Catherine is the shopkeeper that sells items in Blinx: The Time Sweeper and makes a brief appearance in Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space.

Appearence

Catherine has white fur with brown tips at her ears and tail, much like a Siamese. She wears a pink nurse outfit (though the only thing that makes it a nurse outfit is the hat. Pink nurse uniforms are common in Japanese media, namely pinups.) The notion of her nurse occupation is also supported by MOTAS concept art depicting her in a white nurse outfit (and given the title of military medic). Japanese nurses are often depicted in a pink uniform much like Catherine's.

Unlike other Time Sweepers in the Time Factory, Catherine's eyes are something of an anomaly and at the same time are close to a real cat's eyes. Her eyes have dark blue irises like real cats, something that other time sweepers lack. Her pupils are thinner and less rounded and the sclera of her eyes are bright blue (realistically, cat scleras are white).

Personality

Catherine is both strong-willed and cares about the needs of others. She is very enthusiastic when speaking to Blinx as he stops in during his run through World B1Q64. She is eager to offer personal opinions and advice, especially on clothing (saying that Blinx's signature blue and red outfit is the best for him), and often makes mention of certain sweepers and outfits being stylish in some capacity. She wishes him luck at the end of his last visit to the shop before his final battle in Momentopolis. She's quirky too, rolling her eyes when the TS-4000 Spiral is shown.

Role

Catherine is a part-time shopkeeper at the Time Factory at the time of TTS, hired to attract customers to the shop. She appears in nine different shops, one in each of the first eight stages, each with its own exclusive stage and regular items, and the ninth accessible in Momentopolis after surviving the boss rush before the final battle.

At some point prior to the Big Crystal crisis, she started a romantic relationship with a Time Sweeper, NecoJi. She may or may not have still been a shopkeeper at the factory by this point, but she is still seen in her same outfit. After Furball's success in the battle in World A000, NecoJi proposes to her (as he had promised to do so if he survived) and is met with a kiss on the cheek, presumably indicating agreement.

Name Meaning

If you split the name you get "Cat herine", a possible reason behind her name. In French, the meaning of the name Catherine is pure, clear.

Quotes

  • "Welcome. Please take your time."
  • "Can I ring you up? There's nothing else you'd like?"
  • "Thank you very much!"
  • "Are you leaving?"
  • "Thank you. Please come again."
  • "You didn't find anything you wanted?"
  • "Sorry you couldn't find anything. I hope you'll come again."
  • "Welcome. Your final battle is approaching. Equip yourself well."
  • "Good luck, Blinx"

Trivia

  • Catherine's name is never mentioned in Blinx: The Time Sweeper, though it is found in the Perfect Guide. Her name wasn't revealed in-game until Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space when NecoJi proclaimed his intention to propose to her.
  • The player receives an image of Catherine titled "Bromide" if all shop tokens are turned in to Jimmy at once.
    • In Japan, bromide refers to a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities.
  • Catherine's favourite clothing set in TTS is the Zebra Set. It consists of a zebra jacket with a purple stripe down the middle, cyan pants, yellow lens goggles and purple gloves and shoes.
    • "This is pricey, but it's my favorite." - Catherine's description of the Zebra Set.
      • The set cost 30,000 G.
  • Catherine is described as a kanbanmusume which means "an attractive girl or young women who attract customers to come inside a shop".
  • Gpara states that Catherine is an engineering student who works as a shopkeeper part-time. She has extensive knowledge of weapons (though this can already be inferred in-game). There is no other known supporting text for this claim.
    • It could relate to why Jimmy replaced her as shopkeeper in MOTAS so she could pursue full-time work.
  • Catherine was a featured character in the WELCOME to the BLiNX WORLD! DVD with voice acting.

Gallery

References

Last updated on 05 Feb 2023