A talking cat with a taste for sake who somehow becomes the emotional anchor of a slice-of-life comedy that knows exactly how absurd it is. The show doesn't pretend the premise needs explaining away, it just lets Mikan be brilliant and difficult and drunk, and watches what happens when a lonely guy and a genius cat figure out they need each other. This is the kind of comfort show that sneaks up on you, where the joke is never at the cat's expense, and by episode ten you've stopped wondering why a kitten can read newspapers and started just being happy he exists.

Tomu Kusanagi takes in an orange kitten that was abandoned with his siblings and left for dead, and his family adopts the little cat. Tomu names him Mikan, the Japanese word for tangerine, and raises him with care. One night he discovers that Mikan is no ordinary pet: the cat is a genius who can talk, walk on two feet and read, and he has even developed a fondness for fruit liqueur. Adapted from a manga, the series is a comedic slice of life with touches of romance, and it mixes hilarious moments with touching ones as a boy and his remarkable cat share their days.