Tsuritama – 09

Her name is Koko, she is loco I said oh…wrong anime.

Gah, writer’s block struck me hard this week. That, and some bizarre dizzy spell that made me feel like I was having an out-of-body experience every half hour or so. Not fun. Anyways, I’ve overcome it (if you couldn’t tell by this, erm, writing) and am ready to cover this week’s Tsuritama. If you were waiting for the homoerotic serene fishing scenes to be replaced with the “saving the world” plot, then you’ve stopped at just the right place. This is where the switch truly occurs!

Reaction

Finally, the sea creature’s mind control attacks have escalated to a level where it’s become the main story. It’s like a typical alien invasion movie…except goofier. Everything had a childish spin to it. It was a giant battle between dancing civilians and men in squeaky rubber suits, so you know this isn’t something you’re supposed to take seriously. I guess it wouldn’t make sense for things to suddenly become grim for a show like Tsuritama, so I don’t know what I was expecting. Part of me is kind of disappointed that this week’s episode seemed so uninspiring. Tsuritama usually hooks me right in the heart, but I don’t think I really cared much about anything that went on this week. There were some serious moments with Haru using his gun on Keito and Haru losing track of his sister, but they just didn’t feel that special. I can’t concentrate with all these quacking duck suits parading around! It’s just silly! I watched Mononoke recently (another one of Kenji Nakamura’s works) to expand my knowledge of his works, and there is actually an arc that deals with the Dragon’s Triangle. Mononoke balances bleakness with small injections of humour so well, while Tsuritama just feels light-hearted no matter what is happening. As a side note…watch Mononoke. It’s more serious and cerebral than Tsuritama, but very, very good. Plus, more info on the Dragon’s Triangle if you’re interested.

I think I wanted more dramatic, fishing action, but that will probably come later. I want to see the alien face-off in a fishing battle against Haru and Yuki! I was expecting that to happen, so I was a little upset when Koko and Haru finished their fight almost immediately. It was such a cool scene, and then all that forward momentum was thrown into the wind. If you’re gonna put some action in, go all the way! If the finale doesn’t have some magical, dramatic fishing (preferably with copious amounts of manly tears) then it will be a missed opportunity.

Overall, an alright, childish episode with some amusing alien invasion thrown in.

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Leave it to DUCK

Ah, yes, DUCK. To put it bluntly…they’re crazy. They are like the villains in a children’s movie, complete with non-threatening costumes and over-the-top plans. Seriously, hair dryers? I think it’s safe to say that DUCK isn’t going to be very useful. It would be nice if they could eliminate the dragon without the help of Haru, but that’s unlikely to happen. They plan on destroying the alien causing all this…but how? I doubt it’s with hair dryers. They mentioned a nuclear strike, which implies that this group has control of either the military or their own little collection of explosives for personal use. I got the impression that DUCK was a small-time agency who just watched aliens from the shadows, but it seems like they’re incredibly well-established. I would imagine this means aliens come over to Earth a lot to cause trouble if they need to be this big of an organization. Ultimately, I think Akira’s prediction about them just getting controlled by the alien will come true and make things harder for everyone. Final battle against squeaky yellow suits? Bring it on.

Oh, and the hand symbol they do in their team chant resembles a duck. I just noticed this. One hand is the beak and the other is the tail feathers. Did you guys notice this? YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!!! D:<

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Haru invades Enoshima

After attempting to take down his rampaging, alien brethren with his sister, (who I’m pretty sure is alive, and may end up fighting with Haru under hypnosis) Haru starts going nuts. Without a way to stop the alien or lead it far away, he decides the best course of action is to evacuate everyone with a combination of yelling threats and controlling people with water. That way, at least everyone will get to safety while he thinks up some sort of plan. The reason he sent Yuki and Keito away is most likely to protect them as well. Since Haru will most likely have to leave and never come back, he decided it would be easier for Yuki to part with him if he turned into someone less important to him. He lies and acts like he hates Yuki so that it will hopefully be easier to forget him. Those are some noble intentions, but they don’t really work out at all.

The alien isn’t going to be subdued until everyone works together. DUCK can’t just waltz in on their own, Haru is useless by himself, and Yuki simply can’t take on a mind-controlling dragon with just a fishing rod. Right now, everyone is separated, so I’m betting that everyone will meet up and use the POWAH OF FRIENDSHIP to save the day. Haru sought out Yuki to save the world, so he’d better damn well use him, or else he kind of moved in with the guy for no reason.

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Stop Being so Perfect

Do you guys like Keito? I don’t. Jesus Christ, this woman has the answer to everything. She is a sickly old lady about to bite it at any moment and yet she still puts in all this effort to babysitting Yuki and Haru. I know that’s a horrible reason to dislike a character (because they’re too nice) but there’s something eerie about how perfect she is. She knows what everyone is thinking and the exact solution to every problem. She will ignore everything else in her surrounding to cater to the person in front of her. She is like some sort of psychic deity, and it terrifies me. How does she know the answer to everything? How did she know Haru was a “blooming flower” within a minute of meeting him? Why is she always smiling??!! Heebie Jeebies aside, I will give her credit for pushing Yuki and Haru this far. Her advice has helped to fix most of their arguments, and the plot really couldn’t have moved forward without her. I honestly think those two either wouldn’t have become friends if she wasn’t there as a catalyst.

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Bonus Screenshots:Show ▼

About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.