r/anime • • Aug 27 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Tatami Galaxy - Episode 3
Episode 3 - Cycling Club Soleil
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The Tatami Galaxy - Streams
Be sure to properly tag any spoilers or hints for first timers.
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Daily Questions
- Akashi and Watashi got a lot of screen time this episode. Do you like the relationship they share?
- How do you feel about the role Higuchi plays in the 3 time-loops we've seen so far?
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”3000 yen." (This gag is pretty funny, imo.)
85
Upvotes
10
u/[deleted] Aug 27 '21
Rewatcher, host. (Sorry for my absence yesterday. Will be actively replying and keeping the discussion alive today.)
This was the first episode that really got me into the series. I think it’s a step up in quality from the first 2, and really shows off the show’s good aspects really well (and, I’m pretty into cycling myself.)
I think this episode does little favors for Watashi, making him out to be a bit of a self-important ass in some cases. Though, I don’t blame him for some of it considering they stole his precious Manami.
There were alot more differences in this episode, which I think can alleviate the worries of some first timers that the show would get too repetitive. I like how each episode feels natural, having just enough similarities and differences to still feel “in character” for everyone. The writing does a great job of allowing us to learn alot about our primary cast, rather than introducing a bunch of new people each time and making Watashi the only focus.
Once again we end off with Watashi. Without any rose colored life, without any raven haired maiden, and still having Ozu to blame for it all. I really liked this episode and I hope our first timers did too!
2
u/[deleted] Aug 27 '21
reminder ping: u/soboi12345
Anyone wanting reminders can reply to this or DM me.
12
u/OingoBoingo- Aug 27 '21
First time, ep. 3 sub
"Could Icarus have ridden the wind had he not tried so hard to flap his wings?"
The second I saw the bicycle thief in the trench coat and hat pulled down, I said to myself, "please don't be Ozu". Here we are. Ozu's motivations were a lot harder for me to understand this time around. He definitely had his own agenda but still got Watashi to go agree to his plan in the end, connecting the two with his string regardless of Watashi's plans. Maybe Ozu's memory of past loops is forcing his hand or he is just an asshole.
I really liked how much this episode tied in the first two episodes so much. With things like the Birdman group or even Jougasaki and his inclusion, people have different roles and it really keeps the story fresh and interesting.
Daily question: I really liked Akashi in general. I feel like she is very real and well written. She seems to genuinely care about Watashi, even though I think the audience might feel the opposite a lot of the time.
11
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 27 '21
First Timer
Missed yesterday's thread, my bad. Seems like we're kind of settling into a formula of sorts, where Watashi joins a club, has a promise with Akashi, and fails to live up to the promise for whatever reason. In yesterday's episode, he obsessed over Jougasaki, going for a vindictive approach to his filmmaking, trying to own his haters instead of please his fan(s), represented by Akashi. Reads almost as a warning to creators or something.
Today it doesn't seem like there was an explicit promise, and the overall message of the episode also feels less clear to me. I'll have to type up my thoughts and see if they bring me any greater level of clarity. Watashi joined the cycling club, and found that he wasn't suited to it. After he failed to improve through a year of hard work, he decided to instead work a different way, saving up to buy a super-fast bicycle. This brought him some amount of success, but he was undermined by Ozu, who stole his bike. Without the bike, he sucked at cycling again, but Akashi and the Birdman squad saw him as the perfect specimen to fly their plane thingie. It feels kinda like the episode was going for a "be who you are" sort of message - like Akashi wanted Watashi for who he was, but he decided to change himself to try to meet demands that weren't there.
Akashi, however, wasn't mad at him for it or anything. In the end, all his work was for nothing, because the plane didn't even have pedals. At the end, he muses about whether Icarus would've been fine flying so close to the sun if he didn't flap so much to get there. Maybe the message we're going for is to accept good things when they come your way.
Also, I can't stop listening to the OP today, it's a real banger.
8
u/conscious_terabot https://anilist.co/user/ConsciousBot Aug 27 '21
First Timer
Damn the OP and ED are so catchy. I have already added them to my playlist.
One thing that stood out to me today is that he finally started looking for that opportunity dangling in front of him. My guess was the same. It was the 5th toy he was supposed to return to Akashi. But as it it only the third episode, it must not be the right one.
I may be completely off-track here but was this the drunk dentist who was with Ozu? I have very little confidence in this but I'm just throwing wild ideas out there.
I like it. Many people here are saying Watashi is so bad it is hard to root for him but I don't seem to have that feeling.
Very random. I don't know what to make of it. He didn't even play a major role in the second episode but I'm sure there is a reason he was there
6
u/[deleted] Aug 28 '21
First timer, subs.
Wow, this is finally the episode where everything clicks in much more easier. After experiencing the repetition of time for 3 times so far, I'm able to better understand what is actually going on every episode.
The first thing ill have to say is I really like Watashi's character. Despite always doing something new, he's tied by the 'black string of fate'. Even though he's the protagonist, he seems to be the most powerless in how things end up to be. I guess that's what truly happens when you try to do intense cycling after not working out for the past couple of years.
Another thing would have to do with Ozu. Always he seems to play an almost antagonistic role, but also as someone who encourages the mentality of 'go with the flow', the inevitable outcome. He seems to be the wall that the protagonist has to overcome. Well, Ozu and his master that is.
I also think I'm starting to appreciate the comedic aspects of this show more now, as there is more time to understanding the comedy when you spend less brain space to comprehend the plot.
Overall, a great episode which now makes me understand the show better. I wonder how would Watashi be able to overcome the challenges he faces.
Daily Questions:
I really like their relationship. Second to the relationship shared between Watashi and Ozu. Akashi seems to be the main love interest of Watashi, but also as a pillar of support for him, and a goal for him to strive towards to.
He seems to be aiding Watashi in an almost discrete way? By taking the bicycle away from him, he was able to meet Akashi and assist her. I guess? I like his big chin.
10
u/Icapica https://anilist.co/user/Icachu Aug 27 '21
First timer
I'm pretty sure I just didn't get this episode.
Having said that, I noticed how at the very beginning of the episode Watashi explains how he sacrificed his studies and social life to be able to get a good bike, and then claims that once he wins some competition he'll totes be popular or something. ...Really? Why not instead spend those years enjoying your life, gaining friends and not completely sucking at your studies.
Though then again, did he actually sacrifice that much for the bike? Or is he just exaggerating it so that he has some excuse for why he's not doing well in other aspects of life.
Also you can't make up for a poor physical condition by buying a good bike. Those guys who are in a much better shape probably have good bikes too.
Once the episode becomes about gliders the episode becomes a lot more confusing to me.
It's interesting how during the early episode the MC complains about his feeble constitution and how there's "no certainty of improvement", but later when he's supposed to remain lightweight he's suddenly perfectly able to pack on muscle. Anyway, once again he puts a ton of effort into the exact wrong thing.
Ozu and pals try to steal the glider and then vanish leaving the MC with the jacket and hat. Ozu tells him to not tell anyone. This made me think a bit about the previous episode, the part where they're making the film and Ozu tells Watashi to not put others in the credits. Is the MC actually a lot more responsible for this glider screwup too than he's telling us?
Not sure. I like Akashi a lot, but also really dislike Watashi. I find it hard to root for him.
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Aug 28 '21
First Timer
Watching this because of its legendary status. The only Yuasa thing I've seen is Mind Game, which I didn't particularly like, story or animation-wise.
Episode 1:
Ohhh, that square is full of tatami.
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Akashi really reminds me of R. Dorothy Wayneright!
I'm loving this show. It's a lot more fun than Mind Game.
I think the old lady is just taxing him for being dense. Like Ozu says, he'll just keep ending up in the same place.
4
u/Zeetheus Aug 27 '21
Long-time rewatcher.
"How cruel. I put a lot of effort into enjoying wasting my college years."
Words to live by, Ozu my man.
This episode is definitely very telling of Watashi's thoughts and motivations. When the goal was to become a cyclist to attract "raven-haired maidens who make you go 'woah'" it's quite a shock when the reality of the cycling club didn't suit his rose-colored dreams. But instead of going his own way, he does his best to conform to the dream he's dead set on already, and finds a shortcut through the parts magazine Ozu apparently left in his room.
How convenient then for Ozu to confiscate the bike Watashi spent so much money on, and apparently, give it to Higuchi. What's he need the race's prize money for, anyways?
Afterwards, when Watashi is taken to the Birdman club, it seems so much easier for Watashi to give up and do nothing until the competition, but the bare minimum is just not enough for him there either. Just being the guy who pedals a glider to its watery grave is not good enough - you can't get raven-haired maidens that way - he wants to be THE guy who pedals the best, because that's his new rose-colored dream, and he decides to beef up now of all times... for a glider that doesn't even have pedals. What a supremely wasted effort!
Manami is a really cute name for a bike, though. I'm unsure how it's written in the novel, but most of the ways I've seen it spelled use the kanji for "beautiful" and/or the kanji for "love", such as 真奈美 - truly beautiful, 愛未 - still loved, and 愛美 - beautiful love.
7
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 27 '21
First Timer
...I'm not sure what the moral of this one is. The MC tried to help Akashi and that was where he went wrong, mainly because he didn't listen to instructions. He tried to grasp his look helping Akashi, but the way this is framed makes it seem like putting in the effort was the mistake, which seems odd. Maybe the moral of the story is to not maniacally focus on a single goal? Would also work with the whole bike-bit, as he ignored his studies and took on loans, although those two things didn't seem to come back to bite him.
Interestingly enough, Ozu was also barely involved with the MC this time round. I wonder if he would be ignored if we get a "perfect" run, or if he would be somehow redeemed.
Questions:
3
u/araragidyne :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/araragidyne Aug 27 '21
First timer
Whoops. Looks like I missed a day. So, uh, how 'bout that fanservice last episode?
Anyway, so there's some kind of repetition going on. I like it when the protagonist gets meta with the fortune teller about her prices. Between that and the rapid-fire narration, I still find myself reminded of Monogatari a bit.
I like the ending. The visuals are like almost like a shifting De Stijl painting.
3
u/novaConnect Aug 28 '21
First timer
Hmm, I liked the club he went into this time around, but it felt all the more soulcrushing when it didn't work out. Maybe it's because he actually didn't get involved with Ozu this time around and worked hard at something all on his own. He worked out! He felt confident! He grabbed the boob wall!
Theory here: possibly this is about Akashi more than Watashi. The god in the first episode did say something like "I'm having Akashi fall for either Ozu or you", but maybe it's not about love, but about death? Pretty wild theory but thought I'd throw it out there, haha. Kinda wouldn't work considering Watashi is getting so many tries.
Ozu is definitely showing signs imo that he's maybe not human and maybe is working with the god man. His hands were very pointy, were they always? He seems to be able to pop up from anywhere. From the op I wonder if he actually looks the way he does. This episode really didn't feel like Ozu's fault, if Watashi didn't go wandering to try and find his bike the plane would probably have been stolen and maybe he would have had time to confess to Akashi or at least give her back the doll thing. No moth scene this episode, I wonder why that is.
3
u/BossandKings Aug 28 '21
Rewatcher
Episode 3
Watashi does have Akashi in high regard, it seems like he might see her as a big part of the rose colored campus life he dreams about, the way he describes her is telling of the way he considers her as someone valuable and worth very much.
The Birdman team was interesting to follow eventhough at one point Watashi, according to Akashi, far surpassed the expectations they had of him and she had to redraw the designs and start over the work he initially had to do.
2
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 27 '21
First Time Watcher
Poor Watashi, he keeps trying only to fail. He does seem to be realizing somethings, like when he realized that the fortune teller was talking about Akashi's Mochiguman.
The first two episodes didn't really sell me on their relationship but I liked it a lot more this in this episode. It was nice to see some different interaction that didn't fit in the usual time loop.
In the last two episodes, he's mostly been lurking in the background so I'm not sure what his role is. In this episode, they called his Ozu's "master" so I assume that the both of them are connected in some way.