Winter 2022 Anime: Slow Loop

Synopsis

When Hiyori⁠—a young girl whose deceased father taught her the joys of fishing⁠—headed out to sea for some alone time, she never thought that she would encounter another girl there.

After a while, this girl⁠—named Koharu⁠—and Hiyori end up fishing and cooking together, and they get to know each other a bit in the meantime. During their brief time together, Koharu finds out that the reason Hiyori went out to sea that day was because she’s hesitant towards meeting her new stepfamily that same evening. But what a coincidence! Koharu is also meeting her new family tonight! “No. It can’t be a coincidence…” Follow these two ‘sisters’ and their new life together! (Source: BStation)

Comments

Adyatma Putra Pratama (The Indonesian Anime Times)

The club, the gear, and the girl, they are the combo that everyone loves from a cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime about hobby. While the girls are not in the actual fishing club like in the Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater, the passion is still there. We can see their bonds slowly entangled as the show progresses from an individual line into an entangled knot.

While we can expect some light-hearted girls’ club activities from the premise, the anime presents a melancholic mood from each character, their interaction, and the place and time. Although their troops are not far from the typical girls’ club, the character dynamic is still there. At first, the interaction is rocky between Hiyori and Koharu since their parents are remarried. Still, they reassess and embrace the change, albeit slowly. Hiyori’s interaction with Koi, her childhood friend, is also portrayed well. She adds the melancholic mood outside of Hiyori’s household, indicating that the grief in Hiyori is still there and affects how others would interact toward her.

We can’t leave the girls’ club without the activities and the gear. I believe that some of us are intrigued about what the girl will serve in a hobby like fishing. Hiyori comes as a knowledgeable fisher from the start. Her knowledge may become overwhelming for non-hobbyist like me. However, I still find it interesting how she takes them casually. It makes me think that hobbies are meant to be enjoyed instead of a FOMO fuel.

Overall, I recommend Slow Loop for slice-of-life fans in general. The mood may be a bit heavy at first but don’t worry, Hiyori and co. will soothe you with their attempts to entangle their line, both literary and figuratively.

Facts and Figures

Trailer and Screenshots

The Indonesian Anime Times