TARI TARI - Review

When you think about slice-of-life anime with music, popular titles from various subgenres come to mind—Nodame Cantabile and K-ON! are two very different but valid examples. The music aspects of these two titles are a big part of what made them successful, with elements like plot and characters also being important. But what happens when a show that's supposedly centered on music lacks for the most part that very same element? While that doesn't mean it's necessarily terrible, it's hard to deny that viewers will be left with a bitter taste in their mouth afterwards, feeling a bit mislead. And although this was more or less the case for TARI TARI, to what degree is left to how other supporting factors managed to make up for where it was expected to deliver.

Art (6/10)
If one were to critique the character designs of TARI TARI solely based off originality, I'm afraid the result would not be pleasant at all. It hasn't been all that long since Hanasaku Iroha ended—about a year—so for most people who watched it, the characters in it are still quite fresh in their minds. And although this is the same P.A. Works that did Hanasaku Iroha, one would expect them to at least a bit of effort into their character designs in TARI TARI. Depending on how you look at it, each of the five main characters in TARI TARI can be matched to a character in Hanasaku Iroha in terms of physical similarities. To me, this shows a lack of effort on the producer's part. Nonetheless, I still really liked the designs. The background elements are also characteristic of P.A. Works and I found them to be pleasing to the eye, adding a nice, light touch to the scenes in the show.

Characters (8/10)
A diverse cast of characters is an integral part of a successful anime. Character interactions generally make up a good chunk of an anime's content, more so in slice-of-life stories, which is what TARI TARI is. With that being said, I really felt the characters introduced in this series were easy to relate to and fun to watch. With each having their own quirks and traits, they also battled their own difficulties, eventually coming out on top, positively changed by the personal storm they conquered. The fact that all of them melded together well made their interactions so much more enjoyable and entertaining to see.

Sound (7/10)
For an anime supposedly centered on music, TARI TARI didn't necessarily deliver when it came to the musical aspects of the show. In fact, throughout the series, there have only been a handful of occasions where there was actual singing by the characters; only a couple of those could actually be called "performances". That said, I absolutely loved the OP and ED—the latter nicely done by the seiyū cast—as well as the insert songs in the last episode, which slightly made up for the lack of musical performances throughout the series. As for the BGM, compared to your typical offering, TARI TARI's provided above average soundtracks. The piano instrumentals were quite good and effectively set the mood for many of the scenes.

Story (7/10)
Well, given that the story's your typical slice-of-life fare, I didn't really expect anything complex or mindblowing going in. And while I'd say my expectations were met (i.e. the story was decently interesting and engaging), I felt that my enjoyment overall was not constant; some arcs were great, while others were alright. I would've liked music to have played a bigger part in the story as the synopsis seemed to have suggested it would. Nonetheless, watching the daily lives of the five friends was enjoyable for the most part.

Overall (7/10)
In summary, think of TARI TARI as the shorter version of Hanasaku Iroha, but instead of the general setting being an inn, you get a choir club at a high school. Additionally, the prominent side element in the former is music, instead of romance like in the latter. So if you're a fan of slice-of-life stories about high school students and music, TARI TARI might just be for you. In the end, the show is slightly underrated in my opinion, so I hope more people will promote it in the near future.