Recently, I’ve been in a hunt for light romantic-comedies after “Koe no Katachi”, so I stumbled upon this simple movie from the net.
Synopsis (from MyAnimeList : https://myanimelist.net/anime/21647/Tamako_Love_Story)
As she edges toward the end of her high school life, the energetic but generally clueless third-year Tamako Kitashirakawa has only one major concern: pulling off a stunning baton performance at the Usagiyama Marching Festival. But all too soon, she is confronted by the reality that all her friends have big plans for their futures; she, on the other hand, just operates with the moderate goal of continuing to work at her family’s restaurant.
Under the same brilliant sky, Mochizou Ooji intends to study at a university in Tokyo, leaving behind his family, friends, and most importantly, his first and only love Tamako. Unfortunately, the shy admirer cannot bring himself to declare his love, and Tamako is yet unaware that she is the source of such anguish. With time quickly running out, Mochizou must confess his feelings to Tamako soon, or his dream of romance will never be fulfilled.
I found this anime to be quite entertaining. It is romantic, but not cheesy. There is a push, and some attempt at awkward pulling that results to adorable awkwardness. There’s no There’s nothing very in-dept about this anime, but then there’s also the reflection of sometimes questioning yourself whether you’re completely satisfied where you are, like what Tamako began panicking about when Mochizou confessed about his feelings for her and his plans to move to Tokyo.
I guess one of the charms of this anime movie is the simplicity of the story, yet it is relatable to everyone.
There’s the awkwardness two long time friend could go through when one confesses his/her feelings and the other is not on the same boat (yet, perhaps), thinking of the future, changes versus tradition. There’s some angst if you squint really hard since it is slice of life, but then the development of the story is of course towards the happy ending of the protagonists arriving at a point with mutual romantic feelings.
Three highlights I have from this show:
The Confession
Of course. This is anime after all. The first confession scene I witnessed was probably from anime. Anyhow, I love the simplicity and straightforwardness of the confession scene by Mochizou: he found the moment, he dropped the two bombs on Tamako and let her mull on it.
I mean, he was dead serious on his feelings and his decision to move to Tokyo for his dreams anyway, so confessing to her was just one part of his process, his growth process. He knew he had to tell her about his feelings, or else he’ll have regrets especially if he moves to Tokyo with that secret with him.
Tamako’s Realization about changes
Part of the show’s theme is change. Takako and her friends (including Mochizou) are in the senior year of high school, so it’s that time of their life that they should be thinking of their future. Most of her friends are already decided on what to pursue. Tamako surely has a passion for making mochi since her family business is a mochi shop, so she wants to help out and eventually inherit it. When Mochizou confessed to her, there’s a sudden awakening that everything in her life is actually changing. Her future separation with her friends from school doesn’t seem to bother her that much, but since Mochizou had been with her her whole life, it felt like a part of her was separating from her without consent. Mochizou is part of her community life, that little community that embraced her life their own child, especially when her mother died while she was still young. While she is comfortable and satisfied with the image and life she has and in that tradition, she began asking herself about change. In my opinion, I hope Tamako continues with the mochi-making because I see her heart is into it, and tradition is just to important to preserve for culture’s sake, but I think this is also a very important realization for her to reflect on what she really wants and what she can let go, as well as to strengthen her decision-making skills.
Tamako and Mochizou’s friendship
These two have a long history together, and no wonder one of them developed special feelings. Well, the other one was just delayed, I guess. Anyhow, I love how the show highlighted their friendship. They had been each other’s support in both fun and sadness. They don’t have to be best friends to treat each other as a special friend. As high school students, they are not shown to always be together, but when they are together, there’s that comfort and familiarity you feel between long-time friends, and not just because Mochizou is in love with Tamako.
The ending was a bit hanging for me though as it just closed with Tamako confessing her feelings back to Mochizou. The climax was reached alright, but where’s the falling action?! What happened to them after that? Demmet.
Anyhow, as this was such a nice, light and entertaining show anyway, I’d still give it a 4.5/5 🌟
Such is Life // 