Cat’s Eye, another stellar city pop series from City Hunter mangaka Tsukasa Hojo is getting a brand-new anime adaptation thanks to Disney+ Japan. Revealed during the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore, the brand-new teaser trailer stays shrouded in mystery while teasing Ado’s cover of the original opening theme song from the 1983 version of Cat’s Eye, titled “Cat’s Eye” by Anri. The teaser doesn’t give away with the reboot will be a full series or a movie, nor does it give away anything about the characters, plot, or production staff working on the series. Though there are small nods in the trailer relating to the original story, everything else is, as of writing this, waiting to be announced.
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Cat’s Eye follows three sisters who, by day, run a simple and unassuming cafe, while at night, the trio work as art thieves. The series was originally serialized in 1981 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and ran for close to four years before coming to an end in 1984. The original anime adaptation was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and ran for 36-episodes from 1983 until 1984. The original anime received a sequel, titled Cat’s Eye 2, which ran from 1984 to 1985 with 37-episodes. A newer manga series, titled Cat’s Eyes, which was written by Sakura Nakameguro and with art by Shin Asai was released in 2010 and serialized in the seinen magazine Monthtly Comic Zenon and ran until 2014.
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2025 Is Having a Retro Anime Takeover – and That’s a Good Thing
With retro stories making a huge comeback in 2024 and 2025, with Ranma 1/2 and the upcoming Yaiba reboot charming anime fans from every generation, it’s no surprise that more studios would have their eyes on classic properties and reinvent them for new age anime fans. Plus, it’s been absolutely incredible to see so many anime series return to their roots and adapt projects from a place of passion and love for the medium. This is something that can be seen in Studio Orange’s Trigun reboot, and even Science Saru’s take on Devilman that released in 2018. It’s also important to note how much retro sensibilities have made their way back into modern pop culture. City pop, retro fashion, and other references to days past have becoming increasingly endearing in modern fandom, so it’s not a surprise in the slightest that creatives would latch onto these stories and begin exploring them with a modern lens.
There’s truly no better mangaka to take inspiration from than Tsukasa Hojo. Not only did the mangaka create City Hunter, one of the most iconic shonen series from the 1980s, the creator also mentored other iconic manga artists that became foundational members of the industry. Tsukasa Hojo was Takehiko Inoue’s mentor, best known for creating the foundational sports series Slam Dunk and the revolutionary Vagabond. Hojo is also a longtime colleague and acquaintance to Tetsuo Hara, the creator of Fist of the North Star, which revolutionized and inspired artists like Kentaro Miura, the creator of Berserk.
We’ll keep you updated about the development of Disney+’s Cat’s Eye.