Tamayura - Episode 2

While its first episode didn't exactly "heal" me, Tamayura's short but sweet opening was pleasant enough, albeit missing that certain something that can somehow make a slice of life anime memorable.

After using that first instalment to introduce its characters, this second episode has itself a theme, that being Fu and her friends musing upon their futures and possible careers - while they all have their unique talents (apart from the girl who spends most of her time whistling, she isn't even good at it for heaven's sake), none of them are entirely sure what they want to do with their lives.

Nobody suspected Fu's secret penchant for taking upskirt pictures

When Fu is sent a ticket and invited to an exhibition by a photographer she's a huge fan of, such quandaries fall into place as Riho Shihomi (the photographer in question) proves to be someone who still doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life despite her successes in her current career to date.  In short, it doesn't matter if you don't know where your life is headed, as long as you enjoy the ride and do what you think is right at the time.
For all its succinct life and career advice it still feels as though there's something missing from Tamayura that I can't quite put a finger on - perhaps it's simply that Aria did basically the same thing so much better that this effort feels weak in comparison.  Certainly, Fu feels like a far more difficult character to relate to on account of her being clumsy and ditzy but little else, while her friends don't particular earn their crust in terms of either story-telling or humour (which does work to be fair, but rarely), leaving a show that isn't so much relaxing or healing as simply flat and, dare I say it, a little bit dull.