|
The long running Shogakukan 'salaryman' manga, 'Tsuri Baka Nisshi', aka 'Tsuri Baka', has finally been made into an anime by Toei Animation, and is now showing on TV Asahi in Japan. The manga is quite popular and has been made into numerous live action movies.
The story is about Densuke Hamazaki, a low level 'salaryman', i.e., an office worker, who is a bit of a wag ( he likes to make really bad puns ) and also a bit of an underachiever. However, Hamazaki is very serious about fishing and works very hard at making this the main interest in his life. Hamazaki's wife Michiko even accuses him of naming their son, Koitaro, after the big koi ( carp ) that Hamazaki caught on the day that their son was born. ( Hamazaki went fishing rather than being in the hospital with his wife! ) Hamazaki's 'what me worry' attitude drives his direct boss, Sasaki, nuts, but Hamazaki has an ace up his sleeve – his main fishing partner is the Company's President, Suzuki.
The first episode sets up the situation and the characters. The Hamazaki's have finally moved into their own home and Hamazaki's Company is trying to negotiate a big business deal. Rather than following up on his small part of the deal, Hamazaki goes off fishing, but this time forced by his wife to take his son along. Thanks to a mix up of cell phones, Suzuki doesn't get to come along, and Koitaro meets a little stray dog who ends up becoming the family pet.
Like most salaryman series, 'Tsuri Baka' ( which means essentially 'fishing crazy' ) is a social comedy. Much of the humor comes from the way that Hamazaki slyly pokes fun at the conventions of the workplace. In a world where one of the main tenants is 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered.', Hamazaki gets away with gently poking fun at the absurdities of daily life.
The animation of the show is very minimal, particularly for the characters. ( But not so much for the fish, which are quite recognizable as distinct species. ) The music is also quite traditional. This is not a series for 'otaku'; the ads show this quite clearly – the first couple of ads were for diapers. But if you want a funny look at everyday Japanese life, 'Tsuri Baka' is a good show to watch.
Dave Baranyi
|
