Whereas in the movie it's a parallel world which can be reached physically, Hiiragi suggests that Haru's kindness for stray cats was carried in memory by these cats in the afterlife. The graphic novel is subtly darker than the Studio Ghibli adaptation, owing in part to a revelation that the Cat Kingdom is, at least in Hiiragi's version of the story, a place where the souls of cats who've passed away live in bliss and happiness. It's Haru's small acts of kindness towards cats in her life that bring her help and companionship later on. but beyond this goofy and fun scenario are themes of repaying kindness, or gratitude, of friendship and of good deeds. As might be expected, being literally turned into a cat and dragged into a forced marriage plot would give her a new lease on life. At face value, this is ultimately a coming-of-age story about main character Haru's journey towards self-acceptance she's an awkward high school student living with a (presumably) single mother in an unnamed Japanese prefecture, constantly feeling inadequate, clumsy and hopeless in her mundane social world. As might be Adapted into a Studio Ghibli movie in 2002, Aoi Hiiragi's small but memorable graphic novel Baron: The Cat Returns is much more than just a cute fantasy story about talking cats. Adapted into a Studio Ghibli movie in 2002, Aoi Hiiragi's small but memorable graphic novel Baron: The Cat Returns is much more than just a cute fantasy story about talking cats.