If Cats Disappeared from the World

Ah, it’s been so long since my last post about a Japanese drama. I think it was earlier this year when I asked Miggy to suggest JPN dramas and he mentioned The Girl in the Sunny Place and this one, If Cats Disappeared from the World. While the former has a good story and great actors—not to mention that it broke my heart as well, in a good way—it is too fantasy for me. The latter, well, I thought we’re going to really see how the world will go on without cats. I mean, that would be really sad. 世界から猫が消えたなら has so much more to it.

THE STORY

Basically, the story is about a postman who got diagnosed with a brain tumor. On that  same day, when he went home, he saw a devil with his own face waiting for him—like they are twins. The devil proposed that if they will sacrifice a thing in this world he will live for another day.

At first, I don’t understand giving up something just so I can live. I think that would be too selfish. But in this postman’s perspective, he is desperate to know if someone would cry for him; if someone would be sad for him.

If I disappeared from this world, who on Earth would be sad for me?

He lives alone with his cat. He isn’t really on speaking terms with his father. He has only one friend and an ex-girlfriend. Well, maybe we can include his colleagues in the post office.

Four minutes in into the story, those words already caught me off guard. “It was only natural I would face the next morning.” What an interesting persona. Nowadays, we are so obsessed with how we want our future to be while this man just thinks he’s going to wake up everyday.

I think the point of that is to live in the moment—to be here today. I don’t know if that is just me. I really don’t think about tomorrow. I think more of what lies ahead, always farther—but I feel like I’m not really taking a step towards it.

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As the story progresses, you will find out the things he sacrificed to prolong his life. Here’s the catch, all those things hold dear memories in his heart. Here comes the domino effect. Here comes the importance of knowing the value of things. Everyone has their own story. We value things because it carries a part of us. Every day that the postman sacrifices something, his world starts to crumble. It is like a wake up call. Life is nothing without things, without the people, without anything. It is us that makes up life.

If I disappeared from this world, who on Earth would be sad for me?

There will always be someone who will be sad for us when we’re gone. Nothing stops when we die. Nope. Life goes on for everyone. But here is the thing about death, it doesn’t stop there. It’s just us, the one who stopped breathing but everyone around us will probably still keep us. Life goes on for them but they will be forever scarred. There will be days that they will feel us right inside their hearts. There will be nights when they will want to reach out to us and they will—you know they will as they sleep with tear-stained pillows and heavy hearts. We will see it in the bags under their eyes. We will see it on the way they stare absentmindedly to something or somewhere only their minds can see. We will see how delicate yet strong they are as they continue living. The love and the pain of these people we love remain intact. The longing will expand until their hearts constrict. But, they keep going. They keep going because they have to. Not because they forget about us.

I’ve realized that nothing is absolutely irreplaceable. There is a difference between moving on and going on. I don’t know if they are a good thing. I just know that we always have to be grateful of the breaths we take and the people around us. I just know that seasons change so we can change. I just know that days end and begin again because we deserve more chances—to correct our mistakes and to unravel the depths of the universe; to fall in love with people repeatedly and to fall in love with ourselves slowly. I just know that people die and people live just because.

If you decide to read the drama, let me know your thoughts! 🙂

Also, I love cats uwu!!! Meet Nochu 💘 so smol 😦

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