Parents' Guide to The Tatami Time Machine Blues

This self-contained anime series stands out for its unique premise and vintage, almost grunge-like feel. At its core, The Tatami Time Machine Blues is a peculiar hero's journey centered on a dorm room air conditioner, of all things. If that seems strange, it is, but the show revels in its own weirdness in a very meta way -- one of the central characters delights in making student art films that even her peers don't understand while another vows to protect the "lovingly trashy qualities" of a film he co-wrote with her. A visual poem, full of surrealism and similes, the series would be a wonder to behold if it weren't for its characters' many flaws. Ozu is every bit the insufferable character he's meant to be but the story's protagonist is also intensely unlikeable. He's always angry, yelling at everyone he encounters, and is weirdly obsessive about Akashi. The time travel storyline also manages to become both tiring and convoluted as it meanders its way to an unsatisfying ending. For a show that starts with such an imaginative spark, the series ultimately extinguishes with little more than a fizzle.