© NEGAPOSI-ANGLER PROJECT
Passive Angler Continue to serve sausage after sausage. I was particularly impressed with this week’s script, I might even say it was Tomohiro SuzukiBest show so far. He started to tiger and rabbitand led the derivatives Double layerso there’s no doubt about his talent as an eccentric actor. Negative Posey AnglerYet there’s a cohesive and strong emotional core that doesn’t stray too far in the direction of sweetness or dissatisfaction. In other words, there’s a balance here, floating up and down like a buoy attached to a fishing line.
That balance goes a long way toward this week’s story about Everymart manager Machida. The divorced father’s struggle to connect with his son is common drama territory, and these stories often belittle or idolize the estranged father, with little room in between. I personally can’t understand either side of this equation, but I can understand the disagreement in perspective. In short, both the child and the father view the situation from very different perspectives/life experiences, which, when dramatized, can turn these things into emotional hotbeds, absorbing various personal histories before and after the divorce.
By showing Machida in both a stern and sympathetic light, Negative Posey Angler Transform what might be a rote narrative into a compelling narrative. The really important part is that neither Machida nor Yuu are our POV characters this week. Instead, we experience the day through color commentary provided by three officious narrators, Hana, Takamaki, and Hiro (in order of most excited to least excited about doing this). Machida is their friend and fishing partner, but he’s also their boss. It’s a complicated dynamic, and while they’re eager to see him succeed, they’re not going to take it lightly either. Furthermore, since the audience is unable to peer into Machida’s mind, we are forced to become observers, relying on their dialogue and body language to interpret what is going on behind the scenes.
In this regard, the animation depicts the rich father-son relationship with minimal strokes. We won’t learn “important” details, like why Machida divorced Yu’s mother in the first place, but we’ll be invited to infer a lot. Above all else, Machida is a frustrating character. He is indecisive, clumsy, and rarely lives in the moment. It’s easy to see how these traits could create tension in a marriage, and his inability to properly recall past fishing experiences with Yuu suggests that he wasn’t the most attentive father before the divorce. But at the same time, we can also see that there is no malicious intent in his posturing. he want to The relationship with Yu is relatively good. However, he lacks the basic emotional intelligence to put himself in Yuu’s shoes. In fact, I think this fishing trip was the first time Machida realized Yu was a real person and not just his child.
Yu’s decision to throw the record-breaking snapper back into the water is the crux of the episode. It adds depth to Yuu’s character and shows what a smart and sensitive kid he is. He knows catching a big fish won’t fix his family, but he’s willing to indulge and prolong the fantasy if it maintains his connection to his father. This also supports the overall argument of the anime: fishing is more important than fish. Machida saw this from the shadows and realized that his son loved him so much that he lied to him. Throughout the journey, Machida is haunted by mounting evidence that Yu no longer wants him, making Machida even more desperate and embarrassed. However, Yu did not need Needs his daddy. He wants his daddy. That’s enough.
But unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get Machida out of trouble. By the end of the day, he couldn’t bring himself to take Yuu’s cue to go fishing with his ex. This is the most frustrating scene of the episode and what makes it so great. It avoids a neat ending because that’s not Negative Posey Angler is about. These are flawed people. They are real people. Machida would not mutate into a well-adjusted human just because his son asked him to. If this does happen, it will take time. But maybe an occasional fishing trip with his kinda-terrible dad is what Yuu needs, and maybe that’s okay. In any case, I prefer this subtle uncertainty to happily ever after.
Before I wrap up, let me recap some of the other highlights from the week. I love how the opening dialogue drags out so much that Ace evolves from her blob pattern into her realistically proportioned form. It’s a good comic, as are the superimposed shots of Hana, Gao Ming, and Hiro looking out from corners. Hiro’s contribution to the story is also lovely, and it’s nice to see a third grader’s life more complete than his. Finally, there are a few scenes where we get to see Machida’s eyes behind his glasses, and they’re perfectly placed. It’s not the flashiest animation of the season, but it’s probably the most quietly confident.
grade:
Passive Angler Currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
Steve, now in Blue Sky, agrees. The fish are certainly not afraid of him. You can also see him talking about trash and treasure in Anime of the Week.
