First of all, let me be clear here, this show is not a sequel for The Tatami Galaxy, but I highly recommend you to watch it to get the most out of this show. This review will be written in a way that assumes you have watched The Tatami Galaxy.

This show was essentially a side story in the universe of “The Tatami Galaxy”, and for many fans of that show, this would be extremely nostalgic, seeing the likes of Watashi, Akashi, and Ozu back at it with their ridiculous shenanigans. At its core, this show revolves around the same aspects as the Tatami Galaxy did, themes about grasping what’s in front of you, and the fact that time only goes forward, and you can’t change your past mistakes.

Though, where The Tatami Galaxy used a more philosophical approach to the whole time travel mechanics, Time Machine Blues uses it in a bit more of a comedic approach. In a nutshell, Watashi’s friend, Ozu, spills liquid onto the air conditioning remote in Watashi’s apartment, causing it to break down, and the characters have to find a way to fix it. Pretty dumb, I know, but for a show set in such a ridiculous universe to begin with, it works. The story is quite a lot to take in, and you have to keep up with the rapid speaking, but overall, it felt slightly slower paced than The Tatami Galaxy. Again, if you watched the original, you'd be used to the fast speaking.

Art-wise, it looks good, though it does lack the eccentricity of Masaaki Yuasa’s style, but Shingo Natsume also worked under him for a while, so I did see some shades of that uniqueness, but not to Yuasa’s scale. The facial expressions are a joy to watch still.

Character-wise, it’s very nostalgic, and everyone is quite eccentric in their own ways. Ozu is still extremely funny to watch at times, and each character has their own nice comedic bits to them. From Higuchi, to Hanuki, to Jougasaki, it was great to see all of them back. It was also nice to see more of Watashi and Akashi's interactions, and see Watashi attempt to grab that opportunity in front of him.

Thematically, it’s a bit all over the place, and it’s nowhere near as thought-provoking as The Tatami Galaxy, and that’s not the show’s goal. It serves a light hearted side story, and it does that well enough.

Simply put, if you enjoyed The Tatami Galaxy, you’ll likely enjoy this as well. If you didn’t enjoy the original, then you won’t enjoy this very much either. This show was just a fun time, and there’s not much to take away from it other than that. Just enjoy it for what it is, and I doubt you'll be too disappointed.

Story: 13.5/25
Art: 8.8/10
Music: 8.6/10
Characters: 15.2/20
Enjoyment: 11.2/20
Thematic Execution: 12.8/20

Overall: 70.1/100