And a wonderful little series draws to a close.
What They Say:
“Clover”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Tabi Machi Late Show draws to a close with this episode and even before I got to watching it I already felt sad. The series hasn’t been anything extremely fantastic or something you rave about, but damn if it didn’t deliver some really solid storytelling that even if a touch familiar stood out because it wasn’t like everything else. Each episode stood on its own and told a tale all while challenging your initial preconceptions about it and twisting it along the way, making you care more than you expected and leaving you wanting more.
With Clover, we’re introduced to an elementary school teacher that has been doing this for several decades and we see various stages of it as she talks about the kids as flowers that have blossomed over time. Delving into Sakurada’s life is one that’s definitely interesting because of the nature of being a teacher with so much change yet so much familiarity to it combined with being a woman who never ended up in a relationship herself. It’s a familiar story point to be sure, the single older teacher who views her students as her children, but it’s one that still has its resonance because of the love and joy that comes from people like Sakurada. The time with the other teacher is one that works well to complement it as they both get to talk about the way life moves on and yet they don’t, at least until retirement. It’s a gentle episode and one that truly soothes you into its space.
In Summary:
Tabi Machi Late Show closes just as wonderfully as it opens and it’s a series that I find myself really hoping we get more like it in this block in the seasons to come. This is the kind of material I craved from a short block that could find its own way and do something unique amid all the familiar. Sadly, shows like this never get picked up for licensing and certainly not dubbed, which I’d love to see, so I definitely encourage folks to check this out in ist streaming form because it’s something that helps to remind that there’s so much that animation can do in a short amount of time.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
