Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey

Zatsu Tabi That's Journey, a show that chronicles the journey of Chika Suzugamori who was rejected by the manga industry. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as she ventures on a journey to discover the world around her. They say life can be filled with surprises, and Zatsu Tabi That's Journey tipify exactly just that. Chika is an indoor girl. This is made obvious from the first few episodes but that doesn't stop the show from giving her the chance to explore. By explore, it doesn't just mean discovering new places but also discovering herself. The first episode sparks a new curiousity andgoal in her life: to go on a journey. There's really no set destination because at the heart of this show, it's about the experience. Throughout this journey, Chika explores the culture of places shes visit, finding common interests with people she meets, and experiencing new inspirations for her work. It's not hard to say this anime has near infinite potential. But as a 12-episode series, the anime focuses on Japan than traveling around the world. From the start, Chika is seen as an ordinary girl who hasn't established a reputation for herself. She has big dreams but those dreams seemed impossible to reach. Initially, she uses her journey as a way to escape the harsh reality of the real world. It begins when Chika takes a trip to Aizuwakamatsu. It's from there that Chika learns the joy of tourism and wonders the world can bring. Among other locations Chika visits include Matsushima, the Shikoku region, Kyoto, Aomori. Every episode offers a new experience for Chika and she learns about the cultural aspects of these locations. She's not always alone either when other characters such as Koyomi, Yui, Fuyune, and Riri. While there's very limited character development among them, there's no doubt that Chika's journey becomes more fun with friends by her side. The enjoyment of sharing a traveling experience brings out the best in this show. And it helps too, that the anime remains authentic to its settings. There's care put into crafting these tourist locations from the serene natural looks to the cultural influences. With each episode being a standalone, there's no complex plot or deeper meaning from Chika's journey. At the end of each episode, she experiences something new whether it's cultural or something simple as trying a new gourmet. Truly, this anime isn't here for a deeper meaning than expressing itself as a youthful journey. Chika's journey shows that the adventuring can change themselves, whether as a person or their career.

Zatsu Tabi is another travel/adventure anime this season alongside Mono, but honestly… it’s kind of lacking. I was really glad to see another university student as the main character (we need more of that!), but the show just didn’t click for me. Most of the time, the main character is solo traveling and just talking to herself the whole way through. I usually love laid-back anime, but this one felt too slow and, honestly, kind of boring. The few times she actually travels with friends? Way more fun. The group dynamic adds a lot, and I wish there was more of that. Don’t get me wrong—I likethe idea of solo travel. It's spontaneous, and the anime does capture that aspect well. But turning solo wandering into a full anime… just doesn’t really work for me. It’s hard to stay engaged when most of the screen time is just one character narrating their own thoughts in empty spaces. Another thing that didn’t sit right was how hard the show leans into being "informative." I get that it's trying to showcase real travel destinations, but it ends up feeling more like a tourism ad than a story. Mono and Yuru Camp also highlight real places, but they blend it into the narrative way more naturally. In Zatsu Tabi, it’s like, “Here’s this town, here’s a fun fact,” and then… that’s it. Overall, I appreciate what it tries to do, but it just doesn’t land for me the way other travel-themed anime do.

Sometimes, an anime doesn’t need action, suspense, or elaborate plot twists to leave a lasting impression. Zatsu Tabi is one of those rare, cozy gems that quietly encourages you to notice the beauty in everyday life. The story follows the protagonist Chika as she takes journeys across lesser-known towns in Japan, and what struck me most was how it made me appreciate the subtle quirks and local charms that we often overlook in our own surroundings. Watching the characters discover new places, try local food, and visit quirky roadside attractions reminded me that you don’t always need a passport and plane ticket to experience something special.As someone living in Australia who has always dreamed of travelling abroad, Zatsu Tabi reminded me that there’s so much to discover just a few hours from home if I simply look for it. What also stood out to me was how grounded the show feels. You don’t need a big budget or a detailed itinerary to start exploring. All it takes is a day off, a train ticket, and a bit of curiosity. For those calling the show “boring”, you might be missing the point. Zatsu Tabi encourages you to find joy in the small things, whether it’s the unique texture of an old castle wall or a spontaneous visit to a local sake factory. Its take on solo travel also left a lasting impression. Instead of framing solo travel as lonely or isolating, the show presents it as something freeing and healing. While most slice-of-life anime rely on tight-knit friend groups, Zatsu Tabi embraces both group and solo travel. I think this was an intentional decision to show that you don’t need a group of friends to explore new places and travel, which is especially highlighted in Episode 5. Interestingly, the journeys in the later episodes also become more ambitious and expansive, showing a clear progression in Chika and her friend’s confidence and curiosity. This subtle escalation keeps the series engaging without ever losing its original purpose. If there’s one area where the show falls short, it’s the soundtrack. While serviceable, the music isn’t particularly memorable and rarely enhances the emotional moments in the way great anime often does. Also, there was some slight yuri bait in the final episode which was just unexpected. Ultimately, Zatsu Tabi is a comfort show. It’s not flashy or loud, but it lingers. It’s the kind of anime you slow down with, something to watch when the world feels too fast. While I could see how this show could get repetitive if it continued with the same formula in a second season, it worked well for 12 episodes. If you’re in the mood for something calming, thoughtful, and quietly inspiring, Zatsu Tabi is well worth your time. It doesn’t demand your attention; it simply invites you to see the world in a slightly different light. And who knows, it might just be the start of your next journey.

Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey — When you hit writer's block, why not go out, touch some grass, and let nature sink into every fibre of your being? In all of my years of watching anime, it has more been the fact that we're so constantly bombarded with "the next big thing", be it in the form of Shonen juggernauts in the making or one that has hype built upon it to further extend its reach on the small screen. But what if I told you that you could be doing the same but reel in the Iyashikei setting so that it becomes a healing show thatexudes all of the charm of a slice-of-life adventure? Then I shall invite you to mangaka Kenta Ishizaka's ZatsuTabi -That’s Journey-, the Yuru Camp/mono-esque "half-CGDCT, half-not" version of a pilgrimage, from the POV of a fellow mangaka in the making as a pseudo-"Dummies' Guide to Travelling around Japan." I need to pose this question to the creatives among us: Do you ever feel like there were times that you were trying to create some content, only for that to spectacularly fail when expectations were not met, or that it didn't generate enough attention to get a borderline passing grade? If you have been on or felt any point of failure before, you'll vibe with the manga illustrator of Chika Suzugamori. The 18-year-old blue-haired young girl, in the dream and hopes of being a mangaka, is hit with the quintessential writer's block when her works are considered too shallow by her editor to get serialized in any shape or form. With the decline of motivation and a life that has quickly met with the Exit button, the stress takes its toll on Chika so much that she decides to escape on a trip to get some fresh air. With the help of social media depicting her every step of the way to destinations across Japan, Chika is set on her "That's Journey" that would show her quite the abstract look and difference in her life, meeting new friends and sinking in with the various cultures that would turn the boggle of the mind into a personal wealth of inspiration for her work. In a season where the CGDCT theme surprises the heck out of the vast minority (not counting Season 2 of Slime 300), Zatsu Tabi clearly ranks dead last among the likes of Saturday's Aniplex-produced two-fer CGDCT offerings of mono and Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi a.k.a Food for the Soul. But if anything, please don't mistake it for a bad series, because it's not, and for the fact that it's so easy to get misconstrued into thinking that Yuru Camp set the standard for similar-themed works to follow, of which Kenta Ishizaka's series is one (that got its start in March 2019) that at least tries to be different and stand out as such. For one, I'm happy that we even got something that's same-same-yet-different, despite it being the "shallow" premise (as many of you will undoubtedly find out, which I'll admit it's lacking) that doesn't offer much in the way of its travelogue-based story of a journey...that I beg to differ. But back to Zatsu Tabi, and following in the footsteps of the manga illustrator who's clearly on her last legs, Chika desperately needs a breakout hit, even if by the miniscule of a pass from her editor of Yoshimoto, and does so willingly by allowing her Twitter social media followers to poll a place where they want to go, through her very lens. And if you're thinking of why social media plays a huge part in Chika's coming-of-age story, try and search up her Twitter bio, and you'll find pretty much a culmination of the travelogue story she's set up in secret, which, despite not being the first series to do so, is the classic example of integrating different mediums for a touch of added flair to the experience. With no story to speak of, Zatsu Tabi has to rely on its characters for that, and they're quite the journalists of their own stories, combined with the clear rookie mangaka. If you need a pseudo Rin-Nadeshiko of a close bonds relationship, look to Koyomi "Hassu" Hasunuma, because she can be an absolute joker of a young lady and yet still can cherish the vibes of good friends following each other wherever they go. Adding the friendship counter, however, you'll find the rather shy girl, Yui Unoki, needing to be extended another hand just to bring in the group vibes, being yet another friend of Chika's, and these three put together can be quite the loudspeaker group of fun. When it comes to needing and being advised by inspirations from fellow Senpai, you can find Fuyune Kojiya and her manga illustrator friend Riri Tenkubashi being the most aged of the group of young ladies, though the former is the most ladylike and the latter is just sinking in her drunkenness when alcohol comes to her line of sight. All in all, I'd reckon the reason why Kenta Ishizaka didn't want a story plot — that he'd rather let it be led by the characters he created—is a sobering fact that not many people can ever afford to realize, one that's summed up perfectly by acclaimed author Stephen King: “I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.” Studio Makaria may be an old studio that has recently dipped its hands into anime production, and despite foretelling through the 2 new shows of this and Yami Healer of what to expect (even though production cooperation is handled by Luminas), the simplicity of artwork looks best in Zatsu Tabi. No doubt that it looks cheap and decently produced to the point of being serviceable, but it's plenty fine and not a drawback to add to the show's weight. This is about the best that former Re:Zero and Granbelm director Masaharu Watanabe and his staff team could muster, and for that, I'd say it's a good job done. The music is definitely the strongest aspect of the anime overall, thanks in part to famed composer Yoshiaki Fujisawa (who's also working on the music for Apocalypse Hotel this season as well). And after being in Anisong drought for the last 3 years, VA unit harmoe has brought in an OP song that I feel is not only catchingly great and criminally underrated, but it also represents the series as a whole on a wide scale. Plus, having to end with Sizuk's calm ED that's different from his usual composing style, it wraps up a nice show overall. I can understand that stories are important when it comes to storytelling, which ZatsuTabi -That’s Journey- crucially needed to get people hooked on it...which is a given for any and all people wanting something to follow its trend. But I'd argue that not all things need "exceptional" stories to do so, because the journeys of humans are stories in and of themselves, which foretell how people want to go and spend their lives on a whim: to escape, to travel and experience, to just BASICALLY live in the moment. That, I feel, is the biggest takeaway with the anime, that dreams are worth reaching out for if we just have the mental capacity and sanity to do so. ZatsuTabi may not be the greatest when it comes to CGDCT-esque adventures, but it's a journey of the sound mind too.

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