Mary Mosman Software Engineer, Instructor, & Curriculum Designer

Tegami Bachi

Basic Info

poster

Tegami Bachi

Japanese Title: テガミバチ

Producer: Pierrot

Director: Akira Iwanaga

Watch online at Crunchyroll

Music

  • はじまりの日 (Day of Beginnings)

    Suga Shikao

    1st opening theme

  • ラブレターのかわりにこの詩を (This Poem In Place of the Love Letter)

    Seira

    2nd opening theme

  • 果てなき道 (Endless Road)

    HIMEKA

    1st ending theme

  • 光の記憶 (Memories of the Light)

    Angelo

    2nd ending theme

Overall Thoughts

I had started reading the manga for this a year or so ago, as it was available electronically from the library. Somewhere along the way I got distracted and quit, but then bumped into this randomly browsing through the Crunchyroll A-Z listings. I remembered the story being pretty cool, so decided to check it out & haven’t been disappointed.

The story is full of a lot of heart, and a few episodes have been so sweet!!! The Letter Bee’s have dingos or animal companions (not literal dingos) that accompany them and one episode in particular about a Bee and her companion had me in tears on the couch as the kitties were all trying to comfort me, which then only made me cry more…

I haven’t been very sure how to describe things plot-wise through a good chunk of the early show, but that didn’t really affect my enjoyment of it. The episodic nature of the show made it really easy to pop in and out of while busy with other things. Yet there is clearly an over-arching mysterious plot that’s connecting things and I like the slow reveal and mystery of it.

Episodes

Beware! There may be spoilers in the content below!

  • 1 - Letter and Letter Bee

    Japanese Title: テガミとテガミバチ (Tegami to Tegamibachi)

    Status: watched

    Last seen on: May 11, 2019

    Summary

    The story begins with 18-year-old Gauche Suede, a Letter Bee, arriving to pick up his latest package. However, he was surprised to find his letter to be a little boy named Lag Seeing. Lag has just lost his mother, who has been taken to Akatsuki, AmberGround's capital, and the boy is to be delivered to his aunt's residence in Campbell Litus. Along the way, the Letter Bee tells the boy briefly about his job and the Gaichuu he has to repel. After a mishap regarding Lag unwittingly firing Gauche's weapon, the Shindanjuu, Gauche takes the boy to a cave to rest for the night. After Lag has recurring dreams regarding Gauche's lifestyle and his sister Sylvette, the boy wakes up to discover Gauche and his Dingo Roda lying exhausted from a fight with numerous Gaichuu.

  • 2 - My Friends

    Japanese Title: ぼくの友達 (Boku no Tomodachi)

    Status: watched

    Last seen on: May 11, 2019

    Summary

    Lag, Gauche and Roda continue their journey. Lag starts to warm up to Gauche and Roda, but he is still intent on finding his mother and asks Gauche to bring him along to Akatsuki if he becomes Head Bee. However Gauche sticks to his duty as Letter Bee and does not want to have any connections with the boy. Lag becomes upset and steals Gauche's Shindanjuu while he's asleep to head for the capital, but is lost and falls into a sand trap by a Gaichuu Bucker. Gauche arrives in time to save Lag and shoots the Gaichuu, but he misses as it's too far. They prepare for another shot and Lag reveals a spirit amber in his left eye, which strengthens the Shindanjuu and destroy the Gaichuu. Later, Lag carries an injured Gauche all the way to town. Three days passed and Gauche has trouble getting supplies as the townspeople are wary of outsiders. Lag brings food and water before they leave. Lag and Gauche have a touching moment as Gauche finally treats him as a friend. As Lag bids farewell to Gauche, he shouts that he will be a Letter Bee like him someday. Five years later, Lag prepares to embark on his promise to be a Letter Bee.

  • 3 - Crybaby Boy, Letter Girl

    Japanese Title: 泣き虫少年、テガミ少女 (Nakimushi Shōnen, Tegami Shōjo)

    Status: watched

    Last seen on: May 13, 2019

    Summary

    During the five years, Lag lives with his aunt Sabrina, while studying hard to be a Letter Bee. Eventually he passes the preliminary exams and is granted an interview at the Yuusari region. After bidding goodbye to his aunt and the townspeople, Lag takes off with Connor, a regular Letter Bee at Campbell Litus, to the train station to head for Yuusari. Lag stumbles onto a little girl sitting inside a niche in the station and notices her mailing label, however the delivery details are unclear. Lag decides to part ways with Connor and deliver the girl to her destination himself before heading for the interview. When Lag tries to get her name, the girl tells him that she has many aliases. Lag decides to name her Niche from their first encounter, which she accepts.

  • 4 - Lag's Dingo

    Japanese Title: ラグのディンゴ (Ragu no Dingo)

    Status: watched

    Last seen on: May 13, 2019

    Summary

    Lag and Niche reach the town they were looking for and find the address Niche is delivered to, a freak circus named "Love Someone Down". They discover that the animals used to perform in the circus have been mistreated. Niche is handed over to the circus ringleader and she bids farewell to Lag. Before leaving for Yuusari, Lag forgets to have the receiver sign the delivery receipt and heads back. After obtaining information on the circus's newest exhibit, which is actually Niche, Lag rushes back just in time to see Niche destroying the circus and releasing all the animals. He goes after her into Broccoli Forest, which is Gaichuu territory. Lag finds Niche with a Gaichuu, but she handles herself easily and cuts the creature's head off. The Gaichuu continues its attack and injures Niche. This causes Lag to fire a Shindan into the Gaichuu, destroying it, while Niche sees Lag's memories. Niche decides to become Lag's Dingo, while an escaped animal from the circus, whom she calls Steak, goes with them.

  • 5 - Dead End Town

    Japanese Title: 行き止まりの町 (Ikidomari no Machi)

    Status: watched

    Last seen on: May 17, 2019

    Summary

    Lag and Niche arrive in the town of Kyrie, where it is the place that crosses over to Yuusari, and also a dead end town where few travelers visit. They meet a girl named Neri, who gets interested in them and offers to take them to the town's only inn. However, after checking in, Lag realizes that Neri has made off with his bag, intending to use his crossing pass to go to Yuusari. She attacks Lag and tells him that the reason for stealing his pass is to send a letter to a Letter Bee named Jiggy Pepper, whom she hates for abandoning her and her brother Nero, who died in his absence. After alerting the townspeople's attention, they attack Neri and take the pass for themselves. Niche arrives in the nick of time and defeat the townspeople, but Neri recovers and snatches the pass, running all the way to the bridge to Yuusari, while Lag and Niche go after her. A mysterious man named Largo Lloyd becomes interested in Lag and Niche.