A short sweet story told very well. Tamako Love story tells the story of two people Mochizou and the love of his life, Tamako. Any good romance film needs some drama. And drama here is provided by the fact that Mochizou is leaving soon to pursue higher studies and is yet to confess his feelings to Tamako.
The two main characters are fairly generic. We have a ditsy airhead in Tamako and shy, quiet guy in Mochizou. As the film progresses, you cannot help but root for Mochizou and wish him to get what he desires. However there isnt an appropriate arc for Tamako. You see some growth but it isnt organic and the confession at the end doesnt really make the most sense. The sound is mostly subdued and I cannot remember a single song, background music now that I have finished watching. This is usually indicating of sound that took too much of a backseat. There was a talking bird and a king both of whom made no sense but I guess if I need to watch Tamako Market to get it. In context of this film however, they had no role apart from cracking a few crude jokes early on. Overall the film makes a very good job of making the viewer understand its characters even if you havent watched the series.
In terms of animation, Kyoani impresses once again. We have smooth, fluid animation accompanied by beautiful backgrounds bringing the market and the city to life. Tamako is part of the baton club and towards the ending there is a baton group seqeunce which shows off the fluidity of the animation. In certain scenes, Tamako uses a comedic type of walk/run and its used mostly for comedic purposes and it looks great.
Finally the ending. I think this warrants a separate section all of its own. The film ends on a open ended note. It is left to the viewers to really interpret what happens next. I get that Tamako and Mochizou get together but what after that. Does Mochizou not follow his dreams? Did Tamako really love Mochizou or did she give her answer simply because she did not want Mochizou to leave. As explained before, the film does a good job of explaining Mochizou's actions but does not let Tamako grow as much over the course of the film.
For me ultimately, open ending is lazy writing. Its like telling "Hey, we cannot make our minds up, so you decide what will happen here on out" For this I docked a point. Ultimately it is still a great watch which is easy on the eyes. The ending left a sour taste but this is my personal choice and I know many others who love open endings.
Side note: I do not think I will watch the main series as I found the bird to be annoying.
