The Tatami Galaxy

My first review here, just like the other person who's reviewed this so far. I'll make it short. This is one of the greatest series I've ever seen. Minute for minute this was one of the most worthwhile watching experiences I've ever had, anime or not. The animation as absolutely beautiful, often including multiple mediums and styles, the main style being very stark drawings with very subdued subtle coloring and great animation, but also including highly stylized film-work on occasion, the occasional splash of 3d, another very vividly colored style, and a really odd sort of chalk-board looking style of cg for particular scenes. The story is an adaptation of a novel, and the visuals tell it in a way that never could've come through in novel form, which are the best kind of adaptations in my opinion, I'm very curious about the original novel though. I'll just go ahead and not cover any parts of the story, as you can find that many places, including here, and I'd rather not spoil any more for you. Watch this now! These 4 hours of TV will not be ones you feel like you wasted, permitting you enjoy good art.

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 :)

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.

From time to time, I desire a show that will deliver a simple and grounded in reality plot in an unorthodox way with great success. Yes, you should already understand that Tatami Galaxy holds no need for superficial or amazing concepts to be successful, just a realistic story executed in a masterful way.

Story : 10 / 10 "Masterful"

Tatami Galaxy is set on a fictional universe, specifically a town, which seems pretty close to the modern Japanese towns. Our main character, Watashi, expects to find the rose colored campus life that he always dreamed of, entering a campus club. Instead, he finds mischief and disappointment in every way possible. Every time he joins a club, everything seem to go wrong and he ends up regretting his choice, wanting to go back to the moment of choosing it and reset his life by changing his choice. The plot is following his different choices and the different lives he lived after them. Watashi begins a journey of self- discovery, where the weight of his choices matters the most, becoming a matured young man who lives his life with unlimited freedom but also respect on every choice.

Art : 9 / 10 "Great"

The show uses a minimalistic style that combines cartoonish graphics with no shading with a lot of live action film segments used in for quick depiction of areas with lots of background detail. Seen as poor by many, the art of Tatami Galaxy is gravely underrated. It effectively depicts the themes of the show, taking a realistic approach on many problems that college students face in Japan. Furthermore, it becomes very interesting when adding the psychological symbolisms included in the show.

Sound : 9 / 10 "Great"

A testament to the superb voice acting could be that, even though Watashi's speech is faster than a bullet train, he still manages to keep the viewer in his toes with his smart (and funny) take on many different subjects and make him feel whatever emotion he emits. As for the soundtrack, it fits great with the theme and mood of the series, successfully representing the constant changes in atmosphere, from the melancholic "Youjou han to Castella to Watashi" to the mysterious "Kamotaketsunuminogami" and powerfully liberating "Yojouhan Ki Owari" or "Takasegawa".

Characters : 9 / 10 "Great"

From the bullet-speed monologues of Watashi to the stoic and spiritual presence of Higuchi, the cast is the recipe for instant success. Watashi is a young college dropout who never seizes to amaze with his sarcastic and dark but witty dialogues on everything he analyzes. He is the source of the dialogues and monologues in Tatami Galaxy, and his themes vary from social commentary to self - sarcasm of the highest caliber. Ozu is another college student, dark and devilish character, who constantly drags Watashi to troubles. However, he has some hidden aspects which make him intriguing and three-dimensional. Akashi, a college student in the engineering department, is an adorable female character, and Watashi's biggest love interest. Higuchi is a stoic, and full with dreams on exploring the globe, character who is still a college student, even though he ,by far, had exceeded the minimum years of studying there. He also has many hidden sides, which made him mysterious, spiritual and occasionally wise. There are more characters that are also very interesting, but doesn't quite measure up to the other mentioned above. However, there is not a single character that is not likable in this series, because of his quirks and personality.

Enjoyment : 10 / 10 "Masterful"

I fully enjoyed every minute of Watashi's attempts to reach a rose- colored campus life, his moments of self-discovery and liberation scenes.

Verdict : 9.4 / 10 "Excellent"

When simple but meaningful premises meets innovative and unique storytelling methods, a show like Tatami Galaxy is born. Excluding or changing only one component of the Tatami Galaxy's recipe would result in losing it's eternal glowing.

There's nothing more boring than reading a review, so give yourself the chance to watch this exquisite show. You will not regret it.

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.