The Tatami Galaxy: One of the Most Meaningful Shows
I’m sure you know by now that life isn’t simple. Life is complex simply because of our human essence: avarice, covetousness, hypocrisy, remorse, and envy. We practice these traits and a Darwinian “survival of the fit” mindset too often. Our most prominent hindrances in life are ourselves. As good as it seems, a rose-scented life is challenging to attain. And I’m sure you’ve possessed existential inquiries at least once in your life. Perhaps, “What is the meaning of life?” Sometimes the simplest answers are the best.
Tatami Galaxy is a comical, psychological, and relatively absurd but edifying Japanese animated series created in 2004 by Tomihiko Morimi. The main character, Watashi, sets off on an endless spiral in search of a “rose-colored campus life.” In other words, his main wish is a life sufficed with contentment, failing to concede that life is more about the harmony between darkness and light. However, without fail, Watashi overanalyzes every situation, and his life becomes uncontrollable. Watashi feels remorse for his decisions and longs to restart. Even with a fresh start, Watashi could never acquire his destiny of a “rose-colored campus life.” Chained to fate, Watashi has created a mental siege; he chooses to believe that he cannot control his life or it is too late, restraining his perspective on the world and those around him. Yet, in every episode the fortune teller reminds him that a prospect lies in front of him; he just has to seize it.
Why has this anime touched the hearts and minds of so many people?
The visual and thematic impact of television, storytelling, literature, or any media has an immense influence on peoples' lives. Tatami Galaxy has one of the most captivating closures I have ever seen. Watashi is able to overcome his disheveled and restless personality to appreciate life to its fullest. Our current reality is often not appreciated until it is lost. In Watashi's case, his obsession with alternate life possibilities made him incapable of acknowledging the value of his present circumstances. He eventually becomes the victim of his own utopian anticipations, compelling himself further into a 4.5 tatami abyss.
Not only is the meaning of the series enlightening, but the distinctive abstract artistic style and ethereal escapades are astonishing as well. The contradictory clash of austerity and a graphical assortment of colors and mediums brings life to the series. Life is so surreal, more than one can grasp, yet this show captures it flawlessly.
I find it easy to relate to Watashi's ideology of entirely concentrating on long-term yearnings and regret over the present opportunities. Society as a whole, wastes privilege and time on the fruitless drive to our clouded ambitions, savoring the bitter taste of rue after every mistake made.
Instead of agonizing about everything you could have accomplished in the past, consider what you can do in the present. Forget about the past, and prioritize the future. No matter how colorless and mundane the world seems, we must find true ecstasy and accept our existence.
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