NegaPosi Angler – Episode 02

Episode Synopsis:

Hiro’s apartment is destroyed due to rezoning (aka he didn’t pay his rent and ignored the people who came to discuss his eviction). With nowhere to go, he ends up in Takaaki Tsutsujimori’s apartment for the evening. The next day Takaaki gets him a job at the Everymart, which is full of fishing supplies and the people he met on the breakwater. After loudly declaring that he hates fishing during his interview he’s taken to an amusement park by Hina. Instead of riding roller coasters and eating stall food, he and the other anglers head to the back to fish in a pool that’s been transformed into a pond. During this time he has a spark of interest in the techniques of fishing and realizes he might not dislike it as much as he thinks.

Review:

I really enjoyed Episode 01 of this show and found the characters likeable from the get-go. With that being said my general stance on fishing is:

So I was curious if the show would find a way to change that as we progress. Holy macaroni, here is Episode 02, I am already intrigued. I hate to say it but I was always under the impression that fishing was for old dudes with those silly hats (you know what I’m talking about).

It continues to help that everyone in the angler group is a kind hearted person. Hiro is a total stranger, yet the group loves fishing so much that it brings them joy just to incorporate new blood into the sport. In fact, this entire episode pivots on the fact that it hurts Hina to hear that Hiro doesn’t like fishing, and she’s fired up to prove to him that his opinion is wrong.

Like Scott, I enjoy the oddball mix of character designs in this show. Hina looks like something out of Eureka Seven, while Ice looks like she belongs in some 80’s show. I also love the little reveal in this episode that Ice is Taiwanese (she exclaims something in what appears to be Taiwanese Hokkein (I only able to recognize the Taiwanese characters (not the language itself) in my subtitles to figure this out)). It’s a subtle thing that I won’t have any bearing on the story, but it was a nice bit of character building that didn’t require her to outwardly explain her ethnicity. That’s the kind of stuff I love in storytelling!

I was curious how much of the show was going to be “edutainment” about fishing and fish prep. The bulk of this teaching comes from the trip to the amusement park where Hiro learns how to deal with bigger, stronger fish. I greatly enjoyed the informative colored-pencil-like drawing cutaways. What Hina teaches is the fishing equivalent of “a poor carpenter blames his tools”. Hiro struggles to catch much of anything and really struggles when it comes to catching a big salmon, and then blames it on his “flimsy bamboo rod”. Hina discusses techniques to work with any rod, and later on discusses how to prepare a fish that one has caught. In an age where we are consuming endless processed food and probably dying of microplastics, it’s a lovely thing to be reminded that we still have the ability to catch and prep our own food if we are diligent enough and have the resources/time.

Another item I want to point out is the strong balance between serious and playful that the the show is towing the line of. There’s a dark cloud over Hiro who is essentially suicidal and content to gamble away every penny he owns as he awaits his eventual death. His snide remarks about death trouble Taakaki who scolds him for his attitude, and the end of the episode hits hard. We realize that even if Hiro has found a moment of happiness with his new friends, his problems are lurking right around the corner. It’s only been two episodes, but I hope the show continues to play with these two pieces throughout because it paints a picture of what real life is like for many people.

Summary:

Dang, I’m kinda interested in fishing now and I already love this group. I hope Hiro is able to open up to the other anglers and starts to see some light in life. Also…now I am ashamed of my store bought, farm raised salmon fillet. I bet it’s full of microplastics…

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