Airing on the busiest day of a very busy season raises the coverage threshold for a series, no denying that. But I do like NegaPosi Angler so far. it’s dealing with some grown-up themes in pretty interesting fashion. The Gainax visuals are nostalgic in a good way. And it had a determinedly odd rhythm to it that I can’t quite figure out. I’ve said it many times, it’s not enough for a show to be original or distinctive – it has to be good too. But it does help to break ties…

It’s a testament to just what a tuned-out loser Sasaki-san has become that he didn’t even realize his apartment building was being torn down. Given that he was effectively squatting I guess it’s not that surprising, but there are things about this guy that don’t add up yet. I can’t shake the idea that there’s more to his medical situation that we’ve been let in on, for starters. We’ll get there eventually I’m sure. For now, Sasaki is homeless – though the demolition crew was nice enough to set his (meager) belongings off to the side. Only in Japan.

Fortunately for Tsunehiro, Tsutsujimori-san happens along – and happens to be a fundamentally nice guy. He lets Hiro crash at his place, a sort of 1K fishing museum. Hiro insists he has a “plan” to get his financial situation sorted out (maybe the plan is just kicking off but that didn’t seem to be his meaning). He doesn’t flat-out tell Takaaki that he’s living under a terminal prognosis but he hints at it, and it clearly doesn’t sit well with Takaaki. He offers to get Sasaki a part-time gig at the mysterious fishing combini.

This is kind of a Red Cat Ramen situation here. The manager (we met him on the fishing trip) wants to hire Tsunehiro specifically because he says he hates fishing (so he’ll have someone to cover shifts when the rest of them go angling). This rather crosses up Tsunehiro, who was trying to talk himself out of having to work. Not only is he hired, but Hana immediately invites (orders) him along an an afternoon expedition the next day. She’s angling (pun intended) for revenge for his hooking the bigger sea bass. The group heads to a commercial fishing pond (these seem immensely popular in Japan) and challenges him to catch as many as she does.

From there it’s pretty much another fishing tutorial. This time it’s using bait (not live) and hooks, along with a bamboo rod. The kind of fishing you’d expect to see Opie Taylor doing in Mayberry at the swimmin’ hole. The core theme here is not subtle. Sasaki has lost all interest in being alive, and these oddballs have taken it on themselves to get him passionate about their passion. Which, let’s be honest, is a pretty universal impulse. But I sense there are subtler things happening just below the surface (pun intended) which could take the story into deeper waters (pun intended). I’m still not fully hooked (pun intended), but I am finding NegiPosi Angler pretty interesting.