Slow Loop | Episodes Five – Seven: Fishing brings people together.

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Who would have thought that fishing would bring so many people together? I certainly didn’t think that this would be possible. I think that is what I’ve enjoyed most over the past three episodes, is that somehow, someway, Slow Loop has managed to turn something that I do not think is all too entertaining into something that is. It is because of this that I give the past three episodes, five, six and seven a combined rating of 8/10.

I also loved how unnecessarily emotional a few of the episodes were. Not only does fishing bring people together but it somehow pulls out the emotional side of our characters and it was something I enjoyed and generally added to the already warm and welcoming atmosphere. On top of all this, we’re learning about fishing. Which is something I half expected would be a thing. As someone who is allergic to everything that comes out of the sea, it’s almost like a tease in a way because we’re learning how to fish, the different types of bait, fishing techniques, fish and different ways of cooking them. But here I am sat at my desk, not being able to enjoy any of that.

It also helps that our characters are fun and very entertaining. As Slow Loop is primarily a Slice of Life anime, a lot of what is actually shown with regards to fishing is pretty watered down, but I assume it’s still very much accurate. The water down approach to fishing + entertaining character = a great time.

Koharu was definitely one of the highlights for me and is part of the reason why I’ll end up rating this anime higher than most people. Her goofy personality I would say is a big contributor to the success of the episodes. Her goofy character is where a lot of the comedic moments come from and that’s important if you want to make fishing entertaining. Koharu is the Kokoa of Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? and a mix between Akari and Kyouko from Yuru Yuri.

Now that I’ve finished gushing over the anime and what I’ve enjoyed so far. It’s time to mention something that I think can be improved. I think from an entertainment standpoint, I think the source of the comedic jokes can be improved. As I’ve already mentioned, Koharu’s character already carries the load. However, when she isn’t on the screen there isn’t anything that fill the void that her characters leave.

There’s no other personality that can prop up the anime, which leads to a few dull moments throughout each episode. In the grand scheme of things, is that majorly important? You can argue yes and no. It hasn’t really bothered me all too much, but it would be nice to have. So I guess at the end of the day it’s mildly important.

You can also argue that from a fishing standpoint, Slow Loop doesn’t do that aspect of the show enough justice given how important fishing is to the anime. But then it becomes a balance act. You can make it as informative and as educational as possible but at a cost of what? If I were to guess, I would think that the comedic side of things would take a substantial hit. Anything that compromises the comedic side of things, especially when it comes to Slice of Life anime is always bound to fail, regardless of how much work the studio puts in to compensate for it.

But anyway, as a whole, episodes five, six and seven have been pleasant and entertaining episodes. Slow Loop is turning out to one of my favourite anime this season.