First Impressions / Tamako Market

「俺の背筋も凍ったぜ」 (Ore no Sesuji mo Koutta ze)
“I Felt Chills Down My Spine Too”

A story is at its best when it takes up exactly as much time as it needs. That’s why I love covering original series like Tamako Market – there’s no shoveling too much material in, no cutting important bits out due to time. In the hands of a good group of storytellers, we get exactly as much story as we need to make it a good one, and no more. But enough meta nonsense. Onto the episode!

Adults Are Useless

A thought occurred to me during this episode – all the adults are useless. Counter to how one would expect such things, all the reasonable characters are high schoolers, while all the adults are silly or downright goofballs. This reminds me of Glee, where the kids are the serious characters, while most of the adults are over-the-top ridiculous (see: Sue, who is amazing). It works, though. From them trying to protect Tamako to their silly proof of the curse, I was laughing at their antics all episode. Plus, they weren’t nearly as over-the-top as the adults in my other example, so it fit into the atmosphere well.

The best part? This explains Dera. He clearly has the personality of an adult, so it only makes sense for him to be as useless as the rest of them. Only…well, they’re not all always useless, Dera included. Just most of the time, and hilariously so!

Kanna Confirmed for Best Girl

It’s settled – Kanna is the perfect girl. Not only can she build anything, but she’s cute, perceptive, and deftly manipulated Dera-chan into getting them some awesome publicity for the haunted house! The hitodama and the office worker were great enough, but what about that hilarious screaming after Dera went through the haunted house with Shiori-chan? And then Kanna just went ahead and outed Dera’s crush in front of everyone!! Seriously, Kanna is the best. No objections allowed!

Bonus: while I’m not sure exactly how Dera looked like a hitodama just because he was carrying a paint can, I enjoyed how they justified the blood-stained office worker by saying that she only intended for the paint to look like a bloodstain on the ground, but got lucky. That’s the kind of subtly justified storytelling that I have nothing but praise for.

Looking Ahead – Choi Arrives!

I really oughta learn not to anticipate where these things are going, but ah well. Last week I thought that the girl from Dera’s island was going to show up, but nope! I don’t think they can deny us her next time though. She already looks like she’s hella cute when she’s frustrated and pouting, so I’m looking forward to her joining the cast in earnest. That is to say: bring on the tanned, tropical island bishoujo, woohoo!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – A simple haunted house turns into a wildly successful bit of publicity after Kanna gets involved. Kanna confirmed for best girl! #TamakoMarket

Random thoughts:

  • I like Dera’s style. Pray to the statue? Screw that – throw it at your enemies!
  • Is it just me, or did Dera imply that Tamako is a hard-M in the “scary is fun” cafe scene? You shouldn’t say that in front of Midori, Dera-chan! The doujin makers might hear you :X
  • Special props go to sensei, who, of all the useless adults, was the most useless. Congrats! I think.
  • I’m not sure, but I think I spent so much time enjoying this episode, I forgot to jot down notes on what to write. Damn you Tamako Market for giving me back some of my free time! …erh, wait.

 

Preview

73 Comments

  1. But enough meta nonsense.

    Meta…nonsense? Aww…but that’s all I ever comment on…XP And I guess slice of life comedies are more about sitting back and enjoying the ride anyways…;)

    Zen
    Reply

    1. Ahaha, well there’s that, but mainly that’s just a point I’ve mentioned like 17 times before. I couldn’t resist mentioning it again, but I didn’t want to torture you all with another wall ‘o text : )

      Stilts
      Reply

  2. Well, this wasn’t what I expected given last weeks episode, I was hoping for some continuation from that. But it was nice to focus on the Shop District and their amusing cast. Which apparently when they’re frighten, all logic goes out the window and they become ‘useless adults’. While no shipment rival was among us, Kanna did prove to be the best girl here.

    I’m just glad we finally get to see the ‘other’ cast members, which isn’t the prince but probably a relative. I’m guessing her arrival is due to Dera’s lack of ‘mission’ to find someone. Which reminds me, does he ever report in? Lol And does Dera become aware of his ‘out of place’ messages that come out of his eyes? I’m sorry if I missed that somewhere. But it seems like a one way street where Dera seems to play back a ‘tape message’ of sorts out of the blue and never really makes contact with them.

    Solara
    Reply

  3. Is it just me, or did Dera imply that Tamako is a hard-M in the “scary is fun” cafe scene? You shouldn’t say that in front of Midori, Dera-chan! The doujin makers might hear you :X

    He most certainly did, and Midori certainly caught it and took offense, even if it seemed to go right over Tamako’s head. That whole scene was great. I especially loved the cafe owner putting on scary music and Kanna and Midori unintentionally starting to tell ghost stories without realizing what they were doing.

    I too was hoping for the new girl to have some significant presence this week, but alas, it was not to be. One more week! She looks a bit younger than the main cast and a bit older than Anko, but definitely cute in the preview images so far.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  4. Not sure if this counts as a Kanna episode but she certainly was great this episode. Not only did she pull a perfect viral marketing campaign but she was somehow able to measure a warehouse and estimate the resources needed for the haunted house within seconds. She’s going to grow up to be a great engineer. I feel sorry for Dera though since he got manipulated but at least he got the date with Shiori that he always wanted.

    Also Sensei is a puss. This really isn’t scary. Unless you find dying of moe cuteness scary.

    fragb85
    Reply

  5. I’m a wimp and scared to go into お化け屋敷, but I’d definitely go into one if it was staffed by the Tamako Market girls.

    Dera implying Tamako is M was hilarious. I love it every time his facial expressions change up, particularly when he’s got that coy, somebody-just-sneezed expression. So strange, yet awesome.

    Kanna is gunning for my affection with all her nerdy architecture and engineering knowledge. I also love how deadpan she speaks unless it’s about measurements or something of the sort. Case in point, how brusque she was when she explained the hitodama and zombie (while crushing Dera’s dreams) compared to how passionate she sounded when talking about the empty storefront’s floor space and planning.

    Really, these girls are all marvelous.

    On a different note, although the adults are useless and really silly, I don’t mind since there’s a degree of realism to it. I can’t even recall how often I’d have to explain the unexplainable to my parents and/or relatives, despite how obvious I thought the situations were. Well, in this particular case it served up some comedy really well, anyway. The sake pouring cracked me up.

    Also, I’m guessing Dera resembled a hitodama because of how wildly he was spinning with the paint can, thus white blob + colour of can blob = hitodama.

    R
    Reply

  7. Haha this episode is pretty fun. I had a barrel of laughs seeing the adults freak out. I laughed the bath house part. The old man’s voice just cracked me. On a side note, this range of Yoko Hikasa(The fish seller) is really good. She really fits the part of a middle aged woman.

    Anyway hilarity ensued and I guess it’s all thanks to a pretty good script by Michiko Yokote and Eisaku Kawanami’s great storyboard and comedic timing. The episode is also pretty lively which is pleasant considering last week’s was a downer on that side.

    Since Choi is not in the OP I wonder if they’ll just make a version with her in there or make a new OP. Sadly I think it’s former since that’s how they did it with K-ON! and just pasted Azusa into the OP… :\

    Oh well can’t wait for next week!

    PS: This pun was just so spot on.

    megalith
    Reply

  9. Loved it with the girls, not so much when the adults were front and center.

    Tamako as a moe Dom. Nope can’t see it. Well, maybe leather….Dera tied up… Got to stop thinking….

    I was surprised that Midori wasn’t siting next to Tamako.

    How can you not give Shiori the love she deserves? Even the bird has the hots for her. Kanna is a close second. Loved how she got Dera to do her dirty work for her.

    Sensei’s wife is some kind of awesome too. How in the hell did he get that catch?

    Bear
    Reply

    1. Just because sensei is goofy doesn’t mean he’s not a catch himself! You can’t help but like a guy like that – he’d brighten up every room he was in. Not a bad quality in a husband and a father, ne?

      Stilts
      Reply

    2. Speaking of sensei and his wife, another sensei comes to mind who had a wife that made everyone wonder how he got her. He also had the same habbit of calling her his waifu…

      Maybe they even have the same reason for becoming teachers XD

      Zannafar
      Reply

  10. I missed Mochizou, but this episode was fantastic! I kept chuckling at the adults’ justifications for why the marketplace was cursed, and then Tamako, Midori, and Kanna cursing Shiroi~

    Kiria
    Reply

  11. I’m thinking Choi will hold the key for the origin of Tamako’s song. Dera seemed somewhat interested in it last week. Maybe Tamako’s mother was a noble in Dera’s homeland…….?

    Even if that’s the case (long lost princess found!), I’m looking forward to it.

    I’m liking this show and its goofy characters!

    skyhack
    Reply

  14. I have to admit I only tentatively picked this show up, becuase Kyoani is doing it and I enjoyed Chu2. But I really am enjoying each episode. It can get me to laugh at least once and even if it doesn’t it is still amusing. I wonder how things will change introducing this new girl. Also, I wonder who will end up the prince’s bride.

    GoukaRyuu
    Reply

    5. After rewatching episodes 2 and 3, I like Kanna more because of her interesting quirks (some taken from her class introduction):
      – Good at eyeballing measurements
      – Likes right angles
      – Interested in wooden beams
      – Obsessed and persistent with fixing broken things (Whether this is good or bad, it’s anybody’s guess)
      – She doesn’t make chocolates, she builds chocolate houses
      – And pretty much all those things Stilts mentioned, with some emphasis on “cute”

      Zhinvu
      Reply

  19. Good job to Kanna for her plan to troll Dera, which ended up paying huge dividends for the haunted house gig.

    Funniest episode so far. From the adorably silly superstitious folks of the shopping streets to the OOT reactions of Dera and sensei to the haunted house, made even funnier by the fact their accompanying damsels (Shiori and sensei’s wife) were more calm and reserved.

    Just from the preview alone, Attendant Girl (for some reason, none of the official materials refer to her as Choi) is the spitting image of Azu-nyan the way she pouts when flustered. She could easily be Azu-nyan in permatan. HNNG

    Anonymous
    Reply

  22. anyone else got the impression that something weird was going to happen in the first few seconds of the episode? It would have been an interesting twist if something happened that logic couldn’t explain.

    gawrshness
    Reply

  25. Can’t wait to watch next week Tamako Market Episode 7 where Dera meet Choi who got surprise looking at shop owners at Tamako Market. Wonder how Choi would react when seeing alter holding the statue where Tamako was praying.

    Lim Lynn
    Reply

  26. Oh Dera, you so manly ^6^

    I think by now we can agree that the show’s title should be changed from Tamako Market to Kanna Carpentry (Can she measure it? Yes she can!) though kudos to Shiori for blinding the adults with Logic(tm)
    “she’s dressed like a ghost, but thinking logically” + cringing folks = lol

    Btw, Osaka from Azumanga approves of the haunted coffee shop ^^
    Must admit, I’d love to the name of the album the Master was playing there – talk about perfect mood chilling music

    On the next episode, can’t wait to see Choi enter the scene. Getting a Azu-nyan (with Yui’s hairstyle ^^) vibe from her, so here’s to possible Tsun scenes to come! ^^

    Digid
    Reply

  29. Kyoani are really masters of setting the mood.Coming from someone who really admires screen direction, the ability to constantly switch back and forth from ambiance to lightheartedness, and horror to just plain silliness in such a short amount of time (without it feeling so out-of-place or rushed) takes some skill. (seriously, dat lighting)

    The Amateur Alchemist
    Reply

  32. Well first of all, if Dera WAS a human, wouldn’t that be creepy? We all know Dera is definitely not a child, so somewhere around the middle aged? Imagine Dera as a middle aged-man. Him crushing on Shiori, his somewhat perverted nature back in the earlier episodes, his projector eyes, his staying at the Kitashirakawa family. You have to admit that’s real creepy. But if Dera was a bird.. That would be rather cute and entertaining wouldn’t it? There’s a reason behind KyoAni creating this seemingly irritating (as per most people think) bird character.

    And I do believe that this anime has a theme of accepting unconventional happenings. Be it a florist whose gender cannot be determined, or a bird who has eyes that can act as a projector, or having homosexual feelings.

    kyou
    Reply

    1. You have a point there it can be spooky while his eyes are acting like projecter and peeping the girls in public bathhouse… oh gosh… I got pictures about Kyo ani’s intention and i admit your ideas… but Icant admit Dera is kind of homosexual huu haha

      LoveAsuna
      Reply

      1. I do believe that Midori holds feelings for Tamako after watching the previous episodes, though I have to agree that KyoAni iss being ambiguous, a little sly even, in showing us Midori’s object of affection clearly. But then again, if it wasn’t for the scene in the previous episode where Midori asked Tamako what she thought of her, and also the scene in the second episode where Tamako touched Midori’s hair, I too would’ve also thought the one Midori liked was Mochizou. Not to mention, if Midori really liked Mochizou, why were they arguing about who knew Tamako better?

        https://randomc.net/image/Tamako%20Market/Tamako%20Market%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2028.jpg
        https://randomc.net/image/Tamako%20Market/Tamako%20Market%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2020.jpg

        kyou
        Reply

  33. Seems we be seeing Dera projecting message given to him through Episode 1, 3 and 6. Now Episode 7 Choi come to keep him company and return back to his country. Wonder how many episodes will allow Choi choose the final bride for Hawaiian Prince. An aka Anko reminds me of Chinese Angku sticky rice cake.

    Lim Lynn
    Reply

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