Alternative title(s): Sora to Umi no Aida
Game Adaptation by TMS Entertainment
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

Haru is a genki girl who’s been recruited to become a space fisher after a dumb plot development where the global fish stock disappeared in one day… somehow. She gets wrapped up in a dumb gender dispute and goes on a dumb space fishing expedition, where apparently it was decided to be a good(dumb) idea to make space fish mutant giants who actively try to kill people. Did I remember to say this was dumb? It was really, really dumb.

Marlin’s verdict: So Here’s This Giant Enemy Crab.

That was about the only funny thing to come out of this snoozefest doubling as a shameless product placement. This isn’t even enjoyably dumb the way some shows are because it takes its bonkers premise completely seriously. No one for a second thinks about how stupid all the things that happen are, and its characters might as well be mannequins with a personality trait stapled on their faces. The only thing I’ll give it any credit for is making a pretty decent attempt at framing the tension in this show as a boys club mentality in the fisher’s guild. While I could see it if this was like, idno harpoon fishing tuna, where you maybe shouldn’t have teenage girls up for the job, the idea that the men think women are inherently unfit to pilot submersibles and summon personas is so stupid I can’t even begin to start.

Wasn’t kidding about the crab, btw.

And it’s at this point of the show where the gatcha game elements become embarrassingly blatant. I actually had forgotten that was the entire purpose of this show, so to see this naked advertising, with the fishers literally using a smartphone app to “summon deities”. I am still gobsmacked that this is a legitimate game, who is this for, fish lovers? People who like Shin Megami Tensei but think its designs are too good? I spared everyone the wasted time on this once I watched it, so I’m offering you the same favor: Watch anything else this season. Except Goblin Slayer. Or that loli maid show. Or the imouto show. or that yaoi sexual assault show. Or the slime show. Man it’s sad to think this doesn’t even break the top 5 worst of the season.