The Tatami Galaxy

The Tatami Galaxy is really unlike any anime you've seen. Not necessarily in it's premise, but in the way it's executed.

The Tatami Galaxy follows the story of an unnamed protagonist who meets a demi-god of love and matchmaking at a strange ramen restaurant. Over the course of many tries, the protagonist relives the same two years over and over again, trying to find the "rose tinted college life" he dreams of. He tries out different clubs, has to deal with his only friend Ozu who is basically the worst person alive, always attempting and chickening out to ask out the same girl he has a crush on. You know, college life.

Although it's somewhat episodic, the show cleverly wraps all the episodes up into a cool storyline that makes every episode relevant and unique. We learn more about characters that you originally believe were background characters, and learn that the characters we see on screen have a lot more to them than what meets the eye.

If I were to really talk about what makes this show so special, that would actually end up spoiling it. So you just have to trust me on this one. This show is incredible and it's not that long so give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

This anime series is centred on an unnamed college student in Kyoto who feels that he has wasted his time there; he has no girlfriend and he has made only two friends' Ozo, who has no redeemable features, and first year student Ms. Akashi. One night he meets a god who tells him that Akashi will end up with either Ozo or our protagonist. He just has to grab the opportunity dangling in front of him. Our protagonist finds himself reliving the previous two years; each time making different choices, such as joining different clubs.

If you think all anime look the same then this will disprove that idea. The character designs and backgrounds are unlike any other series I recall watching, and I've watched quite a few. The story might sound repetitive but, while there are recurring events, each episode has more differences... and the similar moments prove humorous for the most part. There is a fairly small main cast but they are fun characters; our protagonist is the closest to a normal person. Ozo is strange, both in actions and appearance, he also provides much of the amusement. This series won't be for everybody but I'd certainly recommend it to anime fans looking for something different.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

I'll tell you right now that I don't like anime. I never got into it and of the anime I've been exposed to, I felt the horrible overacting and ridiculous plots robbed the medium of anything worth watching. Now that I've seen The Tatami Galaxy, I'm forced to eat my words and consider it one of the greatest television shows of all time. It's an artistic powerhouse with great characters, clever writing, and an unmistakable artistic style.

The art itself is admittedly what attracted me to the series. I've always been interested in avant-garde animation and this is one of the most beautifully animated shows of them all. I won't bore you with describing the style itself but needless to say it's incredibly unique and satisfying. Even if the writing was atrocious this would be a show worth watching on the animation alone. Luckily enough, it isn't the only great thing about the series. The story keeps reeling you back in time and time again until before you know it, it's all over.

The plot is simple -- an unnamed protagonist recollects his previous two years at university and, like most people, asks whether or not doing something different would lead him to a better position for his 3rd year. For the protagonist, this is often culminated in joining a different club or choosing to pursue a different girl than he previously had, and the series explores what alternative possibilities arise when these choices are made. Imagine "Groundhog Day" or "Lola Rennt" with the wonders and curiosity of a misfit underclassmen.

The show presents itself as an outstanding stand-alone project with a clear story structure. Even though each episode is essentially revisiting the same kind of conflict and resolution, the differences are fresh enough to surprise you every time. Every episode starts with the protagonist complaining about how he came as a freshmen looking for that "rose coloured" (romantic, idealized) campus life complete with a raven-haired maiden, and every episode ends with him asking himself if he had only done something different, wouldn't he have gotten what he'd came to university in search of? This formula allows for seemingly minute details and background characters to re-appear in genuinely novel and surprising ways throughout the duration of the series. The writing is astounding to say the least and you'll find yourself watching the series again and again noticing every time a couple of new things which either foreshadow or reference that which you hadn't seen before. It's not usual that such a limited run series can offer so much on repeated viewings.

The ending is one of the best finales of all time. It ties every loose end up in a way that I would have never expected and feels incredibly satisfying. The last episode answers every question you have about the series, has a very clever twist, and leaves the protagonist with some proper insight and feeling when it's all said and done. It even choked me up a bit, which was probably the last thing I'd expect from a show that doesn't seem to take itself so seriously. The sentimentality and philosophy at the end really strikes a chord and leaves the viewer with insight on their own life decisions and how to come to grips with them.

The most telling part about the show is that you don't end the series wishing there were more, rather, it's a perfectly self-contained package that covers all the ground it needs to without an inch too little or too much. Shows that are this well thought out from start to finish are so rare and few and far between I'm at a loss to even think of a comparable example.

So all this excellence and nothing bad? The only thing negative to say is that the narrative is EXTREMELY fast in every episode so reading subtitles is pretty much as hard as it gets. The worst part about that being how hard it is to enjoy the art style without missing out on key dialogue and narration at the bottom of the screen. If you're patient, you can pause it when you need to or slow down the playback speed, but bear in mind the rapid pace plays very well into the animation style, and serves to "cram" a lot of content into each 22 minute episode. But if the pace were slower and each episode an hour long, the show would definitely lose its magic.

In the end, I guess all I can say is to watch The Tatami Galaxy and see if you like it yourself. Give it at least a few episodes before you make a decision and believe me you'll be hooked. I cannot recommend it highly enough for those who like artsy animation, poignant but never overbearing themes, and the foibles of truly unique characters experiencing college life. Simply put, anime fan or not, this is one of the best shows you'll ever see.

To a common viewer, the anime might be found a bit weird in the first glance, firstly due to the quick narration of the protagonist character 'Watashi', and the unique and liberal art style.

The story might seem to have a lot of repeating scenes in the initial episodes for the viewer, but then again the story basically follows the concept of parallel universes to support it.

I can assure you the story builds up pretty intense and captivating in the later episodes. The ending is very justified to personal opinion, and worth the time of viewing the 11 episodes to the end.

Genres include - psychological, slice of life and romance.

For an anime like The Tatami Galaxy, I would've given a review of 8, or 9 at best. Factors like - witty and unique direction, the unexpected flow of the storyline, working the anime in a lower budget (due to numerous real-video scenes), and good anime opening/ending have earned it a 10 from self.

It wouldn't be hard for anime enthusiasts to complete the 11 episodes.

For common viewers, do give this show a scrutiny till the end. Assurance that the conclusions are to the worth.

Well this is my first review...... here goes...

A brief synopsis: Freshman Watashi(literally 'I' in Japanese) finds himself repeating his first 2 years in college with disastrous consequences over and over again, never seemingly realizing that he's repeating life making the same mistakes over and over.

Based on a novel of the same name, "Yojōhan Shinwa Taikei", or literally "4½ Tatami Mythological Chronicles" is perhaps the most innovative anime series I have ever seen..... the Groundhog Day of anime if you will. Masaaki Yuasa's (of Cat Soup and Mind Game fame, and if you haven't seen them go see it NOW!) Tatami Galaxy is one of a kind.

The character designs are pretty distinct from standard anime conventions, and what caught my eye in the first place. I'm surprised more people don't know about this series, because it's a true GEM in covering what many people go through trying to fit into campus life. The humor is light hearted and genuine.... and the characters avoid falling into stereotypes, instead they turn out to be incredibly engrossing and believable.

What's remarkable is how all the stories come together at the end, for a satisfying conclusion. Something which most anime end up trying to do unsuccessfully..... 11 episodes seem like too short a time spent in dealing with Watashi's life...but as the end makes it clear There's no point in continuing a story which has been resolved... a lesson which a few anime out there should realize by now...

P.S. There are 3 7-min specials which were also released with the DVD, watch out for them too!

My rating: An excellent series from start to finish, keep an eye out for small details in between the series. EVERYTHING ties up at the end :)