The following is a review for the television series, The Tatami Galaxy. If this review has interested you in the show, the first episode can be found here.
Masaaki Yuasa’s 2010 animated television series, The Tatami Galaxy, is a personal favourite of mine. It follows a young man, simply referred to as “watashi” which is Japanese for myself, as he experiences his post-secondary life. It’s a heartwarming coming of age story about pursuing your dreams while simultaneously coming to terms with adult life. Everything about its presentation is incredibly unique and absolutely riveting.
The Tatami Galaxy can be an absolute whirlwind to watch. There is a near constant stream-of-consciousness narration that goes at a breakneck pace through the whole show. Its visuals are incredibly abstract and the style changes constantly. Both of these contributes to one of the central ideas of the show: life moves fast, try and keep up. The presentation of the show can be difficult to follow at points, particularly with those who are not accustomed to reading subtitles, but there’s a level of intentionality that permeates every minute aspect of the show’s presentation. Every little thing that has been included is there for a reason. The execution of every individual aspect of its presentation is nothing short of masterful.
The show also has an incredibly engaging narrative structure. Each episode begins with the protagonist choosing a certain way to live out his idealized version of campus life, and we, the viewer, follow him in his journey through said life until the end of each episode where the clock turns back and we start the whole process again. Each loop is filled with references, visual motifs, and other such callbacks to previous loops. There is a sense of progression, even if, chronologically speaking, the show doesn’t actually move forward until the very end. We’re introduced to a wonderful cast of colourful characters who are consistently engaging in all of their slightly different roles. The Tatami Galaxy, much like the vision of life it’s trying to portray is less of an experience and more of a ride.
The themes of The Tatami Galaxy are incredibly positive and very salient for any young person trying to find their way in the world. It’s a story about perceiving the beauty in everything around you. It’s not about pursuing ideals, but rather seizing what’s directly in front of you and making the most of it. Life doesn’t always have answers and its often confusing and hard to keep up with, but that’s what makes life beautiful.
To describe The Tatami Galaxy as anything short of masterful would be a disservice to its achievements. The show consistently intrigues with its incredibly unique visuals and consistently amazing story. The themes and ideas of The Tatami Galaxy are incredibly well presented and incredibly important for any person, not just young adults, but for everyone. Everything about the show is so appealing that it is hard not to fall in love with everything about. The Tatami Galaxy is one of the very few things that I would consider to be a masterpiece.
Joel Vs Film 