Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei Specials

Reviews so far are strange, how could one like the original but shorts that are like a microcosm not? They're simply extras, does one expect a retelling of the original in the length of one episode? How also does it not seem like they simply were trying to be comedic like the original too?

They're just an addendum to a unique series, but that doesn't take away from being their own thing; third short may have been the better one but that doesn't mean they weren't all like a mini-TG (mostly the comedy).

How can anyone say this is 'nonsense' when that is the point of ... the original and others like it e.g. his other film Mind Game and Night is Short. Might as well complain about the 'nonsense' in Alice in Wonderland...

I love the Tatami Galaxy; it is a unique absurdist work based on college campus life with the visuals of Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei and reminds me of a great Natsume Soseki's work called Sanshiro. If you enjoy unconventional and artsy works, I advise you to check it out.

And now, I begin my actual review of the specials by saying one word:

What.

I am not entirely sure what to expect from the specials in the first place. The show concludes well and there is no need to dive into the relationship dynamics of the male and female lead; it is even more surprising for the studio ... to think of something extra of a novel adaptation. Before I started the specials, I suspected Madhouse Studios just wanted to put something silly to appease fans who wanted more episodes.

And I was right. 3 episodes of ludicrous nonsense.

First special: 5/10

The first special involves the characters riding a submarine to Antartica to save the Earth. The comedy, or attempted humor as one observes, is reminiscent of works like Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei. It is a somewhat enjoyable special, but it feels too random and I remember the work being about college campus life; what happened to that?

Second special: 2/10

The second special involves the characters trying to defeat the Bed Chamber Investigation Team. There is also a bathing segment that features the girls. Because that's necessary.

Third special: 7/10

The third special is actually a somewhat decent special because it refers back to the main character's hatred of Ozu. Madhouse Studios went the Studio Shaft route by increasing some great trippy visuals. Look forward to this special because it feels somewhat like an actual Tatami Galaxy episode, which is very unlike of the others.

Overall, I think the specials give a fantastic "meh". It didn't feel like watching The Tatami Galaxy except for the last special. Specials should feel like an actual episode and this series of specials mostly failed.

Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei is one of the best anime series I have ever seen, thanks to its combination of a realistic story (for the most part), its original art and all the ideas it was trying to transmit. However, to my disappointment, the specials included with the DVD version were nothing like the 'main' series.

These 3 shorts episodes follow the main characters from the show telling some weird fantastic stories that feature themselves doing crazy stuff to solve an even crazier problem. It goes without saying that the stories they tell are neither realistic nor have anything to do with the plot of the ... TV series. To make things worse, most of the things in the stories aren't even explained and are resolved in a pretty stupid way wich leaves you with a ''What the hell did I just watch'' impression.

Overall, even if you're a fan of Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei I wouldn't recommend watching this, as these specials don't add anything at all to the series as there's no plot at all, and it won't leave you a good impression at all (something the ending of the TV series most likely did). To be honest, this just felt like a waste of time, but at least the episodes were short.

Scorings:

Story (1/10): the 'mini-stories' told in the episodes are pretty stupid and aren't even explained (if they were, they could had been at least somewhat interesting)

Art (7/10): the art is more or less the same as in the TV series, though there is much less symbolism, there are no 'real images' and it feels a bit duller in general.

Sound (4/10): while the voice acting is what we are used to, the conversations are pretty shallow and uninteresting, the sound effects less common (as in there aren't many), and the background music unimpressive. There are also no OP/ED themes.

Character (4/10): while the characters are the same as in the main series, there's no development and they do silly things just for the hell of it.

Enjoyment (4/10): the only thing that is enjoyable of the specials is that you can get some laughs because of the ridiculous stuff that happens, but other than that, the specials are forgettable.

Overall: 4/10