Zatsu Tabi -That's Journey- Anime Series Review

If you could go to Japan, where would you want to go? It's a question every anime fan has asked before. Plenty of anime often double as tourism ads for specific prefectures, so it only makes sense that they'd want to visit those same spots. I'm convinced Laid-Back Camp has tripled the tourism business of Yamanashi, and Saga has hit the big screens with Zombie Land Saga. P.A. Works has done to Toyama what Kyoto Animation did to Kyoto, and Makoto Shinkai already shoots his films like commercials anyway. But what if you wanted a glimpse of EVERY prefecture? What if you wanted a journey across Japan beyond the scope of a field trip or a student's budget? Well, one mangaka tried to do just that.

At first glance, Zatsu Tabi is a lot like any other travel anime. There's no ongoing drama or villains to face. While it's ostensibly about overcoming writer's block, it doesn't dwell too hard on the artist's struggle. It's instead about characters taking a break from their mundane work life to refresh themselves. It's all about taking in the sights, enjoying the food, and chilling with friends. They're essentially animated vacation videos, which also makes it hard to decide which one to watch. Cute anime girls having light banter in the backdrop of realistic Japanese locations (oftentimes directly referencing Google Maps) is almost as prevalent as Isekai. It's no surprise that in the same season, even fans of this subgenre were more excited for Laid-Back Camp Creator's mono or P.A. Works' Food for the Soul. But there's one gimmick here that kept me hooked: complete lack of planning.

The title Zatsu Tabi is actually a pun. While “That's Journey” makes it seem like half an English word spelled wrong, the word Zatsu really means “rough” or “sloppy.” Vtuber fans are probably familiar with this term already because of chatting streams being referred to as zatsudans (just chatting). The appeal of these streams is that they feel less scripted than the typical Japanese interview, straddling the line between small talk and an improv comedy session. The same applies to Zatsu Tabi. The title literally means “a sloppy journey,” because they're exploring on the fly. In fact, when this manga was coming out, the main character, Chika, had a real-life Twitter poll made to decide where they went next. Because if the journey truly is all that matters, anyone can decide the destination. Right?

Well, this leads to its best running gag: they ALWAYS MISS at least one thing on their itinerary. You know how there's often one member of the travel group who bugs everyone else to follow a strict schedule? Yeah, they make your holiday feel more like work, but they're often the reason you get to visit everywhere you want. Zatsu Tabi shows the trade-off of being TOO chill during vacation. Famous places might be closed or under construction. Events or items may be out of season. Sometimes a hyped hike isn't even worth the view. Imagine climbing 1225 steps up a mountain, only to see the same cluster of dead trees blocking the sun. All that hard work for nothing: you can't help but laugh.

I find that honestly quite relatable. It reminds me of the K-ON Movie where Houkago Tea Time hunkered in a hotel room with cup noodles they brought with them because they couldn't get food anywhere else in London. We've all had at least one moment where our travels didn't go according to plan, but they became funny stories you could tell your friends for years to come. In Chika's case, it gives an excuse to both meet up with old friends and get motivation to continue writing. So what if the crashing waves behind the Toei film logo were nowhere to be seen at the actual Kurobe dam? A peaceful view is nice in its own way, especially after having freshly caught sashimi on the way there.

It helps that most of the characters are grown adults with disposable income. They could afford to go wherever they want, whenever they want, and whatever they want (as long as it's still available by the time they get there). Whether by bullet train or night bus, you get to see every prefecture explored. My favorite was the Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima prefecture: that Torii rising above the water is a sight I want to see in-person. Probably the most interesting food item was the Awashima Wappani, a type of grilled fish miso soup that's cooked by dropping a heated stone into the bowl. They even have a different way of saying chopsticks over there (Hassu instead of Hashi).

The animation and music get the job done, pairing acoustic tunes to sunlit nature shots as bubbly characters walk across. Character animation is relatively reserved, but occasionally comes alive when they're feeling a bit silly. What's interesting, though, is when you look at the staff involved. Masaharu Watanabe directed this after two seasons of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, and Yoshiaki Fujisawa also did the music for Apocalypse Hotel that season and Takopii's Original Sin right after. Putting that into perspective, this felt like a break for both of them, just like the characters. It's not an overly showy production, but it put me in the same relaxed state they were probably asking for in the middle of such heavy work. And for what it's worth, they shoot these locations in a way that I wanted to go there right away.

If you've wondered what touring Japan as a whole is like, this show might be for you. It may not have time to make these locations feel like home, but for a visitor, it covers much more ground than others in its genre. It's a very useful guide for visiting EVERY prefecture if you've got the money, while also emphasizing it's okay to make detours if you miss out on your planned destination. After all, that's what makes it a Zatsu Tabi.