“All according to plan.” That opening line doesn't just set the tone—it's a wink, a dare, a signature. Hulu's official U.S. trailer for Cat's Eye lands like a burst of neon nostalgia, dripping with 1980s cool while giving the art-thief fantasy a sleek modern makeover. The anime, directed by Yoshifumi Sueda (Rail Wars!, Sailor Moon Cosmos), arrives September 26, 2025, and it's hard not to feel like a door to a long-forgotten vault has been cracked open.
The premise is deceptively simple: three sisters—Hitomi, Rui, and Ai—run a cozy café by day and stage intricate heists by night, targeting their late father's stolen art collection. What elevates it isn't just the slick disguises or precision timing, but the tangled web of relationships—particularly between Hitomi and Detective Toshio, who's hunting the very thieves his girlfriend happens to be leading. It's romantic tension sharpened into a knife's edge, and if you've read Tsukasa Hôjô's manga (first published in 1981), you know the push-and-pull is half the fun.
What surprised me watching the trailer wasn't just the stylish set pieces—smoke bombs, cat-shaped calling cards, acrobatic leaps through skylights—but the soundscape. Yûki Hayashi's score doesn't lean on retro synths; it thrums with urgency, more in step with contemporary thrillers than nostalgic pastiche. That choice alone tells you this isn't a museum piece—it's alive, pulsing, itching to prove itself.
Liden Films, the studio behind the recent Rurouni Kenshin anime, handles production, and the crisp lines by character designer Yosuke Yabumoto strike a balance between glossy and grounded. Fans will recognize the DNA of 1980s anime aesthetics, but there's no dust here—it feels ready for new eyes, not just collectors clutching yellowed tankōbon volumes.
And maybe that's the cultural trick Cat's Eye is pulling off. For a generation raised on Lupin the Third or the slick capers of Hollywood's Ocean's franchise, this series offers a female-fronted counterpart: stylish, witty, but also emotionally messy. Gorgeous. Grating. Gorgeous again. The sisters' camaraderie looks playful one second, brittle the next, as if every shared glance hides another secret.
Watching the trailer, I found myself bouncing between grins and groans. That awkward shot of Toshio tripping over himself? Corny. The rooftop chase at dawn, city bathed in soft orange light? Stunning. It's uneven—sure—but isn't that exactly how serialized anime thrives? Peaks, dips, cliffhangers.
For all its glossy veneer, Cat's Eye also carries the weight of adaptation history. There was a French live-action TV series, there have been earlier anime attempts—but none quite stuck. This Hulu launch, backed by Disney for U.S. distribution, feels like the first time the property has been given both budget and cultural momentum to matter again.
Whether you're drawn by nostalgia, curiosity, or just the promise of sisters pulling off art heists with panache, Cat's Eye demands at least one night on the couch come September. Me? I'll be there. Notepad in hand, probably muttering about how Toshio still hasn't connected the dots.
What to Know Before Watching Cat's Eye
Classic Manga Roots
First serialized in 1981, Tsukasa Hôjô's Cat's Eye remains one of the most beloved caper manga series.
A Director with Range
Yoshifumi Sueda brings experience from action-heavy anime (High School DxD) to emotional fare (Sailor Moon Cosmos).
September 26 Release
Streaming exclusively on Hulu in the U.S., with Disney handling international rollout.
A Musical Pulse
Composer Yûki Hayashi (My Hero Academia) delivers a score more thriller than throwback.
A Love-Hate Dynamic
At its core, it's a romance tangled inside a chase: Toshio's hunt for thieves collides with his love for one of them.
