Featuring an anthropomorphic 21-year-old cat obsessed with cigarettes and living in a dilapidated apartment seemed like a perfect recipe for absurd comedy, but authorities didn’t find it funny. The official anime account of Yani Neko (Chainsmoker Cat) suffered a silent ban on social media, losing visibility in search rankings just as its broadcast neared its end.

The punishment on digital platforms didn’t come out of nowhere, but after a rather turbulent month for the production. In mid-August, Hong Kong health authorities issued a formal notice claiming the series violated local tobacco advertising laws. The issue wasn’t just seeing the protagonist smoke, but that real packages of Japanese brands like Mevius appeared on screen from multiple angles. This forced streaming platforms to remove the series in that territory, triggering a chain reaction that led Taiwanese services to make similar decisions out of fear of legal penalties.

Despite the visibility block online, the official account remains active, and the community reacted with the biting humor that defines the work. Many users joked it was the first time they saw an official account receive such a punishment, while others pointed out ironically that the series generates too much chaos for current television. Curiously, several viewers on international forums commented that seeing the protagonist’s squalid living conditions didn’t motivate them to smoke, quite the opposite: it served as the perfect reminder to quit the habit.

Born as a series of short episodes published on social media by Nyan Nyan Factory, the story moved to print in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine in April 2023. The plot follows Sato Yaniko, a 21-year-old cat girl whose daily routine revolves exclusively around cigarettes, her apartment’s trash, and the suffering neighbors who must tolerate her eccentricities.

The anime adaptation was produced by Bibury Animation Studios under the direction of Takumi Kimura, featuring the voice of actress Yuko Natsuyoshi as the iconic Yani Neko. The production stood out for its musical surprises in the final stretch, including special versions of its main themes performed by Necry Talkie and Wasurerannee yo in the penultimate episode, setting the stage for its definitive conclusion.

Did you get to see Yani Neko’s antics this season?