Winter Anime Season Review

Well guys (and of course gals) this past anime season has pretty much ended with some mixed feelings. It way by far one of the most moe filled ones I have ever taken part in and while a couple shows caught my attention in the beginning, most of them ended up being average in my books. My early pick for favorites Kotoura-san, OreShura, and Maoyuu Maou Yuusha all ended up disappointing my overall expectations. I had extremely high hopes for both Kotoura-san and OreShura but they both took their interesting premise and awesome first episodes and just decided to go full on blaaa shortly after. Maoyuu Maou Yuusha started out ok and never really rose above or below that so overall I wasn't too disappointed in that particular instance. The other shows however ended up even worse than these three. Sasami-san in my honest opinion was just a huge mess trying to be clever, Problem Children started out decent but never "wowed" me, and the new season of Boku wa Tomodachi was just average since nothing really progressed. I picked up Suki-tte Ii na yo pretty late on so it was kind of enjoyable since I was able to speed watch the entire series but I feel as if it would of been a little worse if I had to wait an entire week for the next episode since each one did not progress very far. (I am such a noob since I just realized that Suki-tte Ii na yo aired during the fall season of last year...) Ahhh and the total crap anime award goes to Da Capo III since I never liked it at any point during the season. I mean come on the only people who are going to like this are the people who played the games. The anime was so completely lifeless and I had absolutely 0% invested feelings towards any of the characters. AND THE ENDING OMG (mouse over to see the hidden text) "Uhhh well I don't want to choose one of you so lets all stay friends." God I hate protagonists who cannot make a decision.

Well anyways the only shows I genuinely ended up liking were Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and Tamako Market for their characters ability to provide interesting scenes. Also the soundtrack in Tamako Market might be the best one I have heard in anime [sorry Aria :(]. I haven't finished Initial D: Fifth Stage yet since it seems very hard to find them but I pretty much like it even if it feels the most lifeless out of all the Initial D's. As for reviews I have already uploaded ones for Tamako Market, Kotoura-san, and Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and I intend on trying to put out a review for each anime I watched this season (people HAVE to know to avoid Da Crapo). This season was a disappointment overall but had a few hidden gems. I haven't really looked at what to watch for this coming season so here I go hoping that there are some decent ones -___-.

"Tamako Market" Anime Review

In our world today, most people turn to anime for over the top action or thought provoking thrillers (Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, Naruto, ext.) but there is something that anime has brought that most people glaze over. Aria was one of the first anime I experienced as a child and while it contained a very slow paced plot (since it was a slice of life), it literally made my day watching it. It contained characters and music that were so in synch it made it such a unique watch. Years later we have Tamako Market which in a lot of ways mirrors what I loved about Aria.

Story: 6.5/10
In a slice of life anime, it is hard to get a large amount of appeal unless they rely on moe type stuff to get a large viewer base. While Tamako Market does have some moe elements, it is the very spot on pacing and character development in which Tamako Market in my honest opinion becomes a spiritual successor to Aria. Both shows follow a small cast of characters on their daily routines while also taking place in a seemingly conflict free world in which they are free to do whatever they fancy. Both shows also bring out the question, “What do I want to do in life?” Both Aria and Tamako realize by the end of the show what and where is their true calling. Since all the show does is follow the main characters, you might think it would get boring real fast. Well you are wrong on that front because the character interactions are all funny and/or engaging. The character Dela who is a bird who talks usually steals the spotlight in the scenes he takes place in since he is usually both the starter and resolver of conflicts due to his all mighty personality. The anime does rely on some gag type comedy but nothing is overused beyond their usage. One recurring gag is when someone sneezes on Dela, he takes it as an act of courting since it is such an action in his home country. The plot does start out a little slow in the beginning but the show steadily brings in new elements to add towards the final episode. While it isn’t the most thought provoking plot, you will still hopefully enjoy the interactions between the characters.

Animation: 7/10
The animation is a little lacking but by no means horrible. The colors are on the plain side but in terms of the actual animation the show does a really good job of keeping a smooth frame rate especially on the scenes where there are objects in motion. Character models are nice throughout the entire season; nothing really else to add.

Sound: 9.7/10
So I happen to be very much into acoustic qualities and how it affects film. A lot of people do not understand how an amazing score/soundtrack can really make something shine. Visuals are important but it is the sound that makes your chest shake during an explosion or the emotions you feel when a character is crying and the voice actor is doing a great job expressing the in-film character’s emotions. In the case of Tamako Market it happens to all of these things but the music takes the main prize. The music used in this show is light, cheerful, and used perfectly in all the scenes. The opening song is also amazing as it is catchy and has great instrumentation. The soundtrack is so good that I plan on buying the OST when it comes out.

Best opening song...EVER

Characters: 9.5/10
Slice of life shows HAVE to have a good cast or it goes to sh!%. Unless you have a show like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei that has a character for literally every possible situation, your limited size cast has to provide scenes that are pleasing to the audience. In my honestly opinion, I think that the characters of Tamako Market did an astounding job providing thirteen funny and enjoying episodes of goodness. All four high school students (plus the bird Dela) do an excellent job interacting with each other in both mundane and unique ways. The scenes where Mochizou and Tamako talk to each other from their rooms using the two cups connected by a string reminds me of my youth when that seemed like the cool thing to do. The interactions between Mochizou and Midori were interesting to watch since Midori is overprotective of Tamako and Mochizou is so fu#$ing clueless about girls. The star Dela really brought the show together with his personality and lack of knowledge. I don’t want to sound fanboyish but I am having a hard time trying to find anything wrong with the cast. I am pretty sure that anyone who watches this show will enjoy the characters.

Overall: 8.2/10
This show is not going to appeal to everyone. I and many people are getting fed up with the anime industry’s push for more and more slice of life anime with a heavy emphasis on moe. It seems as if studios are becoming more reserved on making a new amazing action adventure or thriller type anime. When Fate/Zero came out it was a breath of fresh air because it was awesome, fresh, new. I want more anime that takes risks BUT in the mists of all the moe crap going on currently, something arose from the garbage and gave me something to look forward to each week. Tamako Market is the rainy day anime of the 2000’s. With an amazing soundtrack and cast, I honestly cannot think of any reasons why someone might not like this show. Don’t go into it thinking it is going to wow you with emotions and actions; just sit back, relax, and watch some youngsters live out their life. You might even laugh along the way.

Quick Update

So since we are getting so close to the conclusion of this current anime season, I have decided that it would be much more beneficial if I start working on the anime reviews that I plan on rolling out instead of posting my thoughts on two or three anime a week. I plan on reviewing Tamako Market, Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo, Kotoura-san, and OreShura. I am not sure if some of the other anime are continuing to air into the next season (too lazy to look it up) or if any of the above are planning on airing into the next season but with four already on my plate that should keep me somewhat busy. On top of reviewing these particular anime, I plan on doing a "final thoughts" for each of the currently airing anime that end up completing in the coming weeks. Also Bioshock Infinite comes out next Tuesday so...anime will not be on the top of my priority list.

"Tamako Market" Episodes 1-10 Thoughts

So while on spring break I had some time to sit around and look for anime since we had some bad weather on a couple occasions. One that I stumbled across was Tamako Market and boy am I glad that I did. This show has the unique qualities of pretty much making you feel happy and joyful after each episode no matter your feelings before you clicked play. This is slice-of-life done correctly and very well.

So the first episode of Tamako Market really pulled me in from the get go because I fell in love with two things; the animation and the bird Dela. The show starts off with a monologue from Dela as he tries to understand the situation he is currently in. He somehow winds up in a florist’s shop in Japan and is taken in by Tamako. As the day progresses we learn that Dela is on a mission to find his prince a bride. Oh by the way the bird talks…So after all that was done, Dela decides to stay with the Kitashirakawa (try saying that three times fast) family for a little while. It's his almighty and bossy attitude that really makes him a fun character to watch. Also for whatever reason I really like his voice actor. What ensues over the next nine episodes is a series of events that while are connected to each other, they do not really need prior knowledge to understand what is going on. For this I bring up how much it reminds me of Aria’s formula. Aria was a three season anime that literally followed three girls around on their daily routines. Even though we only saw their monotonous activities, the way the characters interacted with each other was such a joy and relaxing experience that it was the perfect rainy/bad day anime to watch. Back to Tamako Market; this show has the same exact qualities because the characters are such a joy to watch. The daily activities that revolve around Tamako, Mochizou, Midori, Kanna, and Dela are all just interesting. Call it fanboyism but this show doesn’t need a super interesting plot or godsend action; it is self-sustainable with what it shows off. So other than the just interesting nature of the show, it does provide great visuals and a fun soundtrack. The character models are very well drawn and all the action orientated scenes flow nicely. Backgrounds look great and the lip syncing seems to be done quite well. The music that they decided to use during the show is very fitting towards what is going on. The opening song is VERY catchy and was stuck in my head after seeing it the first time. 

The characters like I have stated already are all very interesting to watch. The main character Tamako is an airhead but always acts with a positive intent. Her friends Kanna and Midori are good sources of character development and interaction. Mochizou plays the childhood friend that lives across the way who has a hidden crush on Tamako (basically the Chiwa from OreShura of this show). We are introduced to more characters as the show progresses including the other shop keepers of the market and Dela’s master Choi who comes in search for Dela. 

This is how I looked after I watched all ten available episodes back to back

I really don’t know how to sell this anime to you; if you are looking for something to watch that doesn’t require a lot of focusing then this is the perfect anime for you. It’s not trying to wow you; it’s just here to make you feel happy and I ensure you that you will find it funny and entertaining. I will be reviewing this show once it finishes airing.