The appeal and reviews of "Umi Monogatari": A thorough explanation of the moving ocean adventure anime

"Umi Monogatari" - The heartfelt bond woven by the girls of the sea and sky

"Umi Monogatari," which was broadcast as a TV anime series in the summer of 2009, is a story about girls from the sea and sky who meet and grow up. The original work is based on the characters of the "Umi Monogatari Series," and the director is Junichi Sato, who is known for the "ARIA Series" and "Kaleido Star." The animation was produced by ZEXCS, and the series aired from June 25 to September 17, 2009, with a total of 12 episodes.

Broadcast information

"Umi Monogatari" was broadcast on CBC (Chubu Nippon Broadcasting), MBS (Mainichi Broadcasting System), TBS affiliates, AT-X, Anime One, etc. The specific broadcast schedule is as follows.

• CBC: June 24, 2009 to September 16, 2009, every Wednesday from 25:29 to 25:59
• TBS Television: June 26, 2009 to September 18, 2009, every Friday from 26:25 to 26:55
• Hokkaido Broadcasting: June 27, 2009 to October 3, 2009, every Saturday from 26:13 to 26:43
• RKB Mainichi Broadcasting: July 1, 2009 to September 23, 2009, every Wednesday from 27:00 to 27:30
• Tohoku Broadcasting: July 2, 2009 to September 24, 2009, every Thursday from 25:34 to 26:04
• Shizuoka Broadcasting System: July 3, 2009 to September 25, 2009, every Friday from 26:10 to 26:40
• Chugoku Broadcasting: July 3, 2009 to July 10, 2009, every Friday from 27:10 to 27:40 (episodes 1 to 2), July 17, 2009 to September 25, 2009, every Friday from 26:40 to 27:10 (episodes 3 to 12)
• Mainichi Broadcasting System: July 6, 2009 to September 28, 2009, every Monday from 26:35 to 27:05
• AT-X: July 20, 2009 to October 5, 2009, every Monday from 9:00 to 9:30
• Hokuriku Broadcasting: July 7, 2011 to September 22, 2009, every Thursday from 26:05 to 26:35
• Anime One: July 7, 2009 to October 6, 2009, updated every Tuesday from 10:00

story

The setting of "Umi Monogatari" is the bottom of the ocean bathed in dazzling sunlight. There, a pure and innocent girl named Marin, who has a human form, lives with her younger sister Urin among the fish. Marin and Urin are from a race called Umibito (Sea People), and they long for the sky world (land). One day, a beautiful ring falls into the ocean. With the shining ring in their hands, Marin and her friends leave the underwater world for the first time to return it to its owner. The two arrive at a small remote island surrounded by the sea.

Meanwhile, Natsune, a high school girl living on the island, is a pessimistic and gloomy girl who was recently dumped by her boyfriend. She has no hope for her daily life or her future, but she is actually the owner of the ring that Marin and the others are searching for. Marin and Natsune meet as if guided by fate, and eventually they awaken to a certain power hidden within them. As the "Priestess of the Sea" and the "Priestess of the Sky", they fight against "Sedona", an entity that covers the world in "darkness", and test their bond with each other.

Commentary

"Umi Monogatari" is a work that depicts the emotional bonds between girls, set against the backdrop of a magnificent sea and island. It has attracted attention as a magical shrine maiden fantasy with beautifully depicted battles and transformations. Director Junichi Sato has ventured into new territory in this work, which is a beautiful and poetic tale of a summer in which the emotional bonds between pure girls are depicted. This moving story, in which the hearts of the girls of the sea and sky envelop the world, has been loved by many viewers.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Marine: Kana Asumi
• Natsune Miyamori: Minako Kotobuki
• Urin: Yui Horie
• Miyako Miyako: Sachiko Nagai
• Matsumoto: Rokuro Naya
• Sam: Junji Mashima
• Warin: Yukari Fukui
• Kojima: Sawashiro Miyuki
• Oshima: Aki Toyosaki
• Beautiful soldier: Satomi Akesaka
• Suzuki: Yuko Gibu
• Ichikawa: Satomi Akesaka
• Singer: Eikai Miyahara
• Sedona: Houko Kuwashima

Main Staff

Many staff members were involved in the production of "Umi Monogatari." The main staff members are introduced below.

• Original idea: Umi Monogatari series
• Story concept: Toshihiko Tsukiji
• Planning: Kazutaka Akimoto, Tsuneaki Hattori (CBC)
• Executive Producer: Hiromitsu Ando
• Producers: Hidemasa Tasaka, Isamu Shibata, Tomoko Kawasaki, Yoshihiro Iwasa (CBC)
• Series Composition: Yuka Yamada
• Series Director: Yu Kurenai
• Character design and chief animation director: Haruko Iizuka
• Prop design: Yoshiyoshi Iwanaga
• Art director: Shichiro Kobayashi
• Director of photography: Kazuyuki Ota
• Color design: Yoshimi Kawakami
• Edited by: Daisuke Hiraki
• Music producer: Junnosuke Sato
• Music Production: Lantis
• Music: Ken Muramatsu
• Song selection: Yasuno Sato
• Art: Akio Shimada
• Background scan: Scanya
• CG Director: Naoya Fukushi
• Sound effects: Swara Pro, Toshiya Wada
• Sound Mixer: Kimitaka Kawasaki
• Sound Editor: Naomi Hayashi
• Recording studio: Tabak
• Sound Production: Glow Vision
• Sound Production: Hiroto Morishita, Eri Ito
• Dialect instructor: Yuko Gibu
• Video editing: Peas Studio, Hachiro Kawasaki, Mika Yamazaki
• Promotion: Naomi Muroki, Yoko Makiguchi, Chiaki Shimazaki, Kenji Matsuo, Masaki Sakakibara (CBC)
• Website production: Shinobu Takeuchi (CBC), Shoichiro Iimori (CBC), Hirotoshi Maeyama, Satoko Ozeki
• Title logo design: Masashi Mori
• Planning cooperation: Atsushi Higashiyama, Tetsuya Endo
• With the cooperation of Ken Kuroki, Mariko Seto, Yuka Sakurai, Shinya Tagashira, and Goichi Nonaka
• Production producer: Michiyoshi Koyama
• Animation Producer: Kazunori Hashimoto
• In charge of production: Takeshi Hashimoto, Kazuyoshi Ozawa
• Literary editor: Eri Uchiyama
• Setting: Kana Komatsu
• Production desk: Kiyoshi Shintaku
• Produced by: TO Entertainment
• Animation Production: ZEXCS
• Director: Junichi Sato
• Produced by: Umi Monogatari Production Committee (Shochiku, TO Entertainment, ZEXCS), Chubu Nippon Broadcasting

Main Characters

We will introduce the main characters of "Umi Monogatari" in detail.

• Marine : A sea person who lives in the sea. She is innocent and curious. She is a kind girl who does not know how to doubt and accepts everyone. She longs for the world of the sky (land), which is considered forbidden for sea people.
• Miyamori Natsune : A high school girl who lives on Tenjinko Island. She has a surly and unapproachable air about her. However, that's because she's afraid of being disliked or betrayed by others, so she keeps others at bay. In reality, she can't leave people in trouble alone.
• Urin : Marin's younger sister, Kaito. She loves Marin and is always with her, no matter where she is. She is a strong person who disciplines Marin when she sometimes acts in an unexpected way, but in the end, she always ends up being manipulated by Marin.
• Warin : A friend of the sisters Marin and Urin, and a sea creature. She is strong-willed, reliable, and a big sister type. She thinks that the sky (land) is a dangerous place, so she is genuinely worried about Marin and the others who have gone to the sky (land) world.
• Sam : A friend of the sisters Marin and Urin, a seaman. A refreshing young man with bright white teeth. He is an optimistic person, but sometimes has trouble reading the mood. He loves sea grapes and owns a sea grape field.
• Miyamori Miyako : Natsune's mother, she runs the family business as a fake fortune teller. She wants Natsune to take over as a fortune teller, so she half-forces her into doing it as a part-time job. She has a pleasant and cheerful personality, and her hobby is triathlons.
• Matsumoto : A member of the sacred turtle bloodline who assists the Sea Priestess and the Sky Priestess, she is an elder of the sea world. She was involved in a previous battle with Sedona and was turned to stone, but when Sedona was resurrected, she returned to normal. She teaches Marin and Natsune the knowledge and fighting methods of a shrine maiden.
• Suzuki : Natsune's childhood friend. He is one of the few people who understands that there is kindness hidden behind Natsune's evil words and actions. He wants to be friends with Natsune, but it is not easy to close the distance between them. His special skill is yoga.
• Oshima : A girl who likes Kojima and sees Natsune as a rival in many ways. She calls herself "the best girl on the island." She tries every trick in the book to get Kojima's attention, but it always ends in vain. She's strong-willed, hates to lose, and has a never-give-up spirit.
• Kojima : Natsune's ex-boyfriend. He is kind, but a bit naive and insensitive. He broke up with Natsune due to a small misunderstanding, but he wants to talk things out properly and start over with her.
• Singer : He lives on Tenjinkojima and sings the island folk songs that are passed down on the island. He is a mysterious person who appears suddenly and whose age and gender are unknown. The island songs and his singing voice have a mysterious power that can embrace the sadness and pain people are carrying and ease the hearts of those who listen.
• Ichikawa : Matsumoto's daughter. She was transformed into Sedona's servant by the dark power of Sedona, but she barely escaped Sedona's control thanks to the same sacred turtle blood as Matsumoto, and returned to her original form. She lives with her biological father, Matsumoto, after a touching reunion with him.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode of "Sea Story" are as follows:

• #1: Heart of the Sea, Heart of the Sky
• #2: Heart of the Ring, Heart of the Shrine Maiden
• #3: Approaching Heart
• #4: A Test of Mind
• #5: The Heart That Covers the Light
• #6: Falling Heart
• #7: The Falling Heart
• #8: The desire for each other
• #9: A Loving Heart
• #10: The Silent Heart
• #11: Heart of Light, Heart of Darkness
• #12: The Heart of the Island, the Heart of the People

Related Titles

The following works are related to "Umi Monogatari."

• Sea Story - The things you were there for me - Unaired episode
• Umi Monogatari ~You were there~ Short animation

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs for "Umi Monogatari" are as follows.

• OP1
  • Period: 1-12
  • Title: Violet
  • Lyricist: micco
  • Composer: Tatsuya Kikuchi
  • Arrangement: Tatsuya Kikuchi
  • Sung by: marble
• ED1
  • Period: 1-12
  • Title: Transparent Prayer
  • Lyricist: riya
  • Composer: Masumi Ito
  • Arrangement: Masumi Ito
  • Vocals: Masumi Ito
• IN1
  • Period: 1, 5, 6, 10
  • Title: Tidanu Hikari
  • Lyricist: Ken Muramatsu
  • Composer: Ken Muramatsu
  • Song (singer): Eikai Miyahara
• IN2
  • Duration: 8
  • Title: Flower of Time
  • Lyricist: micco
  • Composer: Tatsuya Kikuchi
  • Arrangement: Tatsuya Kikuchi
  • Sung by: marble
• IN3
  • Period: 11
  • Title: Starry Afternoon
  • Lyricist: riya
  • Composer: Masumi Ito
  • Arrangement: Masumi Ito
  • Vocals: Masumi Ito

Ratings and Recommendations

"Umi Monogatari" was highly praised as a beautiful story depicting the emotional bond between girls of the sea and the sky. Director Junichi Sato's delicate direction, combined with ZEXCS's beautiful animation, makes it a visually appealing work. In particular, the contrast between the world of the sea and the world of the land, as well as the girls' growth and deepening bond, were carefully depicted, leaving a deep impression on viewers.

The characters are also very unique, and the relationship between Marin and Natsune in particular resonated with many viewers. The way the two grow and develop as a friendship is depicted, as Marin's purity and Natsune's inner conflict intersect, is very moving. Furthermore, the music is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the series, and the opening and ending songs are still loved by many fans today.

This work goes beyond the framework of a magical girl anime and can also be enjoyed as a heartwarming human drama. "Umi Monogatari" depicts the adventures and growth of girls of the sea and sky, and is a wonderful work that will brighten up your summer, so I hope many people will watch it.