Today I’ll be looking at one Kyoto Animation’s work for the Winter season of 2012: Tamako Market. I’ve been a fan of Kyoto Animation’s style since Fumoffu and Kanon, and so far I’ve not been disappointed with any of their shows since. Tamako Market looks to keep this trend going on… Tamako Market is an anime that is heavily set into the slice of life genre. This means there are no giant monsters fought, no overly complicated and contrived plots or twists to the story. It’s simply a 12 episode glimpse into the life of Tamako Kitashirakawa, a high school girl who lives in a mochi shop in the Usagiyama shopping district, and you know what? It’s all the anime requires. Created by the same team that brought you the hit anime that showcased the popular quintet of musicians, K-On!; Tamako Market features great animation, a lovely palette of colours and likable characters. Some differences between this anime and K-On! are the larger cast of characters and more prominent presence of men in said cast. Admittedly the men are relegated to side characters, but this is still an improvement as it allowed for greater diversification with regards to character relationships and interactions. As an example, in K-On! the main cast’s parents are implied to be alive but are perpetually busy off-screen. In contrast, Tamako Market introduces Tamako’s family, in particular her father whose ‘overprotective dad’ persona is such a hoot to watch that I relish any scene where he and Tamako are in conflict as ...
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