Tamako Market (Review)
“Inside the Usagiyama Shopping District lies an eccentric but close-knit community of business owners. Tamako Kitashirakawa, a clumsy though adorable teenage girl, belongs to a family of mochi bakers who own a quaint shop called Tama-ya. One day, Tamako stumbles upon a talking bird that presents himself as royalty from a distant land. Dera Mochimazzui, as he calls himself, states that he’s seeking a bride for his country’s prince. Intent on his mission, Dera follows Tamako home and develops an addiction to mochi, becoming painfully overweight and subsequently unable to fly back to his homeland; thus, he takes up residence with Tamako’s family and becomes the community’s beloved mascot. Meanwhile, Tamako’s friend, Mochizou Ooji, continues to hide his true feelings for her. Their fathers are fierce mochi rivals, but will it be enough to drive a wedge between Tamako and Mochizou? And just what will happen to Dera’s task of finding his prince’s destined bride?” -MAL Rewrite
Tamako Market has been on my “To watch list” for a long time and I finally had time to watch it! Also as a big fan of KyoAni Tamako Market is a must!
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Story:
Seeing that this is an original story by KyoAni and made probably due to the massive popularity of K on, it’s understandable that the story may not be the strongest storyline. The story itself has a strong plot line and combines the genre of comedy, slice-of-life, as well as a bit of drama. Although it does have a strong plot line, the bits and pieces between the plot points are often skipped over. One episode could be in the spring where they found out their classroom assignments and the next would be in the summer where they go to the pool. With a choppy story sometimes it was hard to orientate myself, I had to think about what time it was every episode.
Artwork & Animation:
What can I say, the artwork and animation are more than what I hoped for! The animation depicts the how lively and energetic the Tamako Market is! Character designs are exactly the same as K on! which is unsurprising given how popular it was at the time. There is a great attention to detail, which is expected of KyoAni, the interior of the shops and even the process of mochi was shown somewhat.
Character(s):
All the characters have a little something to bring to the table, whether it’s Kaoru’s unexpected man voice, Dera’s hilarious facial expressions, or Anko’s cute stage of defiance, everyone brings life to the show and that creates the character of not only the actual Tamako Market itself but also the anime! There are still questions about some characters such as Choi, Mecha, and Dera that aren’t explained, which is a letdown, but overall the characters are well developed and enjoyable to watch!
Sound (OST & Voice Acting):
Alright, I’m dedicating this entire section to Kaoru Hanase, because WHAT!? I’m confused on why Daisuke Ono, voiced this beautiful tall blonde that owns a cute flower shop. I’m also curious about who Kaoru is, there is no information anywhere that has information on Kaoru besides physical features and occupation.
Anyway, the soundtrack is something that makes this entire show a happy feel-good anime! A lot of happy tunes that make you feel good. Shoutout to Kunio Yaobi (aka Hipster Barista) for throwing down every time the girls would visit the coffee shop!
Enjoyment:
Tamako Market did not let me don’t, it was definitely as cute as I imagined it would be, although I would’ve liked to see more fluid transitions between events.
Overall: Score 8
For an original anime by KyoAni, it’s not that bad! Although there are a lot of missing pieces in the main plotline, the artwork and animation make up for it. With a happy soundtrack to accompany the happy atmosphere that is Tamako Market, it’s a great show to watch both as a new anime fan or a veteran!
Best Girl: Midori Tokiwa
Aside from being very dependable and perfect, Mido-chan is one of the most developed characters in the entire show. Not to mention Mido-chan low-key trying to hide her love for Tamako is the funniest thing on the show!
KiritoNarukami 