This was definitely the best episode so far, as it introduced and satisfyingly developed a thoroughly endearing character. The episode, as a whole, was impressively balanced and well-paced, moving between Shiori’s intriguing development and a plethora of seemingly mundane and often tangential interactions rather skillfully, culminating with Tamako and Shiori’s conversation, which essentially wove these slightly disparate elements into one interconnected whole. The methodical pacing has been quite refreshing, particularly in this episode, but if the relative absence of a narrative persists, this particular element could eventually transition into a slightly tedious flaw.
Dera remains thoroughly enjoyable, as he illustrates an interesting differentiation from the predictably inoffensive personalities of the other characters, particularly noticeable in regards to the character interactions, which tend to possess a certain element of surprise whenever he’s directly involved. His failed attempts to affectionately ingratiate himself with Shiori, in particular, were hilariously unique to KyoAni’s stylistic tendencies. The most amusing of which was their final moment together, wherein she detachedly dismisses his vaguely romantic advances. Kanna continues to provide some of the most effective comedy, since, along with Dera, she easily possesses the most enjoyable personality. Aside from Dera, Kanna, and Shiori, to an extent, the characters remain fairly devoid of compelling characterization, but, thankfully, their interactions don’t suffer as a result. However, I’m hoping this fairly noticeable flaw will be gradually altered as the story progresses.
My favorite sequence was the simplistically poignant scene in which Shiori shyly attempts to construct an appropriate response to Tamako’s kindness by chaotically rehearsing for her reflection in the mirror. This momentary rumination beautifully conveyed a plethora of previously unrealized emotions within her development, all of which were excellently accentuated by the wistful musical selection. As such, there’s a certain complexity illuminated within her characterization that is quite intriguing.
Although she’s intermittently enjoyable, Tamako continues to be one of the weaker characters, since, though her characterization is thoroughly defined, her portrayal remains surprisingly thin, as she seems to possess this somewhat naïve indifference towards those around her. As such, she noticeably lacks a particularly compelling personality, relying on a tenuous grasp of the developments that occur in her periphery. This dynamic is rather necessary in order to infuse a sense of intrigue within a potentially heightened focus on her. Thankfully though, she rarely exists as a singular entity worth examining, which has allowed each episode to be quite consistent. As such, this slightly unfortunate monotony within her development, though not entirely detrimental, has been immensely more effective when isolated as a marginally ancillary thread within the story.
The material throughout this episode was delicately handled, striking an impressive balance between it’s comedic elements and the numerous moments of character development. This greatly elevated the execution of the episode as a whole, since, rather than a seemingly meaningless diversion, Shiori’s interwoven development felt essential to the narrative’s progression. It was an excellently simplistic approach towards introducing a character. There’s an inherent intimacy of a friendly nature between the majority of the characters, which beautifully illuminates a subtle connection that is quite satisfying in it’s ability to accentuate an appropriately informal atmosphere. This, in turn, improves the interactions between the primary cast of characters, which has solidified itself as the most impressive aspect of the show.
The restrained direction really complemented the atmosphere present throughout the episode, particularly in relation to Shiori’s character development, since several integral moments were very subtly framed in order to emphasize the relative isolation that Shiori felt, thus benefiting the emotion that was filtered into the episode. One of the most impressive directorial touches was the implementation of rather insightful bits of narration from Dera, as they superbly encompassed the depth in this particular episode. Musically, this episode was surprisingly poignant, as a melancholic tranquility permeated Shiori’s growth throughout.
Visually, this episode was quite beautiful, especially it‘s background art. This, of course, was most evident during the few sequences that lingered on the sakura petals, which were particularly stunning. They slightly elevated the emotion within Shiori’s understated character development, as she partially shed her emotional fragility as the episode progressed. The animation was excellent, particularly in it’s illumination of the finer nuances within Shiori’s expressions, which heavily assisted in the portrayal of her rather significant character development throughout this episode. The subtle flickers of movement and emotional flourishes greatly contributed to the effectiveness of numerous moments, such as, most notably, the conversation between Tamako and Shiori in the coffee shop.
Tamako Market continues to be the best show of the season, as the execution has been consistently impressive throughout the first three episodes, excelling especially with it’s dynamic and immensely engaging character interactions. The narrative, at times, is a bit too fragmentary, but, for the most part, the abundance of shifts within the comprehensive perspective throughout the majority of episodes has occasionally improved the story, since, rather than unraveling through a focus solely on Tamako, the variety of partially dichotomous characters and the setting itself are essentially explored through numerous personalities and reactive tendencies that are refreshingly divergent. As a result, the narrative does, in fact, feel rather aimless, lacking in a consistent focus, and yet, despite this slight imperfection, it rarely tends to detract from the story’s quality. |