xbobx

Animated Tawawa is one of those little miracles that we must cherish in life. Here's some medium culture worth having: Each episode is less than 5 minutes and is available online on NicoNico. Watch it. Didn't like? Walk away. Like it? Watch the rest, it gets comfier. What is this series? Getsuyoubi no Tawawa, or Tawawa on Monday, is the anime adaptation of Himura Kiseki's doujinshi series with the same name. It's fundamentally a compilation of episodic short stories revolving, usually, a main average couple and a mundane event. The purpose of Tawawa, both in its doujinshi and anime form, is to work as a healing antidote againstMonday Blues. That's precisely why the main characters are Japanese salaryman, new episodes were released on Monday, there's Monday on the title, and the original drawings are all in monochrome blue. The situations take unrealistic twists, the girls are unrealistically perfect? This is an escapism series. That's the point. But there's no plot, it's just fanservice! Well no shit Sherlock. The original drawings, which this series is based of, were posted on Himura's twitter (@strangestone) and were mostly without dialogue until serialization was considered. They are supposed to be cute and heartwarming, not tell the greatest love story ever told. And yes, there's still a solid, concise and well-developed storyline. Which shows Ai-chan and Salaryman's relationship evolving as well as the other characters. Way more than you'd expect from a 5min ONA (Original Net Animation) doujinshi-inspired short story. What is Tawawa? Tawawa is the name of the train station central to the story, where Ai-chan and Salaryman first met. All the stories happen somewhat near it and all the characters are living relatively close to each other, as to say, in the same prefecture. Tawawa is also slang for "dropping", "overflowing" obvious reference to the amusingly huge racks of the girls appearing on this series. Then why is this worth watching or special whatsoever? It's up to you. Sometimes a little break from reality can be nice. Especially if it's accompanied by cute soundtrack and neat VAs. Maybe it's not your thing, but the short stories are undeniably sweet and will add an extra sugar on your life. This series in particular could be regarded as special for the future of doujinshi and ONA/OVA adaptations because it marks an accomplishment. Himura has been growing in the doujin scenario for a while, selling a bunch of volumes on Comiket, but receiving a GOOD anime adaptation of his work like this one is opening the door for many future works to come. Be it from himself or any other author. It's great to see a promising author get some recognition and on top of that, with a very good animation quality. Yes, this wasn't exactly a review. I'm not discussing artwork, sound, directing, etc. it's a bloody ONA.

Veronin

If one of your most cherished things in life includes big-breasted anime chicks whose gozongas defy physics and regularly burst out of their bra for no conceivable reason, why, have I got the anime for you. That Getsuyoubi no Tawawa is also heart-warming and not completely terrible is perhaps just secondary to the visual feast. I find myself in a conflicting position, as, while I am a healthy, adult male who enjoys healthy-adult-male-things, I am also bothered by media that contain these things without good reason-- or any reason, for that matter. A story about a model - fine. Flat-out pornography - also fine. Contrivedsexual situations that would never, ever occur in reality - not so fine! Getsuyoubi no Tawawa seems to think its viewers are so lacking in an attention-span that they cannot even complete a three-minute episode without the heroines' breasts hitting a dude in the face or bursting through their shirt every thirty seconds or so. The main heroine is so lacking in other qualities that she is known merely as I-Chan - so named after her colossal cup size. It is as if the show just surrenders to the notion that anime is synonymous with these tropes and is incapable of being interesting without. If it were deliberately trying to be sexy or pornographic there would be little issue, but instead it attempts to be cute and heartwarming. And so it is. And therein lies the problem. Little about Getsuyoubi no Tawawa's story makes it seem like the typical ecchi anime. It develops the relationship between the protagonist and their respective heroine in a fairly cute and innocent way, even if there may be a bit (a lot) of sexual tension along the way. Every character within the anime is a genuinely kind and decent person, and it is palpably clear that they have feelings for the other with regards to more than just their body. It feels less an ecchi anime and more a romance. If it were longer, that could possibly have become more a reality than a feeling. But as it stands, it is a confused story, unaware of its potentials, unsure of what it wants to be. I can appreciate how the anime deals with primarily adult characters. It illustrates the tedium of the salaryman, their life being dull and tiring enough that merely having a cute girl to talk to the on the train every week is enough to make one happy. It understandably does not go much into depth with regards to their working life (aside from the occasional after-work drinking), but giving the audience a glimpse into their life and something to identify with still does a lot in making the romance more meaningful than all the impromptu bra explosion does. Sure, it would have been better yet if the main heroine was an adult, too, rather than another wretched high school student, but there's only so much one can ask for in today's anime industry. Joy. It is also worth mentioning that while most anime with a short run-time are of relatively low production-quality, Getsuyoubi no Tawawa looks and sounds quite decent. Its cute, heart-warming piano pieces do well to give emotional weight to an anime that really should not have any. And I was absolutely sure, based on how cute she was and how well she performed the role, that the main heroine's voice actor was someone renowned, but was pleasantly surprised to find she is a new face in the industry altogether. There's certainly worse anime to debut in. Same can be said for Getsuyoubi no Tawawa as a whole, really. It could be worse. But it could also be much better.