‘The Fish Tale’: Non exudes natural charm as an oddball fish devotee

Shuichi Okita’s latest film, “The Fish Tale,” is a heartwarming story about a lovable outsider, based on the autobiography of Sakana-kun, a TV personality known for his encyclopedic knowledge of fish (his stage name translates as “Fish Guy”). The director’s previous films such as “A Story of Yonosuke” (2013) and “Mori, The Artist’s Habitat” (2018) feature similarly oddball protagonists, but “The Fish Tale” differs in that its titular character, Meebo, is a male protagonist played by actresses.

Taking on the role of Meebo as a young adult is the single-named actress Non, who first rose to national stardom portraying a teen who aspires to become a shellfish diver in the 2013 NHK morning drama, “Amachan.” Beyond this sea-centric connection, Non exudes a natural vivaciousness that makes her ideal for the role of an eternal enthusiast.

We first meet Meebo as a child (Mizuki Nishimura) who becomes enthralled with fish during a trip to an aquarium and even more so when his understanding mother gives him a fish encyclopedia. Meebo reads the book from cover to cover and tirelessly draws aquatic creatures in class, his favorite being the octopus.

When he encounters the real thing at the beach one day, he gleefully wraps it around his body, letting its squirmy tentacles cling to his back — the word “squeamish” is clearly not in his vocabulary. And when his father beats the animal to death before cooking it, Meebo doesn’t shed a single tear. Instead, he digs into Dad’s campfire meal with gusto.

Back at home, Meebo befriends an eccentric man who wears a hat shaped like a fish and lives alone in a small house filled with sea creatures, dead and alive. When Meebo loses track of time at Mr. Fish Head’s place, his worried father comes to the rescue with the cops in tow. His new friend is taken into custody despite doing nothing creepy, thankfully, and Meebo becomes determined to follow in his footsteps as a fish expert.

His path to his dream is not smooth, however. In high school, Meebo (now played by Non) has to deal with two rival gangs of local delinquents who think his aquatic obsession strange. His fearlessness and fish-cleaning skills impress them, though, and he ends up winning them over, especially Hiyo (Yuya Yagira), a former primary school classmate and the smartest in his gang. But the blossoming of teen friendship is not what this film is about.

After graduation, Meebo lands a succession of fish-related jobs in Tokyo, but none of them stick. He gets fired from an aquarium for being too scatterbrained, quits his job as an apprentice sushi chef out of boredom and loses his first big client as an aquarium designer for being too nerdy. Will he find his calling, or will he forever be a fish out of water?

Knowing the real-life Sakana-kun’s rise to TV fame and fortune, it’s not hard to guess how Meebo’s story will develop. Also, some viewers may be put off by his nonchalance in killing, cutting up and eating the finny objects of his affection. Those also hoping for an in-depth look at the environmental dangers of this country’s obsession with fish had best look elsewhere.

Non, however, brings a bubbly energy and rock-solid commitment to the role that comes to her as naturally as breathing, even in her underwater scenes. Also, the story of Meebo enthusiastically tackling every obstacle the “normal” world throws at him perfectly suits Okita's talent for mixing quirky observational humor with heartfelt but laid-back human drama. So sit down, unwind — and cast a line.