It’s not like Tamayura is the perfect slice of life series. there are the characters who sometimes are a bit annoying, and I also really dislike how it draws its cats. I think that this is a trend that started with Azumanga Daioh, but I really wish that anime would draw cats like… actual cats, rather than just blobs. The other extreme of this is of course Kimi to Boku, which does have normal looking cats, only they serve no purpose whatsoever in the series.
However, when I think that only half a year, I tried to give shows like A-Channel and Yuruyuri a chance, I really have to praise this show for avoiding their pitfalls and instead of immediately losing all inspiration and turning into a slew of unfunny repeated lesbian and boob jokes, this one stays true to itself and continues to develop its characters. The same goes for Kimi to Boku, by the way.
This episode it was the turn for Fu’s mother and childhood friend. It is a very nice touch for her mother to be a former biker, and I’m glad that the creators took their time to show a bit of her as well. In any case, this probably means that we’ll have two or three more character-focused episodes (Kou, Kaoru, and possibly Sayomi). After that, it’s the point where this show can really set itself apart… hopefully.
In any case, The atmosphere still works: it’s this light-hearted kind of mood that doesn’t get broken even with Norie ranting at her fullest. That is what I believe holds this series above Kimi to Boku. Both shows are very solid slice of life, but Kimi to Boku just tends to break its mood whenever the yellow-haired guy opens his mouth. Kimi to Boku on the other hand has a more creative flow with its drama. It’s ironic, but the more these shows go on, the more similarities I find…
Rating: * (Good)]]>
Tamayura ~ Hitotose – 05
I think the only moe cat in this series is Momoneko. The promo art for Tamayura has normal cats in it. Did you notice?
But there was normal cat in flashback 🙂
ok normal by standarts of guy who brought to us President Aria (ok it was an adaptation but he made him even more… unique)
but in this episode Norie wasn’t so irritating – that’s good
plus Maon with her tiny moments of awesomeness 🙂
I really look forward to next episode, as previous one gave me some doubts but it’s fine now :]
PS. Returning to cats… those in Azumanga were normal, ok there was Father but rest looks similar to my monsters
To me there is a big difference between Tamayura and Kimi to Boku, because Tamayura goes to great lengths to situate the characters in a detailed (if somewhat idealized) real-world location. Kimi to Boku is more about the characters, who could be almost anywhere. Tamayura has to take place on the Inland Sea, or you could say the location is itself a character that is being developed for the audience.
At least they recognize momoneko as a cat in this show.
Could be worse i.e. the thing in Mashiro-iro Symphony that the main characters aren’t quite sure what it even is.