The appeal and evaluation of "Tsurikichi Sanpei": A masterpiece anime that depicts the world of fishing in depth

Sanpei the Fisherman: A Story of Fishing Adventure and Growth

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

Broadcast period: April 7, 1980 to June 28, 1982 Broadcast time: 19:00 to 19:30
Broadcasting station: Fuji TV 30-minute program x 109 episodes

■Broadcasting station

Fuji TV Network

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 109

■Original Story

Takao Taniguchi "Sanpei the Fisherman"

■ Director

Directed by Eiji Okabe and Yoshikata Nitta

■ Production

Produced by Nippon Animation, Fuji Television

■Works

©Yaguchi Takao/Kodansha, Nippon Animation

■ Story

The story follows the young Sanpei Sanpei as he meets friends and rivals through fishing and grows as a person. The setting is not limited to fishing in mountain streams in Japan, but also includes sea fishing and even overseas. Episodes vary from one-shots to four-part series.

■Explanation

Sanpei Sanpei is a cheerful boy who lives with his grandfather Ippei, who is known as a fishing master, in a mountain village in Tohoku. At first glance, he seems like an ordinary elementary school student, but in fact he is a genius fishing master, with the talent inherited from his grandfather. This animation depicts the atmosphere of the original popular fishing manga.

■Cast

・Sanpei/Masako Nozawa ・Ippei/Kohei Miyauchi ・Uoshin/Nachi Nozawa ・Yuri/Fuyumi Shiraishi ・Masaharu/Keiko Yamamoto

■ Main staff

・Original story: "Fishing Master Sanpei" by Takao Taniguchi (published in Weekly and Monthly Shonen Magazine)
・Producer/Motohashi Koichi・Production management/Takasago Mitsuru・Planning/Sato Shoji・Music/Yamamoto Hiroyuki, Sone Yukiaki・Direction/Okabe Eiji, Nitta Yoshikata・Producers/Masuko Sojiro, Nakajima Junzo, Endo Shigeo, Watanabe Tadami・Screenplay/Baba Mitsuru, Tomita Sukehiro, Murata Tatsuo・Production desk/Uchiyama Shuji・Screenplay/Okada Eiji・Storyboard/Okada Eiji, Harada Masuji, Takeuchi Hiroo, Nakano Kenji, Yasumura Shoichi, Suzuki Kaname, Tonogouchi Masaru, Kohana Kazutome, Nakano Kenji, Matsuura Johei, Yokota Kazuyoshi, Noda Sakujiro, Kurokawa Fumio, Hagimura Toru, Yamazaki Katsuhiko, Shimizu Tooru・Chief animation directors: Hirokazu Ishino, Satoshi Yamaguchi, Tomari Iino, Seiko Azuma, Takeshi Osaka, Yoshio Mukai Nakano, Hiroshi Kanazawa, Toji Mizumura, Tsunehiro Okasako, Hideto Kojima, Yuichi Endo, Yuki Sugisaki, Noboru Kominato, Takashi Saijo, Kaoru Izumiguchi and others ・Art directors: Hideo Chiba, Keiji Kamezaki and others ・Director of photography: Toshiaki Morita ・Sound recording director: Tsunehiro Komatsu ・Color design and inspection: Matsuko Isono, Mitsu Komori, Kikuko Kitamura ・Animation check: Tatsuyoshi Maeda, Akinobu Takahashi ・Animation: Anime R, Trans Arts ・Finishing: Studio Kiri, Studio Robin, Kino Pro・Background / Studio Loft, Atelier Lasco, Mascot, Magic House・Cinematography / Trans Arts, Kazushi Torigoe, Seiichi Hashiya, others・Music / Yukiaki Sone, Hiroyuki Yamamoto・Sound Production / Audio-Visual System・Mixer / Hideyuki Tanaka・Sound Effects / Ishida Sound・Recording Studio / Eiko Studio・Development Lab / Tokyo Developing Lab・Title / Akira Michikawa・Editing / Hajime Okabe, Keiko Onodera・Assistant Director / Yukio Okazaki, Toru Hagiwara・Production / Nippon Animation, Fuji Television・Production Cooperation / Trans Arts Inc., Susumu Ohara・Cooperation / Trans Arts, Tama Productions, Tsuchida Productions・Chief Director / Eiji Okabe (first half), Yoshikata Nitta (second half)

■ Main Characters

・Sanpei The main character is a boy who loves fishing. He lives with his grandfather, Ippei, who is a master of fishing rod making. He challenges himself to various types of fishing and improves his skills, and also meets many friends and rivals, showing his personal growth.

・Ippei / Kohei Miyauchi. His grandfather is an expert in making fishing rods. His fishing skills are also top-notch. He acts as a parent figure to Sanpei.

・Uoshin/Nachi Nozawa A professional fisherman whom Sanpei admires. Uoshin also thinks highly of Sanpei. He lost his sight in his right eye in a fishing accident when he was a child. He wears sunglasses to hide the loss.

Yuri / Fuyumi Shiraishi A girl who lives next door to Sanpei. She is a little older than Sanpei and acts like an older sister to him, but they often fight and disagree with each other. She is called Yurippe.

Masaharu/Keiko Yamamoto A boy who looks up to Sanpei as his "master."

■Subtitle

・1/The Monster of the Night Crying Valley (1) The Black Shadow of Narukami-fuchi (1980/04/07)
・2/ The Monster of the Night Crying Valley (2) The Sazen Trout Flew (1980/04/14)
・3/ Blue Carp of the Caldera (1) Mystery of the Blue Swamp (1980/04/21)
・4/ Blue Carp of Caldera (2) The Mysterious Blue Scales (1980/04/28)
・5/ Blue Carp of Caldera (3) Challenge! Giant Blue Carp (1980/05/05)
・6/Wild Carp of Lake Ox (1) The True Identity of the Ghost Kappa (1980/05/12)
・7/Wild carp on Lake Okuzuki (2) Uoshin-san, it's time for a showdown! (1980/05/19)
・8/ Wild Carp on Lake Ox (3) Desperate Fishing (1980/05/26)
9. The Gang of Mitsumataike (1980/06/02)
・10/God of the Hair Hook (1) The Dance of the Mayfly (1980/06/09)
・11／God of the Hair Hook (2) The Mystery of the Hair Hook Beater (1980/06/16)
・12/God of the Hair Barrier (3) The Technique of Turning the Hair Barrier Mountain Man into Stone (1980/06/23)
・13／Ground-pulling Gombe (1980/06/30)
・14/Oike no Takitaro (1) Hit! The lure dances (1980/07/07)
・15/Takitaro of O Pond (2) The Mystery of the Ancient Trout! (1980/07/21)
・16/Oike no Takitaro (3) Farewell! The Phantom Takitaro (1980/07/28)
・17/King of the Rocks (1) Sanpei! First Time at the Sea (1980/08/04)
・18/King of the Rocks (2) Shattered Sunglasses (1980/08/11)
・19/King of the Rocks (3) Here Comes the Stonefish! Three-stage Pull! (1980/08/18)
・20／Tears of the Whitebait (1) Shark Jin's Special Move (1980/08/25)
・21/Tears of the Whitebait (2) The Rot Roars! Unnamed Island (1980/09/08)
・22／Tears of the Whitebait (3) Clash! Shark vs. Full Turn (1980/09/15)
・23/ Tears of the Whitebait (4) Don't cry, champion! (1980/09/22)
・24/??? Wilderness (1) The Monster of the Marsh! Yachibouzu (1980/09/29)
・25／??? Wilderness (2) Shadow approaching the field mouse lure (1980/10/06)
・26／??? Wilderness (3) The Great Battle in the Marshes! (1980/10/13)
・27／The Mystery of the Mekko Iwana! (1980/10/20)
・28／Baby Fox at the Fishing Spot (1980/10/27)
・29／The Night Poke of the Sculpin (1980/11/03)
・30／Lord of the Triangle (1980/11/10)
・31／Susuki River Elegy (1980/11/17)
・32／The Grass Carp of Turnip Crossing (1980/11/24)
・33／Small Big Game (1980/12/01)
・34／Grudge Pole (1980/12/08)
・35／Hagoromo Carp of the Phantom Swamp (1980/12/15)
・36／The Giant Monster Fish of Furunuma (1980/12/22)
37/The Red Carp of Oppori Swamp (1980/12/29)
・38／Bozuzawa's Bozu (1981/01/05)
・39／Space Beech of Yakinuma (1981/01/12)
・40／Mudskippers in the Ariake Sea (1) (1981/01/19)
・41／Mudskippers in the Ariake Sea (2) (1981/01/26)
・42／Mudskippers in the Ariake Sea (3) (1981/02/02)
43/Canadian Salmon Derby (1) (1981/02/09)
・44 / Canadian Salmon Derby (2) (1981/02/16)
・45/Canadian Salmon Derby (3) (1981/02/23)
・46／Dancing Princess of the Mountain Lake(1) (1981/03/02)
・47／Dancing Princess of the Mountain Lake(2) (1981/03/09)
・48／Dancing Princess of the Mountain Lake(3) (1981/03/16)
・49／RC Fishing (1981/03/23)
・50／Sakurafubuki Karasu Koi (1981/04/06)
・51／Snakehead vs. Osprey Showdown (1981/04/13)
・52/Golden Carp Part 1 (1981/04/20)
・53/Golden Carp Part 2 (1981/04/27)
・54/Hawaii's Blue Marlin Part 1 (1981/05/04)
・55/Hawaii's Blue Marlin Part 2 (1981/05/11)
・56/Hawaii's Blue Marlin Part 3 (1981/05/18)
・57/Hawaii's Blue Marlin Part 4 (1981/05/25)
・58／The Finger-Cut Fish of Tegata Swamp (1981/06/01)
・59／Ryushin Waterfall Dragon (Part 1) (1981/06/08)
・60／Ryushin Waterfall Dragon (Part 2) (1981/06/15)
・61／Brown in the Rain of Cicadas (1981/06/22)
・62／Ayu in a sudden shower (1981/06/29)
・63／Hachiko the Fishing Dog Part 1 (1981/07/06)
・64／Hachiko the Fishing Dog Part 2 (1981/07/13)
・65／The Monster Iwana of Shigure Valley (1981/07/20)
・66／Yanagagawaryu Yanagi Secrets (1981/07/27)
・67／Sanpei-style Strange Do Operation (1981/08/03)
・68／The Legend of the Carp (1981/08/10)
・69／Akaneya Style Small Hawk Net: The Legendary Cast Net (1981/08/17)
・70／Akaneya-ryu Kotaka-ami: Kinokawa River (1981/08/24)
・71／Akaneya-ryu Kotakaami Demon Hand Buddha Hand (1981/08/31)
・72／Gatchingan Iron (1981/09/07)
・73／Lake Killer Black Bass (1981/09/14)
・74／Large rainbow trout on the maple leaf bank (1981/10/12)
・75／The Giant Carp of Taro Swamp (1981/10/19)
・76／Fishing Mom (1981/10/26)
・77／Tomo fishing instruction (1981/11/02)
・78／Golden Valley's Golden Char (1981/11/09)
・79／Akabuchi and the legendary rod (1981/11/16)
・80／Fishing Pond Struggle Chronicle (1981/11/23)
・81／Operation Iwana Transplant (1981/11/30)
・82／Smelt ice fishing (1981/12/07)
・83／Shakubaya's Akane Fishing (1981/12/14)
・84／Penpen Fishing and Pokan Fishing (1981/12/21)
・85／Kuki's Thrust (1981/12/28)
・86／The legendary big fish, the giant carp (1982/01/04)
・87／The Mystery of the Fire Stone (1982/01/11)
・88／Nessie of Lake Nenju (1982/01/18)
・89／Petrified (1982/01/25)
・90／Giant Carp Fishing Mission (1982/02/01)
・91/Secret technique! Japanese silver grass fishing (1982/02/08)
・92/Golden Trout (1982/02/15)
・93／The Temptation of the Nymph (1982/02/22)
・94／The Strange Fish with a Karakusa Pattern (1982/03/01)
・95／Water Princess (1982/03/08)
・96／The Magician of the Mountain Stream, Kingfisher (1982/03/15)
・97／Summer of Young Sweetfish (1982/03/22)
・98／Fishing for the King of the Marshes, the Hucho (1982/04/12)
・99／Char poacher attacked (1982/04/19)
・100/Sanshiro the Bear Hunter (1982/04/26)
・101／Reed fishing in the winter (1982/05/03)
・102/Dontsuki! Tamakin Trio (1982/05/10)
・103／Dontsuki! Sanpei ● (Secret in ◯) Strategy (1982/05/17)
・104／Spring Stream Ginbuna Incident (1982/05/24)
・105／Falling sweetfish fishing (1982/05/31)
・106／The Mysterious Fish of the Cursed Valley (1982/06/07)
・107／The Night Poke of the Sculpin and the Mystery of the Firefly (1982/06/14)
・108／Kedani Sensei's Struggle Chronicles (1982/06/21)
・109／Fly into the sky, Sanpei! (1982/06/28)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・"Young Traveler"
Lyrics: Makio Ishizaka; Composition: Yukiaki Sone; Arrangement: Yukiaki Sone; Singer: MOJO
・ED
・"I'm Sanpei the Fisherman"
Lyrics: Masao Ishizaka; Composition: Yukiaki Sone; Arrangement: Yukiaki Sone; Vocals: MOJO

Sanpei the Fisherman: A Story of Fishing Adventure and Growth

In the early 1980s, the TV anime "Tsurikichi Sanpei" taught many children the joys of fishing and the beauty of nature. The series is based on a popular manga by Taniguchi Takao, and follows the protagonist Sanpei Sanpei as he grows through fishing. It aired for a total of 109 episodes from April 7, 1980 to June 28, 1982. It was broadcast on Fuji TV in a 30-minute slot from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. every Monday to Friday.

Sanpei Sanpei is a boy who lives with his grandfather Ippei in a mountain village in Tohoku. Ippei is a master of making fishing rods and has first-class fishing skills. At first glance, Sanpei seems like an ordinary elementary school student, but in fact he is a genius fishing master, with the talent inherited from his grandfather. The anime has been able to faithfully depict the atmosphere of the original work and successfully convey the charm of fishing to viewers.

Sanpei's adventures begin with mountain stream fishing in Japan, then expand to ocean fishing and even fishing overseas. Episodes range from one-off to four-part series. In each episode, Sanpei learns new fishing techniques, meets friends and rivals, and grows as a person.

Many unique characters appear around Sanpei. His grandfather, Ippei, is Sanpei's fishing mentor and parent figure. Uoshin is a professional fisherman whom Sanpei looks up to and highly values ​​Sanpei's talent. Yuri is a girl who lives next door to Sanpei's house and is a little older than him, but is like an older sister to him. And Masaharu is a boy who calls Sanpei his "master" and grows through fishing. Sanpei's interactions with these characters support his growth.

The anime was produced by Nippon Animation and Fuji Television. It was directed by Eiji Okabe and Yoshikata Nitta, and written by Mitsuru Baba, Sukehiro Tomita, and Tatsuo Murata. The music was by Yukiaki Sone and Hiroyuki Yamamoto, and the theme songs were "Young Traveler" and "I'm Sanpei the Fisherman" by MOJO. Thanks to the cooperation of these staff, the anime was completed in a way that brought out the best of the original work.

"Fishing Enthusiast Sanpei" is a work that teaches not only fishing techniques, but also respect for nature, friendship, and the importance of hard work. Through Sanpei's adventures, viewers can experience the joy of fishing and the beauty of nature. In addition, Sanpei's story of growth gives children dreams and hopes and teaches them the importance of hard work.

This work is loved not only by children of the 1980s, but also by many people today. It is recommended for people who are interested in fishing, as well as those who like nature and adventure. Watch "Fishing Master Sanpei" and enjoy the story of Sanpei's adventure and growth.