Zatsu Tabi is a funny one (and I don’t mean the Engrish – well, not just that). It and Apocalypse Hotel were two shows whose premieres comfortably exceeded my expectations. If you asked me with first episode I liked better, I would definitely say this one. If you asked me which one I thought I’d like better for a cour, I’d probably say Apocalypse Hotel. That’s Journey has a healthy scent of CGDCT and healing to it, and those are two hard sells for me. And the evidence suggested that the first ep was atypical in a way that would raise the threat level in that respect.
As I noted last week, the premiere totally broadcasted on my wavelength. I got when it was trying to say on a genetic level, no translation necessary. There’s still a lot of that this time, but the fact is, I love solo traveling. I appreciate the experience of traveling with a friend too – and the exploration of their respective appeals is a fascinating thing in itself. To its credit, Zatsu Tabi is clearly aware of this and reflecting on it is part of the narrative. But as a viewer, it’s a slam dunk – Chika traveling solo is much better anime than her traveling with other people. And the latter is almost certainly going to constitute most of what we see.
I could expound endlessly on the pluses and minus of solo travel as opposed to pair or group. It’s a subject all to itself about which I have very strong opinions. Very briefly, for me travel is something of a meditative (reflective at the very least) experience. It’s much harder to achieve that state when traveling with companions. It’s also much harder to connect with local people (and other travelers, usually solo), because one tends to stay in their comfortable companionship bubble. Sharing the joy of a beautiful view or a great meal with a buddy is nice too, don’t get me wrong. But it will always be the change of pace for me, never the staple experience.
So how does that translate to watching an anime? In the first place, the temptation to indulge in cute girl tropes when you pair (or group) them off is much harder to resist. Evidence, the A and B-parts this week. That’s the obvious answer, but also, for me Chika’s inner monologue is much more interesting that her giggle exchanges with Koyomi. When she goes to Matsushima she’s thinking about history, about her search for inspiration, about her foibles. All the things you do when you’re journeying on your own. When she goes to Toyama with Koyomi, she’s bantering and cooing and posing for photos. Compared to the first, in animanga the second is dead common.
That’s just me – I’m sure most (certainly most extroverts) probably wouldn’t see it that way. Which is fine. It’s still travel anyway, and that can always be interesting if it’s well-written (and most of this is). The series has managed to pick three destinations I haven’t visited yet, which both fills me with envy and with fascination. Matsushima is indeed one of Japan’s “three famous views” (the Japanese are addicted to “best threes” of everything). As it happens I’ve seen the other two – Itsukushima and Amanohashidate – so Matsushima is even higher on my list than it was yesterday. Not oysters though – I’m with Chika on that one. But yeah, they are okay cooked. It’s the raw, booger-like experience I can’t stand.
There was one moment from this ep that really stood out to me – when Chika looked at the two friends laughing as they took a photo and said “yeah, that’s a thing too”. That tells me the mangaka here really gets it – it’s profound, this dichotomy between solitude and companionship. That gives me hope that even when Chika isn’t solo, the series won’t totally give itself over to pandering and lose its depth. That, and it makes a great travelogue for a country I love very much.
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