How do I start...
What do we want to do in life? Is a question that we all ask ourselves at some point, trying to seek aspiration as we go on living. Well, Tamayura is the ideal Anime to get you pensive about it, "what do I want to do in life?". The Anime predominantly focuses on a girl named "Fuu" who relishes on taking photos of anything she finds engrossing to her while desiring to make people smile upon seeing her Photos. Photography is a hobby that she adores ever since she was a child, using the camera of her father, a "Rollei 35 S", later to ponder whether she wants to take up photography in college at another city and make it a lifetime profession. She faces hindering thoughts to doubt the idea, worrying and agonizing throughout her high school years, facing emotional obstacles until the final school months. Join her inspiring journey to fulfill her dream and maybe we can learn a thing or two.
Tamayura is a Slice-of-Life and we all know that SOL genres don't entirely focus on the main plot and may stray off focusing on different subplots the show has. Tamayura, as like any other SOL anime, is an episodic series, developing the secondary characters through challenges & adventures while partially progressing on the main storyline which is Fuu's life and her ambition. This is the main splendid aspect of Tamayura, the character progression and development in the Anime made it all the better, it being a long-running series making all the more room for an emotional build up on the characters.
What I love about the story is how they present the main character, Fuu, (who's quite sentimental) that has migrated to a rural town, her hometown and continues to do what she loves despite the mishaps in the past. Going through hurdles in life, be it anxiety, worrisome, fear and many more in what we go through today in wanting to reach our aspiration, all the while having the support of her friends and family along the way. The Main character may get too emotional, or "dramatic" but I see that as the personality of the main character, as just like real people, it portrays what humans generally are: sentimental beings.
As much I would I like to say about the story, there is not much, Tamayura is an episodic series about a daily life of a girl facing challenges in life experiencing the saddest to the best of moments, as like any slice of life you come across where they progress the MC to reach their certain goal. What makes Tamayura original and distinct from the rest of the SOL titles out there -- and this is a fact -- it portrays life realistically as possible, sure it may be perceived as a "cute-girls-doing-cute-things' themed show (and it basically is one) but 'generically' isn't? In what we experience mentally in life as of today, again from the challenges that we go through to reach a certain goal, accepting that things that eventually change and having to move on, to the “whether I should or not chase after what I really want to do in life and the many more”, is how it is portrayed in this Anime and without a doubt that is something to notice and praise as a slice of life fan; an Anime that actually portrays the common difficulties in LIFE in which the majority of the viewers can definitely relate to.
You'll certainly get the feel of the calming vibe the Anime gives off with its spectacular scenes and art-style. The setting of the Anime is based on a real place in Japan, Takehara, Hiroshima. A place full of greenery and mountainous terrain, clearly being a rural area. The Anime actually started as only 4 OVAs to promote the location, showcasing a lot of tourist hot-spots and the overall eye-catching areas in Takehara, honestly, it's one amazing place to check out. Aside from the simplistic yet beautiful art-style, the music indeed adds more calmness and emotion to the show, being one of the "essence" (if I may so) in what completes the calming-emotional aura around the Anime.
Tamayura is an amazing Anime that any fan of the genre would dearly love. As a fan who consistently watches Slice of Life Animes, I still consider Tamayura as one of the greater "deep" ones that I've come across, therefore I highly recommend this Anime that deserves the recognition.
