Reviews

Feb 14, 2016
Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei aka The Tatami Galaxy is an unique and very interesting anime. It perfectly delivers a nice, useful message related to Buddhism, wrapped up in a campus romcom setting. The delivery of the message was nice and clean. This anime works with two themes that I find very amusing. The first one, the timeline concept is used well in this anime. It may not make sense from a scientific point of view, but that was never the point of this anime. Another theme, depression for failure in socialization, was also executed perfectly. I like both of the ideas, but never thought that they could be used together, let alone colliding with the message it delivers. But, the anime pulled them together so well that I believe there cannot be a greater mixture. It made me feel like these themes were made for each other. And this job could not have been done better. Through this crazy, yet careful mixture, the anime delivers the world of the main character. The room and boarding house he lives in, the places he goes to, the ramen he eats, all these were magnificently fleshed out. It perfectly detailed the campus life setup. There was hardly anything missing. The whole setting was detailed through different timelines. But, then again, as an absurdic series, it has its own shortcomings. A lot of things make little sense. But, that's really not the point, as I've mentioned before. This anime has many hidden messages, symbolism, metaphors and references throughout the series, and they're perfectly presented, nicely merged with the story. The anime didn't just perfectly do what it's supposed to but also surpassed its limits.
The same goes for its storyline. The amusing story though, wouldn't have been anything close to what it is, if it weren't for the excellent presentation. The unique narrative is so majestic that it turns something that are destined to be info dumps into an attractive part of the story. The story, by itself is just very good and really interesting. It is how the anime presented it, is what turned it into a nigh masterpiece storyline. The story telling method perfectly described anything or any place that were greatly detailed, in a short time and a fascinating manner. The story used the little threads of events, weaved them and ended up with a piece of brilliance. The anime ended in an extremely good way. Not only did it perfectly pulled out the smallest of details in the end, but also left a huge impact. The story of this anime couldn't have been better in any way.
The characters were introduced excellently. They may seem slightly one dimensional at first, but as time passes, the flat characters turn out to get more and more real, relatable and more multidimensional. That, of course, is a part of the anime's objective. And I, the viewer started growing on these characters. The MC, who is addressed as "Watashi" (I/me/myself) or "You" (by others), is a very interesting character. His characteristics are very well fleshed out. And he had extremely good character development. The best thing about him though is relatability. If anyone claims that he didn't have a single common thing with him, I'd believe that he's lying. Though his actions may be a bit too exaggerated, that doesn't change the fact that he's one of the most human-like realistic and relatable characters in anime. He has problems in life and flaws as a human, and he suffers and gets depressed about it. The whole story is told from his perspective, so his personality is presented perfectly. The rest of the cast, although not as much as the MC, are well fleshed out as well. They weren't copious or bland in any way. The screentime distribution is great. The character interaction and relationships are wonderful.

The visuals of this anime is very unique. It uses an abstract art style. I loved the minimalistic art, but sometimes they were a bit too experimental for me. The character design is excellent. The environment was well designed. The abstract use of colors was a cream for my eyes. The animation and filming are masterfully done, but similar to the art, it sometimes can be too experimental for me. But, this department did the best possible work for the anime. The sound system was really good. The OP is an enjoyable theme, which is meaningful as well. The ED was euphoric. I don't see/hear anything to complain about the environmental sounds. The background musics are fantastic and really goes well with the mood and flow of the story. The voice acting and narration is perfect and couldn't have been better. Overall, this anime has an excellent production value.

Some might and do find it hard to follow for its high speed monologues, but that's what made this anime charming in my opinion. It was fun. it was heart warming. It had its lugubrious aspects. Overall, it was a really interesting experience. A highly entertaining show.

This anime overall is worth 9.15 out of 10, in my opinion and that's pretty close to a masterpiece. The anime is quite polarizing. It's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. Many might even hate it. Well, I'd suggest watching through the first two episodes as a trial, although the anime gets a lot better after the third episode. But, if you don't think this is cut out for you after two episodes, you might not find it very enjoyable, and you may drop it whenever you wish. After all, you don't look for fishes in trees.
It's an excellent piece of artistic film. And it's worth rewatching many times. The entertainment or intriguing amusement doesn't cease even if it's a rewatch. In the end, I do call shit on it in different communities for fun, but hey! "That's how I show my love".
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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