Slow Loop

Since childhood, Hiyori Yamakawa has witnessed her father's various eccentricities, but one activity she has always loved doing with him is fly fishing—a complicated yet rewarding method of catching fish. Even after his sudden death, Hiyori still visits the seaside in her spare time, savoring the joy that her father's memento brings her.

Three years later, Hiyori's mother decides to remarry and arranges a dinner with her fiancé, his daughter, and Hiyori to celebrate. Anxious and wanting to pass the time, Hiyori goes to her usual fishing spot when a rather energetic girl named Koharu Minagi suddenly appears before her. The two soon become acquainted, with Koharu taking an interest in fly fishing herself. However, their meeting is more than just a coincidence: Koharu turns out to be Hiyori's future stepsibling, which is only the beginning of treasured memories the both of them will reel in as they foster their sisterhood.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Minagi, Hiyori Main

Kusumi, Rin Japanese

Minagi, Koharu Main

Hioka, Natsumi Japanese

Yoshinaga, Koi Supporting

Mineuchi, Tomomi Japanese

Fukumoto, Ichika Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Miyano, Kaede Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Ninomiya, Aiko Supporting

Inoue, Honoka Japanese

Fukumoto, Futaba Supporting

Murakami, Natsumi Japanese

Yamazaki Supporting

Tomioka, Misako Japanese

Yamamoto Supporting

Sekine, Akira Japanese

Fukazawa, Emiko Supporting

Miyazawa, Kiyoko Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Nishimae, Ayaka Producer

Itou, Shousei Producer

Arimizu, Soujirou Producer

Reviews

Mar 25, 2022

TheRockzSG

Recommended

Slow Loop at the surface looks like a typical moe SoL anime where the only selling point is the character is cute. A carbon-copy moe SoL anime where the only difference is the character design and the activity they focus on.

However, I was proven otherwise after the first few episodes. Slow Loop did not attempt to copy from moe anime but instead created its own identity.

If I want to summarize the whole anime, I will say that it takes the good part of Laid-Back Camp (Yuru Camp) and Dairy of Our Days at the Breakwater (Houkago Teibou Nisshi) and combine it into this ... masterpiece.

======SPOILER AHEAD======

The anime starts when Hiyori and Koharu become a step-sister after their parents re-married. The sister learned that they have a common hobby in fishing. After every episode, you can see the subtle character development of Hiyori and Koharu.

Hiyori is an introvert, who hates social interaction. To the point where she intentionally makes her unsociable. While Koharu is an extrovert who can make friends with ease. I was expecting a clash between personalities where Hiyori rejects Koharu or goes tsundere. However, instead of that, Hiyori embraces Koharu to the best of her ability.

You can see the character development after a few episodes. Hiyori is more open to conversation and takes the role of a mentor for Koharu and Aiko. Meanwhile, Koharu becomes more reserved while slowly becoming better with fishing. Thru fishing, Hiyori and Koharu slowly become closer and closer to each other. To the point where they are inseparable and behave like sisters than strangers.

Supporting characters like Koi and Aiko have some character development as well. Koi at the start hates fishing due to her dad's obsession with fishing, but progressively warms up to the idea of fishing. For Aiko, she was unsure about fishing because she felt it is a hobby for boys and girls should not participate in that. To now she openly embrace fishing and even introduced fishing to her friend. These character developments are slow, organic, and natural. Which makes Slow Loop stands out from other moe SoL.

======SPOILER ENDS======

Slow Loop has a relaxing and comfy atmosphere. Similar to what we experienced in Laid-Back Camp. There is some conflict and drama. However, those conflicts are minor and insignificant and they do not affect the atmosphere that the show wants to create.

While you are relaxing, the anime slowly spoon-feeds you the fishing technics and tips. Sometimes, the show will switch to Koharu's Cooking Time where it teaches you how to process the fish and make them into a delicious meal. Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater did have similar segments but Slow Loop executes the concept better.

I enjoyed Slow Loop from start to finish. So I will be giving it a 9. This is one of the better CGDCT anime I have watched. A must-watch if you love SoL anime or something to relax with.

TLDR:

Slow Loop is a mix of Laid-Back Camp (Yuru Camp) and Dairy of Our Days at the Breakwater (Houkago Teibou Nisshi). It has the relaxing and comfy atmosphere like Laid-Back Camp. While teaching the viewers the fishing technics like Dairy of Our Days at the Breakwater. I enjoy this anime from start to finish and it deserves a very strong 9.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Character: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 45/50 (9.0)

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 25, 2022

84DaysWithout

Mixed Feelings

Conceptually, Slow Loop is about using a cherished pastime to overcome grief and build close friendships. You may not know a single thing about fly fishing going in (I sure did not), but we can all understand the desire to partake in a fun hobby and seek the company of others who are mutually passionate. There are approximately five million SOL anime that execute this very same concept, but this one is at least slightly better than average in that it is legitimately educational about its subject matter and creates likable characters with relatable conflicts. It also fails in some key ways that keep it ... from being a “great” SOL, primarily the uninspiring artwork in a setting that is more often than not outdoors, but you kind of have to take what you can get in the most regurgitated genre in the medium.

First, lets elaborate more on the positive - Slow Loop does a fine job of making the audience understand the nuances and joys of fishing. You go out on a boat or sit by a shore surrounded by nothing but the natural world, free from all technological obsessions and urban concerns. Just man, a rod, and aquatic wildlife. The lead characters Hiyori and Koharu have dealt with immense hardship in their young lives related to the tragic passing of loved ones, but those concerns are eased gradually as they’re connected with nature and grow closer to the friends that surround them. This presents a wholesome message about how no matter the tragedy, you can seek happiness and heal your sorrow with the company of companions over time. There’s also a lot of effort to detail the theory of fishing in terms of effective techniques, equipment and routines. So much so that if a viewer decided to take up fishing, they would be able to do so using the knowledge gained from the episodes.

On the other hand, the production values are bad all around. Not just in terms of animation - there is a profuse use of panning shots during fishing expeditions, but the background art is very bland. There are many instances where the detailed character models appear jarringly out of place compared to the ironically static nature that surround them. As a result Slow Loop fails to make one feel immersed into the outdoors as I'm sure its intention was to do. This extends to the texture of the dishes as well - there are few times in this show that something was prepared that made me salivate at the idea of eating it.

Perhaps its a bit unfair to harp too much on this point though - this was not some highly anticipated, heavily advertised show. Those who chose to watch Slow Loop likely will have their expectations exceeded. There was just potential here to be something great if the artwork were better. My score of a six may seem to imply this show is bad, but I mean it to describe a show that has enough positives to at least be worth watching and perhaps enjoyed by niche communities. This may perhaps be you if you fancy the premise of cute girls fishing and bonding over time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 25, 2022

_slowdiver

Not Recommended

I like slice of shows. It's what I watch quite often. But this is the first one that I've watched where I was really bored. The show repeats the same formula for every episode. They go fishing, there's some tidbits about fishing technique and equipment. I have no problems with that. Problem is that the characters seem to not vary their reactions much than just be the token bubbly/reserved/sarcastic characters that I've seen quite often. And everyone else outside of Koharu, Hiyori, and Koi are just one-dimensional. I was hoping the show would add something more on top of Hiyori's loss to add more depth...

But ... it doesn't.

It had some good touching moments here and there.

But not enough to break the monotony that made the show drag on and made me wish it would be over already...

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Slow Loop Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Feb 18, 2022	57 replies	by ToleratedToast6 »» Jul 30, 8:21 PM
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