From cartoon cat to ramen mascot
On social media, marmalade cats are made out to be the troublemakers of the household but they’re also described as being playful and affectionate. The latter might be why artist Vincent Trinidad came up with a whole backstory for Meowster, his cartoon cat that has leapt from the pages of his drawing book to become art toys for collectors.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the feline with the smiling eyes who is a Japanese master (Meowster) chef by day, and a trained warrior by night. His alter ego? Catana who clasps in his teeth a cat-sized version of the Japanese saber after which he is named.
“I think Catana Meowster was formed because as a child I loved watching badass anime characters and organized crime like Japanese manga series ‘Baki the Grappler,’ ‘The Godfather,’ and the Yakuza,” Trinidad told Lifestyle in an email interview.
“In the neighborhood where I grew up, there was always a character, a local legend who was the Asiong Salonga sort of archetype.” Salonga was an infamous Filipino gangster who ruled over a portion of Manila after World War II and was nicknamed “Hari ng Tondo” (Kingpin of Tondo).
Trinidad has since illustrated the cat in various situations—with heavily tattooed arms, yakuza-style; dressed in a kitchen smock with a hapless carp in his mouth; as the logo of a two-story cat café; and preparing a bowl of ramen behind the counter of his tiny restaurant.
His charming creation caught the eye of fellow artists, some of whom approached him with the intention of collaborating. In October 2023, over two dozen art toy interpretations of Meowster by different artists were featured in the exhibit, “Don’t F*ck with Cats” at the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival.
Dream come true
The exhibit was a dream come true for Trinidad who, as a child, favored drawing with crayons. He recalled his aunts and uncles telling him then, “Ang galing-galing mo mag-drawing!”
To get the shades all smooth and even, he would scrape the colored portions with a ruler. “When you use wax-based crayons, they create a textured surface. Scraping them with a hard, flat object like a ruler makes them glossy. I just preferred it that way.”
As a fine arts student at Far Eastern University, he had the opportunity to try out and experiment on other mediums. After graduating, he worked in different but related fields like marketing, advertising, movies, and video games.
All this time, he wanted to continue creating but realized he had to work as he and his wife started a family when he was 21. “My mindset was always that my job is drawing other people’s vision so I can fund my hobbies and passion for drawing what I want.”
Still, he realized and accepted early on that his responsibility was providing for his family. Once Trinidad felt certain that his art could fund and support his family, he left his job to become a full-time artist and creative.
During the pandemic, he decided to put up Ramen Wave, a ramen place that would also serve as his gallery of sorts. “Meowster became its mascot. My artwork is heavily inspired by Japanese culture, food, and aesthetics, so naturally it blended with the theme of Japanese ramen. Plus I love ramen which makes it even more fitting,” he said.
Those who have been to the first Ramen Wave or have been to Japan will recognize a similarity to the “confessional-type” setups popularized by ramen chain, Ichiran.
“The first branch of Ramen Wave was heavily inspired by Ichiran, featuring solo dining partitions designed for social distancing. However, I noticed that Filipinos generally prefer to eat with companions, unlike in Japan where solo dining is more common. For the newer branches, I introduced shared-focused dining cubicles with an option to open the window in front, allowing diners to enjoy their meal together while still maintaining the unique ramen wave experience,” he said.
Guiding light
Trinidad refers to his family and his responsibility to them as his guiding light, his North Star. While he handles the marketing of Ramen Wave which allows him to express his creativity, he has also provided jobs for family members.
“The north star of Ramen Wave is to give jobs to my siblings and family. They manage the day-to-day affairs of the restaurant and my wife is the one who oversees it all,” he said. By giving his family “a chunk of the earnings,” he is able to carve out enough time for himself to continue creating his style of art.
Has he ever been chided for or accused of cultural appropriation since much of what he creates is inspired by Japanese culture?
“I haven’t been accused of that because I’m very aware of it, and sometimes I even make fun of it in my social media posts,” Trinidad replied, adding that the market for his designs are mainly in the United Kingdom and the United States. “People appreciate my work for its creativity and craftsmanship, not for who I am as an artist. I’m thankful for that—they buy my art because of the work itself, not because of me.”
He then recalled how as a fresh college grad, he used to paint about his dark childhood experiences and other struggles. “But when I started creating art based on what I enjoyed as a child, everything became lighter and less stressful—and people started buying it.”
His tips for young artists? “Just pushing the boundaries a little can make you stand out without undermining your hard-earned work and reputation. And always stay aware of your north star; you’ll do fine.”
