Upon first glance, what do you notice? Chances are it’s the art style. Similar to Yuasa’s previous works, The Tatami Galaxy features a unique, anomalous, but yet simple art style that never fails to evoke a sort of anger towards Yuasa among some anime fans, for many claim that they watch anime to get away from this very style; however, The Tatami Galaxy’s art style reasserts the classic saying that less is indeed more. The style itself is brimming with simplicity; characters are bestowed with one shading at all times, only the most dominant features are depicted, while chins, ears, adam’s apples, collarbones and other aspects of the body are forgotten, leaving the characters themselves appearing very flimsy, curvy and far from dynamic.
How, you may ask, does this advocate the fact that less is more? For those of you unaware of the mechanics behind the animation process, animators must draw a character numerous times, bearing the same proportions and details as the previous sketch. As a result of this, many animators spend their time copying over details from the preceding drawing rather than creating a sense of flow between them. On the contrary, The Tatami Galaxy’s simple style allows the animators to portray actions more fluidly and regularly than other shows. The condensed style is much faster to draw, and so the animators are given a chance to work without restraint, and that is absolutely what they do. Characters ricochet across the screen, a plethora of objects move at once, still frames are very limited, and unlike many other anime, budget does not act as a confinement for imagination.
I would also like to point out that, from a cinematic standpoint, this anime is incredibly well put together. Transitions between scenes flow brilliantly and scene composition is done with great expertise. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that The Tatami Galaxy is easily one of the most visually appealing works of animation that have ever graced this earth.
Does the theme of less being greater than more desist after moving away from the topic of art and animation? Well, not entirely. As the story progresses, or rather regresses, the characters are shown in varying situations that range from sad, hilarious to downright over the top. Rather than taking the time to elaborate as to what the character’s roots are, the show uses its recursive nature to build the character’s personalities and give them a good portion of depth. The characters themselves are all very likable and are drawn very smoothly. I especially enjoyed Ozu’s antithetical antics and Akashi’s icy yet affectionate attitude.
The stunning visuals are not the only thing The Tatami Galaxy has going for it; the voice actors pack great amounts of effort, emotion, and in some cases, speed, into their roles. The background music is also similar to the previously analysed categories in the sense that it follows the ‘less is more’ rule of the show. The Tatami Galaxy is at times silent, while at others calmingly quiet, but the rare fast-paced ensembles never fail to produce a sense of excitement and urgency in the viewer. The composer and sound directors working on this show deserve a great amount of kudos for their excellent work.
Lastly, I will assess the plot of The Tatami Galaxy. Ordinarily, I would deconstruct the plot of an anime first and foremost, but coincidentally, this is far from an ordinary anime.
The story follows its nameless protagonist as he searches for love. In an attempt to find his raven-haired goddess and attain the rose-colored campus life he had been dreaming of, he joins a multitude of extra-curricular activities, but the majority of his efforts are for naught. He denies the reality that has been set out before him, and time rewinds back to the day he first joined college, only giving him yet another opportunity to follow one of the endless contingencies awaiting him.
The plot gives the viewer room to guess what’s going on – it allows them to speculate why time resets, how each individual episode correlate with one another, and the nature of the protagonist’s recursive campus life, or to even ponder the possibility of no recursion at all. Rather than taking the viewer for a ride, The Tatami Galaxy lets the viewer create their own ride, then continues to enhance said ride into a rollercoaster.
Overall, The Tatami Galaxy is a brilliantly put together anime brimming with creativity and originality. Like its predecessors, The Tatami Galaxy is filled with Yuasa’s postmodern madness and humor, giving the viewer food for thought and a good laugh at the same time. I’m usually very hesitant to give an anime, or anything in particular, the title of a masterpiece, but I believe that this show deserves no less than that. It is for that reason that I give The Tatami Galaxy all 10s across the board.
