Tamako Market: Initial Impressions

Wow Tamako Market is a bit mental isn't it? Perhaps not by much of anime standards but when I tried to explain to my fiancé what the fuck I was watching I couldn't help but think, "Wow, Tamako Market is a bit mental."

See.. there's this girl who lives in her family's mochi shop, which as far as my British and unknowledgable brain can tell is a kinda of Japanese rice-cake dessert type thing, and she pops into the flower shop to talk to the woman with a man's voice and this talking bird falls out of the flowers onto her face at which point she sneezes and the bird thinks she's coming on to him. The bird talks. And seems to be a cockatiel. Called Dera Mochiyucky. So this bird rides on her head telling her, Tamako, about how he is on a journey to find a prince for his princess (or was it the other way around?) and pretty much constantly ends up dropped or choking, generally injured. Yet he finds himself wanting to stick around and gets fat on mochi. Oh and the boy across the street who lives in the enemy mochi shop seems to be in love with Tamako. Still with me?

When Dan asked the question: "So what was the catch of the episode? What was it about?" And I found myself unable to answer anything but, "Well.. I don't know. It was just fun." I knew I had to keep watching. Tamako Market isn't usually my kind of anime but the entire thing just made me smile so I'd call that a winner. If nothing else, watch it for the bird. He (at least I assume it's a he) is so funny.