Tsuritama Episode 2
Gotta say, I really liked this episode.
First things first, the opening is really great. As with the show itself, I love how it uses colours and silhouettes. It's infectious, the song especially. It's fantastic, and it almost reminds me of The Pillows in a way.
I still absolutely love how they use water to portray Yuki's social anxiety. But even more so whenever the fishing rod yanks him out of it. The entire sequence as he gets another bite is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I don't think I'll ever get sick of watching Yuki get yanked out of the water rising over his head with a single tug of his rod. Everything after that was just as great - especially the transformation that Yuki seems to undergo as he gets into the spirit of it. It's real self confidence after a long time questioning himself and mourning the situation he's found himself bound up in. If only fishing were this exciting in reality.
I mean, it made tying a knot feel triumphant.
As always, this show is a real pleasure to look at. But (and, unlike the visuals, I don't think I've mentioned this) the aural component is wonderful. The music fits incredibly well for the atmosphere they're going for, and the whole thing just sounds great. The whole thing is just really, really well-produced.
That all said, I'm mixed on Haru and his sister. Every time I think he's really starting to endear himself to me, he whips out his water pistol or starts complaining about how hard fishing is. The next few episodes should straighten out my opinion of him and what he adds to the show - hopefully for the better. I'm pretty interested in seeing what this Akira fellow's deal is. Because I think I like him.
I always roll my eyes a little at the word 'feelgood', mostly because it's been killed dead by romantic comedy advertising, but I don't think there's a more appropriate way to describe Tsuritama.
