“The Tatami Galaxy” follows an unnamed college student studying in Kyoto. In each chapter, he goes through a different parallel universe in which he makes different choices, meets different people, while trying desperately to obtain a “rose-colored campus life”. Written by Tomihiko Morimi in 2004, this novel was adapted into an animation series in 2010, claiming the 2010 Japan Media Arts Festival as well as the 2011 Tokyo Animation award.
This book is told in first-person narration, as the main character, who is mainly referred to as Watashi, which means “I” in Japanese, joins a different club. This book was able to convey Watashi's pessimistic outlook as well as capture the reality of an unfulfilled college life in Kyoto with the use of real locations and activities.
As you read along, you grasp more of who Watashi is and how his thoughts and views may be biased. You would often conclude that the main character is always right, but that isn’t always the case. His overall dilemma deepens, in which the ending ties the whole message of the story, encapsulating the meaning of life and how changing your perspective was able to allow you to appreciate the things you already have. What I found very fascinating about this book and show is how it made me feel about appreciating the little things in life. Rather than trying to grasp for the perfect future, we should be grateful for the things we already have. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so go ahead and read through this or watch this blind.
Overall, Tomihiko Morimi’s writing, although translated by Emily Balistrieri, was able to embody a realistic portrayal of depression and life’s absurdity. Being able to witness and experience whatever random moments life throws at you is a great joy. If you are looking for a mix of comedy, psychological drama, and the slightest hint of romance, this book will definitely keep you going.
Minor yap session and remarks, you can skip.
I would definitely recommend that you read and watch the anime series. There is no particular order in which to read or watch first. I found myself enjoying both mediums, leaning more towards the anime adaptation because of the fast-paced narration with bold artistic direction. Although in the animation series, they changed a few things and added a few extra scenes, it is fair as those scenes amplified the story’s ending. The animation style is definitely one of a kind, and with the addition of the soundtrack, I found myself falling in love with each character and their whimsical way. Slight warning that this show is more directed to adults or ages 16 and up, as they dive into topics such as depression. There’s this documentary on YouTube called “Tatami Galaxy: Depression and Absurdity,” which explains the show’s overall message in depth, and I recommend you watch it after finishing the show or book. There, the authors also wrote a sequel called “The Tatami Galaxy: Time Machine Blues,” which is a short side story using the same characters, which received an anime adaptation in 2022. Another thing to note is that the author also has another novel called “The Night is Short, Walk on Girl” which is another story happening in the same time period and contains a few characters from The Tatami Galaxy. Sorry about the yap. if you’d like to yap, please yap with me.