NegaPosi Angler

THE GOOD: The premise of the show is brilliant: if you were choked by debts and only had 2 years to live, you probably wouldn't want to spend most of your remaining time fishing with some newly found friends... and yet, that's EXACTLY what the MC needed to exit his spiral of negativity. It's a refreshing take of a not-so-original idea, that drives you into a psychological and introspective direction to find out what "living" really means. The visuals are solid, especially the character design, and the animation looks good too. The voice acting by Fairouz (Hana) is great, with Iwanaka (Hiro) as close second, but in generalall the cast did a nice job. THE MEH: Pacing is the main problem of the series. All the episodes from 4 to 9 feel almost like filler, with only a few minutes of significant plot and character progression spread across more than 2 hours of runtime. Then you have too many things crammed into the last 3 episodes, which obviously make them look rushed, and ultimately fail to provide proper closure to the two main character arcs (Hiro's and Takaaki's). Mind you, those "filler" episodes are relaxing, have overall good vibes and are nice to watch. But I'm pretty sure the writers could have cut some of the fluff to further the story more and eventually give the audience a well balanced watching experience instead of shoehorning all the drama in the last hour. THE BAD: I won't lie, I didn't like the ending. Without spoiling it, I can only say that the way they handled it undermined the whole premise. They could have pulled it off in a way that was true to the premise, but they didn't... maybe because they didn't have enough runtime left. Also, Hana is just waifu-bait: in the key visuals and trailers she is presented almost as one of the MCs, but she is just a side character, and unlike others in the cast she has zero development. The only MC in the show is Hiro, with Takaaki as co-protagonist. Finally, from a visual perspective, the CGI didn't always blend in nicely, especially when it came to fish rendering and animation. FINAL THOUGHTS: I cannot say I hated the show, but it was a mixed bag for me. If they handled the pacing differently and gave the MCs the attention their arcs required, I would have loved this series. Recommended only if you like fishing, or feel-good vibes, and you're not too nitpicky about story developments.

Negative Positive Angler — When life beats you down and gives you a limited time to live, why not try something that you haven't done before...like fishing? Originality may be a dime a dozen, a pocketful of change when it comes to experimenting with things that aren't as innovative, but it offers a variety in the usual tried-and-true formulas for things already seen, in yet-experimented forms to its own degree of success. And it's in this hindsight to follow up this trend by releasing Nega(tive)Posi(tive) Angler, yet another Kadokawa and studio NUT collaboration since last Fall's unnoticed Bullbuster that has an adult casting but focuses onthe sport that is recreational fishing and its "hook, line, and sinker" on the fragility of human life. Meet Tsunehiro Sasaki, an MC so hit by the brutality of life that you wonder why he is still living in the world. An unsuccessful college student who became a gambler by investing all of his savings into the stock market (which bubbled and burst) and dropped out by night to become a gambler to just waste his life away by borrowing money from loansharks and being chased by them when he failed to pay back the funds, one would really question this young man's existence as a complete failure at life. Not to mention with an incurable disease that he has, and the diagnosis returning to him that he only has 2 years to live, I'm thinking that the Devil has pretty much manifested his life to the point of being cursed once he grows up and becomes a wasted member of society. But out of the ashes, a near-suicide attempt that has Tsunehiro being saved by complete strangers who just so happen to be fishing around the area begins his turning point against the negative Anglers and turning them into positive Anglers to see life anew. The unkempt fishers of a man and woman who saved Tsunehiro's life, both Hana Ayukawa and Takaaki Tsutsujimori are avid fishers who embody everything that is to know about fishermen and women in general: people who go and fish in ridiculous hours just to catch the freshest breed or just catching the opportunity during the seasonal fishing periods to farm for fish of all types, common or rare (or otherwise). They're quite the eccentric duo who are also Senseis in their own right to teach Tsunehiro the 5W1Hs of fishing, which in turn captivates the fishing experience starting from the beginner rookie level. I'd argue to say that fishing in and of itself is quite the art form (apart from its competitive roots), teaching from the usage of baits to even the formation of the fishing lures, which is accessorized based on the skills of the user. Of course, what's a rookie to just learn from the masters themselves when there are the everyday people who also contribute to the fun of fishing as a community altogether? This is the Everyday convenience store mart that sells the typical convenience store food you'd expect, and fishing equipment that is central to the plot as a commune gateway alongside people of manager Machida, to part-timers like Kozue Nishimori, the mysterious veteran of Fujishiro, and siblings of Arua and Ice, all having their personalities contribute to the differing contrast of the cast in totality. But going back to Tsunehiro (because he's the MC alright). Getting his life back up after losing pretty much everything in his life, not to mention losing his life with finite time to live, any sane person would just do nothing and waste their time away awaiting their death sentence in time to come. And though at first Tsunehiro hasn't got the back of a spine to man up and face his troubles head-on (because of the overwhelmingness of his situation), with much convincing from Hana, Takaaki, and the others, the spineless man slowly not just learns the traits of fishing but picks up skills on his own, nurtures it and applies it to his fishing that becomes the centrifugal force of his newfound living, overcoming his negative Anglers to turn it around into positive Anglers, and see life from a whole new and different angle that's worth living again, even if his terminal illness would come and devastate his life unpredictably. This story of the drama picks up slowly and bears fruit and affects others in the same degree, mainly to the saviour of his life, Takaaki, as secrets between both men get intertwined in a way that still honours what the anime's premise sets itself up for in the first place. It's not just drama for the sake of it, but while pushing the buttons may break friendships like such, the reality of overcoming sins and burdens in one's life may be too much to bear, but it must be done regardless towards humanity's harsh climates. For an anime based solely on fishing, I like the incorporation of CGI to give the sense of the actions of fish; from treading in waters to struggling through being pulled by the lures, it gives realism towards the recreational sport. And while studio NUT's production values are nothing to scoff at, it wholly gets its job done playing second fiddle to the plot, which is the star attraction of the show. The music by famed composer Tomoki Kikuya is plenty fine and also does its job for a not-so-chill anime that has its chill moments at the right times. But the OST is quite the miss with Van de Shop's OP, which is A LOT of autotune that just does not fit into the show whatsoever in any way. At least 96Neko's ED is much better and more suited for a calm, collected, and soothing song. Much like its adulterated tones, NegaPosi Angler will not be for everyone given its rather adult and mature nature. However, with that said, if you need a bit of retrospective for something that, while on the surface, may not look like much, goes much deeper than the depths of the ocean, this anime will do just right for a serious but laid-back atmosphere that's fishing and its soothing nature. Give this show a second chance to hook you; it'll lure you in with its line and sinker, and your eyes for an amicable experience.

My love for this anime is unbound. This ep alone truly was amazing 10/10 and all. I hope they make an S2 in the future but knowing that this is an 'anime original' meaning it isn't backed by any source material, the likelihood of this getting an S2 is slim to non knowing how the anime ends off. But my hope for a S2 will never waver. Despite all that, the characters, the plot, the story, and all is so wonderfully made. Though I am sad that there's no romance between the characters at least a little hint but even then I don't mind for there tobe none but oh well it's still wonderful with or without romance.

For an anime original drama, I'll be honest: it's way better than I could have ever expected. However, that's all. it still doesn't compel me. However, I will give credit when credit is due. The show was able to embed themes about fishing and life in 1 season and wrap it up quite nicely. It's a great show when it comes to creating realistic character development, I'll give it that. For starters though, NegaPosi Angler has a strange relationship with fishing. On one hand, there is quite a lot of fishing, and there's a lot of knowledge about fishing as well. There's a constant influx ofnew information about fishing or ways to fish that the show tries to incorporate. At the same time though, it also seems a bit shallow at times. I wish the show could have been more in-depth about how the actual process of fishing actually is. For example, the show never really goes into preserving fish or gutting fish. The process of descaling and fileting different types of fish depending on size, firmness, and physiological structure matters a lot and it's also a fun topic to explore when you're a fishing show. While again, there is a lot of things about fishing, I felt like it never came together. For example, there's some topics about high and low tides, best days to fish, and different types of luring methods, but there was never any compelling demonstrations of fishing that I found to be particularly engaging despite it being entirely about a show about fishing. Similar to how the show never shows the viewer how the fish is handled, it also never shows how a fish is cooked. Cooking fish you catch is a very fun aspect of fishing! There are so many various dishes depending on the type of fish caught, freshness, and so on and so forth. If there was a in-depth guide or ways to cook different types of fish in unique ways, that could have been fun too. How about catching shrimp, crawfish, or sharks? I mean to be honest, the possibilities are completely endless in terms of fishing. Yet, the show really only sticks to surface level explanations of how fish are caught and that's about it. It's a little depressing. On the other hand though, I really have to say that the show is quite well crafted when it comes to drama. The story is the best part of the show, and I have no complaints. While kind of edgy in the beginning, honestly, the story really comes together near the end in a fulfilling and natural way. The way fishing enters our main character's life makes him more confident in the road ahead. I won't spoil anything, but despite it being a dramatic show, the characters are superbly crafted, the dialogue well written, and the pacing makes a lot of sense. 10/10 story. That's however, kind of only concerning more serious parts of the show. Characters are frankly not fun to watch when it's slice of life mode. Takaaki, Hiro, and Hana are very good characters when it came to the more dramatic parts, and that's also true for the slice of life I suppose. Takaaki and Hiro have a good relationship, as Takaaki always looks out for Hiro and kind of helps him out of his rut. Hiro is the main character and despite depressed, tries to get himself out after Takaaki extends a hand. Hana is a great, lively 17 year old who actually acts the part. She's obsessed with fishing, acts to her desires, brings in a positive attitude, and overall surprisingly childish. The other characters are all pretty bad. They either just don't have much impact or are just plain boring. This is especially true for Machida who has a really boring episode dedicated to his personal life that no one cares about. However, I don't think the slice of life really does the show justice. After all, the slice of life is mid as hell. Again, just going to highlight Hana here to prevent spoilers. She's 17. And she acts the part. She's a bit of a kid, and that's even true when talking about the drama. She's not savior, she's not a love interest, and she's only human. She obviously cares for her friends, yet also doesn't step into any boundaries. Overall, she's there for support, but also understands privacy. Great character honestly. I'm not doing her justice. Lastly, let's talk about presentation and pacing. Again, this show is king at that. Hiro gets saved by Takaaki at the very beginning of the show. The fact that the show never actually shows this to the viewer is just great. I really don't care about watching something like that. The fact that the show basically never shows flashbacks until absolutely necessary, and only shows it for a few seconds when someone briefly mentions their past is amazing. The brevity of the situation is shown in only short, realistic bursts of dialogue of heart to heart. This show just gets it. The show actually presents good dialogue without relying on flashbacks as a crutch and instead only mentions them as minimally as possible to the viewer. The show is great at that. When Hiro gets saved by Takaaki, all we know as a viewer is that Takaaki was desperate to save him. Is it really then necessary to show a 2-3 minute scene about that? Not really, we just need to know that Takaaki saved Hiro. That's all. Things like this are stuff I appreciate a lot. 10/10 presentation. While I don't like to rate a show based on categories they performed on, this show is a special exception since it's so polar opposites when it comes to aspects I love and hate. The pacing, storyboarding, presentation and drama and realistic characters are really good: 9-10/10. The slice of life and fishing which still takes a lion's portion of the entire show is a solid 4-5/10. While I would love to say that the dramatic part of the show makes up for the slice of life, because of how they are portioned, they just don't. so 6/10. I wouldn't really recommend it ultimately.

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