Wander

Story

Tsuritama's story is truly absurd.  Absurd in all the right ways, that is.  We are presented with Yuki, a student who transfers school consistently where he eventually lands on Enoshima.  Here he meets Haru who claims he is an alien.  But there is some credit to his story.  Haru holds in his possession a little plastic water gun that, when fired, has the ability to control whomever the water hits.  That's not all.  There's a fish in the ocean that is so powerful that it can control human beings and force them to dance.  Why the fish wants them to dance is beyond me but I find it cute and adorable.  The only way to stop this fish?  Fish him out of the water and that is the ultimate goal of the main characters Yuki, Haru, Natsuki and Akira along with the rest of the supporting cast.  I thought that this story was excellent.  Consider me a sucker for the absurd but I was truly impressed with how well the story was executed.  From the heartwarming relationship between the characters to the recurring theme of fishing.  Fishing is what brings all of the characters together and is a prominent theme in the anime from the very first episode.  An anime about fishing?  Absurd.  And that is why I love it.

Animation

The animation in Tsuritama is excellent.  Tsuritama features bright, popping colors that is truly a sight to behold.  The landscaping is very well done as well and I truly felt as though I was visiting Enoshima and viewing all of its beauty.  Everything down to how the characters moved and danced was done exceptionally.  In short, the animation was beautiful.

 Sound

How could anyone not be in love with the music in Tsuritama?  I found myself dancing the "Enoshima dance" several times as the opening credits rolled.  The opening theme was called Tsurezure Monochrome by Fujifabric.  If you have not heard it I strongly suggest a Youtube search.  The music that played during the anime was apt as well.  Everything felt put together smoothly and I was never distracted by it.

Characters

This is where this anime shines.  The characters.  The relationship between the main characters and supporting cast is excellent.  The four main characters band together to learn and teach each other the ways of fishing.  While it took a while for Akira to really shine I could understand why he was portrayed as a main character although at first I was extremely confused as to why he was portrayed as a main character in the opening credits.  But Haru is the real champion here.  He may be an alien but he learns to be as much of a human as any of the rest of the characters.

Overall

This anime was excellent.  Everything was done, in my sense of the word, damn near perfectly.  I would strongly suggest this anime to anyone who has a heart as Tsuritama will be sure to melt it.