Negative Positive Angler is good, and it has been for a while now. I think this is the first episode, though, where it started to tie the two threads of its personality together. Mostly this has been a light and wistful show with a very chill vibe (befitting a fishing series). But of course it has an extremely dark element hanging over all that. It dominated the first couple of eps but has largely been ignored since. Out of sight – mostly – but not out of mind, I think. Not ours, and certainly not Hiro’s either.

The rollout of the two supporting characters continues here, with two more background figures becoming full-fledged characters. They’re both from Thailand – Ice (Tomatsu Haruka, who manages to be great in just about anything), and Arua (Hirose Yuuya). She’s a model, he’s a chef-in-training. Arua calls Ice “Nee-san” but it’s not clear to me whether they’re actually siblings or (probably) just friends from their homeland. Arua’s focused not so much on the fishing, it seems (though he partakes) but on the preparation.

Ice is a pretty dynamic figure to say the least. She speaks both Japanese and Chinese fluently (and Thai, presumably). She puts that skill to use when a Chinese customer has Hiro flailing. Typically for a Japanese he tries to address the man in (poor) English and seems not to make the connection that he’s not speaking English, but Chinese. Mind you Chinese folks don’t generally show up in Japan expecting the locals to understand the language, but it’s a funny scene. Ice also models in an astonishing range of looks (she’s a cosplay veteran) and thoroughly embraces life. Hiro likes and admires her for it, but of course she calls to attention all his self-perceived character flaws.

Ice’s seize-the-day mentality is a catalyst in forcing Hiro to think more forcefully about his own situation. She decides the group should do Tai (tairaba, red sea bream fishing), which Hiro mistakenly assumes to mean a trip to Thailand. I found this episode pretty relatable for a couple of reasons, the first being that I absolutely love tai. I’m not a huge seafood lover but that particular fish is fantastic. I’m also subject to seasickness, and learned the hard way that if there’s any doubt, pop the Dramamine. Seasickness is the only thing in my life that’s literally made me wish I were dead – it’s indescribably awful. I was on a whale-watching boat in Maui once that had a bunch of Navy guys on board who got violently sick, it was so rough – that was probably the worst.

The tairaba itself is pure Negaposi Angler slice of life goodness. Ice and Hiro have some very frank conversations, and the total contrast they make is fascinating. Eventually Hiro impulsively asks Ice what she’s do if she found out she only had two years to live. Her answer is pretty typical for a positive-thinking extrovert like her, but the part that really gets to Hiro is her conviction that she’d owe it to the folks close to her to let them know. Hiro can’t escape the implications of what she’s saying, and that’s compounded by the fact that these seem to the first people (perhaps outside his immediate family, but even that’s not definite) he’s ever been close to.

Ice’s idea to throw Hiro a welcome party is probably a misread of why he asked her the questions he did, but it still hits hard. What’s becoming clear here is that even before his diagnosis and his descent into debt and poverty, he was always a loner. This group of oddballs is probably the closest thing he’s ever had to a real support system, and that’s a problem. All this – the gang, the interest in fishing – is giving Hiro something to miss. It’s giving him an appreciation for a life he’d devalued to the point where he didn’t think he’d miss it.

For me Negaposi Angler is definitely trending upwards, and that’s from a fairly high base. It always seemed likely the show had another gear it would eventually shift into, as pleasant as the SoL stuff has been. We’re starting to see that happen, and the writing here is perceptive and smart enough that I’m very curious to see how the series tackles the big questions it’s already starting to pose. I’m also really enjoying the cheeky visuals, and that reinforces something elseI’m picking up more and more. This show is reminiscent of Gainax (it has veterans in key roles), but a less-remembered style – one Anno Hideaki was quite adept at. That adds a nice little twist of nostalgia to an already tasty cocktail.