile and DiabolikDVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.