Gauche Suede is highly respected among the Letter Bees—a government organization that delivers written messages to even the most remote locations. However, the Amberground, the land Gauche must traverse, is blanketed in a constant twilight and home to monsters known as Gaichuu. On one precarious journey, Gauche meets Lag Seeing, a troubled young boy who has himself been sent as a letter.
Five years later, Lag joins the Letter Bee as well, inspired by his journey with Gauche. As he strives to become like his hero, Lag discovers the conflict and complexity at the heart of his world.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
fadinglotus
To be honest, I didn't think I would enjoy Tegami Bachi after I read the plot summary. A government employee delivers letters and fights monster bugs. Great. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Story: 9/10 Although Tegami Bachi may seem extraordinarily childish at first, the subtle, dark undertones are what make it very appealing. Amberground, the setting of the story, is divided into three sections based on social class: Yodaka, Yuusari and Akatsuki. The land is covered by darkness with the exception of the artificial sun with illuminates the capital (Akatsuki); therefore, the farther away you get from the capital, the darker it gets. LagSeeing, an orphan, was found by a Letter Bee, Gauche Suede, who realized that Lag was the package he had to deliver to Campbell Litus, a small town in the dark Yodaka District. To Lag, Gauche was like a hero - he had saved his life numerous times during the delivery. Gauche was also the one who taught him about how letters hold the hearts of those who write it, and how the gaichuu (giant insects) are out to steal those hearts. Overshadowed by his hero, Lag swears to become a Letter Bee when he grows up. Only, when he finally achieves his goal, he discovers that the person who inspired him is no longer working as a Bee. Desperate to see him again, he begins to search for Gauche during his deliveries. In the process, Lag learns of an underground organization plotting to overthrow the capital, and the price that the citizens of Amberground pay for the artificial sunlight.
Art: 8/10
Studio Pierrot has done a pretty good job with the animation. All the colours look very comfortable and eye-pleasing, with fabulous openings and endings.
Sound: 10/10
I really like the music in Tegami Bachi because it really adds to the story. Each piece of music was carefully planned out and they really suit the setting of the story.
Character: 7/10
This is where I really think the story is lacking. Lag is an annoying crybaby who really, is nothing more than annoying. Niche, Lag's dingo, does incomprehensible things almost every episode. Gauche is the only one who has a relatively deep character, that enables you to understand his thoughts and motivations. The occasional flashbacks do help explain Gauche's character, but in general, you can't really relate to the characters.
Enjoyment: 8/10
The light mood mixed with the dark undertones make a nice blend.
Overall: 8/10
Mimi_Taylor
Story There is a strange land called Amberground where it is constantly night, and an artificial sun only partially illuminates it. A mail delivery service known as “Bee Hive” recruits young “Letter Bees” to travel near and far and deliver letters. To make things difficult, the land on which they travel is teeming with monsters called “Gaichuu.” The letter bees are equipped with special guns and a protective pet called a “dingo” to overcome such challenges. Lag Seeing is our main letter bee with a special power and dingo, and he strives to become the top letter bee. With such an interesting andoriginal premise, was the story executed well? I have to say that Letter Bee started out strong. We first see Lag as a distressed, confused young child whose mother was taken away by the capital. He is nothing more than a “letter” needing to be delivered to a person who will take care of him. You follow Lag as he encounters an inspirational letter bee named Gauche, and upon being delivered safely, he swears to become a letter bee just like him.
Eventually, Lag takes a letter bee exam, finds a dingo, and meets many other letter bees who will occasionally work alongside him. Unfortunately, Gauche isn't among them because he suddenly goes missing before Lag arrives. The series manages to develop a lot of mystery up to this point about his whereabouts, Lag's mother, and the strange events that occur in their world. Letter Bee also becomes a bit political as we gain insight into Amberground's system of government.
Just before midway of the series, all of the mysteries are temporarily forgotten, and filler episodes take over. The majority of the show consists of Lag making deliveries to random people whose personal stories range from compelling to cheesy, looking at flashbacks, blasting up Gaichuu, getting sick with a fever, racing, celebrating Christmas, and so on. After a while, these episodes feel like a waste of time. I personally wanted the story to move back to the mystery, especially with the anime nearing its end so fast.
The final few episodes actually grow darker in nature and return to the mystery that made this series so fascinating in the beginning. My friend and I thought that this was what Letter Bee should have been all along. In the end, the story leaves off with much to be desired; however, a second season has recently been announced which explains why we ended up watching so many fillers. Hopefully Letter Bee’s continuation will explore more of its dark mystery and answer some questions.
To answer my own question, I would say that the story was not executed as well as it could have been, but I do look at this anime under a more positive light knowing that a second season is soon on its way. There is much potential left for Letter Bee to bring out.
Characters
The characters certainly drive the series and make it very interesting. Lag Seeing, as I have so often mentioned already, is an innocent, determined child who possesses the power to look directly into people’s hearts upon shooting his gun. He views himself as delivering the hearts of people rather than just mere letters. However, his major drawback is that he is a crybaby in every single episode. Every little thing seems to touch his heart and bring tears down his cheeks. Either you like him or you don’t. I found him to be quite likeable despite his drawback. Lag travels with his dingo called Niche who is rather compulsive in attacking others and is protective of him. It is very fun to watch them interact during their travels.
We also get to really know the other letter bees and Bee Hive officers. They each have their own personality, strength, motive, and unique dingo. Their backgrounds are slowly revealed through flashbacks; however, a few of them have yet to receive proper development which I suspect has been saved for season two. Nevertheless, they are strong and memorable characters.
The rest of the cast consists of people whom Lag meets while delivering letters: a lonely little girl, a pair of lovers, a worried mother, a con artist, you name it. While a few of them are pretty interesting, it is hard to just care about them all and to see the show focused on them so much. Their purpose more or less serves to give Lag and the other letter bees some character development.
Animation, Setting, and Music
The animation is a mixed bag. The character designs are great, as well as the background scenery for the towns and such. However, it has not been a thrill ride to watch the fights that occur during every delivery. The animation there is so-so, and the monsters are a bit too CGI for my tastes. They never feel like they fit quite right in the show.
This season worked very hard on developing its setting and atmosphere. They are simply Letter Bee’s strongest points as of right now. The atmosphere can be rather haunting because the world is always dark and bleak beyond the lively, warm towns. The background music largely contributes to this with its gentle, spooky tunes and classical music.
Overall
Letter Bee is a very unique and atmospheric anime full of deep mysteries and strong characters. Its story might have gotten a bit weak midway with all its fillers and flashbacks, but it has so much potential for the second season. This season was all about building up the characters and atmosphere; the second one just might get straight to business. With high anticipation for its continuation, I recommend this anime.
jlaine3333
This is 100% the worst piece of hot garbage i have ever seen in my life. It's about an ugly sh*ta stalking some man he met years ago, stalking his sister just because they're related, destroying the mail he delivers and then getting praised for it, etc. Not to mention the author is most certainly attracted to minors, given how many weird, uncomfortable scenes there are of actual children with extensive talk of their underwear habits. This show legitimately made me uncomfortable numerous times and I think nobody should watch this. Even prisoners at Guantanamo Bay should be spared from this sorry excuse for ashow.
ExplosionMage_
THIS SHOW MAKES FAMILY GUY LOOK LIKE A STORYTELLING MASTERPIECE Seriously, literal garbage "Family Guy Funny Moments" compilations are far more captivating and enjoyable than this show, because at least some of them are so terrible you can make fun of them. Anyways, I don't typically write reviews, but seeing not a single negative review on this show I feel absolutely compelled to rip into this horrendous show. "Letter Bee" is one of the absolute worst things I have ever had the displeasure of watching, for so many different reasons. The show is a lazy, uninspired, generic, piece of garbage that fails at anything it could've hadgoing for it. The thing that makes this worse though, is it's not even so bad that you can sit and laugh at it; it's boring. I will try my best to breakdown why I feel this way.
The Characters
This show has one of the worst cast of characters in any show I have ever seen, and almost every major character aids in on being a problem for the show, the major offenders will get their own category but before anything goes further, this show has one of the most boring and lazy character naming convention ever. Nobody's name is clever or smart and almost all of them are lazy ranging from words like "Lag Seeing" and "Niche" to just the first name you get when you look up most popular baby names for boys like Connor. Anyone not mentioned is extremely one note, and the only character with a semblance of personality that gets actual screen time is Gauche.
Lag Seeing
The star and protagonist of the show, Lag Seeing, the perfect place to begin. The first major problem with him is that almost everything that happens in the show is handed to him on a silver platter, and within the realm of the show he is incredibly overpowered and no problem is actually an issue for him. Now that doesn't sound bad; protagonists like Goku, Ainz Ooal Gown, and Rimuru Tempest all fall into being overpowered and solve things with almost no issue, and they're great protagonists, but Lag Seeing fails to do anything to make himself likable when it comes to these situations. Often times Lag will just start crying, his magical overpowered red eye starts glowing, and boom problem is over. Nothing more to it. No Kamehameha, no wits, no nothing. His red amber just starts glowing and the problem is gone. He's also a particularly bad crybaby, he responds to almost everything by crying and often feels like a frustrating protagonist more than anything. I really mean it when I say every solution is handed to him on a silver platter; there is a part where he doesn't have a partner dingo (which is essential to becoming a Letter Bee) and literally within the next 5 seconds he meets an overpowered dragon girl that has never listened to anyone before but now listens to him for some reason, we'll get more into her later. And even when he isn't crying, his personality is just boring and bland. His only motivation to become a Letter Bee is because he met some guy when he was like 4 years old and has spent his whole life obsessing over this singular guy. Even when he's finally becoming a Letter Bee after passing all the tests with flying colours, he is STILL crying about this guy he met when he was 5 years old. Let's not lag on this topic any longer, otherwise I'll begin repeating myself. Before we move on, he's also a bit of a nosy brat too, there's an episode where a man is writing letters to his mom that he fills with lies to not worry her, but the whole episode Lag keeps going WAH THIS LETTER IS FILLED WITH LIES THIS LETTER IS ALL LIES I CAN'T DELIVER LIES despite some of his idol's first words to him being that he does not inquire about the letter whatsoever, he just delivers it.
Niche
This might unironically be the worst character in the show. She is the previously mentioned dingo of Lag Seeing that is some kind of dragon hybrid thing with claws and has supposedly never listened to anyone aside Lag. There is nothing more to say other than the writers used this character to write all their fetishes into. That's it. She hates wearing panties, she has a kink for being treated like a dog or slave, and those two traits make up her entire existence outside of her being overpowered and beating up anything Lag needs help with, and by that I mean she hits someone once and then Lag blasts his red beam and wins. There's nothing more to say, she's the fetish character.
The Plot
This shows plot is dumb. Lag Seeing is just obsessed with Gauche, and the plot quickly spirals into a horribly generic "government is bad who would've guessed" plot that a million other things have done before and did it better too. Every single character interaction is Lag shooting something, memories and "feelings of the heart" are revealed, they all cry. If you want to watch a show with an overpowered main character obsessed with an older man they only knew as a baby where everyone's weapons absorb their life force that also eventually twists into a "the government is evil" plot, PLEASE do yourself a favour and go watch Kill la Kill instead.
Setting, Music, Visuals
As for music, this show has a god awful opening and ending song while the music within the actual show is just forgettable. The setting is somewhat generic, and the pretty night skies looming over desert being every location starts to wear real fast. The actual animation is terribly mediocre and the CGI for the robot enemies are absolutely awful. To save your time, it's bland to look at and anything that did look nice either rarely gets used or will get stale fast. Worldbuilding is actually horrendous in this show even though they try to make it out as if the world they are in is an extremely important part. The show also has an obsession with raining konpeito all over the screen. Speaking of...
Flashbacks
This show is obsessed with flashbacks, stuff that doesn't need to be flashbacks will still be put into flashbacks for no reason, and they always put a sepia/greyscale filter for them alongside raining konpeito all over the screen. In the Christmas episode, there was a scene that would've flowed finely but they skipped to Lag and his friend on a train and then showed a flashback that occurred roughly 5 minutes ago in world. It gets annoying fast. Not much more to say on that.
The Singular Diamond
There is one good thing I can say about this show. One singular good thing. Every episode ends with these funny yet strangely long chibi segments featuring Dr. Thunderland teaching at the "Letter Bee Academy." This is the sole thing that holds up the show. It's pure chaos in a jar trying to be held together by Dr. Thunderland alongside a lot of actually funny fourth wall breaking jokes, such as a character who hadn't shown up in the main show yet commented on the fact that he hasn't. Almost all focus is taken off any of the main characters and shifted onto Dr. Thunderland; even the segments that don't star him, the full focus of those segments is usually about him not being there. The strange thing though is that Letter Bee Academy segments almost always succeed at humour, while every attempt at humour in the main show is cringe worthy. Speaking of comparisons to the main show, the Dr. Thunderland segments do more world building than the actual show.
Summary aka TL;DR
Characters annoying. Protagonist horrible. Plot generic. Too many flashbacks. Very forgettable overall. Dr. Thunderland Letter Bee Academy segments funny. Only watch Dr. Thunderland segments and enjoyment will be raised tenfold.
Pinneapple188
Wow what a favorite of mine. Tegami Bachi for me, is one of my kind of secret favorites, or rather prized possessions that really hasn't been seen by that many people, unfortunately (I know not that well explained couldn't really say it in any other way). So what makes it so special? A lot of things really. For one, no Anime, none has really anything similar to this plot and setting. When have you ever seen an Anime that is based on delivering Letters to people, that also are memories, stories and many other assortments of things. Not to deny any credit to the amazingsetting, that is almost dream like in its conception, dark, cold and dangerous, yet filled with history and adventure. But lets get to the meat of the show, Lag Seeing, our main character. Lag had always wanted to be a Letter Bee, and after seeing a massive role model Gauche Suede, a Letter Bee who went missing and at a legendary cost as well. But wait, why? This is likely due to the fact that this amazing land, it is also filled with dangerous creatures "Gaichu" which are un-killable by traditional means. So therefore, you need a lot of heart to take them down, literally. That's right, to get your Letter to the destination, you have to make it through these monsters, and to do so, YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART. So cliche' yet so good. Most of these scenes have a great dramatic aspect to them, and a pretty good scene of action. And on these escapades, most Letter Bees have a "Dingo" a assistant that travels along side the Bee on their adventures. Niche, your Loli that makes life so much better is fun, loyal and caring for Lag, a generally weak and young well, child. All in all, this show just has to be watched to be fully appreciated. Sure it may be a lot more lengthy than you may like, and with a good some of filler, but the ending and the show that it gives is so worth, and some genuinely meaningful moments. Please watch this show, and share it around, it deserves it.
FukouDa
Man, Letter Bee was mondo cool, bitchin' cool. Goddamn AMAZING. Well, perhaps not, it's not the crunchiest peanut in the turd, but it holds it's own above many of todays moe moe anime. The biggest fault with this series is that nothing happened, or very little. You can get away with watching perhaps the first 3 episodes, and the last, as the entirety of the middle eps are all very filler, but this doesn't take away from the fun of the show, and the ending at very least, does hint towards a more fleshed out season two. The animation is great, twilight skies etc and has a vibrant lovelycolour palet that makes me squirt rainbows of happiness, i mean take one look, and try to argue it's not beautiful, i dare you.
The main outcome of most of these "filler" episodes is more or less LAG WILL CRY.
Yes, LAG CRIES, ALOT. But it's adorable because he is adorable and stuff.
The girls are all adorable too though probably not as much so as Lag, but despite this there is no fanservice which is always a nice change of pace.
Overall it is a good watch and i reccomend it to anyone who enjoys nice unique artwork and setting, but perhaps this isn't for you if you seek the worlds most gripping plot and DEEP characters.
Shellshock123
Tegami Bachi Season 1 Review: Pretty Middling tbh. Nothing really that stood out. The Series is set in steampunk world where the Chads are Mailmans. In this world they are called Letter Bee, or Tegami Bachi. They go around delivering Letters which carry people's hearts. Each Letter Bee has 2 main components. Their Gun which is capable of shooting there *metaphorical* heart and there Dingo which is like a sidekick. The story follows our main character who wants to find his hero who saved 7 years before we begin our story. So alongside his trusty Dingo who is an underage girl who refuses to wear underwearbecause this is Japan and we have no choice in the matter.
So When I say I found the series Middling I did lie a little bit. The setting of this series is very interesting. The desert is unironically kind of peaceful too look at. Until the Gaichu show up. Which are basically sand monsters. But Victorian style buildings and locations. As well as the outfits really add an immersion to the series you don't really see. If you guys think I'm praising something small and trying to make it much bigger than I should. That's because I am. Nonetheless good setting.
Now the action is pretty hit or miss. Mostly due to how it was handled. The action is a one hit finisher type thing. Where the Letter Bee's charge up there attack to hit the single weak point of the Gaichu. Some are fun, most are ok, some are shit. Its not really anything tbh. The Dingo here is meant to be capable of revealing the Gaichu's weak point so the Letter Bee's can attack. This is basically all of the fight scenes in the series.
Now the main character is... quite annoying. His hero that helped him 7 years ago was more charismatic then him. The main reason for that is because this guy cries so fucking much. Every Episode its the same shit. He just crying over and over and over again. Now I get it, he's 12, he's not supposed to be strong or whatever. But realism doesn't mean its enjoyable. If i wanted to watch a bunch of kids whine like little shits I'd go to the park or look in the mirror or hang around r/anime.
I actually quite like the Dingo character. She is honestly adorable however. The, I'm not wearing underwear joke, was funny the first time. But Not subsequently.... I do hope this isn't a major problem continuing the series.
Really the only episode that actually felt fresh was the last episode. Where not only the story moved forward but we got to see something different or something unique. I didn't hate the previous episodes either. But they just felt mundane. I don't mean to use the word boring but maybe redundant would be better.
The series also has quite some filler. Do Note you don't have to watch the OVA that came before the series. As a remake of that OVA is made into Episode 17. So don't make the same mistake I did. The filler episodes themselves were actually fine. They kept in tone with the theme, the main characters. In the end the fillers weren't the problem. I honestly wouldn't be able to discern the quality of the filler episodes from the canon episodes.
As far as Season 1 goes. I'm disappointed. Not angry, just disappointed. Considering how the series ended though I am interested in watching Season 2. I was told that it actually shifts from the manga entirely so lets see how the anime handles the ending.
Overall. 5/10. Its fine. No strong opinions on this one so far.
Emihime
STORY 9/10 "The story takes place in the land of Amberground, a place of perpetual night only partially illuminated by an artificial sun. Lag Seeing works as a "Letter Bee" (delivery boy) at the "Bee Hive" (a delivery service), with his Dingo, Niche, and her "pet", Steak, traveling with him. As a Letter Bee, Lag's job is entrusted to deliver letters and packages from town to town while avoiding Amberground's deadliest hazard — a species of giant armored insect known as Gaichuu, who attempt to feed off the "heart" that reside within these letters and packages." ~Source WIKIPEDIA When I first heard the plot for this series, Iwasn't very impressed. How in the world could a story about MAILMEN, of all things, be interesting in any way, shape, or form? Regardless of these fore-feelings, I decided to look into this series, and I must say, I am very glad that I did.
The story is kinda simple: "boy meets older boy, older boy goes missing, boy must find older boy." Seen it a hundred times before, so why should it be any different this time? Well, throw in some magical Amber, giant metallic insects, a little girl with swords for hair, and letters that carry peoples' hearts... and you've got a smash hit recipe for success! The plot moves a little slow at first, but it quickly gains momentum after a few episodes, which is just plain lovely.
Overall the story is very unique, despite how many things within it are from other pre-existing ideas and series. It can be very heart-wrenching at certain points, but it's also got its funny moments, which makes for a good and easy watch.
Originality level is very high.
ART 10/10
The thing that caught my eye the most was the art. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it before. While the story is an obvious shounen, the art reflects more of an aesthetic view of something that would be shoujo. It's, in a word, beautiful. The art of the anime does not reflect the detail and colouring of the manga, but both are just gorgeous in their own right.
Definitely eye candy.
The openings, by the way, are AWESOME!
SOUND 10/10
Mixing was fantastic. Soundtrack was beautiful. Loved the openings and endings.
CHARACTERS 8/10
The biggest issue with the characterization was the names. They're original and unique, YES. BUT... seriously? It's names like JIGGY PEPPER that just make me sit back and go "WTF?!"
The other issue was Lag. DO NOT GET ME WRONG. I love the little boy to death, and he has many many great qualities to him! On the other hand, he does come off as being a crybaby. At times, this can be a bit more than annoying. Take into consideration, though, that this boy is ONLY 12. It's completely natural for 12-year-olds to cry a lot. Especially when they've had hard trauma. Once I came to that realization, it was easier for me to sympathize with him. I hate crybaby characters, but Lag is one that I simply adore.
Niche was one of my favourites throughout the serie. She's so weird! She shows various animal-like qualities, such as licking wounds and sniffing the air for scents, which are quite amusing from a third-person view. All-in-all he is alittle slow on things, but she is loyal and adorable, not to mention the epic ability to stab people with her hair. I mean, come on! AWESOME.
There are cheery characters like Lag and Niche, but this series is not without it twisted and darker personalities. Gauche Suede, Aria Link, and Lawrence are prime examples of this. When you take a look at them, it's as if they almost don't fit, considering how the main character is, but they blend perfectly.
ENJOYMENT 10/10
There was not a moment I did not enjoy this. It was fun all the way through. Each episode left me begging for more.
OVERALL 9/10
A good solid series, but alas, many ideas and plot points were unclear, therefore I can only give this series a 9.
Do I recommend it? YES. I cannot stress this enough. I think everyone should watch this series. It's definitely worth it. It has something for everyone, a perfect mix of heart-wrenching, fantasy, steampunk, shounen, and shoujo.
A must-watch.
Bunille
Have you ever wanted to post your child through the mail? xD For an anime that I never thought I'd enjoy as much as I did, Tegami Bachi is a heartwarming yet sorrowful adventure anime that plays with your heart whenever it possibly can. Lag, being the 7-year-old that he was at the start of the anime, was absolutely adorable. I could repeat myself because it's the most adorable thing you could ever get. He's so pure of heart that I wish kids, in reality, could be like that too. Story 10/10 The first episode starts where Gauche, a Letter Bee, brings Lag back to his aunt afterthe despair of his mother's disappearance. At first, the two didn't get along and Lag started to gain hatred towards Gauche due to his foul-tasting meals and not thinking of him as a person and just a letter to be delivered, but then after Gauche saving his life and thinking of him as a friend, Lag becomes inspired along Gauche's footsteps to become a Letter Bee himself. Tegami Bachi is the epitome of the journey mattering more than the destination, and we have to judge it that way.
I love the idea and symbolism where shindans are made from the heart and that other people are able to see what's inside of something's heart after one is used, whether it be a letter, object, or person. It's a very unique way of explaining character's pasts without anyone having to mention it. It has some wonderful world building. The story never shifts anywhere else and only sticks to the symbolism of hearts, so basically, after a few episodes everything is repeated, but they way they do it is unique and creative as they meet new people and learn about their hearts and motives. It makes you feel warm inside... and sometimes upset. So many creative and unique things happen around the work of a Letter Bee and I love how each character is meant to be misinterpreted to the watcher, only to notice what they felt in their heart. The ending of the anime is so depressing at its best and the mysteries that we discovered throughout the anime really built up to that well.
Art 9/10
It's a very pretty anime, and no, I'm not just talking about the art, I'm talking about the atmosphere.
The anime comes off as very calming, especially with the blue and white colours that compliment each other. I'm always a fan of that. There's almost no anger or fear in the anime, and when that happens it normally would end with something soothing and beautiful anyway such as the snowflakes.
Lag basically looks like a younger version of Gauche. At first, I thought that it'd be confusing to tell the difference between them, but it's actually there for a reason. Lag is basically 'replacing' Gauche in the story as he's walking in Gauche's steps, and then alongside everything else mentioned in the anime... it's beautiful.
Sound 9/10
The anime has a really beautiful soundtrack. All of the OST is relaxing and soothing and completely matches up with the anime. It makes everything feel much warmer and endearing. I'm not really a fan of ballads, but the second opening and the endings are absolutely beautiful. It makes there feel like a sense of brilliant friendship between everyone and an adventure, whilst being calming.
Character 10/10
They portrayed the characters well, making even the side characters have very beautiful meanings to melt at your heart.
Lag acts like a child would which is a good sign as some children in anime don't even act like children. Lag stays almost exactly the same after 5 years pass, only really just maturing. He still stays his pure, emotional and caring self throughout the anime that needs viewer protection and literally carries people much older than him to safety. We really need people as sweet as Lag in real life. I need him as a friend. Every time Lag cries, my heart can't take it and I end up crying too, and that's like every episode. I don't hate his character one bit, in fact, it's my favourite.
The same happens with Gauche, and every memory about him develops his character so great that it's captivating. The backstory that we discover in sections is what I love about character building instead of it all being told to us in one huge section. There's more than just one episode or character for its main purpose to develop Gauche's character, and with the shindan idea, it just makes everything feel acceptable and unique.
As for Niche, she's expected to be a tsundere, but there's a perfect balance and she doesn't seem cliche in any way. She's strong-willed but inexperienced when it comes to basic tasks, and the show doesn't make it seem patronising when she is as she's only a child, only making her a well-developed character that puts her faith and trust in Lag. Steak and her are a weird duo, but it's adorably frightening nonetheless.
Exclude Lag and I'd probably say that Zazie is my favourite; his tough but kind persona is amazing and his backstory is the most upsetting in my opinion for whatever reason. Even though it's not the most developed, the thing mentioning him making soup gave a lot of caring meaning to his character. The whole premise of the story is extremely deep and upsetting.
Enjoyment 10/10
Tegami Bachi is a story about a young boy that delivers hearts. I'm so grateful that there are 25 episodes for this first season. At first I never really took interest for the first two episodes even though I loved certain parts of them to pieces, and I was going to rate it an 8 or 9 until I realised that the anime was more beautiful and creative than I thought it was. Around 1/4 into the first season, I absolutely loved it, giving me hope for what the next 3/4 of the anime would be, and it sure did not disappoint me the slightest. The anime improves the further you watch it, and its unique memorable story will be put in a special place in my heart.
Overall 10/10
Lina-chan87
Tegami Bachi is probably one of the BEST ANIME EVER. It has all the key components an anime needs to have. Fabulous art: CHECK. Epic characters: CHECK. Dramatic and suspenseful storyline development: CHECK. Charismatic scenery and setting: CHECK.Action, plot twists and guns: CHECK.
Manly men vs. Childish hero: CHECK.
Hero who cries like a 5 year old: CHECK.
Fanatastic sound effects: CHECK.
Random cat-wolf-dog (?) animal-pet, whose name happens to be Steak: CHECK.
Addictive: CHECK.
Suspenseful cliffhanger ending, persuading you to continue on to the second season: CHECK.
BE SURE TO COMPLETE YOUR ANIME-WATCHING (of Tegami Bachi) WITH THE NEXT SEASON, 'TEGAMI BACHI 2: REVERSE.'
You'll be kept on the edge of your seat, satisfaction guaranteed. (:
Shroukin
How to start....How to write a review that will do this great anime justice...Let me first apologise if my review doesn't make a lot of sense. I am still overwhelmed with emotion at this point. Well, Tegami Bachi or Letter Bee is a beautiful anime much, much more than the simple letter-delivering. I had wanted to watch this anime for a long, long time, falling in love with the concept, artwork and when I had finally had the time to watch it all my previous expectations were blown away by the standards of the anime; which are absolutely amazing. I watched all 50 episodes fortwo days straight. Me, who has severe commitment problems was so capivated by the essence of the anime as it challenged everything that life meant for me.
STORY: At initial glance, it doesn't seem very original, NOT CLICHE either, but hardly something very unique. Letter-delivering. Very mundane. Not so in this anime. Letter Bees go on very dangerous missions, transversing many miles through the flickering light of Amberground, they face the constant threat of 'gaichuu'. This particular story follows Lag Seeing- the world's most adorable/lovable protagonist, a letter bee searching for his idol and his saviour - Gauche Suede; in the most basic, basic terms.
The first season has very llttle plot development in terms of the previously mentioned concept, IN fact, it is safe to say the first season really just 'sets the scene' in 25 episodes, so by the time you reached the finale, you have a very thorough understanding of what being a letter bee entails, their impact on the lives of the civilians, the huge social divisionsof Amberground, basic knowledge on all the characters encountered so far, etc.etc.
The Second season is when the plot really gets moving. Don't get me wrong, the first season was absolutely beautiful exhibition of the greatness of the human spirit. Beautiful and extremely moving. However, the second season is so extremely addictive and exciting because you are immersed in the journeys of all the protagonists and all their successes and failures are amplified tenfold for you, and in the most basic terms, season 2 retains little episodic elements of season 1 and is also much more exciting because there is significant plot movement.
ART AND ANIMATION: I've combined these two because there isn't much I can say about them as I'm not an expert, but the art is beautiful and the animation is excellent. While watching this anime the last thing you'll be unhappy with is the art, (which is actually pallettable ART), and the animation, (which is smooth, non-jittery and enjoyable to watch, I.E. looks like it's done by ACTUAL professionals) 0o0
SOUND: WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUl.... Music that is actually music, voice-acting that is actually done with emotion, openings and endings you actually want to watch, all in all, very impressive.
CHARACTER; Ahhh, the characters/ protagonists were most definitely a hiighlight of the anime. On a general note, every single character of the series is an actual character, with emotions, development, (however small), history (however much touched on), hopes, dreams, and aspirations, NOT 2 dimensional stereotypes, which many animes have succumbed to. Not this one. The main character - Lag Seeing, is the biggest crybaby I have ever come across. EVER. But in a weird warp he is also the most endearing and moving and emotionally sensitive soul I have also come across in all fiction, and the real world. He is type of character you wish you knew because he would be the greatest friend that would always be loyal to you and love you. AND FOR ONCE THE PROTAGONIST IS NOT A PERVERTED TWAT. AND you LOVE HIM FOR IT. Also, Lag Seeing, from the very first episode undergoes a huge emotional journey. Wrenched away from everything ever known, he grows a great deal in only the first few episodes; he learns the meaning of the words 'friendship, love, and journey.' Understanding first hand the experience of being a letter, it inspires him to able to give what Gauche Suede, (the letter bee that delivered Lag) gave him. This character development does not stop for one second in the duration of the both series.
His dingo - Niche is an equally interesting character. Adorable, but equally deadly, in many ways, she is the polar opposite of Lag, but in another weird warp they make an unbeatable team. The relationship entails many hardships, as all realtionship do, but also triumphs through them, which really contributes to not only the likability of these two characters, but the whole series.
THEMES: I could write a whole essay on this one. And I would. Happily. But for review purposes I will TRY to keep it succint. :P Sorry reader. OKK... Tegami Bachi is chocablock filled with themes. In fact, I don't think the word 'themes' quite entails what this show offers intellectually. Obviously, it can be interpreted very differently, but this is just my personal opinion. But Tegami Bachi is most definitely about communication. Duh. Delivering letters is just the front. In Tegami Bachi, letters are communication devices that allow addressers and addressees to read into one another's innermost feelings and wishes. It is a portal into one's heart, where people can really use time to think carefully and articulate what they really want to say ONTO paper. And it is the letter bees job to carry all that emotion and 'heart' emanating from that flimsy bit of paper that could have so much significance on someone's life, safely to their destination. This immortal secret is what (I think) the series tries to teach us. Unlike many deep meaningful series it doesn't preach right behaviour or good morals. It TEACHES. Yes, teaches. Teaches about friendship, explored through the interaction and the community of all the letter bees, and the friendships between letter bees and their dingos, that immortal bond so overlooked, prime examples constantly dotted throughout the series. (I'm trying not to spoil it). It also teaches, about respecting others, and in not the way you'd expect. That particular lesson broke my heart to pieces. It really exemplifies the meaning of sacrifice, and what true friends do for one another. Another major theme explored is 'good and evil'. Suprisingly I felt absolutely no enmity for the villian of the second season. I did hate a particular someone for the atrocious betrayal of trust but I won't specify who. Watch if you want to find out. :D Anyway, the series goes back deep enough into a character's history that I was able to emphasize enough with the villain to understand the reasonings behind their actions. weird....
On a smaller note, the one thing that I wish that some important questions were answered. It seems like, while the series is absolutely great, the producers/directors forget about a few aspects of the Lag's history, and while it touches on it lightly is not nearly enough for fans to draw respectable conlcusions from it. Which is extremely unfortunate.
ENJOYMENT: I think it's pretty clear from the rest of my review how much I LOVED LOVED LOVED this series. There has been a couple of negative reviews and what I really plead to you is to give this anime a chance. This anime really changed what I thought of anime as a whole, it was a refreshing, touching, at times heart-breaking series, forever immortalised in my heart, and I believe with every inch of my soul that it'll have some place in yours too.
If you found this review unhelpful could you please tell how I could improve it for future reviews? Thanks!!
Caraniel
A mixed bag, but a great setting and interesting concept. PLOT: Letter Bee is a strange series and therefore difficult to review. It’s very slow paced, fairly episodic and stuffed full of filler for being only 25 episodes – but it’s hard not to like the show. Some episodes are wonderful; others are among the worst single episodes I’ve ever seen. Some characters are excellently put together and developed, others are paper bags or extremely irritating. However despite its rather inconsistent nature, my overall impression of Letter Bee is very good. The world setting and concept are what drew me to the series to start with –and the sense of mystery that surrounds the central plot is what kept me interested throughout. It’s slow, but there’s enough hints dropped that you don’t lose interest. The end of this season is a cliffhanger though – you have been warned! There us a sequel though, so the vast majority of this series is scene setting and character development. Letter Bee makes good use of its filler episodes to further establish the world and develop some of the characters further (although there are a few fillers that are just godawful!). Saying that, when Letter Bee is good, it’s very good – the highs of this show are characterised by a melancholic atmosphere and some very touching scenes that just warm the heart.
In terms of characters, Lag is a complete cry-baby. Not a single episode goes by where he doesn’t cry about something. It’s annoying sometimes, but Lag really got lots of development over the run and his cry-baby nature is part and parcel of his identity. Niche turned out to be a really fun character – her innocent presence kept the mood from being too heavy or melancholy and she’s both the source of comedy and action. Some of the side characters could do with a bit more fleshing out, but overall they’re quite well done and provide a solid support for the main characters.
ANIMATION: The character design and colour palate is the other thing that attracted me to Letter Bee in the 1st place and Studio Pierrot turned out a very attractive show. The animation is wonderfully consistent and everything is just pretty! Amberground is a world of perpetual twilight, and the primary colours used in the series are purples, blues and white – it’s striking and very visually appealing. The use of CGI on the Gaichuu was a bit obvious, but not distracting.
MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: The soundtrack to this series is wonderful. Both OPs & EDs were excellent (the 1st OP & ED in particular made it onto my most played lists) and the score itself is also very well produced. The voice acting was also excellent – although Miyuki Sawashiro’s portrayal of Lag could be a touch on the whiney side occasionally. The supporting cast is peppered with great names who brought a lot of personality to their characters.
Overall I’d recommend Letter Bee, but would also have to warn you of its inconsistent nature too. It would probably be less annoying to anyone marathoning it though, watching it weekly just seemed to highlight the fact some episodes were rubbish!
dany_elle1908
Tegami Bachi takes place in the land of AmberGround, a place of perpetual night only partially illuminated by an artificial sun. Lag Seeing works as a Letter Bee at the government travelling with his Dingo, Niche... ___________________________________________ ___________ Tegami Bachi has a very simple story, the letters which are the people hearts and the Bee employee which deleveres them in harsh ways sometime ...the main character Lag Seeing meets Gauche who was a governmental employee, at the age of seven. For him lag was the letter to be delivered to his aunt. During their journey they become friends. After five years Lag becomes a bee 2 andwith his dingo niche starts their missions and the look of Gauche who wen't missing meanwhile.
At start i said this anime is not good because was a bit slow , but while watching every episode became good, having funny moment but sad to and liked a lot and many of the characters are enjoyable and the story gets better while they are introduced. Lag always a crybaby, niche so cute , zazie a cat lover etc. Every character is unique in his own way
The soundtrack could had been better but is nice and calming, but the opening and ending is pretty nice . The art is great and very detailed, the monsters from it to many might not like.
Second season continues from were season one finished
Maybe to most will not be an interesting anime but i say try it ...u can always have the choise to drop it if u don't like..
I gave to first season 8/10
Sorry for the bad grammer....i tried to not write much spoilers
Xalor
Letter bee is one of the rare shows that remind me why I love anime. It is truly a unique, virtually unheard of, totally underestimated anime. Thoughts All jokes aside, this anime is personally one of my Favorites. Although this anime lacks an English dub and a decent fan base I feel this is definitively one of the better animes to come out in the last 15 years. Besides the ending; this anime has a very well thought through plot. The Art in this series is absolutely some of the best I've ever seen in an anime Ever. It's to be noted though, that theGaichuu look really bad in comparison; but on the flip side this weird combination of beautiful artwork contrasted by the fake looking Gaichuu makes for a very unique and eerie feel. That being said I definitely wouldn't watch this anime for the occasional fight scenes; not that they're bad or anything. I do however do give major props to the writers who thought up these characters.
Unlike more serious animes such as Neon gensis or welcome to the N.H.K. this anime has a lighter, more positive feel. Although this anime does have its moments; it presents some pretty cool ideas pertaining to what memories and what a person really is. Overall, this anime is one of those animes u can just sit back and enjoy the ride; a relaxing bona fide adventure anime where fan service is virtually non-existent.
Pros
+Animation
+story line
+character design
+OP/ED
Cons
-Gaichuu
-Ending(WAY to many unanswered questions)
Ishizu123
I really thought that this anime wasn't going to have any depth to it at all. Ok yea they deliver letters and kill monsters. After a few episodes I was hooked. This anime is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. Story: I think the sheer emotion in Tegami Bachi is what makes it so interesting. Some parts are filled with happiness and joy and others filled with sadness and sorrow. They do a great job of projecting exactly what each character is feeling at that moment. It's one of the few animes that actually brought me to tears. Lag issuch a cry baby that sometimes it's impossible not to cry along with him.
Art: The animation is absolutely stunning. Towns,characters, setting..everything is made to look realistic. You don't have scenery that repeats itself, it's very original. It's some of the best I've ever seen. Despite the dark atmosphere, they do a good job at showing you every emotion through the animation. TBLB's animation is absolutely amazing.
Music: Most of the music is slow,sad, sort of gives you a bitter-sweet kind of feeling.They usually play something that is appropriate for each situation. The only thing I think Tegami Bachi was lacking was some up-beat music. Slow/sad music is great but when you have an action scene, or someone comes to the rescue, they should play music with a faster beat to it. That's my only complaint as far as music goes.
Characters: The protaganist Lag Seeing, brings a new,fresh, exciting feeling to this anime. He may be overly-sensitive but, I feel that he isn't so cliche. He inevitably causes the viewers to feel the same pain,sadness, or happiness that he experiences. As for other characters, they are also very well made. Specifically Gauche Suede, he is a character that every body adores. He's very hard to dislike, and the heart-wrenching twists that come with him keep you watching until the last episode.
Overall: I was impressed and surprised. I never expected so much out of Tegami Bachi. I was expecting a childish cliche anime but instead I got an emotional,heartfelt, stunning story. I've come to respect Tegami Bachi, due to it's grasp of reflecting the characters personal feelings and emotions. It has an entirely different focus then most animes and is definitely worth watching.
Plagus777
Story: 8 - Starts out five years before the present setting (meaning Ep 2 is five years in the future) so impressions on the first episode may not be valid, try watching to the second before you make your opinion. - Various side stories introducing many side characters, these are used to build the main characters - Base story plot is about a boy working hard to be the best at his job while searching for a missing older brother figure Art: 7 - Nice character designs, monster animations are well doneSound: 8
- Excellent voice acting (I am a Jun Fukuyama fanboy thus giving every anime with him as a voice role a +1 point in sound.)
- OP and ED songs do not stick out to me, they were not bad at all
- Never remembered any BGMs to this anime, thus I come to the conclusion that it isn't anything special
- I have found Steak's animal sounds slightly irritating...
Character: 8
- Most of the mains are nicely built stable characters, side characters come and go
- Protagonist might cry too much for some viewers but it is forgivable. Makes something annoying humorous and tolerable which is something very difficult to do, all credits are to the Protagonist of course.
Enjoyment: 7
- Not the first thing I wanted to go to when I had the chance to watch anything
- Never really bored me, although I skipped a few filler minutes to the end to speed things up, to be honest I never lost anything important in the middle so all is well
- Gets really interesting at the end, leaves you anticipating the next season
- You 'like' the characters. Yep, just like. You might love Lag and Niche however.
By all means, if you have some spare time check it out. If you have a decent attention span, you'll be able to swallow it (and enjoy it). Check it out for the second season, I think it's worth investing your time. Don't expect yourself to go out of your way to watch it when time is thin and anime is plenty.
Overall: 7
TheFutureIsAni1
Hands down, was surprised how much I love this anime series. When I started to watch it, it remind me of Violet Evergarden with postal service. I love how this show was great adventure story/ scientific with little of slice of life mix into it, meaning that it had a lot of heart with the characters and story-line. That being say the story-line was very unoriginal meaning it wasn't just a boy going to postal service to deliver letters. It had alot of mystery around the main character Lae Seeeing and the whole Letter Bee service. Hands down I love this series and highly recommend toany one who loves slice of life mix with adventure.
CheeseKnife
I did not expect to get invested in this like I did... Story (7.5/10) Upon originally reading the synopsis I had no particular interest in watching this, but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance. Reviewing this at the half way point of the story, I have to keep in mind that there are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding various part of the story and characters, motivations, details, etc. That being said, the prologue and set up combined with the atmosphere of this fantasy world, along with the concept of letter bees is fairly intriguing. It's like if Violet Evergarden wasset in fantasy world and functioned under shounen-esque rules. The overarching narrative is not completed in this first season, however the direction is clear. My only concern is the speed in which we are getting there, as this first season was 25 episodes and it feels like we haven't gotten very far. That's partly due to the episodic nature after the opening arc, but I hope this doesn't come back to hurt the overarching plot later on.
Art (6.5/10)
The character designs (7) and backgrounds (8) of this show are quite good, especially the backgrounds. My only real complaint is with the action sequences, they can be a little stiff and the use of CG for the gaichuu (monsters) is somewhat jarring and doesn't look all that great (4.5). But overall, considering the time this came out, it's pretty decent.
Sound (8/10)
Both OPs and EDs are really good. The classical OST is very appropriate for this setting, it helps with creating the dark/mysterious atmosphere about the whole show. That being said, I wish that the soundtrack was larger. I felt like I kept hearing a lot of the same tunes over and over again, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I just wish there was more of it to enjoy.
Character (5.5/10)
It's unfortunate to say this about a shounen but I found the characters to be the weakest part of this production (par the CGI). Lag is typical idealistic kid, and a bit of a crybaby, and he doesn't have much that defines him outside of being a pure little angel. However, that isn't to say that he does grow up and learn a lot through his journey and deliveries. Then we have Niche who has about 2 brain cells (yes I know she's a kid) and is the comic relief character and is pretty much solely defined by her dedication to Lag. The people Lag meets throughout the show usually end up with more development than him by the end of it (a bit of an exaggeration). Gauche is the character who probably has the most interesting story and yet he doesn't get nearly as much screen time, at least in this first season.
Enjoyment (7.5/10)
My enjoyment varied of the show waned during the middle when it started becoming episodic during the "letter of the week" portion of the story, but the final few episodes and particularly the first half had me engrossed, curious to see how this is managed in the second season (as it appears to be a direction continuation of the first with no real resolution in this first season). What really captured my attention was the vibe of the setting, largely enhanced by the music and the dark backgrounds. From what I gather, this series was made before the completion of the manga so I expect the second season to contain either an original ending or just leave me on a complete cliffhanger...we shall see.
Overall (7/10)
If you're a fan of older anime series (I consider anything over 10 years old as old) and want to check out something a little out of the way, I highly recommend you at least give this a go. It's a slightly unconventional fantasy story that can totally absorb you if you let it. The episodes run at about 20 min a piece which is slightly shorter than the normal 22-25 min and it feels like it too. As this is another older series I'm writing about I doubt anybody is reading this, or have read to this point of the review, but if you just so happen to be reading this, please give this series a chance.
Thanks for reading!
guhahahaha
Definitely my go-to-list if anyone asked about the first anime to make me cry. While yes the MC is the most crybaby MC I have ever encountered, it's kinda justifiable if you read the manga. The OPs and EDs are definitely superb and compliment the story. Tegami Bachi world setting is definitely one of the most out-of-the-box I've seen. A Sunless world, where the Sun is a mere fairytale. A world of cat-eyed humans who seek to get closer to the artificial Sun. A world where memories and emotion matter the most. Also big insect monsters?! I'm sold. While it looks like a simple or childish story,its depth is good and shows us how precious the work of Letter Bee.
