The Tatami Galaxy

Plot

The story of The Tatami Galaxy follows an unnamed third year university student in Kyoto, Japan and what he views as his wasted time in a particular club (also called "circle") at his university. He meets Ozu, another student, whose encouragement sets him on a mission of dubious morality. He contemplates his affection for a second year engineering student, Akashi, and makes promises to her, usually of and within a romantic subtext. The culmination of his dubious missions often conflict with his interest in her in some way. The story is one of a number that draw on the author's experience in Kyoto University.

Characters

Protagonist (私, Watashi)

Voiced by: Shintarō AsanumaAn unnamed college student in Kyoto who is recollecting his past two years of college life. He entered college dreaming of the "rose-colored campus life" that must surely be his. He wants to meet the raven-haired girl of his dreams, which is why he joins a new social circle in each episode. He is quite shy, and easily manipulated by the other characters. Even though he is the central character, he seems to be the most powerless and normal person in the roster.

Ozu (小津)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki YoshinoThe appearance of Ozu in each episode causes the protagonist considerable distress. The protagonist always expresses how ugly Ozu is on his first appearance, which is often followed by Ozu telling him that he's quite cruel. Ozu seems to be a misfit as well, yet he's often the one manipulating the other characters against the protagonist. He also seems to care for the protagonist, and rescues him on certain occasions from sticky situations. Because he often eats unbalanced meals, he looks very pale and spooky as if he is a yōkai, especially to the protagonist, and is occasionally depicted as such.

Akashi (明石)

Voiced by: Maaya SakamotoA freshman student who is commonly (but not always) the center of the protagonist's affections. She acts rationally and even coldly towards most people, but often shows hints of affection or at least helpfulness to the protagonist. Her fear of moths also contrasts with her normally calm demeanor. She often appears in the same club that the protagonist joins, she is a student of the engineering department and a member of Birdman circle.

Seitarō Higuchi (樋口 清太郎, Higuchi Seitarō)

Voiced by: Keiji FujiwaraOriginally introduced as a deity of matrimony in the first episode, but he is depicted in the rest of the series as an eighth year student living in the same dorm as the protagonist. He always wears a yukata and has a wise, distant, nonchalant air about him. He is more commonly referred to simply as Master Higuchi or The Master (Shishō). He often aids the protagonist most directly, though the protagonist may not see it that way. Has an on-going rivalry with Masaki Jōgasaki called the "proxy-proxy war".

Masaki Jōgasaki (城ヶ崎 マサキ, Jōgasaki Masaki)

Voiced by: Junichi SuwabeAn eighth year student who leads the Film Circle Misogi. Regardless of his bad GPA, he is a handsome man and adored by members of his circle but he harbors a secret fetish for breasts, and keeps a love-doll (Kaori). He often takes an antagonistic role relative to the protagonist, and Ozu often assists Jōgasaki in some way, usually a way detrimental to the protagonist's progress, in spite of the fact that Ozu is helping the protagonist at the same time. Has an on-going rivalry with Master Higuchi.

Ryōko Hanuki (羽貫 涼子, Hanuki Ryōko)

Voiced by: Yuko KaidaA dental hygienist who is close to Higuchi and Jōgasaki. She likes getting inebriated, at which point she drastically loses her sense of judgment and flirts with whomever is around. Aware of this, she is cautious about choosing who she goes drinking with. She serves as a formal love interest for the protagonist in episodes 6–8.

Kaori (香織)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto, Nobuyuki HiyamaThe love-doll owned by Jōgasaki. In episodes 6–8, the protagonist develops affections for her after being given the opportunity to keep her in his room. She seems to speak to him but it is unclear whether the speaking is truly hers or whether it is simply the thoughts of the protagonist projected through her.

Aijima (相島)

Voiced by: Setsuji SatōA shady sub-leader of the Film Circle Misogi. He acts as a yesman of Jōgasaki in the circle but he leads the Secret Society Lucky Cat Chinese Restaurant on backstage.

Keiko Higuchi (樋口 景子, Higuchi Keiko)

An elegant girl the protagonist is in a correspondence with. She has the appearance (in his daydreams) of the raven haired maiden he's always dreamed of. In episodes 6–8, she writes an ultimatum to him asking to meet or end their correspondence. The letters are revealed to be originally written by Ozu as a prank, and later by Akashi, who takes them more seriously.

Fortune teller (老婆, Rōba)

Voiced by: Ako MayamaAn old woman who appears in every episode, almost always along Kiyamachi Street, and tells the protagonist (often but not always at his behest) to seize the opportunities before him (or a variation thereof). She increases the price for her services by ¥1000 in each subsequent episode.

Ramen stall owner (猫ラーメン店主, Neko rāmen tenshu)

Voiced by: Atsushi MiyauchiThe owner of the neko ramen shop the protagonist favors. He is mostly silent, occasionally putting in a short, new insight into the protagonist's current conversations or problems. He occasionally takes on a more active role in the protagonist's adventures, always on a helpful note. He appears to have some ties to Higuchi.

Johnny (ジョニー, Jonī)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki HiyamaA character representing the protagonist's sexual drive. He is shown as a cowboy. He constantly bickers against the protagonist, his only goal to receive sexual pleasure. He appears in episodes 6–8 and 10.

Novel

The Tatami Galaxy is a novel written by Tomihiko Morimi. The novel was originally published in December 2004 by Ohta Publishing as a tankōbon volume and was later re-published on March 25, 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten as a bunkoban volume. The novel was translated into Korean by Viche, an imprint of Gimm-Young Publishers, Inc. in August 2008, traditional Chinese by China Times Publishing in December 2009, simplified Chinese by Shanghai People's Publishing House in August 2010.

Anime

The television series is a production of the Tokyo-based Madhouse animation studio series-directed by Masaaki Yuasa, with the screenplay throughout adapted from the novel by Yuasa and playwright Makoto Ueda (writer of Summer Time Machine Blues). The series first aired on Fuji TV's noitamina programming block on April 22, 2010. Funimation Entertainment streamed the show for free on its website with English subtitles concurrently with the series' airing in Japan; this is part of their mutual agreement with Fuji TV with regards to Noitamina distribution rights. The series uses a combination of 3D and 2D graphics, and heavily filtered live action film, portrayed in a variety of color schemes. Two pieces of theme music are used for the series: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Maigoinu to Ame no Beat" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, composition and lyrics by Masafumi Gotō and the ending theme is "Kami-sama no Iutōri (神様のいうとおり, "As God Dictates") by Yoshinori Sunahara (composition and arrangement), Junji Iwatashi (lyrics), and Etsuko Yakushimaru (vocals). The series' soundtrack is composed by Michiru Ōshima. At the 2010 London MCM Expo, British anime distributor Beez Entertainment announced that they have licensed the series

Three seven-minute anime shorts were released with the DVD/BD releases of the series. The first DVD/BD volume was released on August 20, 2010 and contained the first anime short; the second and third shorts were released on the third and fourth DVD/BD volumes on October 22, 2010 and November 26, 2010, respectively.

The Tatami Galaxy won the grand prize for the animation category in the Japan Media Arts Festival on December 8, 2010. It was the first time a TV animation series won the grand prize.