Within Tari Tari, P.A. Work's decision to incorporate highly detailed architectural concepts serves to help the anime's setting in acting as a visual metaphor for its characters. There are some misconceptions online that claim the architecture in Tari Tari follows the Zen aesthetic, owing to the extensive use of glass at Shirahamazaka High School. However, glass is a fairly commonplace material for building facades, and for Tari Tari, glass is used to allow natural light to illuminate the building’s interiors. This mirrors the characterisation: glass is transparent, and therefore, using it as a facade would allow for light and warmth from the outside to enter the building.
Similarly, each of Wakana, Konatsu, Sawa, Taichi and Wien face their own individual struggles. By opening up to their friends, they allow themselves to be helped, experiencing the benefits of having this support and finding their lives to become enriched in this fashion. Besides strengthening one of the main themes in Tari Tari, the attention to detail with respect to architecture creates a sense of realism that provides a setting that the characters fit well into, ultimately making it easier for viewers to relate to the characters.
Taken together, Tari Tari's beautiful artwork serves more than just as a visual treat for the eyes: it also augments the story.
Very interesting read. I think set design in general is something far too unappreciated within anime. It does so much to the overall experience if a show's setting isn't just some plain background for the characters to be put onto (which is sadly often the case), but actually a well designed and well animated environment that feels like a real place. The shows I can think of off the top of my head where I feel like this is most prominent is K-On, Tekkonkinkreet and Texhnolyze. Also, after reading this post I feel like I've greatly underestimated P.A. Works. I haven't heard anything about Tari Tari beforehand, but from this read alone (as well as those astonishing screenshots) it'll definitely be added to my watch list. – MindMischief9 years ago
Woah, some of those scenes looked very real. And the architecture looked very diverse. – Tatijana9 years ago