Well this is my first review...... here goes...
A brief synopsis: Freshman Watashi(literally 'I' in Japanese) finds himself repeating his first 2 years in college with disastrous consequences over and over again, never seemingly realizing that he's repeating life making the same mistakes over and over.
Based on a novel of the same name, "Yojōhan Shinwa Taikei", or literally "4½ Tatami Mythological Chronicles" is perhaps the most innovative anime series I have ever seen..... the Groundhog Day of anime if you will. Masaaki Yuasa's (of Cat Soup and Mind Game fame, and if you haven't seen them go see it NOW!) Tatami Galaxy is one of a kind.
The character designs are pretty distinct from standard anime conventions, and what caught my eye in the first place. I'm surprised more people don't know about this series, because it's a true GEM in covering what many people go through trying to fit into campus life. The humor is light hearted and genuine.... and the characters avoid falling into stereotypes, instead they turn out to be incredibly engrossing and believable.
What's remarkable is how all the stories come together at the end, for a satisfying conclusion. Something which most anime end up trying to do unsuccessfully..... 11 episodes seem like too short a time spent in dealing with Watashi's life...but as the end makes it clear There's no point in continuing a story which has been resolved... a lesson which a few anime out there should realize by now...
P.S. There are 3 7-min specials which were also released with the DVD, watch out for them too!
My rating: An excellent series from start to finish, keep an eye out for small details in between the series. EVERYTHING ties up at the end :)
A brief synopsis: Freshman Watashi(literally 'I' in Japanese) finds himself repeating his first 2 years in college with disastrous consequences over and over again, never seemingly realizing that he's repeating life making the same mistakes over and over.
Based on a novel of the same name, "Yojōhan Shinwa Taikei", or literally "4½ Tatami Mythological Chronicles" is perhaps the most innovative anime series I have ever seen..... the Groundhog Day of anime if you will. Masaaki Yuasa's (of Cat Soup and Mind Game fame, and if you haven't seen them go see it NOW!) Tatami Galaxy is one of a kind.
The character designs are pretty distinct from standard anime conventions, and what caught my eye in the first place. I'm surprised more people don't know about this series, because it's a true GEM in covering what many people go through trying to fit into campus life. The humor is light hearted and genuine.... and the characters avoid falling into stereotypes, instead they turn out to be incredibly engrossing and believable.
What's remarkable is how all the stories come together at the end, for a satisfying conclusion. Something which most anime end up trying to do unsuccessfully..... 11 episodes seem like too short a time spent in dealing with Watashi's life...but as the end makes it clear There's no point in continuing a story which has been resolved... a lesson which a few anime out there should realize by now...
P.S. There are 3 7-min specials which were also released with the DVD, watch out for them too!
My rating: An excellent series from start to finish, keep an eye out for small details in between the series. EVERYTHING ties up at the end :)