“And we thought we caught something, but when we reeled it in, it was a person!”

Back when this anime season started, I only wrote two first impressions reviews. I can’t put my finger on why my initial output was so limited, but I decided to attempt to cover a sizable number of shows this season. How Negative Positive Angler got on that list is hard to explain. I hadn’t even sampled it, so I think the best explanation is that I saw there was a show getting a decent reception, but covered a topic I had no interest in, and figured I should see whether it could… hook me. Okay, look, that’s the term I’d use if I was discussing any other show! I was most of the way through the sentence before I realized I was about to hit a pun, and screw it, I’m sticking to my guns.

Usually, when I dive into a slice of life or sports series, I either have some affinity for the subject matter or no familiarity whatsoever. Negative Positive Angler is one of the rare times where I watch a show about a topic that I actively dislike. While this proves to be an albatross around its neck when the series focuses on its character dynamics, there is still a lot to enjoy. 

The show follows Tsunehiro Sasaki, an aimless college student who lost his money through cocky market speculation and then discovers he is projected to only have two years to live. One evening, while fleeing his loan sharks, he accidentally falls into the sea. He wakes to find he had been fished out of the sea by a group of local recreational fishers who gradually help get him back on his feet and introduce him to a new passion.

Tsunehiro is an interesting lead, given the fact that he’s pretty unlikable early on. While his bleak outlook is understandable, many of his non-health related issues are of his own doing. However, while the character may occasionally try to reject that responsibility, the show itself doesn’t. In this regard, the show uses fishing as an example of how a hobby can center oneself and allow an individual to look forward. That’s a strong setup for a more casual show like this, even if my interest in the subject matter is limited at best.

The secondary cast is broad and eclectic as well, sometimes to a fault. Tsunehiro joins the staff of a local convenience store, which carries fishing supplies and employs much of the cast. Some of the cast feel appropriately grounded while still being silly, like the adaptable older brother of the group Takaaki Tsutsujimori, or the fishing-obsessed teenager Hana Ayukawa. Then you have characters like Fujishiro, a pint-sized, balding, chibi of a man who seemingly only speaks in profound observations. I’m willing to say that none of the cast annoyed me, but I think the show could have benefitted from either removing or consolidating one or two of these side characters. The show does take time to give each of them a bit of backstory and exploration, but it does feel truncated in some instances. This is an issue that I think comes up often for anime original stories, so while it could be worse, I think one or two characters were only there because someone thought the character design was funny.

The production was handled by Studio Nut. They gained a bit of attention for their questionably named (especially given the studio’s name) mecha anime Bullbuster last year. However, their best known title is probably their first one, Yojo Senki: Saga of Tonya the Evil, a show I enjoyed, but unfortunately languishes on my ever expanding “Unfinished” pile. Regarding their work on Negative Positive Angler, I found the production values to be impressively polished given its coming from a newer studio with a limited filmography.

The one issue I had with the aesthetic can be linked to an earlier narrative complaint. The character designs can sometimes be ridiculously eclectic, and it can disrupt the immersion when a meditative moment is punctuated by the appearance of balding, middle-aged Crayon Shin-chan. The show also employs some CG animation, which is a bit of a trend among the studio’s work, but it mainly uses it to depict the detailed and mechanically complex fishing reels with greater fidelity. When one aims to blend 2d and 3d animation, I always favor this approach.

I almost feel bad about skipping the OP and ED as much as I did, because, frankly, the opening kinda bops. I have a single issue which prevented me from listening to it regularly, and it was the digital effects layered on top of the vocals. It can get a little abrasive. 

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• Fishing is one of those activities that just can’t catch a break with me. I like eating fish, but it’s more cost efficient to just purchase it, and doing so saves you the trouble of gutting the fish. Catch-and-release is even less appealing to me, since it removes the only incentive I’d have. Plus, regardless of the approach, I find the activity dull. I’ve known plenty of people who like fishing and find it meditative, Jimmy included, but it sits alongside camping as one of those activities that seemed appealing as a kid, and yet I rarely enjoyed doing.
• Studio Nut also produced Deca-Dence, a show I was about 90% certain I didn’t write a review for. Evidently, I was mistaken. It’s odd rereading that review, as I now know of the twist that presumably explains away a handful of the issues I had with that premiere. 
• I just learned the singular form of cours is cours… I’m really irritated since I believe I’ve been mistakenly using cour far too often.

Negative Positive Angler seems to be targeting a particular niche which I am definitely not a part of. If you enjoy fishing or are curious about the subject, and would like to watch a well-constructed comedy/drama featuring it then I can wholeheartedly recommend this series to you. If you aren’t interested in the topic, then you may still find enjoyment in the characters and drama, but it’s a far more tentative recommendation in that case.

Score: 3.5/5