Cat's Eye Coffee Contemplations (English)

**Cat's Eye's Coffee Contemplations**

Random observations and annotations, etymological and lexical research, as well as elaboration on the voice actors/actresses and cultural aspects that are referenced in the Cat's Eye anime and manga by Tsukasa Hōjō.

Kudos to these kind folks for their ressourceful and informative fansites!

* Sutefanii's Univers Cat's Eye
* NJ's Cat's Eye Space
* Alessandra's Occhi di Gatto

## Links

* Episode Synopses
* TV Tropes entry on Cat's Eye
* Journal de la Collection Heintz
* Heintz Collection
* This blissfully reminded me of Kazuo Otani's awesome soundtrack for Cat's Eye.

## Café Katzenauge

* Opening Hours: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
* The coffee is usually being prepared by using a vacuum coffee maker or by using the French press method.
	+ A French press, also known as a cafetière, cafetière à piston, Cafeteria, press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger, is a coffee brewing device invented by Paolini Ugo and patented by Italian designer Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta in 1929.

## Dishes & Drinks

Please refer to this article for a list of foods and drinks featured in Cat's Eye.

## Cultural References

Nota bene: Many of these (pop)cultural references were brought to my attention thanks to Sutefanii's comprehensive Univers Cat's Eye archives. Kind regards to her!

* Episode 006: Toshi's Mild Seven Lights cigarettes
	+ Detektiv Conan 262: The receipt from the convenience store we found in his wallet: Mt. Akagi Milk & Yanase's Bean Bun & Mild Seven Lights Cigarettes.
* Episode 008: Yontory Old Whisky = Suntory
* Episode 009: The Great Buddha of Kamakura 鎌倉大仏 Kamakura Daibutsu is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple.
* Episode 009: Yokohama Foreigners Cemetery
* Episode 022: Tokyo Tower 東京タワー in the Minato district of Tokyo, cf. Sailor Moon & Detektiv Conan 004.
* Episode 036: Jack Daniel's Whiskey
* Episode 042: Budweiser Lager Beer
* Episode 049: Coca-Cola
* Episode 050: Toshi's Nasadonald Burger = McDonald's
* Episode 055: McDonald's
* Episode 055: Swensen's Ice Cream Shop
* Manga 05 Chapter 048 Hitomi's bookshelf: Newton'sches Kugelstoßpendel & Gegege no Kitarō
* Manga 11 Chapter 107 Hitomi's bookshelf: Y.M.O. = Yellow Magic Orchestra, a Japanese electronic music band

## Episode Annotations

### Episode 001

君はセクシーな泥棒 Kimi wa sekushīna dorobō "You're a Sexy Thief"
君 (kimi) second-person personal pronoun, you
セクシー (sekushī) sexy
泥棒 (dorobō) thief
怪盗 (kaitō) the phantom thief or mysterious thief, a stock character from Japanese fiction

* Univers Cat's Eye: The vinyl on the record player says Rube Soul - The Beatles Best, an allusion to the Beatles album Rubber Soul.
* The record player the Kisugi sisters own is from the Japanese brand Pioneer: Pioneer Corporation (パイオニア株式会社 Paionia Kabushiki-kaisha) commonly referred to as Pioneer, is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, Japan, that specializes in digital entertainment products.

During her shopping spree with Toshi, Hitomi buys Neosoft, which appears to be some kind of vegetable oil spread from the Snow brand.

ネオソフト Neosofuto

Additionally, she buys plastic wrap. The package design implies that its brand is Monotaro:

ハイラップ Hairappu

Additionally, a pack of APH RO.S by Gleco, provided I deciphered the screenshot correctly, which would make this a reference to the Japanese sweets manufacturer Glico:

* Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd. (江崎グリコ株式会社 Ezaki Guriko Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese food company headquartered in Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. Ezaki Glico's primary business is manufacturing confectionery products such as chocolate, chips, chewing gums and ice cream, and dairy products. Additionally, Glico manufactures processed foods such as curry stocks and retort takikomi gohan pouch, and dietary supplement products. In 1919, Riichi Ezaki created a caramel candy product containing glycogen extracted from oyster. The caramel candy product was named Glico, a shortening of the word glycogen.

Strolling through the city, the two pass by a Pachinko arcade, in front of which we spot an Honda motorcycle.

* Pachinko (パチンコ) is a type of mechanical game originating in Japan and is used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a Japanese gambling niche comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gaming.
	+ Super Mario Sunshine: Pachinko mini-game
* Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (Japanese: 本田技研工業株式会社 Hepburn: Honda Giken Kōgyō KK) is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment.

After that, Hitomi and Toshi sit in the middle of the street, relishing in some ice cream cones.

* Noir: As Mireille looks for information on her laptop under a cool canopy in a forest somewhere, Kirika slurps away at an ice cream cone.
* SpongeBob Schwammkopf: proper ice cream cone eating XD

In this episode, we spot Toshi's Saiko wristwatch for the first time, this being a reference to the Japanese clock manufacturer Seiko:

* Seiko Holdings Corporation (セイコーホールディングス株式会社 Seikō Hōrudingusu Kabushiki-gaisha), commonly known as Seiko (/ˈseɪkoʊ/ SAY-koh, Japanese: [seːkoː]), is a Japanese holding company that has subsidiaries which manufactures and sells watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelries, and optical products.

The code to the strong room (as entered by Nami): 3610548

At the end of the episode, Cat's Eye escapes in a Cessna plane (according to the police staff pursuing them). The LV-X 33 model appears to be fictional though, as I couldn't find any information on it.

* The Cessna Aircraft Company (/ˈsɛsnə/[3]) was an American general aviation aircraft manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Best known for small, piston-powered aircraft, Cessna also produced business jets.

### Episode 005

夜間飛行は危険な香り Yakan hikō wa kiken'na kaori "Night Flight Is a Dangerous Scent"
香り kaori "fragrance, aroma" > Sailor Moon: Kaorinite

夜間 yakan "at night"

飛行 hikō "flying"

危険 kiken "dangerous, risky"

At the beginning of the episode, we see Mitsuko target shooting with impressive precision.

* Noir 018 The Darkness Within Me: Mireille and Kirika are seen target-practicing in their usual underground sewers. Recalling what Chloe told Mireille, Mireille, confused and traumatized, forces Kirika to get out of her sight, calling Kirika a disturbing enigma. Kirika leaves, obviously distressed about Mireille's words and her own mysterious past.

During her introduction to Toshi, Mitsuko drinks a cup of tea with a slice of lemon.

* Detektiv Conan Episode 108 Next Conan's Hint: cup of tea with lemon slice
* Detektiv Conan Episode 035 Die Mumie im Wald: cup of tea with lemon slice and biscuit
* Detektiv Conan Episode 019 Die Kapsel im Zitronentee: Hot Lemon Tea
* Detektiv Conan Kapitel 220 Die Liebe, der Strand und der Tod: cup of tea with lemon slice

For the following night, Cat's Eye has announced to steal the painting Sunset at the Rhine [sic?]. By using a circular glass cutter, they cut an opening into the window of the museum and send their signature card.

* Painting: Sunset at the Rhine [sic] - Le couché de soleil - Le crépuscule sur le Rhin

Mitsuko identifies the perfume of Hitomi and that of Cat's Eye to be the same, "Nightflight". This is a reference to the real perfume "Vol de Nuit" by Guerlain. Hitomi identifies Mitsuko's perfume as "Mitsouko", another creation by Guerlain.

* One June 2 2017 I haphazardly spotted a perfume collection of the German TV show Bares für Rares, containing several Mitsouko vials.
* On Guerlain's [Guerlain's Mitsouko Mitsouko]: In 1919, Europe was fascinated by Japan and the culture of the Far East. This was the moment when Jacques Guerlain named his new fragrance Mitsouko. Mitsouko means "mystery" in Japanese and symbolises passionate and mysterious femininity.
* Alas, I could not find any sources verifying that Mitsouko does in fact mean "mystery" or "enigma".
* Guerlain's Mitsouko: Common perfume lore wants us to believe that Mitsouko means "mystery". However intriguing this may sound, it's erroneous. Mitsuko is a typical Japanese girl's name signifying approximately "bright child", and because the phonetic u-sound is spelled "ou" in French, Farrère put it as "Mitsouko".
* Inspector Lewis - Allegory of Love: And what are we to make of the Mystique d’Noir (?) perfume that Ned buys for his niece and doppelganger — and which Inspector Lewis’ wife wore as well? And the critical place of the reference to Borges’ Uqbar?

During her first visit of Café Cat's Eye, Mitsuko orders a coffee "à la maison", that is a "Cat's Eye Noir". For preapring the desired beverage, Nami uses a vacuum coffee maker. Mitsuko gives her three 100 Yen coins as payment without having drunk her coffee.

* A vacuum coffee maker brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee. This type of coffee maker is also known as vac pot, siphon or syphon coffee maker, and was invented by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s.

During her second visit of Café Cat's Eye at night, Mitsuko again orders a coffee à la maison from Hitomi, in order to shadow and spy on her, thinking that Hitomi is infact Cat's Eye.

* I really love the background music in that scene, that mellow vibraphone play at night. It's track 07 M-5.mp3 on the Cat's Eye Anime Music Capsule 1 album.

### Episode 006

* Toshi smokes Mild Seven Lights cigarettes: Mevius (Japanese: メビウス) previously called Mild Seven (Japanese: マイルドセブン Mairudo Sebun) is a brand of cigarettes produced by Japan Tobacco. Mevius cigarettes are the third most widely smoked cigarette in the world with 76.5 billion around the world, behind Marlboro and Camel.

### Episode 018

追いつめられて Oitsumerarete "After Being Cornered"
Hitomi and Ai steal the "Star of Kilimanjaro" from an African Treasure exhibit and enter a Ladies Pro Wrestling venue by mistake while trying to escape from the police. Anxious to get away, they disguise themselves as the wrestling duo "Tiger Ladies" but are forced to fight in the next match. Hitomi and Ai must work together and rely on their agility against their bigger and more experienced opponents as Toshio cheers them on.

キリマンジャロの星 Kirimanjaro no hoshi "Star of Kilimanjaro"

* Mount Kilimanjaro or just Kilimanjaro ( /ˌkɪlɪmənˈdʒɑːroʊ/), with its three volcanic cones, "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira", is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa, with its summit about 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) from its base, and 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level. Johann Ludwig Krapf wrote in 1860 that Swahilis along the coast called the mountain Kilimanjaro. Although he did not offer any support, he claimed that Kilimanjaro meant either mountain of greatness or mountain of caravans. Under the latter meaning,kilima meant mountain and jaro meant caravans. Jim Thompson claimed in 1885, again without support, that the term Kilima-Njaro "has generally been understood to mean" the mountain (kilima) of greatness (njaro). He also suggested "though not improbably it may mean" the white mountain. Njaro is an ancient Kiswahili word for shining.

* In this episode we see that the Kisugi sisters own - among others - a Honda motorcycle: Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (Japanese: 本田技研工業株式会社 Hepburn: Honda Giken Kōgyō KK) is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment.

### Episode 035

暴け! キャッツの秘密 Abake! Kyattsu no Himitsu "The exposure of Cat's Eye secret"
* First airing in Japan: 19.03.1984 (the 21st birthday of my dear mother)

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.

* Note from Tomodachi: At the start of the episode, Toshi's colleague Asaya prints a report on Heintz, the painter. Curiously though, the paper actually depicts an article from the official GDR (German Democratic Republic) newspaper "Neues Deutschland", specifically the 37th annual conference of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.

* On Ai's motorcycle we can see the word Zusuki, which is obviously a reference to the real Japanese manufacturer Suzuki: Suzuki Motor Corporation (Japanese: スズキ株式会社 Hepburn: Suzuki Kabushiki-Kaisha) is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, four-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines.

* Ai's motorcycle suit, however, is from Honda, judging be the characteristic red wing logo. In episode 18 we learn that the Kisugi sisters own a Honda motorcycle as well: Honda Motor Company, Ltd. (Japanese: 本田技研工業株式会社 Hepburn: Honda Giken Kōgyō KK) is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment.

* As we've already learned in the first episode, Toshi's wristwatch is from Saiko, a reference to the real Japanese clock manfacturer Seiko: Seiko Holdings Corporation (セイコーホールディングス株式会社 Seikō Hōrudingusu Kabushiki-gaisha), commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese holding company that has subsidiaries which manufactures and sells watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelries, and optical products.

### Episode 040

暗闇でどっきり Kurayami de dokiri "A scare in the dark"
For his next mission against Cat's Eye, Toshio has himself locked inside a near-impenetrable museum for two days to guard "The Mermaid" painting. Cat's Eye arrives to pull off the heist, but by springing a carefully prepared trap, Toshio catches Hitomi in her Cat's Eye costume. After Ai manages to knock him out, Cat's Eye must resort to every trick in their book to make Toshio believe that this encounter was just a hallucination.

セイレーン Seirēn Σειρήν "siren"
* Detektiv Conan Episode 241

For his mission, Hitomi prepares a little parcel of Onigiri for Toshi, which she fills with Natto. She uses a paste from a tube which elicits a slightly irritated reaction from Toshi, Nami and Ai. As Natto is fairly unknown in the Western world, especially during the time it was first aired, the German dubbing studio solved the problem by making Hitomi (quite untypically) use sugar for seasoning the Onigiri.

As the Kisugi sisters set off for the Kodama art museum, we hear the (stellar) background music Special Lady.

## References

1. ↑ Univers Cat's Eye
2. ↑ [1]
3. ↑ Univers Cat's Eye: Journal de la Collection Heintz
4. ↑ Le Fleuve du Rhin
5. ↑ Univers Cat's Eye: Références & Inspirations
6. ↑ Inspecor Lewis - Allegory of Love