![]() It’s refreshing to see a show where not everyone fits into the same kind of body type, and as you can see here, the members of the shopping arcade come from all walks of life. What impressed me right off the bat about Tamako was the cast of background characters and how “flawed” they were. The strongest parts of *Tamako* can be split into three sections: characters, storytelling, and production. His name is Dera Mochimazzui (which roughly translates to “Mochi is digusting”) and he’s got an attitude, a high sense of self-worth, enough moves to charm the feathers off a girl (or at least, *he* thinks so), and a mission: to find the future bride of the prince of his faraway land! But before he gets to that… more mochi please! Nothing out of the usual really happens… until she comes across a talking bird in the local flower shop. The boy across the street (whose family also owns a mochi shop!) has a gigantic crush on her, but Tamako isn’t ever going to pick up on it. Her little sister Anko would prefer if you’d just call her An, thank you very much. Her father owns the mochi shop because his father owned a mochi shop and HIS grandfather owned a mochi shop. The daughter of a mochi shop owner, she lives in a shopping arcade and loves it there. Tamako isn’t blessed with supernatural powers, she’s not incredibly intelligent, she’s not made to seem anything other than exceptionally ordinary. Tamako follows our eponymous heroine in the stories of her everyday life over the course of one year. Sure, it is headed by many of the same people behind K-On! (including Yamada Naoko as the Director, Horiguchi Yukiko as the Chief Animation Director and Character Designer, and Yoshida Reiko as a writer), but Tamako strives to establish its own identity. And yet, KyoAni decided to pass on the sure thing of a third season of their cash cow by trying out an original anime. It makes sense that the company responsible for popularizing it would want to capitalize on the wave. After all, Tamako Market came right on the heels of K-On!!, the anime that really kicked off the moe/cute girls doing cute things craze in earnest. It’s hard to think that Kyoto Animation, or KyoAni, took much of a risk here. ![]() And with the success of this model, especially financially, not many companies are willing to take a risk. So many of the shows coming out nowadays can be seen as serving as nothing but advertisements for light novel and manga sales, and later, figure and BD sales. Sometimes, the current anime environment can feel a little too corporate. The series is good on its own legs, the story made a masterpiece thanks to the film. Reader, you might be wondering, “Are those twelve episodes necessary/worth it in order to get to the movie?” The answer is: Yes. I had seen some salty comments about how it had taken the place of a possible K-On! Season 3, and having heard so little of it in comparison, thought, “Huh, I guess the show just wasn’t that good.”īoy, were my expectations exceeded. My first encounter with Tamako Market did not do it any favors. Yet here I am, because I believe Tamako Market and Tamako Love Story deserve to gain more recognition. Even a year ago, I would have found it difficult to believe that I’d ever watch something considered “moe,” nevermind write a piece trying to convince others to watch a particular show from it. It’s strange to think that I would find myself writing a Why You Should Watch post on Tamako Market. (Go to “Mo’ Moe, Mo’ Mochi” if you want to skip to about the show itself): Brilliant writing and cinematography serve this movie well, as it so deftly and realistically handles how it feels to be on the cusp of sharing the unknown with someone else.įrom here on out, Tamako refers to the show and the film, while Tamako is the titular character. ![]() Tamako Love Story, the sequel film to the TV series, focuses on a first love, that ever daunting yet oftentimes so defining moment in one’s life.Marked with humor, lovely music, touching moments, and KyoAni’s trademark high quality animation, Tamako Market is a welcome addition to the moe/Slice of Life genre. Tamako Market is about how one girl, her friends, family, and neighbors go about their everyday lives in a year.This week, we have Kyoto Animation’s Tamako Market and Tamako Love Story. “Why You Should Watch:” is a spoiler-free recommendation on, well, why you should watch a particular show.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |