Cat's Eye (1986 film)

Cat's Eye (キャッツ♥アイ) is a 1986 American animated heist film co-animated and directed by and, which was based on  by. The film follows the adventures of the three Kisugi sisters — Hitomi, Rui and Ai, who are formidable art thieves trying to collect all the works belonging to their missing father.

Plot
Hitomi Kisugi, along with her older sister Rui and her younger sister Ai, run a café called "Cat's Eye" in Tokyo. The sisters lead a double life as a trio of highly skilled art thieves, stealing works of art which primarily belonged to their long-missing father, Michael Heinz, who was a famous art collector during the Nazi regime. Hitomi's fiancé is Toshio Utsumi, a clumsy young police officer who is investigating the Cat's Eye case. Despite being a frequent visitor to the café he is unaware of the double life of the girls. Hitomi regularly informs the police in advance about her next job using a signature "Cat's Eye" calling card, and then uses Toshio's research about the security surrounding the target to help plan the job.

After Cat's Eye pull a heist and evade Toshio's efforts to capture them yet again, his boss gives him an ultimatum. With his career as a police officer at stake, Toshio vows to put romance and marriage on hold until he apprehends Cat's Eye. Even though Hitomi sympathizes with Toshio's predicament and is affected by it, to get back all of their father's art collection is the only way for the Kisugi sisters to figure out the mystery of his disappearance.

Shunzo Kagawa, a private collector who claims to have a painting that Cat's Eye might steal, asks Toshio for help but is found dead thereafter. Cat's Eye become the chief suspect of his murder. With Nagaishi's help, the Kisugi sisters must do what it takes to clear Cat's Eye's name and reputation.

While guarding an emerald targeted by Cat's Eye, Toshio discovers by accident that his nemesis is in fact a woman. As a rattled Hitomi makes her escape, Kazumi, member of a newspaper club at Ai's school, catches her flight on camera. Ai frantically tries to stop the film from being developed but fails. While Cat's Eye finalizes their plans to steal the emerald, Kazumi pursues her suspicions. The Kisugi sisters must therefore outwit Toshio and Kazumi to keep their identity from being exposed.

Lupin's Bride, a rival thief from Paris, arrives and challenges Cat's Eye by targeting the same art pieces. The Kisugi sisters must outsmart Lupin's Bride and evade the traps the Inunari Precinct has devised in order to prevent some of their father's art collection from being taken out of the country. Cat's Eye targets the other half of a diptych which, when paired with the other panel, will allegedly expose a secret of the Medici family. When the painting falls into the hands of a hitman who possesses diplomatic immunity, and even at the risk of provoking a war, Toshio sneaks into the ambassador's residence to retrieve the painting, so Cat's Eye has no choice but to keep a close eye on him.

Cat's Eye sends a note about the "Orlean", a painting displayed in the South Beach Museum. Toshio is sent over to oversee its security and meets Hitomi there. Hitomi is disappointed at the lack of progress in their relationship because of his dedication to his job. Rui then steps in to help Toshio realize what is missing.

Because a series of bombings keep Toshio occupied, Hitomi only gets to spend two hours with him before he is taken away again by Asatani, which makes her slightly jealous. Seeing her brood over the situation, Rui decides to cancel the plan for their next heist and make preparations for Hitomi's birthday instead. When the bomber is cornered and makes his last stand in the building that houses important paintings, Cat's Eye gives the Inunari Precinct the help they needed in order to capture the perpetrator. Toshio shows Hitomi how much he loves her using the building they have just saved.

Toshio goes undercover during an exhibit of famous paintings sponsored by department store tycoon Gosuke Yabuki, but his cover is blown when Ai appears and questions the authenticity of the exhibits. The Chief brings Toshio over to Yabuki's house to offer an apology, where Toshio discovers a spiked armor for Dobermans but is attacked and has to be hospitalized before discovering more. Ai is sent to Yabuki's house as an advance party while Hitomi and Rui guard Toshio at the hospital. But dodging murderous Dobermans and stealing the "Goddess of Mars" are not the only issues Cat's Eye has to resolve in this case. While on an undercover mission with Toshio to a secret hotel casino, allegedly operated by a mafia affiliate, Hitomi recognizes a painting from their father's art collection believed to be long lost. Hitomi accepts a challenge to a game of roulette on the condition of being awarded the painting "The Dangerous Woman". However, the owner of the casino is not willing to give up their most priced possession so easily; and for that, Hitomi - along with Toshio, who was captured while snooping - must travel to Guam to challenge the owner on their own ground.

"Venus' Sigh", a set of pearls, which is the highlight of a fashion show becomes the next Cat's Eye target. Asatani becomes suspicious when Hitomi appears as a replacement model, but does not have enough evidence. She corners Cat's Eye but losses her glasses in the resulting scuffle. Cat's Eye escapes, but not before Asatani gives her a bite mark. It is now just a matter of checking Hitomi's arm.

When Toshio begins daydreaming about Hitomi being Cat's Eye, his Chief is convinced that he has fallen in love with Cat's Eye and needs to sort out his feelings by making a definite proposal to his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Toshio, Hitomi is too busy with preparing the impending heist of the painting "Girl Amid the Spring Breeze" to think of anything else, which prompts him to renew his resolve for capturing Cat's Eye before proposing marriage. And this time, with his attention at its highest peak, Toshio comes dangerously close to achieving his goal. With renewed vigor because of his recent engagement to Hitomi, Toshio convinces his team to focus on the artist of the artworks Cat's Eye has targeted so far in order to establish their modus operandi. After much investigation and research, he identifies the artist and art collector. The next Cat's Eye target, which does not appear to have any connection to the artist, tests the plausibility of his theory.

Toshio receives a response to his request to the German government regarding Heinz's background and artwork. The documents point to a painting which holds a possible clue to his identity. Concerned that their identity might soon be revealed, Ai secretly follows Toshio and Asatani across the country as they search for the location of the scenery found in the painting. Unknown to them, a plan has already been put in place to keep Cat's Eye's secret safe. A collector of Heinz's artwork returns to Japan after several years of absence. It is soon revealed that he represents an individual who is keen on meeting with the Kisugi sisters. However, he is found dead before they can leave Japan, forcing Cat's Eye to recover the painting that led to his death. In the process of doing so, they find out that the key to meeting their father is in Paris. Cat's eye decided to go on Paris, Hitomi meet up with his detective boyfriend Toshio to tell she go on several days in Paris for vacation. Toshio want to give him a kiss but reluctanty. Hitomi think he give him a kiss but with her sisters suggestion, they tell spend they time alone together because Toshio is a klutz. Hitomi called Toshio and jump to him to give a kiss.

Cat's Eye's next objective is stored in the Hirayama Art Museum, a fully automated facility famous for catching a sizeable number of thieves with its sophisticated security systems. Hitomi manages to get inside, but Toshio blocks off her one and only escape route, forcing her to flee through an impregnable museum dotted with insidious traps. Heinz leaves a note for his daughters stating that he cannot reveal himself yet because the mafia may kill him, but he may appear in five years' time. However, the "Heinz" turns out to be the sisters' treacherous uncle Cranaff, who betrayed Michael years earlier. After losing a final bet to Cat's Eye, Cranaff decides to atone for his sin by setting fire to the museum, killing himself. Hitomi eventually admits to Toshio that she is part of Cat's Eye and flees before he can arrest her. Toshio vows to track her down, attempting to "arrest" Hitomi at the airport with a wedding ring. He resigns from the police force and travels to America to find Hitomi, but finds that she has lost her memory due to viral meningitis. Toshio spends time with her until her memories come back, and the two rekindle their relationship.

Voice cast

 * as Hitomi Kisugi, the main protagonist. Second daughter of Michael Heinz, Hitomi is usually the one who actually commits the heists, and is hence uniquely referred to as the Cat's Eye. Like Rui, she is an accomplished athlete and well versed in a number of disciplines and skills ranging from horseback riding to safe cracking. She is a skilled gymnast and is able to perform complex acrobatic moves with ease and grace. She is able to escape most restraints and handcuffs with minimal effort, and it is inferred that she is ambidextrous as well as double jointed. She is a skilled martial artist with proficiency in a number of disciplines, most notably judo, boxing and karate, and also has degrees in kendo and aikido. Hitomi is very charming, clever, sweet, sisterly, loyal, cunning, flirtatious, caring and kind-hearted.
 * as Rui Kisugi, the second protagonist. Hitomi's elegant and fashionable older sister, Rui is the leader and brain of the “Cat's Eye” group and the one who usually outlines strategies and plans the heists. With model good looks, worldly sophistication, and a razor-sharp intelligence she is able to handle almost any situation. She is extremely athletic and proficient in a great number of activities and skills including car racing, hang gliding, parachuting, helicopter piloting, motorcycle riding, roller skating, skateboarding, martial arts, electronics, handguns and scuba diving. She is a skilled actress and is able to disguise her appearance effortlessly. She is also fluent in a number of languages including English, French and German; she can also read lips accurately.
 * as Ai Kisugi, the third protagonist. As baby sister of the trio, Ai has a spunky, tomboyish personality and demeanor, and has a genius-level I.Q. and is particularly adept in mechanics, computer programming and engineering. She has built a wide array of gadgets to help her sisters in their heists. A typical teenager, she seems to be preoccupied a lot and dreams of falling in love. Being a high school girl, she also has a pet tabby kitten called "Tiger". While not as skilled as her sisters, Ai has none-the-less mastered a number of skills and is regularly the one who operates the get-away vehicles for the heists, including helicopters, gyrocopters, trucks, motorcycles, cars and mini-planes.
 * as Toshio Utsumi, the male protagonist who is Hitomi's high school sweetheart. Toshio always dreamed of being a police detective even when in high school, and upon graduation from Academy was assigned to the Inunaki (犬鳴, "Crying Dog") District Police Station in the heart of Tokyo. While Toshio has wanted to marry Hitomi, he has vowed not to until he has captured the Cat's Eye (he has, however, made the first step and proposed to her).
 * as Boss, Toshio's demanding Section Chief, who oversees the Detective's Division of the Inunaki Precinct. Nothing really is known about him, even his full name is never disclosed. He is constantly at odds with Toshio over his handling of the Cat's Eye investigation, and scolds Toshio at every opportunity.
 * as Mitsuko Asatani, a special investigator sent in from Tokyo Police HQ to assist in the Cat's Eye investigations. Asatani has a very shrewd intellect and has a very cunning personality, and is considered an elite officer of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. She is an expert markswoman (won the All-Japan Air Pistol Championships) and is proficient in several martial art forms, she's a 4th-degree black belt in karate and 2nd degree black belt in judo, making her more than a match for Hitomi. She is also quite a beauty, even being crowned a beauty queen during one of Cat's Eye cases. She is one of the first person to suspect Hitomi as the true identity of Cat's Eye, but is never able to find definitive proof. Her main weakness is that she must wear prescription glasses all the time, as she is practically blind without them.
 * Marvin Eichelbaum as Michael Heinz, an artistic wunderkind in Germany during the 1930s, Heinz was so gifted that by age 10 he already began composing the beginnings of his impressive art collection, which contains not only elaborate paintings and lithographs but also one-of-a-kind jewelry, sculptures and metal works. Heinz's was even able to create exquisite musical instruments. As such Heinz's works were highly sought among art collectors and galleries and many would pay exorbitant amounts to own one of his works. When the Nazi party began taking over Germany, Heinz fled the country for fear of political/artistic suppression. Traveling around the world, he eventually settled down in Japan, where he met and married a young Japanese woman. After the birth of their third daughter, Heinz travelled to the United States, where he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. His vast and priceless collection of art works were soon auctioned off and dispersed to art dealers around the world. Eventually, many pieces found their way to Japan in the hands of various private deals (many with criminal ties). In subsequent years, the collection were stolen piece by piece, regardless of heavy security, by a trio of thieves calling themselves "Cat's Eye", who were actually Heinz's grown-up daughters seeking clues to his whereabouts and hoping to get his attention to get him out of hiding.
 * as Tiger, Ai's pet tabby kitten.

Trivia

 * During a scene where Hitomi, Rui and Ai watch a cartoon on TV in their cafe, and Baby Herman make their debut appearances. They would appear in  two years later.