TAMAKO LOVE STORY

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ComedyTamako Market
SPECIAL ComedyMinami no Shima no Dera-chan
NOVEL RomanceTamako Love Story

REVIEWS

• 

  OVERPOWERED99

  91/100
  Realize your feelings, understand your heart, and reach out to that person. Young love is now in beautiful bloom.

  

  Love is an existence that is often hard to grasp. It's a human experience that is profound yet fragile, sweet yet bitter, and familiar yet foreign. For many people, it's a powerful source of change in their life. So, when simplicity and mastery combine together to capture the delicate rawness of young love, a beauty is able to bloom among all the swaying emotions; the beauty that we call Tamako Love Story.

  Before I express how fantastic this movie is, watching Tamako Market first is highly recommended. Seeing what the characters are like before to what they are like now, along with other nuances and parallels, will make the experience even more beautiful and nostalgic.

  With that out of the way, it's time to dive into the heart of the movie. Even though it's not an inventive film, the way the story depicts what love is all about is amazingly executed. Isaac Newton, a key scientist known for the falling apple anecdote and his work on gravity and motion, said this in response to how he can come up with remarkable theories: "By always thinking unto them." Now, you might be asking how his referenced quote relates to anything here, but it neatly ties together with the struggles faced by the characters. Just like trying to understand the scientific laws of the universe, understanding love for the first time can also bring in challenges and troubles.

  

  This is why the central characters, Tamako and Mochizou, are able to shine so brightly. They are portrayed as realistic teenagers who have barely scratched the surface of love. Because of their inexperience, we see them stumble and try to find answers—sometimes awkwardly, sometimes painfully—on how to respond to each other's feelings. So much so, that their feelings transcend fiction into our world, creating an emotional connection between us and them. It's what being genuine can do to a story. Their history as childhood friends shows us just how long-lasting their bonds are, and I can't help but to root for their success. Some of Isaac Newton's references, in particular with the analogy to gravity, is also used to metaphorically compare Tamako's whole bewilderment. These small details might be subtle, but they work wonder to construct the characters in a bigger picture.

  It's also worth mentioning that other characters complement the main pair as well, especially one of Tamako's friend named Midori. Similar to Mochizou, she too views Tamako as someone more than just friends, but it's made clear her character arc is a bittersweet one. Following her battles against her own feelings is a painful reminder that not everyone will get the happiness they so desired. While it certainly hurts, she's the one who grows with the strongest resolution, making her a character of great contrast.

  

  And all the pieces of the film gradually build up into an excellent ending of considerable impact. I'll just say that it's one that gives us a sense of satisfaction but at the same time, it also leaves us longing for more. It simply is the perfect embodiment of yearning sweetness—just like love.

  Obviously, Tamako Love Story has a visual too and undoubtedly, seeing the art here is reason enough as to why Kyoto Animation is reputed to be a studio of high-quality aesthetics. In contrast to the bright TV series, the movie takes on a more mature approach, painting each scene with muted colors and earthly tones. It's a brilliant shift because not only does this emphasize the underlying themes of young love and growth, it's also a reminder of childhood memories—something that is shared by both Tamako and Mochizou. The expressive animation further enhances the character's emotions in a grounded state, making sure to avoid any impractical exaggerations to keep the realism intact. Combined together with the amazing lighting, various photographical effects, and incredibly realistic backgrounds, every shot adorns the film further; earning it the right to be called a gorgeous marvel.

  To expand on that, while the colors are indeed more subdued throughout, there are times when the art is not afraid to use visual expressions to communicate a greater meaning, as is the case with the warm flushes in rosy scenes and cold melancholy for the more dejected moments. Visual metaphors, such as the presence of dandelions, convey numerous meanings in symbolic ways as well, and it's great to see how the movie incorporated them to add more layers into the story and characters.

  

  Last but not least, we have the supplementing soundtracks. Compared to the other factors here, the tracks can be said to be a slightly weaker element as they're usually just there in the background, gently playing with quiet nostalgia. But when they stand out, they stand out with profound effects. The song, "Koi No Uta", is perhaps the best example as it's a love song composed by Tamako's father to the person who later becomes his wife, and in turn, Tamako's mother. It's the perfect song to show the blooming of love between Tamako and Mochizou; the perfect parallel to send out a wave of emotions. And referencing Isaac Newton one last time, specifically with the title of his book on the laws of motion, is the ending song called "Principle". Sang by the voice actress of the pure Tamako, this song pleasantly ends everything on a wonderful note.

  Love is an existence that is often hard to grasp. It is, but when there's a movie like Tamako Love Story that knows how to capture the fundamental beauty of this multifaceted concept, what comes out is something that can only be described as being magical. The struggles of the characters, the simplistic and precious story, the breathtaking visual, and the sound of serenity—they all aggregate together into this one beautiful experience.

  It really does take a special strength to confess to the person you love the most.

  
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• 

  ElegantBiscuit

  75/100
  A wholesome and heartwarming love story, not without its problems.

  Maybe I’m just too cynical and bitter to properly enjoy this movie for what it is; a wholesome and heartwarming tale about young love. It’s a decent story that admittedly progresses a lot better than most romance anime out there including some of my favorites, but just as an example, I found myself more invested in several of the 9 couples portrayed in Tsurezure Children over Tamako and Mochizou. I just didn’t feel excited when I watched it. I wasn’t wide eyed and my heart didn’t race in excitement and anticipation. It was predictable and felt much too long, drawn out, and boring in many parts.

  However, it feels difficult to criticize the actions of the main characters that made the plot feel so slow, because that is the way they are intended to be portrayed. They are supposed to be inexperienced in love and stumble their way through, and that feels real. And while I harp on a lot of shows for not being realistic for the sake of the plot, I can’t say that Tamako Love Story’s characters were not realistic. I found it extremely annoying however, watching them deal with a simple problem through a long and arduous bout of bad communication as the main conflict of the plot. Spoilers from here on out.

  

  Maybe it’s just that she made him miss his train, that’s what really bugs me. This all could have been avoided if she just answered him within the days from when he confessed to when he had to take his entrance exam. Seeing as how she had liked him too then it really should not have been as difficult as Tamako made it, especially with him taking the initiative and already laying out the fact that he wants to study in Tokyo. While the scene with her thinking he is actually leaving was a very emotional and impactful scene, to me it felt anticlimactic because of the circumstances that led to that point. It leaves a lot more to be desired, although I probably just expected too much and raised my hopes from all the praise I have heard before watching.

  The whole opening scene with the bird was also just so weird and seemed pointless and stupid. I suppose now is a good time to mention that I did not watch Tamako Market before watching this or writing this review, so that definitely affects my opinions here and the bird’s significance is definitely going over my head.

  So, nitpicky criticism aside, it was a good and very believable story. The part that I loved the most is the song that Tamako discovered that encouraged her, and the whole backstory of why they fell in love with each other. The supporting characters are easily my favorite part of the movie and probably the best secondary characters I’ve ever seen - especially Tamako and Mochizous' friends. They don’t fade into the background, but take notice and encourage their relationship, support them and the main plot, just good feels all around. A nice amount of comedy, the music and art are both good, nothing to complain about but I didn’t find anything particularly memorable.

  ---

  Overall, I would say that there was a lot left to be desired and a lot more could have been done with the story, but it is also charming in its simplistic storytelling. The plot has its hurdles but I do not regret watching it at all. Not my favorite, but a lot of that is just personal preference and I can definitely see why people like it.

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• 

  AlexiSan2003

  92/100
  "O amor é a força mais sutil do mundo."

  INTRODUÇÃO
  Tamako Love Story Aborda um lado que o anime principal Tamako Market só dava pistas, a construção de uma amizade e amorosa de um casal, de duas pessoas que sempre foram próximas desde de pequeno e agr encara os seus desejos vívidos do amor e das mudanças para um futuro cheio de descobertas.

  

  Quando você diz “Eu te amo”, está fazendo uma promessa com o coração de alguém. Tente honrá-lo.

  HISTÒRIA E PENSAMENTOS
  A história funciona desde de início msm recheada de clichês, porquê a construção deles são gradativas e passo a passo trazendo conflitos e amargura para os personagens ao decorrer do filme, a harmonia que ele traz e angústia sobre o amor, pq tudo que possui amor é tratado de várias formas, e esse consegue tratar unicamente como o amor é oq precisamos é através dele que somos felizes, vivemos para amar e morremos amando ou já amamos alguém. Como disse Helen Keller: As melhores e as coisas mais lindas do mundo não são aquelas que podemos ou nem tocar. elas devem ser sentidas.

  

  CONSTRUÇÃO/PERSONAGENS
  Eu adorei, o ritmo e o desenvolvimento delicado dos personagens, suas percepções e clarezas dos seus sentimentos, o filme faz isso maestria para vc se aproximar dos sentimentos quentes e calorosos de Mochizou e Tamako principalmente, e a insegurança da Midori em relação a sua amiga. Cada ponto do filme seguiu desde do passado dos dois principais ao momento atual, todos os momentos que eles estavam juntos estavam felizes ou fazendo o outro feliz, as memórias, seus descobrimentos desses sentimentos complexos e tão óbvios que é o amor esse sentimento que preenche nossa vida de esperança e torna ela colorida.

  

  PRODUÇÃO
  Desde do anime principal, uma altíssima produção da KyotoAnimation o Filme alavanca mais ainda por ser um filme que teve um investimento e uma atenção maior, tanto nos closes e brilho em cada cena destacando tanto o ambiente, pensamento e roupas dos personagens com mais suavidade e naturalidade para cada umas das partes do filme.

  

  CONCLUSÃO
  Concluindo, é um filme que mostra o modo de como o amor é retrato de uma forma única, Sútil e delicada como ele sempre é com sentimentos conflitantes que nos sentimos ao descobrir como o amor funciona tanto nosso egoísmo e medo que nós impulsiona a nós amadurecer e aceitar ele criando um coração forte e feliz. ;)

  
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