Back to Stilzel's Profile Stilzel's Profile

There are so many things in life that we can find meaning in if we capitalize on the opportunities we have. There are so many missed chances if we focus on 'what could be' and 'what was'. However, there will always be meaning and beauty in reminiscing and looking back at your decisions, whether you grabbed your chances or let them go.

The Tatami Galaxy is a show that made me feel all sorts of ways. Although the first few episodes piqued my interest, I became a little bored with the heavy dialogue and the seemingly disconnected storylines in parallel universes. All the portrayals of Watashi's ... 'Johnny' were hilarious, and while some episodes were more interesting than others, all the puzzle pieces finally fit in place during the last two episodes. It gave me wonderful closure and made the entire series very worthwhile.

The dichotomy of the characters is just amazing. Watashi and Ozu or Jougasaki and Higuchi have such conrasting personalities on the surface but on closer observation are more similar than they think. I like to think that Watashi's hatred for Ozu was actually twisted admiration. Ozu challenged Watashi’s identity and values, since he was more interested in trying out his options, doing whatever he could and following his heart in his own twisted way rather than putting himself on a pedestal, judging people and acting stoic. Watashi telling Ozu that he will cover for his escape in the hospital during the last episode was so reminiscent because the situation was exactly reversed in the first episode. It's a testament to how the total value of all these characters are so much more than the sum of their parts. Jougasaki and Higuchi, despite being in college for so many years, decided to lead their lives differently, the former preferring his life of solitude and contemplation and the latter being a social butterfly with a fan following in the movie club. However, they both have an underlying wisdom and purity that far exceeds their years.

Maybe all the troubles that Ozu caused Watashi was to make him realize that he should muster the courage to take the plunge and fight for what his heart wants. The fortune teller reminding him that the opportunity was dangling in front of his eyes all along (quite literally, the mochiguman figurine) was fate's way of giving hints and making Watashi pay for them (the subsequent increase in the price of the consultations was a sadistic reminder to heed the advice of fate). It's quite funny and painfully relatable to see that it took Watashi two months of being stuck in a tatami room loop to even consider the option that was always in front of him.

The Tatami Galaxy had been on my watch list for over 4 years, and after finishing this show I feel all the more happy that I took the opportunity to watch it. The world comes full circle, everything isn't as important as it seems, and when you end up back where you started, you can rest assured that you came out a little more wiser :)