The Tatami Galaxy

## The Anime

### Soundtrack

The opening and credits song of The Tatami Galaxy feel like a product of their own time. I really liked AKFG's opening, it sounded really nice. Definitely an addition to my playlist.

The credits song, on the other hand, always made me think about everything about the episode I just watched every time I heard it. It only made it so much better when it was used as the opening for the final episode, which I didn't expect at all. It's a really good song that sounds very unique. I really liked it.

I think the overall soundtrack for The Tatami Galaxy is quite nice. It's scored a bit like an old cartoon, with wind instruments and such. Sometimes it felt silly, but that was the general vibe of the anime anyway. It's not something you see much in any show nowadays. I really liked it.

### Thoughts

The Tatami Galaxy is a special 11-episode anime that goes by faster than you can think. Maybe it didn't touch my heart like many other animes, but it definitely scratched a very specific part of my brain. It delivered a message that was so simple in such a complex way that even if I understood and expected it at the end, the epiphany I felt was still incorruptible. Certainly, this is one of the most unique animes of all time.

The story of The Tatami Galaxy starts with the main character (let's call him M) crossing paths with a self-proclaimed deity of matrimony Higachi, who entices him to pursue a relationship with a certain Akashi. Another character, Ozu, is also introduced as an evil-hearted person who apparently led M astray into the path of meddling with other people's lives, embodying this so-called "Black Cupid" figure. M blames Ozu for all of his problems in life, so of course he takes up Higachi's offer. Of course, even if Higachi helped M at the end of the episode, he chickens out and chaos eventually ensues. To the viewer, it seems as if everything Ozu has done has caught up to him. To put it simply, this is one of the best debut episodes I've ever watched. It successfully hooked me in with the confusingly blazing fast story that is narrated as fast as I can think. More than that, it really sets up the story well with multiple things that aren't addressed until many episodes later. It's really good.

The overall story of The Tatami Galaxy follows the many possible college lives of M. Though, I'm not sure if the first episode even counts, is that the original reality or no? Nevertheless, the first nine episodes show the possible circles that M could have been a part of. The first five focus on each circle Of course, each and every circle wasn't fit for him, as there were external problems, like corrupt leadership or even just influence from Ozu. Honestly, the show really does a good job on depicting the reality that M could be living. In all realities, there are so many problems that M lives through that it really feels excruciating. This all may seem just repetitively boring, but each episode is different in the way it portrays the many complications of life. It all felt very unique to me.

After the first five episodes, the story shifts gears and the version of M we are witnessing realized in his universe that he can't just focus on 1 circle, he has to be in multiple at once. Of course, chaos still ensues. Episodes 6 through 8 depict a more "satisfying" version of M's life, where he has more purpose and multiple love interests. Unfortunately for him, nothing works out. Hanuki just sees him as a friend, M can't even see Kaori as a real partner, and Keiko was a prank from Ozu. In all three realities, M doesn't find the romantic partner that he was yearning about. It's all so relatable that no matter what M chooses, there is no outcome that is good for him. That's due to both external factors and M's own internal factors. I think this middle part of the overarching story really gets into why The Tatami Galaxy is a really good anime. There is so much attention to detail here. More than that, in this part of the story, it becomes clear that many of the major events in every single episode up to this point occurs in every universe. I'll get into this later, though.

The ninth episode shows a very abridged version of M's life. What if he joined an underground organization that basically controlled the entire school? It's revealed that this organization, Lucky Cat, controls everything from the bicycle patrol to the library services. Basically, this organization is just another plot device that was already happening in the background. It's also revealed that around the end of the overarching story that Ozu becomes the "leader" of this organization. Of course, like the good friend he is, he gives M a job in this organization. Of course, M sees this as an opportunity to create wealth and pleasure for himself. Even still, after an unexpected rendezvous with Akashi, he doesn't feel content with his life.

Finally, the last two episodes depict a version of M that doesn't join any of the circles. Instead, he opts to a life of isolation in his 4.5 tatami mat room. Shenanigans ensue, and he is eventually trapped in a grid of 4.5 tatami mat rooms. Each and every single room shows a different reality of M, which are depicted in the previous 9 episodes. It's through the items in each room that this version of M comes to understand the people that he's met in other realities. Throughout the entire series, M sees Ozu as some kind of demon that only exists to torment his life. It's only this version of M, the one who never met Ozu, that realizes that Ozu was his one and only true friend. It's also here that it's revealed that Ozu had a girlfriend by the name of Kohinata that he wanted to see the Gozan with her, so that's why he stole the airship. M becomes infuriated with the life he led up to this point that he begins to miss the many interesting events in his other realities that he knows about, even if in those realities, M despises and regrets what he did. Then, he finally remembers meeting and becoming enamored with a certain Akashi at a book fair. Up to this point, it has been teased constantly that in each reality, Akashi only had 4 of her dolls that she likes to bring everywhere. The fifth was always dangling in front of M, this so-called "opportunity". He always wanted to bring this doll back to Akashi, but unfortunately fate didn't call for it. He had to take life into his own hands and bring it back to her. This is what finally brings him back to the real world. He goes to the fated bridge from the first episode, where Ozu threatens to jump into the river. After reading about his many realities, he makes a decision and finally returns the favor back to Ozu by helping cover for him. They both jump into the river and are eventually saved by Higachi. In the end, M finally returns the doll to Akashi, and they eat ramen together.

You're probably wondering why I had to write the synopsis of the story to review The Tatami Galaxy. This anime has an incredibly complex story for such a simple message, so it only makes sense that you, the reader has to consume the context of the anime, even if I fail to put it into words. From the start, it just seems like any other "alternate realities" story. Then, it's revealed that everything's connected to Ozu. The overall plot of this show is deceivingly complicated. It's only in the end that it's revealed how painfully simple it is. No matter which circle M chooses, he always meets Ozu and his life is turned upside down. No matter which circle M chooses, a lot of the same things still happen that are depicted in previous episodes. It's due to this that the final M realizes that there is no "rose-colored college life". There is just a mix of colors in life, whether that be pastel, rose-colored, or grayscale. The way this anime builds up to the conclusion is overall incredible. M is depicted in every episode going through so many hardships from the circles he chooses which leave him unsatisfied. There is no correct circle because they're all correct. The hardship is only another color of life. It's only in the end that he realizes he needs to appreciate the many colors of life, from eating Neko Ramen to making shitty movies with Jogusaki. It's all nourishment to the soul. Incredible.

While the plot is convoluted, the animation of The Tatami Galaxy is truly incredibly unique. It's flamboyant in a modern way, like it was painted by a modern painter. Unlike something like Sonny Boy's quiet and contemporary art style, this show does a great job of being loudly expressionistic. The characters and the colors of the world flow so beautifully together to illustrate the mood that the writer desperately wants to portray. I felt that every frame of animation was painstakingly done with so much love for art. It's so good.

I can only think of one weakness of The Tatami Galaxy, which is the pace. The pace of this anime is really fast. So, especially for a foreign viewer, it's hard to keep up with the pace and fully understand the story. It's definitely not everyone. Maybe that's just due to me watching it in 2 days. Who knows?

I also thought the ending was a bit empty. I understand M finally accepting Ozu as is one true friend, but M's relationship with Akashi felt a bit weird to me. It's clear from the start that his "opportunity" was always dangling right in front of him. While I like that this plot point was resolved, I was left wondering what it was all for. While it's true that M had been yearning and looking for love in every reality, in the end, Akashi just felt like a prize for M to win. It's true that he earned it, but what about Akashi's side of the story? While it's true that they had chemistry in the scenes together, I still don't understand what Akashi sees in M. At least, that's what I think!

On a bit of a personal note, this anime really hits different when you're around M's age. For context, I'm writing this at the end of my high school years. I've thought countless times about what different things I could've done, what extracurriculars I could've joined, which people I could've befriended, where I could've sat at in a classroom, and all that just thinking about a different outcome for my high school years. I think this anime gave me closure on this creeping regret that almost destroyed my early post-12th grade vacation. Even though the story is mostly exposition, the ending still resonated in me the message of no regrets. Thank you, The Tatami Galaxy.

Overall, just like Sonny Boy's review, I have failed to write about everything I want to write for this anime's review. The Tatami Galaxy is a unique and special show about how there is no use for thinking about the many "ifs" of the past. There is only the satisfaction in the present and the hope for the future. That's a beautiful message that can be extrapolated to anyone's life. All in all, this is a show I would recommend to anyone that wants to think about their own life up to this point. It's beautiful. To me, it's a 9/10 Gem-Gem.