Nagi no Asukara: A Lull in the Sea - Completed....I forgot
I can't seem to get this anime out of my head, it was really breath-taking, not only was it animated by P.A.Works, but there are so many stories in this 26 episode series. Let me get one thing straight, the plot summary on MAL is just pure crap, I mean yes it's accurate but the show is about so much more, of which the least important is that they live in the sea. That's another thing about this series, the flawless combination of traditional elements. You have the family dynamic, you have a Sea-God, or a Scale of the Sea-God, you have romance, coming of age, which by the way is different from slice of life, even though it's quite subtle. The story is comprised of 2 main arcs, and with it a time leap, which happens at the start of the second arc. The story, I will be honest has some repetition, but you will honestly ignore that if you can attach yourself to the characters. Oh boy, are fleshed out, you get to see for one example, Muina, Hakari's niece, turn into an adolescent at the start of the second arc, but the entire first arc she is in about preschool. See what I mean, I wish I could share more but it would really spoil this whole series for you guys. Along with that something I have never seen in other series, such as the iconic, Kyoto Ani, and Key collaborations, ie. Kanon, Clannad, is the angst of love that the story adds to the characters, yet at the same time making them all so vulnerable that you can't help but feel bad for them. Chisaki is a great example of this , she is the only one of the group of 4 that survives the 1st arc, or that's what you're supposed to believe, and ends up with no family, or care-taker. She is shown as the sole survivor from the failed ceremony, scared and unsure she is taken by Tsumugu's grandfather. What I love is well you are forced to look at the children both as children and as adults, especially during the second arc. Hikari is taunted by his sister, about how womenly Chisaki has become, Kaname is tortured with the realization that he is the only one for whom happiness well never be, and Manaka navigating the seas of puberty, wondering what the feeling is that she gets from Tsumugu. And that's really what captivated me, the music, and art are astounding but this was the real reason I got into anime, this all bets are off approach to characters and situations, that unfortunately western tv can't go into. As always these reviews, if they can be called that are just ramblings of a 'void-possessing' fan. If you are anything like me, and enjoy the great SOL genre, this is an anime you have to watch, it will hit you with feels, and really help you look deeper into yourself, what do you really want, how are you going to get there, are you going to burn all your bridges in the process? Nagi no Asukara is translated as A Lull in the Sea, and if you use it in the sense of a noun, it means a temporary calm, or period of inactivity, for me that is a metaphor for life, you're a kid, you fall in love, and experience loss, thinking nothing will ever be the same again, and yet you find someone , and you continue to live life. The sea in the show, as far as I can tell is a metaphor for segregation, and prejudice. The Ena, is what makes each of us unique, our ideals and beliefs are what make us shine, like Hikari's sisters wedding dress. I could say so much more, but I would have a hard time writing it all down. Nagi no Asukara is a show for a very mature audience, one that can sense the subtle changes in the characters, the scenery, but also the pain of unrequited love, that the characters feel through out, and finally the ending of a childhood, why I love Chisaki is that she never had a chance to be a child, she was always looking out for the others, and she, like me, hated change the most, why, because she knew that if they didn't have to grow up, they would never lose the companionship that they had. She would never have to loose Hikari but she also wouldn't ever be able to be fully intimate with him either, she had to be alone for 5 years, while everyone in the sea was presumed to be dead, she had to live with a reminder of Kaname, the boy who had confessed his love for her, and been shot down. As Tsumugu says perfectly, "For 5 years we have been waiting, let us continue our lives now". In summation, seriously this time, Nagi no Asukara is a beautiful anime, and if you can see beneath the spectacular use of Blue, you will get a story with so much drama, and suspense that you'll have a hard time finding another anime that lives up to it. Shout-out to that someone who recommended this anime to me, she knows who she is, THANK YOU, SO MUCH!
