Summary
Taking the fish-out-of-water concept quite literally, this charming character piece about an enthusiastic ichthyologist is a surefire bet for cult status.
If there’s one thing that filmmaker Shuichi Okita (Mori, The Artist’s Habitat) knows, then it’s how to convincingly build a world around quirk. More than that, he does it so well that we rarely question why someone is doing something odd. We just want to know what they are going to do next.
Such is the case with THE FISH TALE (さかなのこ), based loosely on the autobiography of celebrity ichthyologist Sakana-kun, One Fish at a Time: My Life! In the film, Okita and equally offbeat co-writer Shiro Maeda (A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. & Mrs. Oki’s Fabulous Trip) introduce us to “Meebo” (the singularly named Non). Meebo has been obsessed with fish from a very early age, making detailed sketches and studying every aspect of aquatic life she can find.
While Meebo’s parents worry that she won’t be able to cope in the real world, she instead flourishes into something of a minor celebrity. From befriending the local gangs and eccentrics, through a series of odd jobs in local fish shops and aquariums, THE FISH TALE is a breezy affair that essentially looks for the good in people.
So, an outcast young girl finds a place in the world through illustrating her obsessive knowledge of the nautical life around her. It’s like Where the Crawdads Sing without the historical murder charges or casual racism! Yet this one is genuinely charming and full of surprises, where the stakes are low and nothing much happens for the most part. Given that Meebo’s YouTube fame and ultimate fate is flagged from the opening scenes, Okita is content to let us meander with Meebo through random encounters with well-meaning individuals.
It works in large part due to the presence of Non in the lead. (She was also in the thematically similar Princess Jellyfish a few years back in a smaller role). While never overtly spoken, there’s a low-key LGBTQIA+ narrative running through THE FISH TALE as well. It would have been great for this to come to the fore rather than remaining coded, but it is there for audiences who feel a connection with Meebo’s story. (That said, the opening text of the film simply reads ‘A boy or a girl, it doesn’t matter’).
With Meebo’s fish hat and generally upbeat vibe, Okita often plays this as a live action anime. At one point, an octopus gets comically stuck to a young boy’s face — only to be dramatically killed and eaten by Meebo’s father in a brief cutaway. Later, the enigmatic Mr. Fish Head — a kindred spirit to Meebo, albeit treated with suspicion by the townsfolk — has a head that literally glows.
THE FISH TALE is an instant cult favourite, and even at a slightly lengthy running time it’s sure to charm the pants off just about everybody who encounters it. As cinema releases become increasingly uniform, it’s delightful to see a film about someone who marches to the beat of their own drum and lives their best life.
2022 | Japan | DIRECTOR: Shuichi Okita | WRITERS: Shuichi Okita, Shiro Maeda | CAST: Non, Yuya Yagira, Kaho, Hayato Isomura, Amane Okayama | DISTRIBUTOR: Nikkatsu Corporation, Fantasia Film Festival | RUNNING TIME: 139 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 14 July – 3 August 2022 (Fantasia)
