With anime and the production and consumption of Japanese animations on the rise, we, here at Angling Direct only thought it would be right to post a list of anime fishing content on no other but Anime Day! This blog is great for anime fans wanting to try a new slice-of-life show or those anglers curious about anime to dive into!
What is Anime?
The term anime refers to a Japanese style of hand-drawn and computer-animated cartoon - such as the style used for hugely popular shows; Pokemonor Dragonball Z. The term ‘anime’ only refers to cartoons created in Japan, while animation that is similar in form and style but is created in another country is called anime-influenced animation. The medium of anime allows for a broad spectrum of genres and shows that includes fishing shows!
You may also find many of the Japanese animations suggested below will be only available with Japanese audio with English subtitles. Many fans in the anime community prefer this but if you just want to relax, and sit back with some headphones whilst fishing, you can English audio dub versions of many popular animes, especially those available on main anime streaming platforms; Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Are you on the lookout for a more traditional and accurate fishing anime to enjoy whilst at home or even better, by the bank when waiting for a fish to bite? Look no further! With “Super Fishing Grander Musashi” you will undoubtedly have a great time and rest whilst learning or revisiting fishing techniques. Musashi, the protagonist of the story moved to a new home, his father’s small countryside village in Tokyo. Although unhappy about the move, he finds solace in fishing lures after witnessing an impressive bass catch using a lure to decoy fish. Turns out his grandfather was a Grand Champion of bass fishing which encouraged Musashi into sports fishing! This anime will provide you with not only an entertaining theme but also is extremely educational, which is perfect for also getting children into fishing and enjoying learning about a pastime we all love.
Aired: Spring 1997
Produced by: Nippon Animation
Created by: Takashi Teshirogi (Also responsible for the illustration of “Pocket Monsters” adapted to “Pokemon”.
This classic anime has the same atmosphere as “Super Fishing Grander Musashi” without the drama. It is a more down-to-earth anime that really focuses on Fishing. The protagonist of the show; Sanpei, is a very happy, cheerful boy, but serious when it comes to sport fishing. In the show, you will see Sanpei in various competitions, various fishing challenges and how he overcomes it all in his search across Japan for new challenges. This anime is great for junior and new anglers to encourage them to pick up and rod and see how cool fishing is!
“Sky Girls Specials” is an anime sequel to “Sky Girls”. “Sky Girls” is an anime that centres around 2071 in an apocalyptic area, however, “Sky Girls Specials” are short episodes ranging from 4 to–6-minutes about what they do when they are not trying to save the world. Who would have known that heroes' favourite pastime could be fishing! This anime is full of humour, light-hearted and entertaining and fun to have for short breaks to pick up the fishing spirits whilst fishing. Great for those searching for a female cast and wanting to watch a show focused especially on trout fishing; one of the protagonists is a trout fishing lover. This is a fantasy anime that will have many other entertaining ways of fishing all anglers wished they could fish.
As a light-hearted anime full of humour, challenges, and fishing, "Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater" is about the protagonist; Hina Tsurugi just starting school in a new town right by the sea as a first-year student. Hina is a very crafty and an outdoor kid, whilst looking for a club to join. Yuuki Kuroiwa invites her to the Fishing Club. This is when Hina’s love for fishing begins, and watchers of the show can follow her journey with fishing. This is another fantastic anime to watch for children to encourage them to try fishing. This anime is also based on a manga so readers can also have a read whilst fishing!
“Slow Loop” is a very touching anime where the joy of fly fishing is within a family. Hiyori’s father passed down the love of fishing to her. This slice-of-life series focuses on fly fishing and how Hiyori maintains the practice of fly fishing whilst handling her school and family life together. Brilliant light-hearted anime for children and adults full of humour, real-life family circumstances and fly fishing! great for fly fishing lovers too!
"Tsuri Baka Nisshi" is a great show for an older audience as it follows the life of Hama-chan; a salaryman with no real ambition but a passion for fishing, hence his nickname: "Fishing Baka". Hama-chan becomes friends with an older fisherman named Su-san, who reveals himself to be the CEO of the company he works for. Fishing fanatics will love Tsuri Baka Nisshi as it perfectly represents how many anglers use fishing as an escape from the stress of their work lives.
Frequently on the move due to his grandmother’s work, "Tsuritama", the protagonist of this show is a socially awkward teenager who has trouble making friends and holding conversations until he meets a transfer student; Haru (a self-claimed eccentric alien who wields a water gun and fishbowl). If you are wanting to escape in the world of angling with a sci-fi, comedic twist, this is the anime for you! This comical and whimsical adventure is filled with laughs, heart, and self-discovery as the young anglers embark on mischief and hijinks!
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog on the top anime shows about fishing. Hopefully, this gives both anglers and fans of Japanese animation a chance to enjoy both the sport of fishing and get lots of the amazing stories of animation, either at the bankside or in between a fishing session!
For those wanting to look for more anime inspirations, check out My Anime List, they also list some great anime about fishing and marine life!