IMHO. 'Tamayura' ~ OVA, 2 TV series and specials, totally made of kindness

When I first watched 'Tamayura hitotose', it was just a short series for relaxed entertainment. What I didn't expect is that by the end it would turn out into such a wonderful coming of age story with the characters so deep and the story so full.

Speaking coolly, I can say 'Tamayura' is a great source for learners of the Japanese language and culture. It brings out many important aspects of the Japanese society such as taking bath together with friends and family members, even if they happen to be of the opposite sex:

gratitude and respect towards parents and relatives:

proper attitude to serving the clients:

and the importance of supporting and inheriting the family business:

But the main idea of 'Tamayura' is that this world is entirely made of kindness. To an unprepared person it will seem saccharine sweet. Especially if today in the morning you had to make your way into the bus with your elbows lest you fail to secure a seat in the bus. Especially when a couple of days ago another suicide bomber killed a dozen of people in some country.

The idea of total kindness and happiness appears the very moment 'Tamayura' starts and does not leave the screen even for a second. Happiness is everywhere, in the head:

in drawings:

 in photos and memories:

 in sweets:

 in fairytales:

Next time you worry about entering a new collective, try to whistle.
Okay, just a bit more happiness

 aaaaand

However, after watching lazily the first episodes about peaceful everyday life of several teenage girls eating desserts and having fun, I gradually noticed myself taking one by one paper tissues to wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks. By the last episode of the specials, I realised how grave the issues in the story had become, and how realistic the way the girls were dealing with them was. If some stories may be called 'bittersweet', this one I would call sweet-bitter, in the order of appearance.

graphics

If the first episodes may be simpler in terms of shapes and details of different things including faces, the last specials change very much adding even more lustre to everything. However the backgrounds were gorgeous from the very beginning. That wonderful ability to create beauty in everyday life and notice beauty in ordinary things is probably something I respect the most in Japanese.

music

If there must be a fly in the ointment, it will be music in 'Tamayura'. While the background melodies were good and always fitting the situations, the OPEDs were extremely weak expressing nothing in particular, being just average tender songs performed by average singers. The best songs in all 'Tamayura' parts were 'Yasashisa ni tsutsumareta nara' and 'Sotsugyou shashin', both performed by Sakamoto Maaya with her soft voice, but both being songs of the legendary Matsutoya Yumi. Which proves her legendary-ness once again.

voice acting

Since seiyuus with soft voices will never cease to exist in Japan, there will never be a problem to find proper seiyuus for cute teenagers in Japan. However, I can probably say I am completely satisfied with the performance of the 'Tamayura' crew.

conclusion

As for me, I would never agree that living on memories is enough. Memories will not bring you a cup of hot tea when you catch a cold, will not fill your stomach when you're hungry and will not hug you when you feel blue. However, there's no argument to the fact that just being near each other is not enough. The saddest thing is that not everyone of us is blessed to live in the world similar to that of Fuu - a world full of kindness and of people who would welcome her back whenever she wants to return.

p. s.

and a tint of humour just enough for the story not to become too serious. A funny PE teacher:

 mom's old friends from a biker club:

 and his majesty the Pink Cat

my humble opinion on 'Dance in the Vampire Bund' ~ warning! a loooong post

only 6 minutes of the first episode have passed, but I am already writing this post. you know why?

masterpiece

plot and characters

I have watched only 1 work directed by Shimbo Akiyuki-san so far, 'bakemonogatari', but 'twas enough for me to understand that 'Dance' would probably be an interesting anime, too

it proved to be so. 6 minutes have passed - and I am already laughing so that I cannot even eat my salad. this is simply gorgeous. the parody on the modern world, modern Japan, modern show business - a young handsome celebrity, an elder comedy actress, a girl who loves manga about vampires and a mangaka who creates it with a thorough understanding of what vampires are thought to be, and what he can use in his manga to make it popular, a professor who knows much - and knows well that he knows much, the TV news rogram which, on the first sight, tells about the strange incidents, but mostly - arouses the spectators and boost the story, and in the end - TV show where the guests and the audience decide whether a statement brought to discussion is true or false with the help of huge weigher - oh no, I am not a specialist in Japanese entertainment industry, but even I am able to say - this is just so completely true...

the preview of the next episode done in a chibi manner with characters as if drawn on paper with pencil. the mocking 'this programme is brought to you by...' where, instead of the real sponsors, the anime studios and fictional dorama (which was just mentioned in the anime) are used (BTW, reminds me of 'Tamayura') - 'tis not that I am against big companies 'contributing' to anime or doramas so that their logos are shown in the 'sponsors 20 seconds', but whenever a director of anime is brave enough to make such parodies - I feel this world is not dying yet

on the other hand, beware of fanservice. why am I still watching it? ohh, this is completely different case from works like 'Ikkitousen'. the level of nudity may seem much higher, and big boobs of Vera delight us with their full view in the very first episode, to say nothing of the fact that the main heroine is an absolute loli, on the other hand - while there is a harem of different types of girls around Akira, there is also a harem of boys, which is harder to notice, but which still exists... still - this case is completely different. this is the fanservice done with a full understanding that 'tis fanservice

the plot itself is rather slow. this is the style of Shimbo-san, I guess. more attention is paid not to what happens, but to the reasons behind the events, to the feelings of every person involved and thoughts and motives that everyone has. after watching 'bakemonogatari' I already knew how good Shimbo-san is in penetrating every corner of human psyche, but he exceeded my expectations. I thought only the sassy character of Mina would be exposed - as a capricious child, but I was wrong - the creators showed a lot of other people with their own way of life, their own ways of viewing the world and their own reasoning

on the other hand, there is one point I cannot skip - there has never been a character in 'bakemonogatari' whom I could feel close to. I might like them, or respect them, or admire them, or even feel a bit of sympathy towards them, but there was not a single person who was 'like me', 'soulmate' or how should I put it? a person I could feel at ease with. they were all strange to me. unlike 'bakemonogatari' where everyone seemed too far from me, 'Dance' presents people who are more understandable, and maybe even too close to usual anime characters. still, this very fact let me pick up if not characters - then at least feelings I could go through myself, not see as something external. while I did not accept them completely - in the end, this is quite a cruel plot we have here, and 'tis not full of kind persons, you know, dozens of people eaten by vampires, a crown turning into a bloody mess and a head torn apart from the body are not a pleasant things to see... still, there were times I could empathize with some of the characters

Mina was a perfect illustration of a person who wants someone who would be by her side no matter what, someone who would support her anytime and whatever she does. 'a friend is a person who helps you to carry and hide the corpse without asking questions' - I read this phrase in my friend's status in m-agent. I am not in favour of people who hide corpses, and I am not in favour of those who help to hide them, but if we don't take this feeling literally - there are moments when we want someone who would accept us as we are. if not approve completely - then at least accept, even when we are wrong. no, especially when we are wrong

another character who captured my attention was Vera. and this has nothing to do with her name! though I was a bit confused - I am not used to someone beside me called this way ^.^ so, she was simply the type I like most - devoted to something/someone and selfless. I always tend to wish such characters to obtain at least some personal happiness. especially when they are not 13 years old children (like Hikaru Shidou, who is one of my favourite characters of the same type, but whom I consider to be 'slightly too' young.....)

also, though I did not like her much, Saegusa was also a memorable character. look at  the episode where Mina and Yuki made up and laughed together - both of them gorgeously portrayed - Mina able to admit her mistakes, Yuki able to come to peace, funny discussion of her BL novels and their laughing at Akira - a short moment of bliss, a proof that the creators are not trying to make a completely black picture of their characters presenting them as either weak and unworthy, or cruel and full of pride
well, to say nothing of school council president who kissed her 13 years old neighbour twice - and twice 'twas shown fullscreen........

the only bad point there is - the usual poor treatment of foreigners. but 仕方ないわ～ - should we have three foreign representatives, than we are for sure to see a Chinese, an American or European and a Russian. I only wonder if their names were made so simple on purpose or not. of course, there is a chance that the creators intended to make a mock of the fact that they used the most popular surnames. however, I also would easily believe that they simply used what was at hand

don't you think this post is getting too long? well, I cannot help it. this work is just as wonderful as I expected, and it made me think a lot

music

while 'bakemonogatari' (sorry for constantly comparing them, but I have to) had a very strange music which was almost completely psychedelic, 'Dance' has an OST which may seem usual, but together with the visual part which is also less psychedelic they made a perfect duo. there were also pieces one may enjoy very much, slow ones, nice ones, calm ones

as for the OPEDs, perhaps I am already prepared to face the fact that the time when OPEDs were masterpieces has already passed. the ED theme was quite an imaginable thing when we have a vampire-themed anime, and the OP was simply great! - I would say, if not for the fact that 'tis a cover of Rebecca's song created in 1985. this is a fact I learned thanks to the kind person who uploaded the full version of 'Friends' on YT, and I appreciate that very much, because though I already listened to some of Rebecca's songs, I did not recognize 'Friends'. instead, what I thought when first watching the OP was - what a usual arrangement... another song that fails to surprise me... what was really good is Nakano Aiko's vocal. unlike Nokko-chan's sweet and cute high pitched voice, Nakano-san has a nice strength in her singing, which made me want to download her discography, unfortunately there are only 2 singles in it. however, the very fact that the song is a cover, and also the original arrangement frustrated me greatly. really... theme songs are no longer a thing to bother a serious composer, or invite a good singer

seiyuus

this is one more weak part of the anime. they were pretty good, and there were several seiyuus I know, like Watanabe-san, but you know - nothing memorable. well, Mina's seiyuu did a good job in speaking with 'ja' etc., but this is nothing special, any seiyuu should be able to do this. otherwise he/she is not seiyuu at all

on the other hand, the seiyuus were pretty veritable and realistic. actually, some animes do give me a feeling like 'this voice cannot belong to this person', and vice versa 'this appearance should not be decorated with such a voice'. this time there was no such mistake. at least

conclusion

a strange thing, partially ugly, partially attracting. it did not capture my heart, and it actually tired me a lot being a hard thing to watch. however, this is a masterpiece of realism. and an anime for adults - not because of blood or nudity, but because of the very fact of HOW realistic 'tis

in the very end... after watching such a thing, I have to go and heal my soul with something light and pleasant... there are animes which you watch to soothe your heart, but this one is more of those you watch to tease your brains. it does not let you to relax

so, my recommendations - watch Shimbo's works rarely and in small portions

my humble opinion on 'Tamayura ~hitotose~'

would be strange if I did not say anything about the TV series, though they are simply the continuation of the OAV

everything is precisely the same, so I would like to mention only the things that changed

the music

changed, but what did not change is my feeling of being bored and a strong desire to skip OPEDS or play them on a 3x speed. well, Maaya's singing improved a bit, that is laudable, but not enough to make me love the songs. the background music is also not very impressive

though 'tis not mentioned in WA which I use to refer, the song 'yasashisa ni tsutsumareta nara' in 'Hitotose' was not by Maaya, but by marble, both the voice and the arrangement

the food

no, it did not change very much, but it became a nice habit of them to show a new dessert every time the girls go to the Tamayura Cafe. they really do aim to kill me by the means of my own appetite...

the characters

probably 'tis wrong to say they changed, but I changed my perception of them. in comparison with Akari, Fuu seemeth to be much more shy and introverted, and Sayomi is vice versa more open and free to do anything she liketh, though she is the same gentle and caring girl as Alicia. I wonder if their TIMs are also different...

the funny elements

increased a bit. what I love especially is the puns on the famous phrase about the sponsors

'kono bangumi wa goran no sponsaa no teikyou de ookuri itashiMOUshita' or 'itashiMOSSHA~' while there is nothing written on the screen

'kono bangumi wa *whistle*'

what I have forgotten to mention while writing about the OAV is the Norie's obsession with Kou. though some may thing she is into something dirty, that doth not seem to be that way. I do admit Japanese children are cute, though I hate children usually
and though I am not able to fully appreciate the jokes of Dougo, I was a kind of sympathizing with him, wishing him a happy end concerning Hoboro owner line
the comments of Maon were also very cute, as I could recognize my own silly fantasies in Maon's absurdish suggestions

the points I dislike
'twas the he episode 6 when I understood that 'twas a little bit too much. the exaggerated feeling of awkwardness, crying and laughing when there is nothing really sad or cool, unnatural behaviour and false emotions - sometimes I was noticing them and that spoilt me the impression of the anime in the whole
taking the 6th episode as an example:
Fuu sayeth Maon that her story seemed interesting - a mere beginning of a fairy-tale. is it only me who cannot appreciate the splendidness of it?
a girl trying to whistle when seeing some girls crying - not only trying but doing it with all her might. that doth not seem quite appropriate to me
girls stopped crying and applause to a girl who just learnt how to whistle. is it such a great achievement when a person can whistle? or is it so difficult to learn?

the silly moments which are supposed to have a deep meaning and impress me greatly but fail to do that are spread throughout the series, instead they make me feel awkward. moreover, some characters piss me off while they were created to be cute and lively. I speak of Komachi, for example. an anime in general and this one in particular is not supposed to be like that, am I wrong?
again, comparing it with 'Aria' doth not make it seem better. Akari was clumsy - but never too clumsy to make someone of her surroundings feel uncomfortable, and of course we, the admirers of 'Aria', were not bothered by it anyway. Aika was an overly active girl, but she never causing too much trouble to the others. Alice was a shy and really introverted person, but put her near Maon - never that shy
though I thought the characters to be portrayed very distinctively, looking closer revealed that they are a little bit messed up and strange. while the types of everyone in 'Aria' were clear and understandable, thus creating a feeling of their adequacy, girls in 'Tamayura' are somewhat blurred. Fuu is a more introverted and being clumsy as Akari, her attitude towards her clumsiness seemeth to be much deeper. Aika's type seemeth to be divided between Kaoru and Norie, though they both are quite different from Aika, taken separately. and Maon is not alike Alice, as I've said. Alicia's features are only seen in Sayomi sometimes, mostly she is not that composed and serious. that is what I think of the main ones
in general the characters in 'Tamayura' seem to be less self-confident and simply weaker. as if they all need protection and soothing. actually, I cannot blame them for it - are there many of us who are not weak and waiting for someone to appear or something to occur? however, watching 'Aria' made me calm, and watching 'Tamayura' made me worry. that is why I could not simply relax and enjoy

the points I like
though too 'drawled', the series give us something to think of. the idea I like the most is the ticket with no destination which remindeth us that we decide the future ourselves and are free to change everything we want any time we want. 'tis truth and we should not let it to slip away
the same freedom is felt in minor moments, such as Norie's excitement when she heard about the plans of the girl in the photo studio to be the first to confess
I also loved those moments when the girls were freely saying what they feel, like that in case with Maon's parents when the girls were worried about Maon being made inherit the ryokan
another free expression of feelings was when they told how much they like/love each other, discussed their friendship or relations of other people like that of Komachi and Kou, Shihomi and Chimo, Chimo and her sempai. and no trace of dirty thoughts or unnecessary accents on the relationship. is it not great?

conclusion
there are a lot of simple but important things conveyed by this anime to us, however thee method of conveying may be sometimes a little messy and silly, slow and boring - so, be ready
refraining myself from being so carping, I cannot deny the obvious merit of the very fact that this anime exists, moreover, 'twas created in 2011, in the era of commercial hollow fluff which I believe is taking place now

my humble opinion on 'Tamayura' OAV

though I was going to watch this in December, I ended up having no free time in the end of the semester, and somehow I did not feel like watching it during the New Year holidays. 'twas yesterday when I realized I want to watch exactly this anime, slow and soothing

the first thing to be surprised

the episodes are so short that to make a usual OAV one we need to couple 1-2 and 3-4 ones

a 'disclaimer'

do not take this as a prejudice, but I am going to compare this anime with 'Aria'. constantly

seiyuus

though Hazuki-san and Oohara-san are present, they take supporting roles this times, and the main ones are given to young girls whom I simply hear for the first time. well, to be precise I know the names of Iguchi Yuka-chan and Asumi Kana-chan, as I heard one role of each of them, but those doth not count as serious ones, as they did not leave a lot of impression

and those young girls were pretty good, better than I could expect. they had their style and expressed quite the necessary image, I should say, they did understand what they were meant to do, and they were not boring to listen to

I should also mention Ogata-sama - she was unrecognizable >____< I mean, 'twas so unusual to hear her in the role of a middle-aged woman and a mother...
Matsuki Miyu-san and Nakata Jouji-san were also great. both of them had interesting voices and intonation, and the accent which their characters used was contributing to their overwhole cuteness

as for Hazuki-san, she was great. someone who doth not know her voice might notice no difference between the voices of the main company of cute girls and Shihomi's one, but I, who was waiting impatiently for Hazuki-san to appear, was very delighted. if we think of Fuu from 'Tamayura' and Akari from 'Aria', they are supposed to be of the same type - clumsy young girls, but friendly and cheerful. Shihomi therefore seemed to be the same as Alicia, something like a 'preceptor'. however, both the personality of Shihomi and her voice make her equal with Fuu, though older

and Oohara-san voiced a character of the same type as her 'Aria' one, as well. though 'tis a little strange to understand that Shihomi is if not older, than at least of the same age as Sayomi

the music

the OPED is awful. well, 'tis quite nice and 'tis nothing wrong when we have them framing such a calm anime, but hey, every OPED of 'Aria' was a masterpiece, and this two songs sound like there is nothing instead of them. no feeling, even the peaceful bliss or bright joy, which could be expected. btw, 'yasashisa' is a song by Matsutoya Yumi-san, and I would kill the person who gave it th Maaya as she doth not only sing worse than she did in 'Wolf's Rain', but she even soundeth like a very, VERY cheap pop girl

as for the background melodies, they are not much better. I cannot say they are bad, and they follow the general mood of the story, but Choro Club created a real compilation of masterpieces, while I can name no outstanding piece in 'Tamayura'

the plot, or the concept, better to say

is very good, no wars with aliens, no drama, no tension, nothing to disturb thy mind with a feeling of uneasiness

the views of a small Japanese town, the everyday trifles, the friendship of the girls and the help of every other person around them - 'tis very nice to see. however, 'tis all we have. though 'tis very good to relax, 'Aria' was also intriguing and surprising. sometimes I miss it

kawaii element detected!

Momoneko....... incredibly cute and cheering up even a 3-month-depressed person like me. again, Momoneko's role here is the same as that of cats in 'Aria'

food
is a big love of HAL and Sato-san. food is portrayed for us to go crazy every time 'tis shown. food in Tamayura is killing me the same way it did in 'Aria'...

the graphics

HAL is HAL. HAL is full of specialists both in moving and static objects with a perfect knowledge of composition and colouring fully applied in creation of the photos frequently shown in the episodes, as well as drawing of funny elements, such as Momoneko or girls' SD (superdeformed, if someone doth not know) faces. and the style is lovely, too, the shapes and the outline and whatever is simply superb

conclusion

though the music is a little too plain, the anime is a great example of a slice of life series which is not dull and doth not leave that usual impression that thou simply killed some time watching the piece

I am looking forward to watching the TV