Whimsical tales from fish-obsessed Japan

June 4, 2010 2:25 PM

Being a Fish in Japan.

Koi : The coveted Koi carp is a symbol of male potency. And what our muscle-bound protagonist lacks downstairs, he makes up for in abundance with his giant, dorsal Koi tattoos.

Namazu : According to legend, monstrous catfish dragons below the Japanese seas are responsible for earthquakes. A lithe young soon-to-be rockstar (day job: fishmonger) and a kindly old priest explain…

Sakana : For a good sashimi, the eyelids should still be flickering! And where better to ensure your dinner is still alive than the Fishing Restaurant where you can catch your own (FYI staff are on hand to disembowel).

Tuna : Our forthcoming rockstar / fishmonger guts a very large tuna live on stage, and explains why this most popular fish, is the very embodiment of “rock” (but you wouldn’t want your woman to resemble one).

Yellowtail : To a climactic, drum-heavy audio-track we see the science of breeding, catching, killing and packing the ubiquitous yellowtail creatures for convenient consumption in your local sushi bar…. Blood, guts and drama!

posted by crunchland (9 comments total)

I liked the combination of animation and live video.
posted by gomichild at 2:40 PM on June 4, 2010

This was actually honest-to-goodness fascinating. Thanks!
posted by krilli at 3:05 PM on June 4, 2010

That's an awesome find right there.
posted by jsavimbi at 3:30 PM on June 4, 2010

That catfish rockstar guy is nuts. I like him!
posted by Mizu at 3:40 PM on June 4, 2010

posted by krilli at 3:05 PM on June 4 [+] [!]

Eponysterical.
posted by acb at 5:00 PM on June 4, 2010

Mizu : You might be interested in reading more about him and his band on the WSJ.
posted by crunchland at 5:24 PM on June 4, 2010

That was incredibly annoying. I really liked the subject matter and the presentation, but the individual segments were frustratingly short, and the entire thing just wasn't in depth enough.
posted by fnerg at 9:50 PM on June 4, 2010

Thanks crunchland! I love the press photo of the band alongside that article. They seem very serious about being ridiculous. If you're going to be a corporately sponsored shill band, you might as well go all the way with it!

Fnerg, if you would like to know a little bit more about the whole tuna market thing from a narrative, character-based (but still nonfiction) perspective, I suggest you pick up The Sushi Economy. It gets into a lot of the history behind Japan's veneration of the tuna and the way sushi, specifically maguro, has traveled across the Pacific and infiltrated North America. You get to read about some pretty interesting people; chefs, fishermen, entrepreneurs, and it's pretty in depth, including a great segment about the invention of refrigerated airplanes and their effect on the world's economy.
posted by Mizu at 12:24 AM on June 5, 2010

catfish you fatso
posted by lemonfridge at 3:22 AM on June 5, 2010