Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls is an 11 episode anime Youtube series that ran from 2010-2012. It is rated 8.7/10 on IMDb. It was written, animated, and directed by SoapOpera46. It follows the story of two catgirls, Raku-chan and Koneko-chan, and their friend, Hitoshi-san, as the three of them learn to navigate love and the cruel realities of life.
WARNING: this story is not for the faint of heart. It is one of the greatest romantic tragedies of all time. I would compare it to Romeo and Juliet, or the Titanic, or perhaps Shrek (if they didn’t end up together).
Raku-chan immediately falls in love with the obliviously handsome Hitoshi-san, but when he is kidnapped and forced to confront his possible homosexuality, their love story is interrupted. Then Raku-chan falls ill. At first it is thought to be a run-of-the-mill case of “the rabies” transmitted through the bite of a kawaii squirrel-chan, but then she becomes possessed by a Neko Demon that encourages her to give in to her base instincts and transforms her fully into a cat.
Hitoshi-san tries to take care of her, but he is constantly distracted by thoughts of his kidnapper, presumed to be named Geoff. Koneko-chan, on the other hand, is solely focused on her best friend, going out of her way time and again for Raku-chan’s sake.
In the finale, Raku-chan finally manages to confess her kimochi for Hitoshi-san, but she is turned down as the kidnapper, revealed to be named Bokutachi-san, arrives with flowers for his boyfriend, Hitoshi-san. Raku-chan dies of a broken kokoro in her friends’ arms; their remorse is not enough to save her. Hitoshi-san goes into a state of denial, and Koneko-chan a state of cold acceptance. With the heartbreaking credit sequence (sung by Koneko-chan’s voice actor), the viewer is left feeling empty and with levels of broken kokoro to rival Raku-chan’s.
The homoerotic subtext of Koneko-chan and Raku-chan’s relationship is left up to the viewer’s discretion, but whether they are just tomodachi or more, the theme of tragic love rings true to the very last moment. This show was truly ahead of its time and is still a classic that is enjoyable and relevant today.