Slow Loop Review
by Machio
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
Buy Slow Loop on Amazon →*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick Take
- Two girls become stepsisters and bond through fly fishing
- Extremely peaceful and warm — the ideal comfort manga
- Teaches you genuine fly fishing technique while telling a family story
Who Is This Manga For?
- Fans of 'cute girls doing activities' manga (Yuru Camp, Laid-Back Camp)
- Anyone who wants a calming, warm manga experience
- Those interested in learning about fly fishing
- Readers who like family dynamics without drama
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: none
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★☆☆ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★☆ |
Story Overview
Hiyori lost her father and connects with his memory through fly fishing — the activity he taught her. When her mother remarries, her new stepsister is Koharu, who doesn't know how to fly fish but is eager to learn. The series follows the two girls fishing together, cooking what they catch, and building a genuine sisterly relationship. Fly fishing technique is taught in detail throughout.
Characters
Hiyori is thoughtful and has a quiet sadness about her father that lifts as the series continues. Koharu is enthusiastic and warm, her genuine excitement about fishing providing energy and comedy. The stepfamily dynamics are handled without drama — the adjustment is real but kind.
Art Style
Machio's art is soft and detailed — fishing equipment is rendered accurately alongside the moe character designs. Outdoor scenery is beautifully drawn. The overall aesthetic matches the peaceful tone.
Cultural Context
Fly fishing is a specific, historically Western fishing technique that has gained Japanese practitioners — the series introduces it accurately and with genuine enthusiasm. The outdoor activity manga genre (Yuru Camp being the prime example) celebrates Japanese outdoor culture and specific activities with encyclopedic detail.
What I Love About It
Slow Loop made me think about fly fishing in a way I never had before. The technique is actual — you could learn to cast from this manga, though I wouldn't recommend learning only from manga. More importantly, it made me feel the meditative quality of the activity through its characters. Hiyori's connection to her father through fishing is handled with quiet precision.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Slow Loop has a warm reception from fans of the 'cute girls and outdoor activities' subgenre. It's frequently recommended alongside Yuru Camp as essential comfort manga. The anime adaptation brought new readers.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
Spoiler Warning: A chapter where Hiyori teaches Koharu a technique her father taught her, and both of them silently understand what that means, is the series at its most moving.
Similar Manga
- Laid-Back Camp — The essential outdoor activities comfort manga
- Hanazuki Farm — Farming activities with similar peaceful tone
- Encouragement of Climb — Mountain climbing — similar activity focus
Reading Order / Where to Start
Any volume works as entry, but start from Volume 1 for family dynamics context.
Official English Translation Status
Status: Ongoing Publisher: Yen Press Volumes Available in English: 8 of 11
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Perfect comfort manga
- Fly fishing technique is genuinely taught
- Family dynamics are warm
- Beautiful outdoor art
Cons:
- Very low stakes — not for readers wanting plot
- Ongoing
- Fishing focus means limited appeal
Format Comparison
| Format | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback | Amazon | Yen Press edition — ongoing |
Where to Buy
Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
More Manga You Might Like
Sports / Slice of Life
Sanpei the Fisherman
Sanpei the Fisherman follows Sanpei Mihara, a fishing-obsessed boy in rural Akita who travels Japan pursuing the perfect catch — learning about fish, rivers, and people along the way in one of manga's great nature-and-sport series.
Sports / Comedy
Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume (Scorching Ping Pong Girls)
Yu's review of Scorching Ping Pong Girls — Agari Kamiya is the best player at her middle school ping pong club until Tsumujikaze Koyori transfers in and shows her what it looks like when someone plays with pure, overwhelming love for the sport.
Sports / Slice of Life
Tsuri Kichi Sanpei
Tsuri Kichi Sanpei follows Sanpei Mihara, a fishing-obsessed boy from rural Japan whose passion for the sport takes him to rivers and lakes across the country — a long-running celebration of fishing, rural life, and the particular kind of patience that comes from watching water.
Sports
Dance Dance Danseur
Yu's review of Dance Dance Danseur — Junpei Murao buried his love of ballet after his father died because boys are supposed to be tough. Then a girl named Miyako and a strange, brilliant dancer named Luou pull it back out of him. George Asakura's seinen about what it costs a teenage boy to dance.
Sports / Slice of Life
Yama no Susume
Aoi Yukimura is a high-schooler with social anxiety who used to love climbing mountains with her father as a child. Her loud childhood friend Hinata drags her back into hiking. Across 26 ongoing volumes, the manga follows them up real Japanese mountains while taking Aoi's anxiety as seriously as it takes the trail conditions. Unlicensed in English.
Sports / Slice of Life
Absan
Absan follows Yasutake Kageura, a sake-drinking slugger for the Nankai / Daiei / SoftBank Hawks who entered as an undrafted pinch-hitter and retired 37 years later at 61, a 107-volume baseball manga by Shinji Mizushima that ran for over four decades.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.