‘The Fish Tale’: Non exudes natural charm as quirky fish enthusiast

Shuichi Okita’s latest film, “The Fish Tale”, is a heartwarming story about a lovable stranger, based on the autobiography of Sakana-kun, a television personality known for his encyclopedic knowledge of fish (his stage name translated as “Fish Guy”). The director’s previous films such as “A Story of Yonosuke” (2013) and “Mori, The Artist’s Habitat” (2018) feature similar protagonists, but “The Fish Tale” differs in that its main character, Meebo, is a woman.

She is played by the single-named actress Non, who first rose to national stardom playing a teenager who aspires to be a shellfish diver in the 2013 NHK morning drama “Amachan.” Beyond this sea-centric connection, Non exudes a natural liveliness that makes her ideal for the role of an eternal enthusiast.