Anime Review: Tsuritama
Yuki Sanada is a high school student who has no friends and limited social skills. Whenever he’s in an uncomfortable social situation, Yuki freezes up with anxiety, depicted as him drowning. From the outside, his anxiety face makes him look wrathful and unapproachable. It doesn’t help that his grandmother’s job requires them to move frequently, so no one has really gotten the time to break through his shell.
Then Yuki’s grandmother gets a position at the Samuel Cocking Botanical Garden on the island of Enoshima,, southeast of Tokyo. They are soon joined by an odd young man named Haru, who claims to be an alien. To Yuki’s discomfort, Haru wants to be his friend, and isn’t taking “no” for an answer. Haru also has the notion that Yuki should take up fishing.
They soon run into Natsuki Usami, a local boy who’s an expert fisherman with daddy issues, and are observed by Akira, who despite the Japanese name appears to be from India, and be working for a certain organization….
Haru’s on the island for a reason, and this becomes more evident as the series goes along and ships start disappearing, only to return with the crews…changed.
This is a story about the power of friendship, how it can improve your life and maybe even save the world. It’s also a story about fishing (the title could translate as “Fishing Ball.”) The real world location of Enoshima is lovingly drawn, giving this show a strong sense of place. And despite the island being a resort town with beaches, the fanservice is kept to a pleasing minimum.
The more comedic elements, such as the secret alien hunting organization DUCK, whose biohazard suits make them look like Peeps bunnies, tend to clash with the seriousness of the plotline in the last few episodes. And the fact that no one’s been doing anything about Yuki’s social anxiety problem, even his otherwise caring grandmother, until Haru comes along, is distressing.
This series is best suited for young adults, I think. Parents should be aware that there’s a scene where Natsuki slaps his sister during an argument, and she runs away (just as it becomes known that people are disappearing.) It’s a short series at twelve episodes, so should be suitable for people who don’t want to invest a lot of time.
