Review: Tsuritama

Tsuritama

More often than not, I always enjoy an adventure series. But you know what? Tsuritama has been one horrible review to even try to write, since I just can’t get all my thoughts about this show sorted out.

In every adventure show, you have the main character. Enter Yuki, a shy male who’s living with his grandma. It’s later revealed that he suffers from anxiety issues, and because of this, he struggles to make friends. Enter Haru, the obnoxious male who’s loud and does the more strange things at the strangest time. Through ironic twists of fate, these two end up being intertwined with each other, and they carry the entire adventure. The rest of the characters are just as much of a pleasure to watch, as you’ve got the fishing prince, the boat captain, the Indian and his duck, the grandma and all the supporting characters. It’s very obvious that time has been taken to flesh out everyone, and the effort hasn’t gone to waist when most of the best scenes are revolving entirely around the characters.

The main character here doesn’t have super powers or anything ridiculous like that, infact, he doesn’t have any abilities. So when fishing becomes the central theme of things, it actually feels like you’re learning things alongside Yuki, and that you’re learning the rules and regulations of the story with him.It’s a remarkable touch, and the continuity is done really well, making for an adventure that actually feels like an adventure, and not just a bunch of characters acting out a script.

Tsuritama has its epic moments, but like with everything, the most epic moments need great visuals and great sound backing. Thankfully, Tsuritama packs both of them, containing visuals that are pretty darned unique, and a vibrant soundtrack that knows what it’s doing and where it’s going. I didn’t like the soundtrack enough to purchase it, but I thought that the visuals were more than enough, as they’ve gone with a very creative style of design. Almost like they went with that style with the intention of linking it into the actual plot of the adventure, when you stop and think about it. The plot’s amazingly creative, and so are the visuals.

The final thing I want to stop and talk about is the manner in which Tsuritama avoids cliche’d scenarios and does it’s best to go that step above. In the entire run of the show, I noticed one cliche, and that was in the last five minutes of the show. The majority of the proper runtime isn’t cliche’d and doesn’t have any ridiculous plotholes, in fact, it goes the extra mile to ensure that it’s got ridiculous things in places which aren’t plotholes, thanks to the creative vibes behind Tapioca, the leading duck.

Tsuritama is an adventure series, and it’s not an adventure series like any other one. It excels in what it does, and puts non-creative series and shows to shame. Whilst it does have it’s annoying quips and quirks here and there, I think that they’re more than forgiveable when you consider just how great the pay-off that the show delivers is.

Alex’s Score: 9 out of 10 Meeps (Great)

Tsuritama Episode 12

Goodbye Fishing

With shows like Tsuritama, the ending was always going to be the worst part. How do you close off an adventure series properly? I appreciate the effort, but well…let’s just say the “Beat the badguy, say goodbye, return 6 months later” scenario doesn’t float my boat.

The characters and the originality are what carried the show, and what made the ending work. That big evil dragon is just a shy, flitty person and Haru transforms into a fish.  The drama around the characters worked nicely, and the whole “life goes on” thing made it all good. My only question would be why they returned…is there another dragon in a river somewhere?

Short post, but I don’t want to talk about the show since that’s saved for a review. The ending was solid, but for a show about dodging cliche’d scenarios, it let a big fish go with that final five minutes.

Tsuritama Episode 11

Legend of the Big Fish

You know, i’m speechless. I never thought this show could do so well. It takes a lot to make me speechless, yet this episode managed that and more.The characters were perfect, and well…everything clicked. I…have nothing to say about this episode which could do it justice. So I decided that instead of butchering how amazing this episode was, and how much I hate that cliffhanger, i’d just do more screenshots. xD

Tsuritama Episode 10

Our Tackle

Tsuritama finally hits the top of it’s airtime…with the calm before the storm episode. Huh?

In the last 9 episodes, it’s all about being the characters and getting the characters prepared for this very event. And now that it’s come, the characters are far from stupid or clueless, and pull things off with extreme style, comedy and some rather moving moments from the annoying alien.

But yeah, with Yuki out the picture for the majority of the time, the side-characters had to shine, and be it Yamato’s yoga or his crazy driving, they really shone in the episode, giving a few chuckles and a smile here and there. And that’s just part of the build-up.

The other half of the show spend it’s time giving Yuki a lesson in fishing, and we finally get to see just what that’s all about as even the elite organisation, DUCK, has trouble with JFX. That’s not because DUCK is a stupid organization of filled with idiots, it’s genuinly because they managed to make the monster seem realisticly threatening without god-moding any characters so far.

Tsuritama’s never going to be one of my favourite Noitamina shows, but at least it’s finally pulled it’s socks up and got onto what all that build-up was for…and it was all worth the result.

Tsuritama Episodes 8 & 9

Joyous Fighting
&
Striking Underwater

Ahh, it has been a while. Continuing on from Sakura’s disappearance, Natsuki manages to track her down thanks to Akira’s help, and everyone makes up. However, the old man of the shrine said something very interesting about people being spirited away by the dragon.
Following on, Akira has a one-on-one with Haru, revealling that he’s a member of the Alien hunting organization, DUCK. That’s where it’s revealled that Haru came to earth to catch the dragon under the bait ball, a member of their own kind.

Following on from there, we get a very touching scene between Yuki and his grandma, but part of me is worrying that all it was doing is triggering death flags. We even get her being sweet to Haru, telling him that when he’s going, he’s got to say goodbye to everyone properly. Episode 8 was sweet, touching, put all the characters together in a happy paradise, and tripped a bunch of death flags. Hmmm.

Episode 9 was…well, interesting. It contuined on from that cliffhanger, and it did so in rather a brutal fashion.The combat unit of DUCK was dispatched to Enoshima, and did so in an interesting manner…as they eliminate water from the island, and as Haru makes his escape by luring the dragon away from the island.However, one sweet action scene later, and we’re left to assume that Koko’s been defeated by the dragon, as we witness a sweet action scene fulled with flashy lights and things which you can’t really understand.

However, when Haru returns, he’s probably gone insane due to loosing his sister, and has started attacking everyone with that water gun of his, as DUCK starts evacuating everyone from the island and actively hunting down Haru. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d want from this show at this time, as the childish actions of Haru finally start hurting everyone around him, as the only person left on his side is that kindly, loving grandma. As Yuki returns to Enoshima, along with the re-inspired Yamada, the show moves into the climax.

Tsuritama Episode 7

Painful Countdown

This week, it looks like it’s time for everything to hit the fan and go south, as Haru gives up fishing and we get a lot of Natsuki and his family in the main picture, allowing Yuki to step out the spotlight for an episode. And that made this episode feel rather lackluster, in all honesty.

Yeah, i’m not going to argue that it wasn’t amazing, and that it wasn’t done really well with everyone arguing and fighting at the end, and that getting some story on Natsuki was well overdue, but…he just doesn’t seem to be main character material. I personally think that this comes straight down the way his angst was completely overplayed, in a manner similar to how Haru’s nature gets constantly overplayed and overdone.

One angsty episode later, and Natsuki’s sisters run away, which I don’t actually blame for her when you think about how everyone acted this episode. It didn’t have any of the aspects which make this show good, and as such, it just…didn’t feel like it was all there this week.

Tsuritama Episode 6

Horrified Splash

I guess the theory about people working is true in how it gives them a helping hand in beating anxiety issues. The whole touch of actually giving Yuki a tan was a really nice one, too. Anyway, there was some more solid development and the like, whilst the indian does some nosing around to fill his mission, and the mention of a place where fishing boats disappear without a reason comes up whilst they’re out fishing for tuna.

It’s almost become the normal for this show to deliver top notch character growth for everyone apart from Haru, who for the first time actually started to get on my nerves. This episode showed just why he was meant to be involved in the show, but he acted so annoying during the quiet scenes, especially where he started imitating the wrestling match. It…just wasn’t needed, ya know?

Then, out the blue, it’s suddenly time for plot development as the group end up going out to Akemi, the hotspot where boats disappear and people loose their memory, and Haru appears to go stir crazy and face off against the indian in a showdown on the boat after they’d teleported for no reason, and they end up getting shipwrecked by some huge stir in the water. Who knows what really happened, but it was damn sweet to see some form of plot development, especially plot like this!

Tsuritama Episode 5

Discouraged Jerking

I hope i’m not the only person who has a problem with their title choice this time around. Anyway, things start off in what’s come to be the usual routine of slight comedy followed up with a small amount of plot development and a gentle prod towards fishing. Yet this time, they actually go on a fishing trip instead of playing around at the harbour, and end up on a boat in the sea, in which Haru proves his overconfidence and Yuki proves his underconfidence. For a moment there, I worried that they’d give his character sea-sicknesses to cope with, but it looks to be just your standard case of anxiety.

I’m not going to say that I had a problem with that part, but 5 episodes in and we’ve had no plot development to speak of. The slice of life and the characters interactions may be wonderful, but this is a noitamina show…it doesn’t have time to squander like this. Enjoyable, fun and a treat to watch, yes. But Tsuritama keeps putting everything on the big picture paying off…

Tsuritama Episode 4

Angry Landing

You know, it’s one thing to show people’s daily lifes in a show like this when there’s some actual development, but I love the fact that they don’t have any reason at all to show the characters lives here apart from to show their bonds in friendship growing.

It’s similar to showing the cogs of a huge machine turning, and I love the really relaxed way Tsuritama shows this.I’m also glad that they didn’t take the grandmother out of the picture, since like i’ve said before, she was easily the character who stands out the most to me.

Now, the two-sided sword. I love the way that they show how catching a fish is hard, but I equally don’t like the way that they show how they never catch a fish. On that topic, I equally hope that Haru stops using that water pistol. Whilst it does have it’s amusing moments and appears to be a clever jab at the way the show works, it acts annoying sometimes. No more water pistols and more of the interactions between everyone, especially the grandma acting as the voice of reason.

Tsuritama Episode 3

Lonely Casting

It was a solid episode of build-up done just the way I like it: casually whilst actually getting stuff done and having a few plot twists. However, I just have one problem. Yuki’s grandmother is the character which stood out to me the most in the last two episodes, and now she’s off to the hospital? I hope that isn’t a permanent thing or whatever…it suits the show much better to have that middle-ground character in the air.

You know, yesterday, someone said to me that they don’t like Tsuritama. And I think i’m failing to see what there is to dislike. It does have it’s cheesy moments and it’s poorly thought through moments, but the way it deals with emotions like anxiety and frustration work so well it’s almost unreal in this show. I’d chalk that down to the fact that it’s amazingly well acted, if you asked me. :L