Ranked #3868

Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei Specials

I love the Tatami Galaxy; it is a unique absurdist work based on college campus life with the visuals of Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei and reminds me of a great Natsume Soseki's work called Sanshiro. If you enjoy unconventional and artsy works, I advise you to check it out.

And now, I begin my actual review of the specials by saying one word:

What.

I am not entirely sure what to expect from the specials in the first place. The show concludes well and there is no need to dive into the relationship dynamics of the male and female lead; it is even more surprising for the studio to think of something extra of a novel adaptation. Before I started the specials, I suspected Madhouse Studios just wanted to put something silly to appease fans who wanted more episodes.

And I was right. 3 episodes of ludicrous nonsense.

First special: 5/10

The first special involves the characters riding a submarine to Antartica to save the Earth. The comedy, or attempted humor as one observes, is reminiscent of works like Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei. It is a somewhat enjoyable special, but it feels too random and I remember the work being about college campus life; what happened to that?

Second special: 2/10

The second special involves the characters trying to defeat the Bed Chamber Investigation Team. There is also a bathing segment that features the girls. Because that's necessary.

Third special: 7/10

The third special is actually a somewhat decent special because it refers back to the main character's hatred of Ozu. Madhouse Studios went the Studio Shaft route by increasing some great trippy visuals. Look forward to this special because it feels somewhat like an actual Tatami Galaxy episode, which is very unlike of the others.

Overall, I think the specials give a fantastic "meh". It didn't feel like watching The Tatami Galaxy except for the last special. Specials should feel like an actual episode and this series of specials mostly failed. read more