Polygon has published a review of Chainsmoker Cat, a new Netflix anime whose first episode the critic describes as both compelling and "downright vile". The show follows Yaniko (voiced by Yūko Natsuyoshi), a cat girl whose nicotine addiction has left her unable to function, and it swings jarringly between a raw, harrowing portrait of addiction and crude toilet humour. The reviewer finds the result a mess, but a fascinating one, arguing that the tonal whiplash undermines its more affecting moments.

Produced by Bibury Animation Studios and directed by Taku Kimura, the episode is praised for its detailed, carefully rendered animation, which the reviewer likens to Kyoto Animation's use of mundanity in shows such as Nichijou. The story, adapted by Takashi Aoshima from NyanNyanFactory's manga, depicts Yaniko's squalid apartment, her poverty, her withdrawal-driven inability to hold down a temp job, and painful scenes of anxiety and guilt over disappointing her more together sister. However, the premiere is also packed with fanservice and "poop jokes" — including masturbation and diarrhoea within the first minute — and the reviewer feels this shock humour lands far less well than the quieter absurdity, leaving hope that the series finds a better tonal balance.