I am usually someone who enjoys an anime with a deep and complex plot, where every episode contributes something to a deep and evergrowing universe. But personal tastes aside, life can be tough sometimes, and after a long day I occasionally want to just lounge around on the couch while watching something lighthearted. Having been in this predicament recently, and knowing Kyoto Animation’s work on other comedy slice-of-life shows including K-On! and Nichijou, I dived into Tamako Market expecting something with bright and well designed visuals and would make for an easy, entertaining watch. And indeed, that was what I got! While there were a few things keeping this series from becoming a gem in my book, Tamako Market proved to be an enjoyable and charming 12-episode experience.
Storyline
Tamako Market follows the life of titular charater Tamako Kitashirakawa, a first-year high school student whose family runs a mochi shop in a shopping district known as Tama-ya. While her days are spent with friends Midori Tokiwa and Kanna Makino, being oblivious to the romantic feelings held by childhood friend Mochizou Ooji and helping out her family at the store – things change when she encounters a mysterious bird hiding in a batch of flowers. Although supposedly on a mission to find someone, this talking bird known as Dera ends up becoming part of the Kitashirakawa family, becoming entwined in with the events of the household and its members.
While there are a few overarching storylines or plot devices which are extended across multiple episodes, particularly in the latter half of the season, Tamako Market is pretty episodic in nature. Ultimately everything leads to a fairly unmemorable ending which was obvious from the early episodes but drawn out far too long. However, the individual episodes themselves are enjoyable, with a greater emphasis on friendship and romance. One episode for example see’s Tamako forming a growing friendship with fellow classmate Shiori Asagiri, while the next focuses on her younger sister Anko experiencing her own crush with a fellow classmate. There are a lot of “aww” moments, along with many laughable moments which are often supported by the personality of and events surrounding Dera. In the end, while the overarching storyline is not completely ignored, the real charm of Tamako Market comes from its side-stories and one-off events more than anything else in my opinion
While the overall storyline might not amount for much, character development was handled well through the individual stories. The characters themselves were also pretty memorable for the most part. Some characters such as Midori and Kanna could have used a little more attention, but you are treated to a community which is full of life. This is mostly notable when viewers are taken into the meetings of the Tama-ya Planning Committee – with the secondary characters not just standing in the background but having individual personalities of their own.
Design / Music / Voice Acting
Given this anime comes from Kyoto Animation, I was assuming that Tamako Market featured strong animation and a good attention to detail. These assumptions were immediately proven correct, and even on a DVD copy of the show, proved to be aesthetically pleasing. Each character is distinctly designed and immediately identifiable, with their own quirks and appearance traits making it clear that effort went into constructing each main and secondary character. Character designs are complemented by consistently strong environment designs, with viewers being treated to a bright and vibrant world – from the shopping district of Tama-ya to building interiors. While there were not many chances for the animation to truly shine, given this is a slice-of-life comedy which takes place in a mostly realistic setting, Kyoto Animation still impresses with consistent attention to detail and quality which doesn’t falter as the episodes progress.
Each episode of Tamako Market is opened by the opening theme “Dramatic Market Ride” by Aya Suzaki, a cute and upbeat song which is coupled with visually enticing animation. It may be a little bit too upbeat given the events which unfold, but that would be nit-picking at best on my part. The ending sequence is titled “Neguse”, and also sung by Aya Suzaki. This sequence doesn’t stand out as much compared to the opening, but was nevertheless a cute song with solid animation.
North American anime publisher Sentai Filmworks commissioned an English dub of Tamako Market, which is also present in the Australian release by Hanabee. While this will likely come down to a matter of personal taste, I enjoyed the English dub overall and thought it was cast well. The shining star of the dub was Jay Hickman as Dera, who delivered the slightly pompous and quirky tones of his character well. Other highlights include Margaret McDonald as Tamako, Clint Bickham as Mochizou Ooji and Brittney Karbowski whose familiarity with younger character roles served her well as Anko. All said and done however, the dub was of a consistently good quality. But there is always a great Japanese dub available for those who prefer it.
Extra Content
There is only a small amount of bonus content present in the Australian release of Tamako Market, including web previews for each episode (Japanese dubbed only) and Clean Opening/Ending sequences. There are also trailers for three currently available titles from Hanabee: Beyond the Boundary, Chaika the Coffin Princess and Aldnoah.Zero.
Final Words on Tamako Market
Overall, Tamako Market made for an enjoyable and charming watch, providing many of the elements I would expect from a romantic slice-of-life comedy. However, while each episode by itself was enjoyable, there wasn’t that much to be said about its overarching storyline. It really seemed to be more about having a reason for Dera to exist than serving as a driving point for the series. But that aside, if you are after an anime to unwind to after a hectic day, this is one series I would recommend.
Review Score
Storyline / Character Development: B-
Design: B+
Music / Voice Acting: B
Extras: C
Personal Opinion: B
Final Score: B-
This review is currently being transitioned over to the new review system.
