Tamayomi

I’ll be honest, I didn’t care about baseball at all going into this anime. I knew the rules of baseball and had seen a couple games before watching this anime, but I would not have even considered baseball a passing interest to me before starting Tamayomi. While I still am not entirely interested in watching nor playing actual baseball, it occurred to me while watching Tamayomi, baseball is the perfect sport for an anime to keep someone at the edge of their seat. The way baseball is structured with its three-strikes-and-you’re-out mechanic just makes it so easy for Tamayomi to build tension. Multiple times in ... Tamayomi a character is shown pitching or batting twice and we are introduced to their weaknesses during play. Then, there’s a pause on the third pitch that creates great tension: will the character overcome their previously shown weaknesses and arise victorious for their team or not? All Tamayomi needed to do was follow this model of creating tension through normal baseball play for the show to be entertaining, but for the show to truly stand out it needed to fit this mold with an amazing style, which it ultimately did not do.

The Good: Tamayomi starts off slow to introduce us to the cast and all of their former play before they joined the high school baseball team. This is where I think the show might lose some people, because most of the characters have run-of-the-mill personalities on their own and none of the show’s Cute Girls Doing Cute Things moments particularly interested me. Upon watching the later episodes of the show however, I noticed that these early episodes are a critical foundation for the tension created in the moment-to-moment baseball play presented in the later episodes. Instead of wasting time introducing us to each player’s backstory as they play, the back stories were already given to us so we can infer just how meaningful each pitch, catch, or swing of the bat is to every player on the field. These character moments presented through baseball plays are reinforced by the comradery of the team on the field. Each character’s inner monologues and cheering on of their teammates are rewarding as a viewer because of the character backstories that were established early on. The high personal stakes of each baseball moment coupled with the tension-building formula I mentioned earlier makes for extremely dramatic baseball gameplay that is not in the least bit boring, which is very commendable with how much apathy I had for the sport going into the anime.

The Bad: As I previously mentioned, none of the CGCDT moments really did anything for me, with one exception. At the end of most of the first five or six episodes, I was left thinking: “I could not give a single fuck about any of these characters.” The one character that did stand out to me was Yoshino, her love of the sport and everyone involved really sold me on the team as a whole and her encouraging messages given to the team during play help each game feel meaningful. As I said earlier though, these more forgettable moments in the early episodes are a necessary evil for making the baseball games later in the series more impactful, though the series probably could’ve done a better job of making me care about the characters as they’re being introduced.

The Ugly: There’s no way around it, Tamayomi is an extremely ugly anime. With an unfortunate reliance on robotic, 3D animation for many important scenes and some poorly drawn faces on the characters appearing sporadically throughout the series, it is hard to say Tamayomi is anything except ugly. Though the art did get slightly better towards the end, the art is still the biggest thing holding this anime back from being great. As Tamayomi aired during the COVID-19 pandemic when many anime had production issues, bad art might be given a pass, but when every shot is so poorly drawn and animated that it becomes the focus and distracts from what’s actually happening, it’s too big of an issue for me to ignore when scoring.

Verdict: Tamayomi starts off with forgettable character introductions but makes up for it with incredibly engaging baseball games later in the series whose characters’ love for baseball makes it easy to find enjoyment despite little interest in the sport itself. Though the baseball games are exciting, the awful art and animation hold the anime back from being something amazing.

I feel like this show gets a bad rep all because it might look weird in parts, but also because it's a 'sports anime.' Which doesn't make it bad in the slightest and here is why.

The main characters that are introduced to us all have different and fitting backgrounds to explain a lot of things. From having a team that is not as passionate, to a team that is as passionate, maybe too passionate. Something that has effected our two main mains as they went to different schools and developed their own growth in baseball, which later impacted on them. Which I believe is great ... character development for this show, and gives us reasons to root for said characters.

Which also adds to the story, as I feel you cannot help but cheer for them and hope they do well. All the other cast are fun in their own way, and bring their own spark to the team with their personalities, from being massive baseball lovers, to rivalries.

The art style is nice and appealing to look at. Colourful styles are always going to be like that, and for a show like this, it fits perfectly. A nice peaceful looking show. The same could be said for the music, with it's op being a nice tune.

Tamayomi for sure isn't an amazing anime. But it's certainly a good show. Defo gonna keep watching, and hope you give it a chance too!

It's time for baseball (again)! The Japanese baseball hype continues!
Every year we see a new baseball anime, many will remember the anime "Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine" from Spring last year surely. If you already know it and liked that anime, you will also have fun watching Tamayomi.

STORY:
You want to win in every sport. Winning is fun, but losing is also part of life. You have to learn from your mistakes.
Baseball is played with nine people on the field, but there are more is involved than the nine players themselves. In "Tamayomi" we see a total of eleven girls (a coach + a supervisor) who aim ... to win the championship. Many of the players already had a baseball past, but for school or private reasons this had to be put on hold. The "Shin Koshigaya High School", where our girlteam has their home, had a strong baseball history, but it has been disbanded.
With the help and cooperation, our two protagonists Yomi and Tamaki (anime name: Tamayomi) managed to create a new baseball team again. Together our girls have the goal to win the national championship. In addition to their strong ambition, we also see their extreme commitment to cooperation. In baseball you can only win as a team!

CHARACTERS:
You can feel the close friendship and solidarity of the characters. They have fun playing baseball together. Even if individual mistakes are made, the team stands behind them. They win together and they lose together. The development can also be seen well. Each of our girls wants to improve in baseball. They train hard with each other and also discover one or the other talent of the other person that they did not know before. The bond between our main protagonists Yomi and Tamaki is the most emphasized of all girls.

ART:
The point that many would probably want an improvement. It's not the typical CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) art style. The characters look adult-like and if you can them in one word: THICC. Yes, THICC is the right word to describe the style. It definitely has a different style than the normal one's. The different environments and colors are well expressed. The different flight curves of the baseballs are clearly visible.

SOUND:
The OP song gives you a sporty feeling as if it was cheering you on and saying: GIVE YOUR BEST AND WIN! It's fun to hear. The ED song also fits this sports anime. After a long and exhausting game, you want to end the day (preferably with a win, of course) in a comfy way. The music is perfect for this.
In addition to the music, the flight noise of the balls is very convincing. In general, many of the small sound details were not neglected.

ENJOYMENT:
I had fun watching "Hachigatsu" last year, so this anime was definitely on my to-watch list. It is difficult for me to say which of those two is the better one. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Although I personally have nothing to do with baseball, I was still interested in how a game works here. In Tamayomi we get a brief but detailed explanation of the rules. The will to win of our is extremely strong, tactics are used that every viewer hates, even if they comply with the rules. This point is what appeals to me most personally. WINNING!
On the other hand, I have to honestly admit that the art style doesn't appeal to me so much, I would like to see it in a different way (not that THICC).

In the end, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they like this anime or not. The criticism for this is understandable, but also positive aspects can be taken.

Winning is an important part of sport, but you have to have fun too of course!

It was an interesting mix of sports anime and wholesome anime. I liked how the suspenseful moments were present but not overdone and how quickly the story progressed.
I like having a mc that is strong and has confidence in their abilities. She doesn't get stressed out and plays for fun, which is rare in sports anime. Usually they are either anxious or when they are confident they mess up; so it is refreshing to see something different. I hope this how gets positive praise because while it is a lower budget anime it still has heart.

The show is a short watch ... that has a nice plot that doesn't end on a cliffhanger but still creates and opportunity for a second season. I had fun watching it. I don't have high hopes but it would like to see a season 2.

I apologize to the MAL guidelines for the argument I had about their 4 episode rule, because this is a series that doesn't really get going until episode 4. The first three episodes are set up, gathering the team and such.

I'm perfectly fine with that honestly, as I have enjoyed every episode of this series, mostly in spite of its flaws, but that's a later problem. This is a standard baseball story about a baseball team, but with girls. The teams focus is less on macho rage, and more on supporting each other. They also try to have fun while still trying to win ... the game, which is important I think.

The characters aren't very deep, but this is just the beginning, some of them do have some hang ups, and have built relationships, though some could be expanded more upon, but sadly in the current anime climate you have to get to point as soon as possible. The characters due have their quirks and goals though, and that's nice.

I like that when this series wants to, it's actually pretty exciting, I loved episode 4 in spite of some of it's issues.I'm not going to spoil episode 4 beyond saying that it's the first practice game for the characters, and I think the game was really good, even if thee direction could've been better.

As for what's wrong with the series, the animation and direction are pretty bad. There are moments where it's like, that actually looked not bad, but then there are m moments with some of the worst CG models I've seen in a while, or moments where the ball looks like a jpeg, and that's just sad.

There are moments where I don't know what's going on, because this feels more written for someone who knows more about baseball terminology. I know the rules, I don't know all the little details.

The characters also look really similar, so it can occasionally get a little confusing in the heat of battle, but that's the downside of having so many characters, you can't make everyone look super unique, well you actually can, see Princess Nine, Taisho Baseball Girls, and Cinderella Nine for reference, but Princess Nine was original, Taisho Baseball girls was based off of a light novel, and Cinderella Nine is based off of a phone game last I checked.

Tamayomi was based off a manga, written and drawn by a relative newby and maybe a few assistants here and there. So of course the only major difference between most characters on the team is going to be their hair, and maybe their height, they weren't designed by a whole team like Princess Nine, allowed to have little details like Taisho, or given the freedom of designing for a game.

I'm forgiving of the terrible animation, because the studio at this point has mostly done short series with the exception of Frame Arms Girl, which was a collab, so I can forgive the lack in quality. It is a shame about the direction, as the director had worked on a few seasons of Major previously, so I'm gonna subtract a point for that.

Overall this is a fine series so far, really enjoyed what I've seen so far, and will keep watching. I hope you can keep watching as well.

Average score- 6.6
rounded up score- 7
Personal bias score- 9

Let me try to give this anime some understanding.

I enjoyed it quite a bit. I enjoyed the characters save for the very few either less interesting or underdeveloped (some minor characters are a standout), the moments between them and mostly, yes, enjoyed the way the anime looked.

The art isn't bad. I suppose it's hard to satisfy with it's reliance on cost and time-cutting measures, but it does set a high bar at times, the characters are well portrayed and the movement during the games is sometimes excellent. Yes at times it's nauseating, but let's just keep in mind the very good possibility the comittee didn't ... get to fully complete what they set out to do on schedule due to unsuspecting circumstances. It's a shame, but I tried hard to make it detract as less as possible and it worked. I enjoyed the good, and I think there's lot of it that's good about this anime despite.

For people who like baseball, enjoy, the game is portrayed well, the POV team's strategist is one of the leads (and the more likeable characters) and there isn't any bore with high-level tactics or babble. The sport is taken serious. For yuri fans, enjoy, there's many nice moments but keep in mind this anime sets up more serious relationships, doesn't deal with them. (and the payoffs are small and much later in) And generally for those who like giving overlooked anime a fighting chance, by all means enjoy!

P.S. Among my favorite characters are those who appear later on, on the team which are the POV team's main rival, and later on are also some of the show's best moments and also much less reliance on cost and time-cutting 3D animation. So if you give it a chance, do mind you'll be missing a whole lot of potential hooks without watching this anime through.

OK, I gave this such high ratings because it's a wholesome cute anime which is fun to watch, however perhaps it's also got to do with my background. I played in Little League, Pony Ball and High School ball so I know what it's like to have team mates become rivals because of where they live they get put into different divisions or go to different high schools. It happened throughout my young life so I get it, I love how they made a weak beginner team into one to be reckoned with and they'll only get better since they're so young, I'm happy and ... sad that episode 12 is next week because I have to see it but it also is the end of the season, I hope it gets a 2nd season. BTW I've only just started watching sports anime and I've been having a blast doing so. xD

Tamayomi ended being my favorite anime for the spring season. Tamayomi became famous for what happened with episode 4 when the studio was affected by Covid-19 and turned in an uncompleted episode for broadcast. This was later fixed with a re-release but maybe the damage was done, which was a great pity because this was a pretty decent show overall. There were a couple of episodes where the animation showed problems again but not to the level of the infamous episode four. The more the story progressed the more baseball it became, culminating of course with the big deciding game. This is a show about ... girls playing baseball and the character development that happens is all about their development in the sport - with one surprise exception, but I will say no more about that! The animation style is simple yet economical and while the characters have a moe feel, they also have realistic builds for dedicated athletes - all the girls bar one have extensive baseball experience of one kind or another. Nor are any of them conventionally moe pretty (bar one girl with a cute moe fang). The other thing to note is none of these girls have major personal or social problems outside the game - they are all pretty normal kids really. This allows the story to focus on its central premise, which is baseball. I for one was thankful for that.,


Tamayomi also has a good pedigree behind it - Its director also directed a number of series of the "Major" franchise and thus has a good understanding of what a good baseball story requires. Jun Maeda (Angel Beats, Charlotte) was responsible for the OP and Ed themes and they both combine with the OP and ED animation very well, particularly so in the case of the OP.


It is when we get to the later episodes that Tamayomi's story takes off with some exciting and tense baseball action and where the earlier character expositions pay off.


In short if you can get past the recurring animation flaws (particularly with the CGI), you will be treated to a pretty fine baseball story told well. I hope it gets a second series because the Shin Koshigaya story is far from over at this point.

Tamayomi is an anime that aired a decade too late. Its style is similar to old anime from the early 2000s, but that's not really a bad thing. The use of 3D animation was a big turn off but once I turned off my brain, it was the perfect weekly source of entertainment!

This anime has an interesting cast which I enjoyed a lot! Each character is memorable and it felt more down to earth compared to the cast of Cinderella Nine. The animation is lacking and the story was weak but honestly during this quarantine lockdown, I had nothing to look forward to so ... Tamayomi gave me a reason to wake up and live. :D

Overall, girls + baseball is awesome. Best anime of the season because everything else I'm watching is on hiatus. 5/10 but 10/10 in my heart!

At least Tamayomi had a better story than The Last of Us 2. Defiantly worth $100 for the Blu-ray imo. Thanks to that game, I've realized tamayomi deserved a higher score.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure what makes this show work for me. This shows animation was very mediocre, and it felt like everything else was mediocre. Honestly, this show is carried by the characters, especially the two main ones. I'm not going to make this review in depth, so I'll just summarize and say that this show is like a slice of life but you also really root for the characters, and I still remember when the show ended I was super hype. The ending was great, and there's just a charm that I can't explain.

Such a great show

I have to give this one high marks because I definitely sat down to binge & finish it, putting other shows by the wayside to finish. It reminds me a little of a gender-swapped Big Windup! insofar as it focuses on an insecure but talented pitcher who just needs a solid catcher who believes in them! They put together a defunct baseball club at their High School that had been disbanded the year before for reasons of an unspecified scandal...there are two second years (Juniors) who want to resume playing but are rather tight lipped about what transpired the year before. So ... mostly the team is full of first year girls, many of whom were high ranked Middle School players. While Yomi Takeda (武田 詠深) is obviously the main character, the show takes time to give each girl their due, their moment in the spotlight, including their fellow student coach who is a brilliant data analyst and gives Shin Koshigaya an edge in the games they play.

The anime is clearly an advertisement for the manga series, concluding in only 12 episodes. But it's a fun ride with lovable characters. While I'm only a casual baseball fan, I do attend local Minor League games every season and I was fairly enthralled by the baseball action in each episode, even if most games were basically a highlights reel to economize run time. The elephant in the room is the girl's baseball uniforms include shorts, which is ludicrous and only done for fan service reasons, to show off the girls bare legs and their flexing leg muscles. It's laugh out loud ridiculous, but if you can get past this little indulgence, the story is a good one. Also, this series uses what looks to me like a hybrid of 2D hand drawn animation while resorting to 3D CGI for the baseball action scenes. It's a little jarring, but if you're used to Idol shows like AKB 0048 or Love Live it's nothing you haven't seen before. If this show had been subtitled only I probably would've given it a pass but since it had an English dub, it made it binge worthy...and I'm enough of a leg man perv to enjoy the cheesy fanservice. PLAY BALL!

Once, my grandfather said to me as a child that you should always finish what you start. Now I really make his wish granted every now and then. This series is one of something that I started that I should finish, hence no matter how long it takes for me to finish it, I'll definitely finish it.
Yeah, maybe I'm late to the game and all but I remembered I stopped watching this as the 5th episode aired because of the lack of animation. I know at that time covid really hit every human being very hard and I know it first hand. Then I ... really stopped watching this until this date while procrastinating myself along the way.

This review might have some mild spoiler on how the story goes hence why I filled the blank paragraph with this opening.

Tamayomi is a story where Yomi and Tamaki reunion after being separated and then restarting a baseball club that has problem in the past. Everyone in the series had some past and hurdle to overcome in this entire story.

For storyboard, I don't know how exact the adaptation is to the source, but for the anime itself it really catch my heart instantly and not to mention from penultimate to the finale is very good as itself. On how it delivered, the story itself build pretty nice and yeah what can you expect from this type of series that always have ups and downs are being told smoothly by the studio.

Art. Ah, how pandemic life has strike us once again. I do loved the first 3 episode art as I labeled them "not to shabby" for the studio that I haven't have the experience in but after that very episode, the bumpy road came. The art in the 4 (definitely), 5th and 6th are motionless and very rough hence I stopped watching the entire series back then. After that, the art from the first 3 episode are not completely back but it's not very rough and even I shed tears in some scenes (because of the feel in it, not how bad the art is).

Sound, well I gave unfair score to this department as I don't feel much from those. Tbh, I felt the feel in the story in the penultimate and the finale. But

The character in this series are likeable. The story writer put a shift in and made those character to something that can be described by word alone. Very satisfied with this ngl.

There is always room for improvement, as the entire story is enticing me so much that I enjoyed this (but say no to 4th, 5th and 6th episodes). I actually pray that they'll adapt another season of this just to make sure that my enjoyment is fulfilled to the moon.

Cheers.

So i went into Tamayomi with low expectations and really just wanted a decent sports anime to watch. I had read the reviews prior and know that typically sports anime tend to get a bad vibe almost all the time for having generic stories, basic characters and mega pacing problems throughout. That said, I ALWAYS give animes that interest me their own chance to shine and I am REALLY happy i gave Tamayomi a chance.

Was this a 10/10 anime? Absolutely not. But the story was very clear and to the point, the characters were all enjoyable to see on screen in their own rights ... and honestly i found myself reliving my baseball days and yelling at my screen during the last two episodes. Seeing the growth Yomi goes through in this was very enjoyable for me and i really think all of the girls bought something special to the table. While there were definitely segments of story left out that would have helped boost my opinion of certain characters, i think this anime played it safe and wanted to make sure not to lose the attention of the viewer for too long. Baseball, in general, is not the most exciting sport to quite a number of people and so making an anime of this nature is always challenging in it's own right. And overall, i think they did as good of a job as i could have expected, slightly surpassing my expectations.

My only real negative i have is (as many reviewers have already commented on) the, at times, abysmal animation sequences. It was clear this show was on the low end of the budget spectrum and certain frames and sequences were either out of place or didn't mesh well when transitioning to another scene. While it did NOT take away my enjoyment of the show, i think that my rating of the show would have been slightly higher. Perhaps the bluray will fix these issues.

This show will not be for everyone. Some will look at my review and say 'You're crazy rating it this high". Others will say this is a masterpiece. It really depends on what your expectations are coming into this show. If you keep them reasonable you will find yourself overall having a good time as this really is a wholesome show, watching these girls with different motivations and dreams try to make it to the top. Not a masterpiece, but very enjoyable to watch. While i don't know if we will ever get a Season 2 for this, i will definitely support a Season 2 should that day come.