Tamayura: Sotsugyou Shashin Part 4 - Ashita

Masterpiece. A story such as this is so very few and far between. Slice of Life anime exist to give the viewer a cast of characters living their lives in ways that we can relate to. Whether the purpose be to make us happy, sad, comfy, etc. Tamayura in all of its beauty across ova's, 2 seasons and 4 movies. This amazing series gave us so many wonderful characters to relate to and grow to love. far beyond the 4 main cast. To get to watch them grow and live their lives, chase their dreams and all the emotions they experienced, feeling it all with ... them. I am so ashamed it took me so long to discover and watch this masterpiece, but I will never be the same having watched it now. I can safely say this is a story I will revisit many times in the future. If you love the slice of life genre, this is a must watch, and in my humble opinion belongs near or on the top of any all time list.

I know the series for the first time is due to randomly searching for alternate title around 2013. At that time, I got really bored with all anime aired (and popular) at that time. During this search and boredom, I stumbled upon a PV of Tamayura, and instantly attracted.

Fast forward 4 years later, here I am now, still rewatching and rewatching the entire series, from the original OAD which released far back in 2010 up to this last piece of movie. No other word can explain what I felt regarding this series: Awesome.

The series told about a whole three-years life of its character, and each ... of them are developed slowly yet carefully during the whole series. You can watch them and feel it as is you're one of them yourself. The story is so deep in meaning and messages, yet it is conveyed in a such light way. You need not to put more effort on enjoying the work while understanding the story messages. The song itself also boost up the entire story, making it as an unseparable part of this awesome work.

After a long day of tiresome works at office, school or other places, this piece of art is definitely soothing your day and relieve you of all streeses. It's so warm, yet so easy to understand, and moreover, it is really relaxing, both for yourself and your mind. Definitely one of the best Slice of Life series I'd ever watched so far.

The only drawback of this episode is just one: there will be no more Tamayura in future.

If you're about to try watching this series, don't hesitate any longer. Just hit the play button, sit back and enjoy the show.

Tamayura: Sotsugyou Shasin closes off one of the most remarkable slice of life anime I have ever seen. As a standalone movie it is just short of being a masterpiece but the entire series itself is nothing but perfection. This review will take into account the entirety of the Tamayura series including the original 4 episode OVA.

What makes Tamayura so great is how well it tells a simple story with simple characters. A heartwarming story about a group of young girls who are about to enter adulthood and how they have to overcome their own personal barriers to follow the path that they want to ... go down in life, Tamayura is a coming of age story. The story is beautiful and at moments brought me to the brink of tears. It's also cheerful and light and is very relaxing to watch. Many times over the whole series I sat down and took a deep breath and just enjoyed myself. It put me at ease much like other relaxing/healing anime such as Non Non Biyori, Aria or the latest spring anime, Flying Witch.

The art much like the series is very calming. It's clean and sincere. The scenery is very pretty and it adds that feeling of home sweet home. The original OVA was released in 2011 and the 4-part movies were released quite recently so there is a noticeable change in quality but even from the beginning the artwork does it's job.

The original soundtrack is amazing. A beautiful composition that adds to the overall vibe of Tamayura. I'm going to mention it again but it really is one of Tamayura's strongerquality, the sound is relaxing and warm. More notable are the various piano versions of the OP and ED that are played whenever things get emotional and it works like a charm. It gave those scenes more oomph and had a huge impact on me. Speaking of OP and ED, both OP and ED from the first season, ~hitotose~, is absolutely wonderful. The two songs, Okaerinasai and Kamisama no Itazura, have such a deep and powerful meaning to the entire premise of the anime. The two songs have become one of my favorite anime related songs and I rarely go a week without listening to them once or twice, or thrice, even learnt how to play them on the piano.

What makes a slice of life anime good or uninteresting is it's characters. Since slice of life doesn't usually rely on a plot to carry itself forward, the characters are the most important aspect. Tamayura is a bit different in that all the characters are driven by their goals but that is hardly a plot. The one exception would be the main character Fu Sawatari. It's evident that she is the one character that is most connected to the premise of the story, her grief and insecurity caused by her father's death, and she is the one that develops the most over the course of the anime. It may not be obvious because the show doesn't directly show us her growth but by the end this movie she, along with all the other main characters, are completely different people than the ones you see in the first episode. They're lovable, they're adorable, you want to be their friends, you want to go on their little adventures. Even thought they're pretty basic characters they still manage to make quite an impact.

Needless to say, my enjoyment can be measured as through the roof. I actually started watching Tamayura only a couple months ago and instantly fell in love with it. It has become my #1 anime and I will without a doubt be re-watching the entire series again some time in the near future. A grounded slice of life anime that isn't filled with overly cute characters or uses cheap comedy is what makes Tamayura so special. The whole time when I was watching this last movie I could get get rid of the sad feeling inside of me knowing that there may not be any sequels after this. But I am okay with that because I know how much this anime meant to me if I felt that way.

I highly recommend this series to everyone.