In the film Tsuribaka nisshi (Free and Easy), released by Shochiku in 1988, Hamasaki Densuke is a salaryman obsessed with fishing. He is transferred to the head office in Tokyo, and in a cafeteria he meets Suzuki Ichinosuke, the president of his company. Neither knows who the other is.
When they go fishing, Hama-chan, a rank-and-file employee played by Nishida Toshiyuki, is the master. Su-san, the president, played by Mikuni Rentarō, is his pupil. The magazine Serai suggests that the appeal of the series probably lies in this reversal of rank in private life. It ran to 22 films, from 1988 to 2009.