Negative Positive Angler

Episode 6

I've been eagerly anticipating the Ice episode, and she does not disappoint. Outside of having the best character design in the show (both in full and gremlin forms), Ice gives Tsunehiro a chance to reflect on his biases and conclude that his life isn't as predetermined as he thought it was. In that sense, it's another straightforward and feel-good step on Hiro's journey of recovery. However, there are layers to this episode that flesh out its message, so let's make like we're sea bream fishing and drop our proverbial tackle onto the ocean floor.

The emotional through-line of this episode is possibly the most powerful it's been so far in Negative Positive Angler. I think it's because it sneaks up on you. The first chunk of the episode sticks to the fish-out-of-water comedy inherent to Hiro's situation and magnified by how drastically Ice's personality differs from his. It's the kind of breezy and fishy fun we've come to expect from this story. Suddenly, though, it's sunset, and Ice reminisces about her home in Thailand while Hiro reaches out to her for guidance through his dwindling days. Later, at the surprise party, the emotional weight of his newfound community crashes down on Hiro with the intensity of a typhoon.

The anime boosts both of those moments with exquisite visual direction. In the first example, the warm color palette does a lot of the nostalgic work, but the shadows also deserve a mention. Draped over his face and body, the lines of the fence symbolize the depression still holding Hiro back from fully opening up to Ice. He's his own prisoner. Similar imagery returns when Hiro has visions of his prior mealtimes in high school and college. He's isolated in all of them, but I was most struck by his imprisonment in the glass walls of the coffee shop and the sight of his lonesome back trapped in the shadow cast from the glare of his computer screen. The transition from that scene to the soft light and smiles of his welcome party is the most affecting edit in the whole episode. Many props to episode director and storyboarder Kei Miura, who has worked with Yutaka Uemara several times before (including on Saga of Tanya the Evil, hence one of Ice's cosplays).

Let's focus more on Ice herself. She's outgoing, driven, talkative, and fashionable. In other words, she's everything Hiro isn't, and that intimidates him. I don't think it's surprising at all that Hiro doesn't recognize her outside of work, because she's the kind of person he simply can't see himself interacting with. It's not that he dislikes her; he just feels out of his depth. It's appropriate, then, that they end up bonding over some seabed fishing, or more accurately, they find camaraderie in seasickness. That's the moment when Hiro sees that Ice is just a person like him. She doesn't have it all figured out. He doesn't have to use honorifics around her. She's motivated by the same forces that drive him, and through getting to know her better, Hiro can also come to understand himself better as well. That's the essence of human society.

That's why it's important to the narrative that Ice and her brother Arua are Thai. When a customer comes in and starts speaking Chinese, Hiro goes into panic mode, and when Ice reveals that she speaks at least three languages, Hiro feels intimidated. He's not bigoted, but the cultural differences seem impenetrable to him at first. He turns his nose up at the cilantro in Ice's pad thai. He assumes she's talking about her home country when she brings up sea bream (鯛, pronounced “tai,” is the Japanese word for the red sea bream they go fishing for). After spending more time with her, though, he comes to understand her more fully. He scarfs down that cilantro and discovers it's not so bad.

It's not all about Hiro, though. Anime can often be culturally homogenous, so it's always nice to see a show that earnestly grapples with multiculturalism as a good and enriching thing. Ice and Arua aren't outsiders; he's a student and she's a model who loves otaku stuff. They're simply people making their way. Or, rather, they're no more outsiders than the rest of the weirdos who work at Everymart. Everyone brings their own splash of color to the group. Arua is a mean cook, and Ice is the friend who intuits when a party is needed. Every gang needs a member like her. In fact, she might have recognized the pain of exclusion in Hiro's eyes because she knew it all too well herself, and that's what prompted her to plan his surprise party behind the scenes. Subtle character flourishes like that are what catapult this series into best of the season/year material, if you ask me.

Ice is more than a funny face with Sailor Moon meatballs on her head—she's a testament to Negative Positive Angler's progressive positivity. That's a message that would always hit home, but it hits especially hard in a week when America has yet again voted in concert with jingoism and racism. I needed this silly fishing anime to remind me that people can be kind and open-minded.

Rating:

Negative Positive Angler is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. Fish most certainly do not fear him. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.