And here’s the second sleeper pick debuting today, an original from Studio Nut. NegaPosi Angler is yet another show about adults, though the protagonist is barely one (college age) and doesn’t seem to be working. Nut has actually done some pretty good work on the production side, though not much of it has been to my taste so far. Directing is Uemura Yutaka, a Gainax veteran with a bit of a mixed track record. And writing (the most important person on an original, as you know) is Suzuki Tomohiro. He has a very good resume when it comes to adaptations, not much of one when it comes to originals (Double Decker – which I kind of liked – is the only one I’m seeing).
I’ll say this for NegaPosi Angler, it hits the ground running. We immediately start off with a couple of huge societal problems which anime rarely tackles – suicide and pachinko – at center stage. Sasaki Tsunehiro is trying to hang himself in his dingy apartment and fails – as he tells us he does at everything. This is drawn and animated as if it were a comic scene, which is certainly a bold choice. As it turns out Tsunehiro has been told he has only two years to live (without treatment – we’re not told if he’s being treated, but he acts like it’s a done deal). His only pleasure in life seems to be pachinko.
There was a rash of shows about five or six years ago really playing up the Gainax vibe, but that’s gotten rarer lately as the old-timers work less and the others become assimilated by the larger creative gene pool. Negative Positive Angler is a throwback, then. Uemura (a legit Gainax showrunner) is not the only alumnus working on it, and the aesthetic and animation are pure Gainax. For an original without any huge names or an obvious hook (heh) this series seems to have a solid budget – it looks pretty damn good.
The story – and characters – grew on me over its run. Tsunehiro winds up being accosted by debt collectors at his pachinko hall, his master strategy of piling up debt since he’s on the clock anyway clearly backfiring. Fleeing them he winds up diving into Tokyo Bay, and is eventually scooped up by a group of anglers on their way out to a breakwater. When he wakes up they’re already casting. It’s a superficially pretty typical group of anime oddballs, headed up by the friendly and gregarious Tsutsujimori Takaki. But Tsunehiro’s eye is drawn to Ayukawa Hana, the plucky girl who eventually insists that he take a try at casting himself.
I’m not especially knowledgeable or sentimental about fishing – I fished with my Dad a few times as a kid (Lake Michigan or the Skokie Lagoons) but not at all seriously. But of course one of my favorite anime of all-time (Tsuritama) is fishing-themed. And it’s not really about the fishing – it’s about a loser who’s given up on life becoming part of something that gives him a bit of hope. And I did like the way Uemura and Suzuki used Hiro’s (if Takaki is going with it so will I) hopelessness and desperation as the means by which he becomes a better angler.
All of the fishing group (Takaki and Hana are the only ones who really stand out so far) – except the boss, also a member – being part-timers at the same combini is an interesting element. One gets the sense this show is going to have a philosophical bent to it, and indeed many fishing stories seem to (it’s a rather contemplative activity). It’s all going to come down to the writing but I definitely see potential here, and the visuals seemingly will more than carry their weight. NegaPosi Angler is definitely one to keep an eye on, as seemed to be the case from the time it was announced.
Casey W
October 4, 2024 at 11:33 pmI enjoyed this one, for a lot of reasons that you mentioned — it’s an original, it’s about adults, it touches on some topics that most anime series don’t. I’m a little bit thrown by the character designs, as every member of the fishing crew seems to have been drawn by a different designer; but that’s better than the same-face problem that a lot of shows have, and there’s plenty of time to get used to them as their characters are introduced.
I will say that the show won me over with its antagonists. There’s something charming about sinister but incompetent gangsters.
Panino Manino
October 5, 2024 at 1:42 amThis was really good, seems like sure fun.
I just hope that in the end the protagonist dies.
Joshua
October 5, 2024 at 6:12 amLast year’s mecha corporate/environmental thriller Bullbuster from the same studio NUT was probably one of the most underrated shows of 2023 bar none. Blue Giant was also really good too. So I am pinning for NegaPosi to get a good catch as this season progresses.
Twig
October 5, 2024 at 6:33 amWhat a delightful first episode. Really likeable characters, cool presentation, and a quirky take on some fairly hefty issues. I can genuinely see this being my favourite show of the season if it keeps this level of quality.
Nicc
October 7, 2024 at 9:41 amAlright, let’s go fishing. It’s something that I’ve done before along with crabbing, catching smelt and harvesting oysters. It’s a seafood bounty up here.
None of that is on Sasaki Tsunehiro’s mind as he’s just barely getting by in life, which may not go on for much longer. He’s had a bad run in life and his doctor told him that he has just two years left to live. Debts are piling up and he decides to end it all, but it fails. Yes, it seems to have been played for laughs. Right, about the only thing he enjoys in life seems to be pachinko (Good timing…).
Alas, some debt collectors meet him there and demands that he pays up. He seems to have run into some good luck as he hits a jackpot, but uses this opportunity to escape. He does seem to have gotten away, but they eventually catch up as he accidentally slips into the water. It seems that it’s all over for him, but he’s picked up by a group of fishermen who he passed by earlier on. Right, it’s a group of oddballs that picked him up and took him to a breakwater. It’s going to be a really long swim if he wants to get back to the city now and so he’s going to have hang out there for some time.
The other anglers get a brief introduction while the focus is on Tsutsujimori Takaki and then Ayukawa Hana (We’ve got a late entry for a “Anime Hair of the Year” candidate). Takaki seems to be expedition leader and he is indeed friendly and gregarious. Hana doesn’t quite have his social graces and so it seems she’s pushing Sasaki to try fishing. He’s quickly taught the ropes and then he’s casting off. And, he does it again and again. Yes, the discussion about the point of fishing eventually comes up, which seems to put Takaki into a philosophical crisis and then Sasaki does finally catch a fish. It’s a mackerel and it’s the first catch of the day amongst the group. He then hooks a badly CG-rendered sea bass, but cannot hang on to it.
However, it’s a sign of things to come as the bigger fish drive up the smaller fish to the surface. Sasaki doesn’t catch any more fish as the others are reeling them in. The debt collectors were able to track him down, but a phone call from Hana sends them back to shore. Daybreak comes and it’s time to go home. For some, it’s starting with their dayjobs. Yep, they seem to be part-timers at convenience store. As agreed, Takaki drives Sasaki home, only to find out it has been demolished overnight. I guess the good news is that he cannot receive any more bills? I liked what I’ve seen so far and so I’ll cast another reel for a second episode.