THERE IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING IN ANGLING THAT TENDS TO PRODUCE A SERENITY OF THE MIND

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Within a not so exciting winter season as far as new shows are concerned, one of those that stood out most in my eyes is Slow Loop. Right in the tranquility of fishing I managed to find one of the few new positive series of the last 3 months.



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PLOT

Being a slice of life, the plot can be summed up in the very concept of this genre: "Nothing in particular happens, the key is to enjoy the placid everyday life of the characters". With little surprise the anime speaks specifically of fishing, a sport that is practiced by our 2 protagonists and by almost all the cast members of the series. The show, however, does not limit itself to telling a story about the days that the characters spend fishing, but uses this concept to expand its vision also to concepts outside the activity practiced. The focal point of the show, in fact, more than the fishing, is the relationship between Hiyori and Koharu. The 2 girls (high school for those wondering even if the character design doesn't show it, as often happens in anime) meet by chance during a Hiyori fishing trip to which Koharu becomes curious. The protagonists immediately form a relationship destined to become friendship but soon discover that, having both lost a parent, Hiyori's mother and Koharu's father decide to get married. The 2 girls then legally become sisters and this only consolidates their relationship even faster. From these premises the series then begins to vary between various concepts: fishing, cooking freshly caught fish, the friendship between them, the fact that fishing can be practiced without shame even by girls, the phase in which Hiyori teaches Koharu to fish, new relationships formed with other characters, Hiyori and Koharu's past regarding the relationship they had with deceased parents. The series therefore turns out to be also very informative as regards the theory of fishing (and cooking) and also touching in the moments dedicated to the girls and their past.



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CHARACTERS

Hiyori and Koharu are the protagonists of the story and I can't help but notice the similarity of their personality with that of 2 other very important characters in the world of slice of life. Hiyori in fact recalls a lot the character of Rin (Yuru Camp): reserved, initially convinced of preferring solo fishing, responsible, independent but she does not totally deny the possibility of practicing her favorite activity in the company of other people after meeting Koharu. As Hiyori resembles Rin, Koharu is very reminiscent of the character of Nadeshiko: the girl who has just arrived in town, totally inexperienced in terms of fishing, sunny, sociable and immediately convinced that she wants to build a friendship with the co-protagonist. Being personally a great admirer of Yuru Camp to the point of considering it the perfect slice of life, I can only be happy to find a similarity between the characters.
Koharu and Hiyori are joined by Koi, an Hiyori's childhood friend, who owns the fishing shop where the girls go to buy material for their activity. Unlike the protagonists, Koi is not a great fishing enthusiast (unlike her father) but she gladly accompanies her friends to have fun with them. The relationship between them 3 works very well even in situations where they disagree and this allows us to always enjoy the touching, cute and funny moments they give us to the fullest.



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ART / ANIMATIONS and MUSIC

While not reaching the sublime technical level of Yuru Camp in terms of settings, colors and atmosphere, Studio CONNECT has certainly managed to extrapolate as much as possible the tranquility and sweetness of the characters. The designs alternate between normal and "chibi" in order to enhance the comic moments. Despite being a minor studio, it certainly could have done better in some situations but I am still satisfied with the work that has been done. On the other hand it may not seem at first glance but the slice of life genre needs a good technical sector more than other genres need it. Graphics and music have the task of managing the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the events in the best possible way but without heavily boring the viewer.



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CONCLUSION__~~~

I absolutely do not consider Slow Loop one of the best slice of life shows ever produced but I think it fully fulfills the purpose for which it was conceived: to instill a sense of peace and serenity in the heart of the spectator, to have an educational function regarding many aspects of fishing and get people interested in the story of the characters present. If you are a lover of the genre I suggest you to "waste" a few hours to see this show, which has certainly helped me to relax and unwind from time to time in the midst of many rather demanding anime.

P.S. I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any mistakes

P.P.S. The title is a fishing quote by Washington Irving