Ever wanted to see a pseudo-sentimental comedy-and-drama hybrid show set in a vibrant and colourful world with a phenomenal plot?
Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei a.k.a The Tatami Galaxy is one of the shows you might want to see, if not THE one fitting the aforementioned profiles.
Set in modern Japan, the show primarily details the relentless yet naive and hilariously juvenille efforts of a nameless protagonist to spend his college life with an all-time-romantic partner, after he ends up having a 'challenge' thrust at him through a "god" in a desolated ramen shop.
Each of the episodes highlight the many 'possibilities' of him having joined multiple "circles" in the college to find a "raven-haired maiden" of his fantasies. He and his youkai-faced friend/enemy both try to hit it off with multiple females, and always end up embarassing themselves at their repititive failures. To top it off, the protagonist has a female under classmen he's interested in, but always misses the "oppurtunity" to get in a relationship.
Think of the show as a non-playable visual novel in which almost every episode will present the protagonist with a typical "bad end", save for one.
There's one word that could be used to describe the show: Surrealism. Surreal from the start to the end.
Due to the repitition in the episodes' plot, it tends to get slightly predictable and CAN give an incentive to drop it for a few. However, each of the 11 episodes are packed with some unadulterated humour; one way or the other, which keep 9/1O of the people hooked to see what becomes of the protagonist's quest to get his "rose-coloured campus life". That said, this is not an all-ages show. There are horrendously suggestive terms and scenes that your mainstream teenager should not bear witness to, making this not one of those "can-watch-in-front-of-family" shows.
..That's it for the first impression stuff. On to the review:
STORY[ 9.5/1O]:
This isn't even Tatami Galaxy's strongest point, and yet it shines majestically in it. For what it was made, TTG serves a top-notch plot with moderate progression[putting aside the fact that some minor parts are predictable], leaving no room for censures about lack of comedy. All the sentimental humour seems completely devoide of drama, but it gets there["when" will be a spoiler].
Lastly,the engimatic plot keeps its promise with a satisfying, NOT rushed ending.
ANIMATION[ 1O/1O]:
THIS is Tatami Galaxy's strongest point. Not that the unique-ly surreal visuals can not be putting off for some. It's the CGI that makes it superior. Mediocre-ly rendered 3D graphics merged with 2D chopping, colourful visuals.
In full 6O frames per second. Even though more than a good half of them are black-and-white.
The characters' expressions' changes are, at times, gradual and at others, drastic. We still have the weird gestures typical of comedy shows in this one, though. Not that it's bad at all; it's characteristic after all.
OST[ 8/1O]:
A sentimental humour and drama hybrid just wouldn't be "sentimental" without some equally stunning OST. It blends in perfectly with the environment, and a slow one playing just before the opening sequences adds to the excitement of the viewer. That said, TTG's terribly short on tracks. The ones it does have are amazing, but it could've used a wider catalogue. Any noticable change in the BGM occurs just around the last 3 episodes.
That said, the opening and the ending songs are the prime of TTG.
VERDICT[ 9/1O]:
All the aforementioned aspects make Tatami Galaxy look, feel, and sound unique, special, and engaging.
Albeit the perverse aspects are still there. Of course, nothin's perfect. For what it was meant, however, the show delivers pure awesomeness.
All the aspects that speak in favour of TTG can actually be putting off for some others. Nevertheless, to each his own.
In the end, if you're looking for something unique and NOT infamous, TTG's not a bad choice at all.
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