slow, didn’t move around a lot, didn’t eat much, was very small, and altogether had a very sicky appearance despite being in “good health”.Daisy and I were an absolute perfect match for each other. Both of us highly valued our alone time and didn’t like being bothered by other people. However, I suspect as was in my case, she was also feeling very lonely. Our 3 other cats loved to play together, and she was mainly terrified by them, so she’d always end up hiding in my room. I also hid in my room, reading alone, holing myself in a corner and walling my heart off from the rest of the world.Daisy and I developed a close bond: she would curl up in my lap or on my desk as I would be reading or playing games, never begging me for attention, but just being there for me. Perhaps she could feel how alone I felt, how fragile and lost I was. She was the absolute perfect pet for a companion.Unfortunately, midway through high school, she started having seizures. Something was obviously very wrong, the vets couldn’t figure out what it was, and she stopped eating almost altogether after only a few months after her first seizure. It was then she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart: there was nothing they could do to save her, and a few weeks later, her poor huge little heart eventually gave out for good.Personally, I’d like to believe that she was just too pure, innocent, and loving for this world that her heart was proportionally sized, and her body wasn’t able to support all of her love. At the time though, I was absolutely devastated. Losing the thing that was closer to me than anything broke me. I was actually alone and I fell apart almost entirely.What resulted from this, however, wasn’t a similar sad ending for me. From the impact Daisy had on my life, I was able to gather the courage and strength to reach out for help and rejoin the world. Because of Daisy, time unfroze for me, and I began to grow within myself exponentially.Perhaps this is why My Roommate is a Cat resonates so strongly for me. I see myself in Subaru, who as a child had a very similar experience to mine, and finally grew into a confident, strong young man because of the impact a single kitten had on the path of his life.Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue. is a story told in a unique way I have never before seen. I had always wondered what Daisy would say to me had she been able to speak, but I felt as though we had a bond that was stronger than what could be expressed in words. Through the perspective of Haru, hearing her thoughts and feelings on her relationship with Subaru, I can hypothetically affirm that the feeling I had might have been the case.At the very beginning, our protagonist Mikazuki Subaru is in a similar state to how I previously described myself, dealing with regrets and loss. Meeting Haru is the start of a journey of self-reflection and self-discovery as he begins to learn how to love himself for who he is and starts to see other people as aspects in his life. Although at first I was frustrated and annoyed with some of his actions, the way the story unfolded piecing together his past and how he ended up where he was began to warm me up to his character, enough so that I became personally invested in his development and found myself rooting for him to pick himself back up and face his fears of society and other people. The development in Subaru throughout the story is what is truly what makes My Roommate is a Cat worth watching.Meanwhile, our trusty sidekick, Haru, also has a past full of regrets and loss. I never thought I’d ever get to say this, but I honestly can sympathize with a cat after all was said and done. The way Haru devotes herself to protecting Subaru, seeing herself as the strong one and him as the subordinate, plays off the usual tropes whereby pets think of themselves as the real ‘owners’, but My Roommate is a Cat really crafts this in a beautiful fashion. Haru’s unwavering dedication to protecting Subaru isn’t described as just an air of superiority but rather an undying love for him because of the care he provides for her. Ultimately, Haru isn’t just a plot device used to promote Subaru’s growth and development; she, too, has her own development and free will.Although the art and animation weren’t anything special, Zero-G did an adequate job for the type of show Doukyonin wa Hiza is. For a show where character development is at the forefront, simple animation in this case was a positive because it didn’t overshadow or distract from the main purpose of the show. Meanwhile, the OST was likewise simple but delicately crafted to highlight the emotional moments and stress the theme of hope throughout the entire show. A soundtrack is perfect for me when it touches my heart, and that is what the music here was able to do.And don’t get me started on the OP and the ED… While the music in both does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere for the show, the direction for the OP is absolutely sublime and accurately symbolizes the entire show all within a minute and thirty seconds. There are so many metaphors in the OP that I could write an entire review just on the OP itself! The beginning of the OP depicts the transition of night to day symbolizing Subaru shrouded in darkness being lit up by the entrance of Haru to his life. It is followed by the shot of Subaru alone looking down, surrounded by piles upon piles of books, symbolizing the wall between him and society, until all the books come crashing down upon him with Haru, falling from the sky onto his lap. Again, I could go on and on about how fitting the direction of the OP is for the show, but I’m sure you could see that for yourself.This anime for me is one of the most personally impactful and cathartic shows I have ever seen. It deals with themes of loss, loneliness, failure, and recovering back onto your feet in ways so realistic I can place myself directly inside the story. Every episode has emotionally resonated with me, be it happy or sad moments, causing me to tear up on each one from the strength the character’s emotions are being conveyed. If you’re coming into this expecting ‘just another slice-of-life’, you’re sorely mistaken. All of the characters in My Roommate is a Cat undergo realistic development and change for the better, highlighting the hope this world possesses even in your darkest hours.Regardless of where you are in life, regardless of how alone you feel, how depressed you are, how much you think the world may be against you, My Roommate is a Cat shows that there are people out there that care about you dearly, and there will always be hope. There is and always will be a way up - so never give up!*edit - changed some things to make myself more anonymous