Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Satellite Girl and Milk Cow

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Unique Korean anime has violence, scary imagery.

Movie NR 2014 80 minutes
Satellite Girl and Milk Cow Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

KITSAT-1 is an out-of-commission satellite orbiting Earth. One night, she picks up a transmission of a young man singing a ballad at a cafe's open-mic event. Smitten, she decides to return to Earth to find him. Along the way, she magically transforms into Satellite Girl, a girl with rocket shoes and limbs that can fire weapons. At the same time, the heartbroken young man who sang the song that enthralled her turns into a Holstein milk cow. When they meet, they are joined by Merlin, a "blood heir of fairies" that is now a talking roll of toilet paper. In their new bodies, these three must fight Mr. Oh: a man who steals livers for The Incinerator, revealed to be the source of the world's current imbalances. If these three can defeat The Incinerator, not only will the balance of the world be restored, but the SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW will also find the love that has proven to be so elusive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is an unusually creative movie, even by the high standards of the best anime. A lonely out-of-commission satellite comes back to Earth and turns into a girl. A down-on-his-luck sensitive balladeer turns into a cow. And then a "blood heir of fairies" named Merlin has turned into a talking roll of toilet paper. It's all quite unconventional and eccentric, but at its core is a theme that's common to a lot of anime: the ups and downs of young love.

There are times when the story feels a little too complicated. The antagonists include an Incinerator, a harvester of organs, and a pig witch. When paired with absurd scenes like the Milk Cow sitting on the toilet passing gas and defecating while the talking roll of toilet paper hovers nearby lamenting what he inevitably has to do to help in the bathroom, it's a little bizarre. Satellite Girl and Milk Cow occasionally gets lost in its own eccentricities. Nonetheless, the central thread of the story is clear enough that fans of the genre will enjoy this unique tale of transformation and metamorphosis.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about anime. How does Satellite Girl and Milk Cow compare to other anime movies you've seen?

  • What do you think the unusual transformations of the characters symbolize?

  • How does the violence compare to that of other animated features you've watched?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate