© NEGAPOSI-ANGLER PROJECT
It’s right there in the title. Things can’t stay positive forever. Sometimes, you have to confront the negative. And Negative Positive Angler does so in an emotionally explosive scene capping its strongest dramatic outing since the premiere. It’s been easy to forget that a terminal cancer diagnosis has been haunting Hiro, and that’s a deliberate consequence of the series’ tone and construction. In fact, I’d argue that much of this story’s strength comes from its light touch on heavy subjects. All of these characters have lives and problems outside of fishing, but fishing is the medium through which Hiro (and we) come to understand them. By that same turn, it also means that NegaPosi Angler earns this head-first plunge into the bracing waters of melodrama.
It’s obvious from the first scene that this isn’t your typical episode of fishing escapades, and those vibes permeate the ensuing twenty minutes. The lighting is moodier. The storyboarding is more dramatic. The camera lingers on subtle garnishes of body language. A pair of excited boys follow the cast like echoes (or apparitions) of Takaaki and his younger brother. A set of mirrored De Palma-esque split-screens emphasizes the wall between Hiro and Takaaki well before they blow up at each other. It’s an exquisitely crafted episode in an anime that’s already been batting above average all season. Special credit to episode director/storyboarder Kentarō Kawajiri and storyboarder/animation director Shinichi Kurita for putting it together.
Thankfully, the heightened emotional states bubbling beneath the surface don’t get in the way of the fish. The fish are important, and they always mean something. Hiro finds out the hard way that mackerel goes bad very quickly, while Hana communicates that the quest for big bass requires playing the long game. At a glance, these seem like opposing messages—one about ephemerality, and the other about longevity—but they’re both commentaries on Hiro’s present physical and mental state. Life is fragile, and he can’t deal with his diagnosis by sticking his head in the sand, yet it’s also not right for him to mope around like he has an expiration date. None of us are here for a long time. We create, we plan, we love, and we live in spite of death, knowing that tomorrow we may be as dead and rancid as the mackerel in the back of that fridge.
Terminal illness, of course, is a different beast than garden-variety human mortality. That’s a special, extra cruelty piled on top of our already fleeting existences. I’ve met lesser obstacles with anxiety-induced ignorance, and I can easily imagine myself following Hiro’s lead in his situation. And while we don’t have the full picture yet, we can empathize with Takaaki losing his brother at an even younger age. With their complementary emotional scars, it’s no wonder that these two gravitated to each other so quickly and fiercely. Hiro needed to be taken care of, and Takaaki needed to take care of someone in his brother’s stead. It’s a win-win, provided you ignore the part where they both ignore their own internal damage.
I like that it’s easier for Hiro and Takaaki to stick their nose in each other’s business than it is for them to honestly confront their own trauma. It’s so true to life. Moreover, that’s what good friends are for! Someone has to light a fire under Hiro’s ass to get him to go back to the hospital, and Takaaki is more than happy to strike that match. Hiro will also surely help Takaaki confront the family he left behind. No man is an island. The problem, however, is not in the hypocrisy (which Hiro calls out) but in the feelings left to rot and fester inside of them. Those, too, are like mackerel. You gotta take them out in time, or you’re gonna explode.
That final fight between Hiro and Takaaki is the best scene out of NegaPosi Angler to date. I don’t mean to belittle the show’s largely comedic aspirations (and, like I said earlier, those goofs help establish the contrast that makes this scene hit so hard), but the construction and impact of this angst-ridden climax are practically perfect. The dynamic camera angles boost the drama. The expressiveness of the faces and limbs suffuses the dialogue with their pent-up anger. At the same time, their physical closeness betrays the strength of their relationship. Make no mistake: Takaaki grabbing Hiro’s collar and pinning him against the wall is the most romantic gesture performed all season. They wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t care about each other. The cherry on top is Hiro’s room-trashing tantrum after Takaaki storms out. It’s a powerful cut of animation, but it stops short when he can’t bring himself to smash that stupid mug from his first visit to Takaaki’s apartment. Despite everything this is still his home. It’s still his life. He has to fight for them, not against them.
Rating:
Negative Positive Angler is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.
Steve is on Bluesky now, and he’s okay with that. Fish most certainly do not fear him. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.
