The Tatami Galaxy - Recommendations

eaper says...

Each of these shows focus around the main character getting a second (or more) chance at life, trying to show them what they could have been. Also, each of the series are extremely weird, with unique story telling and artstyles throughout.

AirCommodore says...

Mind Game is rather more ridiculous than Tatami Galaxy, and doesn't have as good a message, but they both are about sort of cowardly guys that haven't lived their lives up to their expectations, and get another chance (or thousand) to fix things up until they're satisfied.

Both come complete with Masaaki Yuasa's unique directing, art style, and general whimsy.

valondar says...

It sucks to be twenty and being unable to consummate a relationship with a girl, doesn't it? And how about getting a second chance after you've screwed up horribly, and maybe a lot of weirdness along the way, a loopy anime from Masaaki Yuasa all round? I can't recommend these two any more strongly for one another - if you liked one, put the other in your must-watch pile.

VivisQueen says...

Masaaki Yuasa's Mind Game and Tatami Galaxy target the twenty-something male going through a premature mid-life crisis in which life and, above all, love seem to have left him out in the cold. As they struggle to overcome their insecurities, they enjoy wild adventures captured in weirdly wonderful animation. Trust me, if you liked one of these funky, off-beat, and powerfully life-affirming shows, you'll adore the other.

coffeebreath says...

These two are really great recs for each other. Both from the genius of Maasaki Yuasa the similarities in the themes and characters feel obvious from the start. Two main characters struggling on a journey of self-discovery - I'm sure I'll just make it sound tacky, but they are both wonderfully constructed and the end message is delivered in a satisfying way. If you don't watch one and feel the desire for improvement resound in your own life then something is wrong with you or, on the contrary, unlike our protagonists you're doing everything right :p Both are hard to look away from as they are visually mesmerising and have a good mix of comedy and drama.

david219125 says...

Both Tatami Galaxy and Mind Game are about 20 something year old guys that have squandered their youth through inaction. In both anime the protagonists get a second shot. Tatami Galaxy is easier to follow and has a clear ending. Mind Game is a bit fragmented. Nevertheless I recommend them both.

mielconejo says...

In both animes you will be immersed in the world of Masaaki Yuasa's fluid and hectic animation. They are both narrated through a charachter's inner point of view, they both have fast paced narratives and use many styles of art and animation making them both really a GREAT experience to watch.

Escaflowne says...

Because they share the same kind of alternative drawing and colouring style; because they share the same ground theme of taking your life in your hands, making a choice, and living your life fully.

AirCommodore says...

Tatami Galaxy and Welcome to the NHK! are dark comedies about college-aged men that have wasted their lives and are now trying, largely unsuccessfully, to get their lives back in order and restore their happiness. They do this with the assistance of an equally socially-unfit best friend and a girl who is also a bit odd. Tatami Galaxy is much more arthouse, but both feature wacky-but-still-in-the-realm-of-believable (well... sort of)scenarios and characters.

eaper says...

Each of these series involve college age guys that are trying to find themselves and go through a large amount of groups, friends, clubs, etc. in order to do so. NHK! is less paranormaly/strange, for the most part, though.

valondar says...

I identify far too much with the protagonists of these series - far more, I'm sure, then is healthy. These self-absorbed lonely college screw-ups trapped in their own private hells; with plenty of laughs and drama and weirdness (far more so in Tatami Galaxy's case) along the way. If you're willing to watch a NHK that's far, far stranger and 'arty', give Tatami a whirl... and if you want a similar angst to Tatami that has more of a dramatic arc, then NHK may just be the thing for you.

VivisQueen says...

Tragically funny and affecting, both Welcome to the NHK and Tatami Galaxy manage to capture the self-destructively gauche young male who struggles to fit in with society for one reason or another. More importantly, both manage to represent the humour in their misadventures while not completely sidelining the human tragedy that underlies it all. One show reminded me powerfully of the other and I think fans of one will find a lot of enjoyment in the other.

SentientCrab says...

Failure is a crucial part of both shows. NHK is much easier to understand than Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei.

subparalien says...

Tatami Galaxy is a wonderfully odd, self referencing series that slowly builds on itself and comes together.

Welcome to the NHK features a lot of really odd but relatable characters profoundly screwing up.

Both narrators are profoundly unreliable.

Kamichamachii says...

Bakemonogatari and Tatami Galaxy are two series that both rely on clever characters, unique animation, and a heavy amount of witty dialog. If you enjoyed one, there is a good chance you'll have fun watching the other.

nhanha says...

Bakemonogatari features as Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei a theme of love, involved in the comic choices of the principal character. As Bakemonogatari goes on, the character will stumble upon choices he has to make in order to secure the relationship with his love. The inner thoughts of the characters really push forward the ridiculous of the situations in both anime. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei strives to be more on the common daily life, Bakemonogatari, however, has more to do with the supernatural and the fantastic.

wolfbankai says...

Dialogue full anime with unique art style and story telling.

Bakemonogatari focuses more on ecchi/action genre while Yojouhan is more fantasy/romance but both have similar comedy and focuses on characters more than story itself.

If you would ask me which one has more dialogue then I've to say that in Yojouhan , They never stop talking. And fast paced dialogues are more extreme than in Bakemonogatari.

laurenrocks1243 says...

Both are very stylistic and dialogue heavy. Chances are if you like one, you will like the other as well.

AirCommodore says...

Kuuchuu Buranko and Tatami Galaxy are oddly-animated noitaminA-timeslot series in which all the episodes take place over the same time period.

KB's episodes each have a different main character and all take place over the same week (it's neat seeing ex-mains and scenes you've already seen pop up in the background of later episodes), and TG's episodes all take place over the same two years (instead of each other, if that makes sense), but in each series it's really interesting to find parallels between episodes, etc.

snivets says...

Both shows deal with time similarly. In both shows, each episode's event sequence is structured (more or less) the same. The repetition draws our attention to what changes in each episode, revealing details of the overarching plot and showing how different pieces are connected. Ultimately, they both feel like that "Aha!" moment which comes from putting a puzzle together and finding a conclusion, and they both contain unusual characters and a fairly bizarre outlook on the world.

Hinagatari says...

Two psychological series that turn towards comedy, apparently episodic, but which ultimately show a logical thread that unites each episode. Both have a particular direction and art style, making the most of the originality of the medium to get the theme across.

chocobolily says...

Watashi and Nozomu Itoshiki (from Tatami Galaxy and Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei respectively) are two oddly dark narrators.  "Darkly odd" may be an equally appropriate description for guys with tendencies that are often simultaneously self-destructive and hilarious.  Regardless, these pessimistic men each live in their own hyperactive, weirdly-animated, colorful worlds in which the fourth wall is made to be broken.  Following a largely episodic format, Tatami Galaxy and SZS love to poke fun at modern culture.  You'll always be laughing whether it's at Watashi's futile search for a raven-haired maiden, Nozomu fending off love-sick students, or even yourself.  Wacky and intelligent fun.

senileseinen says...

Very similar visuals - formalist and surreal.  Subject matter is not dissimlar as well - both deal with the ennui of a young man in or just out of college.  The gags are wilder in SZS, but the storytelling is actually more nonlinear in 4-1/2.

valondar says...

Stylishly animated and darkly funny series from Masaaki Yuasa and Madhouse. They don't have  alot in common in terms of plot - for one thing, Kemonozume is far more reckless weirdness then it is narrative - but they have a similar artistic style and tone that makes them recommendable to each other, i'd argue.

mielconejo says...

This is a really beautifully animated anime. I believe it's one of my favorite styles in art so far, being that it was Yuasa's time animating for studio 4C and it has the feeling of Tekkonkinkreet animation. 

This is a love story between a monster and a monster-hunter, it's got really great sex scenes as well as gore, and it balances the plot with the typical Yuasa's psychological work and strange characters. We see in this series the appearance of the same monkey from time to time, and we are led to believe that this might be some kind of god or demon that's leading humans into their destinies.

Background art and dialogues are just as expected in any of Yuasa's work. I truly recommend watching this series.

Fireaxe says...

Arakawa Under the Bridge and The Tatami Galaxy are way more similar than one might think at first glance. First, both series tell the story of a man stuck in an odd world/setting which they can't seem to get out of, and populated by a bunch of weirdos. And then there's Maaya Sakamoto, the brilliant voice actress who plays both Nino from AUB, and Akashi-san from TTG, two somewhat similar characters in terms of personnality.

If you enjoyed one of those two great series, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll love the other.

subparalien says...

Both series feature very quirky, entertaining characters.

Tatami Galaxy initially feels random or inconsistent, but gradually a plot line emerges. Even before that it is just wildly entertaining. 

Arakawa Under the Bridge is a very feel-good sort of series. 

aldraw says...

Both deal with alternate realities and "would have, could haves," yet the protagonist seemingly keeps coming up with the same result albeit through very different pathways.

If you enjoyed the exposition of the possiblilities in one you will like the other.

subparalien says...

Both series use time travel in different ways. Steins Gate very much is about time travel, and getting trapped in circumstances due to messing about with time travel. Tatami Galaxy uses time travel more subtely for character development purposes.

valondar says...

Growing up is an awkward experience, and here are two male leads trapped by their indecision, their choices and their desire to make choices, living in the own heads, pathetically relatable in these strange, unusual anime.

Tatami Galaxy is the funnier of the two, telling its story swiftly and wittly, while Aku no Hana is a slow burn, but they are united in another way: Unusual animation styles, with the distinctive choices of Masaaki Yuasa in Tatami Galaxy, and the decision to rotoscope the entirety of Aku no Hana, an unusual choice that may look alienating at first but pays rich dividends.

Looking for another strange, weirdly animated and thorougly engrossing coming-of-age anime? Then you may have found it.

subparalien says...

Both series are very conceptual. Flowers of Evil has a far darker vibe than Tatami Galaxy. Tatami Galaxy is very humorous, but does color its plot with ideas that build upon each other.

chasm says...

Though Erased has a bit more drama in it, and Tatami Galaxy has more comedy, the two complement each other with plots heavily related to time travel and the repercussions of one's actions

subparalien says...

Both series use time for the plot. Tatami Galaxy focuses on character development, and the main character is not really aware of the time travel. Erased is far more plot focused, and the main character actively works with and is aware of the time travel.