A Fishing Prodigy Gets Her Second Cast
Tsurikomachi (つりこまち), Natsuki Yamasaki's (山崎夏軌) coming-of-age fishing manga, is headed to the big screen as a live-action film. Comic Natalie reported the adaptation alongside the release of a commemorative key visual.
The manga ran in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine from 2021 to 2024 and spans seven collected volumes. Billed as a "girls' fishing manga," it tells the story of Tateyama Marimo (館山真理萌), a high school girl who earned the title of genius fishing prodigy at age nine — only to lose her drive after an accident derailed her dreams. When she crosses paths with Tetra, a fiery and passionate girl, Marimo finds new motivation to chase a gold medal in competitive fishing.
The series balances its cute, friendship-and-rivalry dynamic with surprisingly detailed fishing technique and real-world angling knowledge, earning it a following among actual fishing enthusiasts alongside its manga readership.
Why This Manga Exists
Yamasaki's author comment, published alongside the announcement, reveals that Tsurikomachi was born from a sense of urgency. "This work was born from watching the terrestrial fishing shows I loved as a kid vanish one by one, feeling the fishing industry's decline, and thinking 'Is there something I can do?'" Yamasaki wrote. "I kept drawing with the hope of conveying even a little of fishing's appeal."
The film announcement came as a surprise to Yamasaki, who was already working on a new manga project after Tsurikomachi's serialization ended. "If this film helps convey the fun and depth of fishing to more people, and even slightly energizes the industry, nothing would make me happier," the author added.
It's a personal motivation that gives the manga — and now the film — a mission beyond entertainment. Tsurikomachi isn't just a cute-girls-doing-cute-things fishing show; it's a love letter to a hobby its creator believes is fading from Japanese pop culture.
What We Know About the Film
Details are thin at this stage. The film will be distributed by Red Beans Pictures with distribution support from LUDIQUE, and is credited to the Tsurikomachi Production Committee. Beyond that, cast, staff, director, and release window are all yet to be announced.
The announcement visual has been released, but no trailer or promotional footage exists yet.
Looking Ahead
With no cast, crew, or release date on the table, the Tsurikomachi film is still in its earliest public phase. Fans should expect a follow-up announcement with casting and staff details in the coming months.
On the source material side, all seven volumes of Tsurikomachi are available in Japanese from Square Enix. The manga has not been licensed for English release by any publisher, and no digital English edition is available on platforms like Manga Plus. For international readers, the live-action film may end up being their first real point of access to the story — assuming it lands distribution outside Japan.
The fishing-as-sport angle gives the property a unique hook in a crowded adaptation market. Competitive fishing as an Olympic-adjacent dream isn't a premise you see every day, and a live-action take could land with both the manga's niche fanbase and a broader audience curious about Japan's outdoor hobby culture.