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[series:4840#628] | ||||||
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(Rent- or Watch+) (All episodes watched): "It might just change your life!" Hana says to Sasaki about angling. This seems to be one of those shows which combines a plot with a good deal of instruction about how to do a certain thing, in this case angling. I learned a good deal about everything from how lines are prepared and cast, why small fish form 'schools', and how expensive the hobby is likely to be. It wasn't clear whether Sasaki's illness was incurable or if he just couldn't possibly afford the expensive treatments that would be needed to heal him. His attempt, early in episode one, to commit suicide was more disturbing than funny. The message I got was that whoever wrote this story knew little or nothing about mental illness and as a result whatever healing Sasaki achieves might be hard to take seriously. He's definitely a quick learner and before long even draws some existential conclusions--"I run so that I can live!"--though I didn't quite understand what he meant. For some reason some of the characters are displayed as strange superdeformed charicatures whereas others are not, which annoyed me. Apparently all or most of the members of this informal angling club all work at the same convenience store, 'Everymart'. I bet 'Hiro', as they call him, will wind up working there as well, especially given the surprise that is waiting for him when Takaaki drives him home (his run-down apartment building has been demolished). It seems that this story will center on Hiro, Hana and Takaagi rather than try to include the entire oddball angling club, and that seems like a good idea to me, so I suppose I will continue to watch for now. Takaaki arranges a job interview for destitute Hiro at Everymart, which turns out to be a convenience store designed for anglers. He's hired despite--actually because--he swears he has no interest in angling. Hana overhears this and forces him to come along on a trip to an amusement park with a curious attraction. We learn how fish are gutted and why lures need to be adjusted, among other things. I found myself modestly enjoying this; it is kind of amusing and I learn new things. Hiro hasn't shared his one grim secret with the other anglers. He's supposed to be a college student but hasn't shown up for classes for a good while, perhaps because he got his diagnosis. Maybe he'll be inspired by his new friends and the peace of mind that comes with angling to resume his studies. In episode three there's a competition that will award a million yen (around $10,000) to whoever can catch a 'houndshark', and Hiro hopes to use that to pay off his debts. We see how he got in trouble via amateur online investing, which worked OK for a while then went badly wrong for him. He still hasn't revealed his illness, and was probably the healthiest person when the loan collectors spotted him and gave chase. In episode four we learn about Hana's background and about how different sorts of lures work. In episode five Sasaki tries to curry favor with a cute coworker by buying all sorts of expensive fishing gear that he doesn't really need. I wonder what the main conflict of this show will be; the fight between Sasaki and his illness, or maybe his fight to become a better angler? I wish it were more clear. But the characters remain likable and the jokes are OK. In episode six we learn about 'tai' fishing, a deepwater but not too difficult variation, and also about Ice, the superdeformed woman with the pale green hair. It turns out that she is from Thailand and is a model and a cosplayer in addition to an angler. Sasaki drifts closer to revealing his health problem to his new friends but doesn't actually do so. In episode seven the characters wonder about Mr. Fujishiro, another superdeformed person who works at Everymart yet seems to be surprisingly wealthy. Yet another fishing technique is tried out, and a narator guides us through the episode. In episode eight the divorced manager at Everymart gets a rare day with his son and takes him fishing; the usual characters tag along. I noticed that at one point Ice was briefly illustrated in the same style as the main characters instead of her usual SD one. This show doesn't thrill me but I don't mind watching it. In episode nine a typhoon with torrential rain is sweeping over Tokyo and the staff of Everymart cluster in the backroom while Hiro runs the store. By chance the rain-soaked bill collector team walks in and recognizes him, but doesn't react as one might expect. Maybe they have already given up all hopes of getting the money Hiro owes back. Surely this show must be nearing a conclusion, but episodes tend to describe new fishing techniques and develop supporting characters more rather than drive Hiro's basic problem--his illness--towards a conclusion. This couldn't be a two-season show, could it? Things start to get serious in episode ten, as Takaaki realizes that Hiro has some sort of serious health problem. It turns out his younger brother once was in a similar situation, and as a result he became estranged from his family. Takaaki disappears, and Hiro is convinced that the best way to find him is to go fishing--Perhaps, but you will both need to be fishing in the same place. At any rate, Hiro seems more interested in catching a good sized Sea Bass than finding Takaaki. He does muster the courage to do something which he has been putting off for a long time. Sure enough, in the final episode Hiro and Takaaki meet when they both go to the same place to fish. It was semi cathartic; the two make up after their argument, Takaaki seems to have made peace with his family and his late brother, and Hiro dares to commit to the treatment he had been avoiding. But it also made me wonder, did Hiro really have a terminal illness, or was it just one that would kill him if he didn't undergo treatment? In a postscript after the credits we see that he is alive and well two years on. And did the loan collectors just give up on him? Still, it was an amusing and informative show with colorful characters which I don't regret watching. On the side, two reviewers at ANN rated this show as their favorite of the Fall 2024 season (it was the only show I watched to conclusion which got any mention). Last updated Tuesday, December 31 2024. Created Thursday, October 10 2024. | ||||||||
