Naoko Yamada Spotlight: Tamako Love Story
Special edition of the Anime Spotlight series in the backdrop of upcoming release of "The Colors Within" movie!
This is part two of a five part series of retrospectives looking at anime industry legend Naoko Yamada's directorial career, in the lead-up to the Indian theatrical release of her latest work The Colours Within. One will be posted everyday; check back tomorrow for part three!
Change is something we all experience, but also fear. Change is necessary to make progress in school, work, relationships, and life in general. We have all seen quite a few anime revolving around growth, embodying the neverending seishun (youthful) spirit. But what comes after it all? What lies beyond the countless episodes of daily life as a teen in highschool? It is the inevitability of growing up, graduating, and the fear of change. Tamako Love Story tries to focus and capture this tumultuous moment in our protagonist’s life, mainly, the relationship between Tamako and Mochizou while continuing calling back to all the characters we know and love from Tamako Market. It shows a progression on how everything around Tamako is changing with the primary focus being her romantic feelings towards Mochizou, which has been teased throughout the series. (the Ouji — “Prince” — reference is definitely intentional; we see you, Dera 👀)
Compared to the anime — known for its whimsical, laid back storyline with lots of goofiness woven into its frames — the tone of the movie gives off a more serious, melancholic vibe with its slightly muted color palette usually showcasing dawn or dusk and the sound design featuring slower, less skippy beats (with the exception of every time my beloved Kanna is in frame — her goofiness cannot be contained). The usually chirpy shopping street also changes depending on Tamako’s mood, with the bright colors blurring together when she runs back home excited or with a sleepy, gloomy vibe when she is sad. It sets the entire scene in the perspective of the character’s emotions, very much a stylistic choice by Yamada. What gives it the Naoko Yamada signature is the low angle shots on the legs of the various characters which portray emotions ranging from excitement to nervousness to whatever Kanna is doing in this scene:
This scene is especially iconic because it feels like someone placed a camera down on the gym floor that is shaking from the impact of Kanna’s footsteps. These few seconds of a subtle yet meaningful detail convinces you that gravity exists in these 2D drawings. The curtains and pillows in Tamako and Anko’s room also portray this feeling of weight and movement. Another detail is in the charms that Tamako and Midori attach to their baton cases, moving as they would in real life in almost every scene they are in, especially in the scene when they walk down the stairs after school. Along with the imagery of dandelions, the fixed light source in the photography club room which creates beautiful backlit scenes, the detailed baton twirling routines always happening either in the background or with the main characters performing the routine — these all showcase attention to detail, with the animation trying to mimic the behavior of inanimate objects when interacted in reality.
The movie has a nice and cozy flow, shifting between the perspective of Tamako and Mochizou while also providing substance to other characters. This complex character building can be seen with the example of Midori, who wishes nothing but the best for her friend but struggles to do it wholeheartedly, for personal reasons. Yamada’s storyboarding and pacing shows extra care towards evocative scenes like this.
It would be a crime to not talk about the famous paper cup telephone scene, the afterschool scene by the riverbed, or the final train scene when referring to Tamako Love Story. But I will let the reader experience these scenes firsthand and cheer on the bubbling, electric feelings Mochizou and Tamako have when they realize they need to confess their love. While you could watch it as a standalone film, I would highly recommend you do watch the series beforehand. It gives you some hints and easter eggs about the characters’ behavior and dynamics.
I will leave you with the quote that set the tone for the entire movie, an Isaac Newton quote that reads, “By always thinking unto them,” and continues “I keep the subject constantly before me and wait till the first dawnings open little by little into the full light.” — a quote about how he made his discoveries. It describes how Mochizou and Tamako discovered their feelings of love for each other, being together throughout their childhood and teenage years, with the change in their lives the first dawning of this discovery. I might be reaching with this theory and interpretation but that is just the romantic in me. With this, I hope you too will discover your love for Tamako Market and Tamako Love Story, like I did.
— Rutu
Genre(s): romance, comedy, slice-of-life
Length: 83 minutes
Year: 2014
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Sequel to: Tamako Market (12 episodes, 2013)
Adapted from: Anime original. Has an accompanying light novel with the same name as the anime written by Mutsuki Ichinose.
Music: Suguru Yamaguchi (“Koi No Uta”)
Script: Reiko Yoshida
Character design: Yukiko Horiguchi
Director: Naoko Yamada
All content on this website is protected by copyright and may not be copied, distributed, or reproduced in any form without the express written consent from team@bac.moe.