Tari Tari Episode 2 Thoughts

…and not to mention how fantastic the web-slinging looked in the movie! Mark Webb and Andrew Garfield really weren’t kidding when they said- huh? Oh yeah, Tari Tari. But seriously, The Amazing Spider-Man is an amazing movie. Moving along.

Too cute! TOO CUTE!! *nosebleeds* XD

If others argue that Tari Tari isn’t as good as people say it is, then this episode sure isn’t helping. The first episode was criticized for being bland and boring (a shallow criticism, mind you, used for all slice-of-life anime), but if you ask me, this second episode had things moving way too fast. The speed in which the events progress don’t leave much in terms of meaningful character development, and too little time is spent properly fleshing out the motivations of our respective leads. Simply put, it all comes off as a bit shallow.

To be fair, the anime will only be 13 episodes; the choir is probably an element of what could be a broader story later on. Taichi and Wien having only a couple minutes of screen time supports that. But it doesn’t change that everything could’ve gone alot smoother. The ending performance is something a series like this would normally build up to, at least towards the halfway point, so Konatsu’s quick development of the choir seems a bit hasty.

I’m positive now that the draconian vice principal has a hidden scar of some sort, but truth be told, I could really care less. What I do care about is that Wakana is much more important than she lets on; the principal seems very interested in the idea of her singing again, to the point of acting as the choir club’s advisor himself. Also, the song “Melody of the Heart” pokes at Wakana’s memories a bit, reminding her of her apparently deceased mother. This hints at a trauma she might’ve suffered in the past, one that I’m curious to know about. Speaking of “Melody of the Heart”, the song performed by Sawa and Konatsu is absolutely wonderful; Sawa’s surprisingly powerful voice accompanies Konatsu’s beautiful vocals quite nicely.

“Melody of the Heart.”

Tari Tari still manages to be endearing with its amazing visuals, wonderful music and any other little touches here and there. But it’ll need better pacing and deeper character & relationship developments (and more Wien) if it wants to be truly special. Hopefully, next week’s episode 3 has the boost this anime needs.

And watch The Amazing Spider-Man if you haven’t yet!

Thanks for reading!