The summer anime season brought us many unique shows, but few captivated audiences quite like Nyaight of the Living Cat. Its utterly bizarre premise and the creative minds behind it made it a standout. One of those masterminds is none other than the legendary Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, serving as the anime’s chief director. While his name might be less familiar within the broader anime community, cinephiles instantly recognize him as an auteur behind iconic films like Audition, 13 Assassins, and Visitor Q. For many film enthusiasts, Miike’s prominent role in Nyaight of the Living Cat was the initial draw.
Though this marks only his second foray into anime development, Miike is far from a stranger to the worlds of anime and manga; both art forms have profoundly influenced his storied career. His directorial style is often defined by his wildly over-the-top, cartoonish depictions of violence and sexuality, frequently echoing the visceral aesthetics of gory manga and anime such as Hellsing, Berserk, and Devilman. This clear artistic kinship highlights the deep impact these mediums have had on his creative voice and sensibilities, even if only a fraction of his vast filmography is directly based on them.
With over 100 films to his name – no exaggeration – diving into Miike’s work can feel overwhelming, especially for anime fans less accustomed to live-action cinema. But fear not! I’ve curated a list of five accessible anime and manga-related projects spearheaded by Miike that serve as fantastic introductions to his unique body of work. While he’s directed over a dozen live-action adaptations, these five are readily available via streaming or physical media. So, if you loved the wild ride of Nyaight of the Living Cat, prepare to explore these cinematic gems from Takashi Miike!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1
Despite the “Chapter 1” in its title, this film is a live-action adaptation of the fourth arc of the beloved manga, Diamond Is Unbreakable (and the third season of the anime). The story centers on Josuke Higashikata (Kento Yamazaki), a teenager with extraordinary supernatural powers, who uncovers a string of murders plaguing his hometown. A mysterious figure, capable of manipulating a water-like entity, is responsible. Alongside his family and friends, including Jotaro Kujo (Yusuke Iseya) and Koichi Hirose (Ryunosuke Kamiki), Josuke embarks on a mission not only to prevent further killings but also to unmask the culprits.
While primarily crafted with fans of the source material in mind, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1 still stands alone as an excellent watch for anyone who enjoyed Nyaight of the Living Cat and seeks a tonally similar project from Miike. At first glance, an apocalyptic horror-comedy like Nyaight of the Living Cat and an action-adventure series with supernatural elements like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure might seem worlds apart. However, what truly connects them is Miike’s masterful ability to infuse his distinctive brand of over-the-top absurdism and dark comedy into both their settings and characters.
Both films unfold in inherently goofy worlds, yet their true comedic and entertainment value arises from the characters’ unwavering seriousness in confronting these absurd situations, often with a complete lack of self-awareness. In fact, the characters in Nyaight of the Living Cat analyze the threat of the cat hordes with a similar meticulousness to how shonen anime characters dissect their enemies’ attacks and special moves.
If the delightful silliness of Nyaight of the Living Cat appealed to you, then JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1 is a superb next step into Miike’s anime/manga-themed filmography. Admittedly, the extensive lore and world-building can pose a slight initial hurdle for viewers unfamiliar with the JoJo manga and anime, as the movie’s opening minutes only provide the bare minimum context. However, once you navigate past this brief exposition, the film quickly becomes a highly digestible and immensely enjoyable experience, fully indulging in its hyper-stylized fights and wonderfully cartoonish logic.
As the Gods Will
Based on the first arc of the supernatural thriller manga of the same name, As the Gods Will throws high school student Shun Takahata (Sota Fukushi) and his classmates into a terrifying ordeal. They are forced to participate in a series of deadly children’s games where losing means a brutal, grisly death. The origins of these games, the selection of participants, and their ultimate purpose remain shrouded in mystery, but for Shun and his peers, these questions are secondary. Their sole, desperate priority is to survive, no matter the cost, until they are the last ones standing.
Much like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1, As the Gods Will offers another extravagantly over-the-top cinematic experience for those new to Miike’s distinctive style and extensive filmography, especially if they enjoyed the tone of Nyaight of the Living Cat. Similar to JoJo, this film is steeped in a pervasive absurdism and silliness, stemming from the outlandish games the contestants endure—such as an anthropomorphic cat doll devouring students or a colossal bear mercilessly eliminating anyone who lies. However, unlike the previous entry on this list, As the Gods Will leans even further into Miike’s characteristic filmmaking sensibilities, as every death is depicted with shocking blood and gore, pushing the boundaries of visceral horror.
Onimusha
Onimusha is a particularly unique entry, not only as the sole anime on this list but also as Miike’s official anime directorial debut. Drawing inspiration from Capcom’s renowned video game series, Onimusha follows a dedicated band of warriors, led by the legendary Musashi Miyamoto (voiced by Akio Otsuka), on a clandestine mission to hunt down menacing demons that threaten the very fabric of the country.
While Onimusha isn’t heavily reliant on a complex plot, this design choice is clearly intentional. Much of the show’s brilliance lies in its spectacular action set pieces and the quieter, character-driven moments filled with engaging banter. These are precisely the elements that elevate Miike’s other samurai action epics, and witnessing them translated into an anime format makes Onimusha a must-watch for fans of Nyaight of the Living Cat eager to delve deeper into Miike’s directorial voice.
With a filmography exceeding 100 titles, Miike naturally explores recurring themes and genres. Two prominent categories frequently surface: wildly over-the-top horror movies and gritty historical samurai epics. These genres appear vastly different in tone, yet Miike’s remarkable ability to masterfully execute both distinct styles is what cements his status as a household name in the filmmaking world. It’s almost poetic, then, that his two anime directorial efforts perfectly align with these contrasting genres.
Nyaight of the Living Cat brilliantly translates Miike’s knack for dark comedy and a cartoonish tone into establishing an absurdist, exaggerated setting within the anime medium. Onimusha achieves a similar feat, but through another facet of Miike’s signature style: crafting hyper-stylized sword fights and multi-combatant action sequences. These two anime effectively represent different aspects of Miike’s narrative and filmmaking interests, with Nyaight of the Living Cat resonating with his horror comedies like The Happiness of the Katakuris and Visitor Q, and Onimusha mirroring his epic samurai films such as 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai.
If Nyaight of the Living Cat served as your thrilling introduction to Miike’s quirky tones and horror-comedy sensibilities, and you’re ready to immerse yourself further into his immense body of work, then Onimusha offers an equally strong, yet distinct, entry point into his approach to visceral samurai action. These anime are indeed very different, but that very diversity has been a defining characteristic of this director’s legendary filmography.
Blade of the Immortal
Miike’s 100th film, Blade of the Immortal, is a striking adaptation of the manga of the same name. It tells the story of Manji (Takuya Kimura), an ageless samurai, who is enlisted by Rin (Hana Sugisaki), a young orphan girl, to avenge her father’s death by hunting down the samurai responsible. As they journey together on their quest for vengeance, a profound, almost big brother/little sister bond blossoms between them, forming the emotional core of the narrative, reminiscent of stories like *The Last of Us* or *Heavenly Delusion*.
Throughout the film, we witness Manji and Rin’s growth and evolving relationship. Manji slowly reclaims his humanity, while Rin finds a much-needed parental figure to guide her after losing both parents. This movie is as much about the deep character connections and their development as it is about exhilarating samurai battles. If you appreciated Nyaight of the Living Cat’s surprising emphasis on fleshing out its characters, then Blade of the Immortal might just be the perfect Miike film for your next viewing.
Despite the inherent silliness and seeming lack of self-awareness displayed by the characters in Nyaight of the Living Cat, the show still dedicates time to developing them, revealing their backstories and intricate relationships with cats. This level of character development is unexpected for an absurdist horror-comedy, making its inclusion a welcome surprise that adds an extra layer of engagement and empathy when characters face the onslaught of cats.
Blade of the Immortal is an excellent follow-up if you found this particular aspect of Nyaight of the Living Cat compelling, as Miike takes character dynamics even further here. Similar to Onimusha, the film’s primary focus lies in delivering meticulously choreographed and highly stylized sword fights and action sequences. However, these combat scenes achieve their full impact precisely because Miike invests the time to properly develop Manji and Rin as characters. The movie is peppered with quieter moments where the two leads converse and strengthen their bond, ensuring that when an action scene erupts, our personal connection to the characters heightens our investment in their dangerous predicaments.
While Blade of the Immortal and Nyaight of the Living Cat may appear to be antithetical stories in terms of tone, genre, and overall intent, they are nonetheless cut from the same cloth when it comes to their shared emphasis on developing nuanced characters, their evolving relationships, and their individual histories.
Ichi the Killer
Based on the notorious manga of the same name, Ichi the Killer plunges into the dark underworld of the yakuza. The story follows Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano), a psychotic, sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer, who embarks on a relentless hunt for an equally disturbed, yet sexually repressed man named Ichi (Nao Omori). Ichi is manipulated by his handler into brutally murdering various members of rival yakuza factions.
If there’s one film in Miike’s entire monumental filmography that most definitively encapsulates his filmmaking sensibilities, his signature directorial style, and his core narrative interests, it is unequivocally Ichi the Killer. The movie unflinchingly indulges in all of Miike’s trademarks, resulting in what is arguably his most brutal and gory film to date—so intensely violent that it was censored in multiple countries. Yet, it also stands as one of Miike’s most acclaimed and well-known works, a testament to its raw power and artistic impact, and reason enough to watch it.
While Nyaight of the Living Cat is significantly more lighthearted, a fascinating parallel exists between it and Ichi the Killer. Both share a remarkably goofy and over-the-top tone, where characters confront their cartoonish worlds and conflicts with an almost deadpan seriousness. However, despite this shared foundation, Ichi the Killer is by far the more extreme of the two projects. It pushes its inherent silliness and absurdity to their absolute limits through scenes of extreme violence and cruelty, such as characters being sliced in half or self-mutilation. Nyaight of the Living Cat is, by comparison, much tamer, largely because its primary aim is comedy.
Nonetheless, if Nyaight of the Living Cat served as your introduction to Miike, and you’re now keen to experience a film that truly represents his distinctive voice as a director and the kind of visceral cinema he’s most renowned for, then Ichi the Killer is precisely the movie you need to see. For those looking to dive into a director’s body of work, starting with their most famous films is often the best approach. If those resonate, then exploring their more obscure or lesser-known titles becomes a natural progression. In the vast career of Takashi Miike, Ichi the Killer stands out as his most celebrated anime/manga-related film and serves as the perfect litmus test to determine your connection with his live-action artistry.
Its unflinching depiction of graphic and horrific imagery might deter some, but as far as live-action anime/manga adaptations go, it remains one of the best and is absolutely worth your time.