Highlights
- Netflix's Chainsmoker Cat has generated online buzz not only for its story but also for its opening sequence.
- Viewers have circulated frame-by-frame comparisons across social media, highlighting similarities to the opening scenes.
- Comparisons have been made to iconic films such as Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Fallen Angel, and Léon: The Professional.
Netflix began streaming Chainsmoker Cat, based on NyanNyanFactory’s manga Yani Neko, on July 2. The Bibury Animation Studio’s anime follows Yaniko, a catgirl addicted to smoking despite the damage it does to her life and relationships.
However, Chainsmoker Cat’s plot has not been the biggest talking point. Following its premiere, the opening theme featuring Wasureranneyo’s Nanmonee became a social media sensation for its several references to iconic Hollywood and other regional movies.
Within hours of release, anime fans began circulating side-by-side comparisons arguing that the roughly 90-second opening features reimagined scene compositions from more than 20 films. Some striking references come from movies like Fallen Angel, Léon: The Professional, Fincher’s classic Fight Club, and The Lord of the Rings, among others.
Neither the animation studio nor director Taku Kimura has confirmed any of these movie references as intentional homages, as of writing. The connections are fan interpretations built on visual similarities.
From Pulp Fiction to LOTR: Some Iconic Movie References in Chainsmoker Cat’s Opening
What makes the Chainsmoker Cat anime’s opening stand out is not any single reference but the sheer density. The film-homage approach echoes the style MAPPA used for its Chainsaw Man anime adaptation’s opening theme.
Both anime and movie enthusiasts have pointed to a handful of pairings as the clearest matches, based on how closely the anime’s framing, lighting, and character poses mirror the source materials.
Below are some of the widely discussed movie references in Chainsmoker Cat's opening:
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic, Pulp Fiction, remains one of the most referenced films in pop culture. The comparison thread pairs the movie’s famous cigarette rolling scene featuring the character Vincent Vega with a near-identical framing of Yani rolling a cigarette.
The angle, hand position, and sequence in the Chainsmoker Cat opening frame closely mirrors the movie’s dinner scene. Another reference pointed out similarities between two scenes featuring Mia Wallace (Pulp Fiction) and Yaku (Chainsmoker Cat).
Léon: The Professional
Luc Besson’s 1994 hitman drama, Léon: The Professional, is known for Natalie Portman’s theatrical debut. The movie featured a scene where Portman’s character Mathilda Lando is sitting across a balcony fidgeting with her legs, with a cigarette held between her fingers.
The opening includes a matching close-up of Yani’s hand and cigarette, framed almost identically to the film’s signature image.
Fight Club
David Fincher’s 1999 cult favorite Fight Club gets a nod through a shot featuring Tyler Durden and the unnamed protagonist with a similar pairing of Yani and Yaku. Fans pointed to matching character silhouettes and a similarly muted color grade. Fans have also linked one of Yani’s smoking scenes to Marla Singer’s memorable cigarette sequence from the movie, citing similarities in composition and character presentation.
The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is referenced through a wide establishing shot. The scene in question is Frodo Baggins reaching out for the One Ring. Fans noted that a frame from the opening that features a character reaching out for her mobile phone mirrors the film’s use of motion and framing.
Trainspotting
One of the most visible similarities was pointed out to Danny Boyle’s 1996 film Trainspotting. The first reference was that of both protagonists smoking in their untidy rooms, eventually dropping onto the floor.
Both scenes feature a similarly grimy, close-quarters composition and movements. Another iconic reference is the infamous toilet scene from Trainspotting, and the comparison thread pairs it with a bathroom moment from the anime’s opening.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
The 2026 horror-comedy was one of the first references fans flagged. The pairing centers on a scene featuring Grace sitting on steps, covered in blood and lighting a cigarette. Chainsmoker Cat's Yani is featured in a similar pose, against a similar background, in the opening.
Fallen Angel
One of the more notable comparisons links the opening to Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels. Viewers have pointed to a sequence in Chainsmoker Cat opening that closely resembles the film’s memorable bike riding scene through a tunnel. The sequence, scene progression, character expressions, and lighting have been noted for visual similarities.
The Usual Suspects
Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects has also entered the conversation, with viewers drawing parallels between Verbal Kint’s iconic walk and a similar sequence featuring Yani. The resemblance becomes more striking as both scenes end with respective characters lighting their cigarettes.
Saturday Night Fever
The 1977 disco classic is instantly recognizable for John Travolta’s pointing dance pose. Fans matched it to a nearly identical pose struck by a character in the anime’s final opening moments, down to the angle of the raised arm.
A Better Tomorrow
John Woo’s 1986 Hong Kong action landmark A Better Tomorrow remains one of the genre-defining classics. The comparison draws on its stylized use of silhouette and composition featuring Mark Lee from A Better Tomorrow, where the character is lighting a cigarette with a burning $100 note.
In the Chainsmoker Cat opening frame, Yani lights a cigarette with a burning book/magazine, wearing similar sunglasses against a similarly composed background.
These are not the only referenced movies. Yani is seen in the opening wearing a suit similar to The King of Comedy’s Rupert Pupkin. A controversial smoking scene from 1995's indie movie Kids, where the characters smoke whilst sitting in a queue, was also referred to for a similar scene in the anime's opening.
Scenes from Chinatown, Project A, Conclave, The Breakfast Club, and even 2000’s classics like Coffee and Cigarette have been named as comparisons.
None of these pairings carry an official stamp from the production. What is verifiable is the scale of the online reaction and buzz. Beyond the early visibility, how the anime performs in a crowded Summer 2026 schedule remains to be seen.
