Director: Liang Cao
A palace intrigue unfolds through the eyes of an unlikely detective duo in The Royal Cat, a Chinese animated drama set in the ancient city of Jinling. Liang Cao directs this mystery built around General Kou's sharp-eyed bodyguard cat, Zhan Ao, rather than around any of the film's human characters.
What is The Royal Cat about?
When suspicious deaths and hidden motives start piling up around General Kou's household, it's Zhan Ao — the general's own guard cat — who notices what the humans miss. He teams up with the young scholar-official Bao Zheng, the enigmatic Jinmaoshu, and the general's daughter, Kou Zhu, to pull apart a case that reaches further than anyone expects. Piece by piece, the group's investigation uncovers a conspiracy large enough to threaten the entire city, forcing all four to decide how far they're willing to go to expose it.
Cast & crew
Ketsu voices the sleuthing bodyguard cat Zhan Ao, with Liu Cong, Xiaoyi Liu and Ma Zhengyang filling out the human cast around him. Liang Cao directs, blending period detail with a mystery structure that gives each character — animal and human alike — a real stake in the outcome.
Context & significance
Set against the backdrop of ancient Jinling, The Royal Cat draws on a long tradition of Chinese detective fiction, most visibly through its use of Bao Zheng, a figure long associated with historical stories of justice and clever investigation. Framing that tradition through an animal protagonist gives the film a lighter tone than a straight period drama while keeping its mystery plotting intact.
Where & how to watch
The Royal Cat is available on K-Time with Persian-dubbed audio, letting Farsi-speaking viewers follow the case without subtitles. This page can be read by anyone; watching the film itself only requires signing in with a free K-Time account.