"Nagi no Asukara": A thorough analysis of the moving story that connects the undersea and land worlds

Nagi no Asukara - Nagi no Asukara - Reviews and Recommendations

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

October 3, 2013 - April 3, 2014

■TV Broadcast

• TOKYO MX/Every Thursday from 22:30
• BS Animax / Every Thursday from 22:00, Every Saturday from 22:00 (free broadcast)
• Sun TV / Every Thursday from 24:30
• KBS Kyoto / Every Thursday from 25:00
• TV Aichi / Every Thursday from 26:05
• Fukui TV / Every Sunday from 25:35
• Ishikawa Television / Every Wednesday from 26:20
• Toyama Television / Every Wednesday from 26:15

■ Online distribution

• Niconico Live Broadcast / Every Saturday from 23:00
• Niconico Video / Every Saturday from 23:30
• d Anime Store / Every Sunday from 12:00 (*Each episode is available for free for one week only)
• Animax PLUS / Every Wednesday from 24:00 (*Each episode is available for free for one week)
• Bandai Channel / Every Saturday from 12:00
• ShowTime／Every Monday from 12:00

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX, BS Animax, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, TV Aichi, Fukui TV, Ishikawa TV, Toyama TV, Niconico Live Broadcast, Niconico Video, d Anime Store, Animax PLUS, Bandai Channel, ShowTime

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

Project-118

■ Director

Toshiya Shinohara

■ Production

• Animation production: PAWORKS
• Produced by: Nagi no Asukara Production Committee

■Works

©Project-118/Nagi no Asukara Production Committee

■ Story

Long ago, all humans lived in the sea. But those who longed for land abandoned the sea. They threw away the special feather robes given to them by the sea god so they could live in the sea... People who live in the sea and those who live on land, their habitats are separate and their ways of thinking are incompatible, but they were all originally humans and time passed, with little to no interaction between them. Sakishima Hikaru, Mukaiido Manaka, Hiradaira Chisaki, and Isaki Kaname living in a sea village at the bottom of the sea, and Kihara Tsumugi living on land. The sea and the land. They are all of the same age, second-year junior high school students, but they had never met before. When they meet, their hearts begin to waver like the tides. A blue fairy tale (fantasy) of boys and girls set in a slightly mysterious world.

■Cast

• Hikaru Sakishima/Natsuki Hanae
• Manaka Mukaiido/Kana Hanazawa
• Chisaki Hirataira/Ai Kayano
• Isaki Kaname/Osaka Ryota
• Tsumugi Kihara/Kaito Ishikawa
• Miu Shiodome/Mikako Komatsu
• Sayu Hisanuma/Kaori Ishihara
• Akari Sakishima/Kaori Nazuka
• Sakishima Light / Masuo Amada
• Itaru Ushiodome/Junji Mashima
• Isamu Kihara/Motomu Kiyokawa
• Mr. Uroko/Kousuke Toriumi

■ Main staff

• Original work: Project-118
• Director: Toshiya Shinohara
• Series Composition: Mari Okada
• Character design/Tinplate
• Character design and chief animation director: Yuriko Ishii
• Key animator: Hideki Takahashi
• Art Director: Kazuo Tochi
• Art setting: Yoshinori Shiozawa
• Director of photography: Yukiyo Kajiwara
• Color design: Mika Sugawara
• 3D Director: Yohei Hirata
• Special effects: Masahiro Murakami
• Edited by Ayumi Takahashi
• Music by Yoshiaki Dewa
• Music Production: Geneon Universal
• Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin
• Sound Production/Magic Capsule
• Produced by Infinite
• Animation production: PAWORKS
• Produced by: Nagi no Asukara Production Committee

■ Main Characters

• Sakishima Light

  (Episode 1-13) She lives with her older sister Akari, who works at a supermarket on land, and her father Tomoru, who is a shrine priest. She has a strong sense of justice and is caring, but she can also be a bit foul-mouthed. She also gets worked up when it comes to her childhood friend Manaka. She's good at cooking. (Episode 14 onwards) She jumps into the sea after Manaka, but is unable to grab her hand... Five years later, at the same time as Tomoe, she wakes up alone, still 14 years old.

• Mukaiido Manaka

  (Episode 1-13) Although she is naive and indecisive to the point that she can be caught by accident, she is strong-willed and honest. She tries her best in everything she does, but she doesn't think much about the consequences, so she often causes trouble for those around her. (Episode 14 onwards) On the day of the "Boat Pulling", she heads to the whirlpools in the sea in place of Akari, but... She was found by Hikaru and the others while sleeping in the place where the young ladies who had been washed out to sea gathered.

• Hiradaira Chisaki

  (Episode 1 to 13) She is a childhood friend of Hikaru and the others, but is also like a guardian and older sister to Manaka. Although she is a little shy around strangers, she has a bright personality and opens up to people naturally. However, when it comes to romance, she is a little timid. (Episode 14 onwards) 19 years old. After being left alone on the surface, she is staying at Tsumugi's house with the help of Isamu. Since Isamu fell ill, she is aiming to become a caregiver.

• Isaki Kaname

  (Episode 1-13) A childhood friend of Hikaru, Yamanaka, and Chisaki, who attend the same junior high school. Unlike the lively Hikaru, he has a quiet, easy-going personality. He is the one who is most adept at reading the mood and acting accordingly among them. He is both cute and cool, and has a somewhat androgynous appearance. (Episode 14 onwards) A human from Shioka who awakens after Hikaru. While living at Tsumugi's house, he returns to Mihama Junior High School like Hikaru. He becomes classmates with Mihama Yasayu, who is now 14 years old.

• Tsumugi Kihara

  (Episode 1-13) A second-year middle school student who lives on land with his grandfather, Isamu. He helps his grandfather with fishing. He has a quiet, laid-back personality. He has a somewhat otherworldly sensibility. He loves anything to do with the sea, and is interested in Hikaru and the others. (Episode 14 onwards) 19 years old. While attending the oceanography graduate school of a university in the city, he is researching sea villages with Professor Mitsuhashi to explain the abnormal weather on land.

• Umi Shiodome

  (Episode 1-13) A third-grade elementary school girl who lives on the surface. She lost her mother when she was young and now lives with her father. She's not a gloomy person, but she has a calm demeanor for an elementary school student and doesn't say much. (Episode 14 onwards) 14 years old. Her hair is longer than it was five years ago. She currently lives with Itaru, Akari, and her younger brother Akira.

• Sayu Hisanuma

  (Episode 1-13) Miumi's classmate and best friend. She's stupid and spirited, but she used to be bullied. She always shows up to get in Hikaru's way. She sometimes uses words that elementary school kids don't know. (Episode 14 onwards) 14 years old. She goes to Mihama Junior High School with her best friend Miumi. She used to be a mischievous delinquent girl, but now she's studying hard to become an independent woman.

• Sakishima Lighting

  (Episode 1-13) Hikaru's older sister. 20 years old with an outstanding figure. She has a very bright, cheerful personality and is very caring. She works at a supermarket (Sayamart) on land, and is in love with a man on land. (Episode 14 onwards) On the day of the "Boat Pull", she is sucked into a whirlpool but is saved by Manaka... Five years pass with no sign of Hikaru and the others, and during that time she gives birth to a boy (Akira) with Itaru.

• Sakishima Lights

  (Episode 1-13) Hikaru and Akari's father, he serves as the chief priest at Narumi Shrine where Uroko-sama resides. His daily routine is to have a drink in the evening and read the Fish Racing Newspaper, and he is not good at cooking. (Episode 14 onwards) On the day of the "Boat Pulling" he goes missing along with Shiokao after being put to sleep by Uroko-sama, but when Hikaru and the others return to Shiokao they discover him in hibernation.

• Shiodome

  (Episode 1-13) Miumi's father, he works at the Oshidaishi Fisheries Cooperative. He lost his wife (Miri) and is raising Miumi on his own, but he seems somewhat unreliable. (Episode 14 onwards) After overcoming the tragedy of the "boat-hiker" incident that also happened to be their wedding, he and Akari have a son (Akira). As their family grows, they move to a single-story house in Oshidaishi City.

• Isamu Kihara

  (Episode 1 to 13) Tsumugi's grandfather, he lives with Tsumugi. He is a fisherman and knows about the sea village. He usually doesn't say much. (Episode 14 onwards) He calls out to Chisaki who is left alone on land, and invites her to stay with him. He later collapsed while tending to a rope, and is currently recuperating in the hospital. He is from the sea village.

• Scales

  (Episode 1 to 13) The guardian deity of the sea village (Shiokao). He looks young but speaks like an old man and his age is unknown. He casts curses on a whim and enjoys watching them. Sometimes he gives important advice? (Episode 14 onwards) The guardian deity of the sea village (Shiokao). He looks young but speaks like an old man and his age is unknown. He casts curses on a whim and enjoys watching them. Sometimes he gives important advice? After putting the residents of Shiokao into hibernation, his whereabouts become unknown.

• Akira Shiodome

  (From episode 14) Akari and Itaru's 4-year-old son. He is usually sulky. He is very mischievous and is currently into Kancho.

• Sayama Shun

  (From episode 14) He was a classmate of Hikaru and his friends five years ago. His family runs Sayamart, and he currently runs the store as the young owner. He dyes his work truck in his own color.

• Satoru Mitsuhashi

  (From episode 14) A professor at the university Tsumugi went to who is researching the relationship between abnormal weather and seaside villages. He stays at Tsumugi's house and investigates Shiokao with Tsumugi.

■Subtitle

• Episode 1: Between the sea and the land
• Episode 2: A cold thin film
• Episode 3: The legend of the sea
• Episode 4: Because We're Friends
• Episode 5: Umm, Sea Slug
• Episode 6: Beyond the Sun
• Episode 7: The Boat Sways
• Episode 8: Beyond the Floating Feelings
• Episode 9: Unknown Warmth
• Episode 10: Warm Snow Falls
• Episode 11: Time Changes
• Episode 12: I want to be kind
• Episode 13: Unreachable Fingertips
• Episode 14: The Promised Day
• Episode 15: Guardian of Smiles
• Episode 16: Whispers of the Distant Waves
• Episode 17: The sick couple
• Episode 18: Shioshishio
• Episode 19: The Lost Child
• Episode 20: Sleeping Princess
• Episode 21: The Messenger from the Depths of the Sea
• Episode 22: What I Lost
• Episode 23: Whose Feelings Do These Belong to?
• Episode 24 / Detritus
• Episode 25: Love is like the sea.
• Episode 26: The color of the sea. The color of the earth. The color of the wind. The color of the heart. Your color. ~Earth color of a calm~

■ Theme songs and music

• OP1
  • "Lull ~And We~"
  • Singer: Ray
• ED1
  • "Aqua Terrarium"
  • Song: Yanagi Nagi
• OP2
  • "ebb and flow"
  • Singer: Ray
• ED2
  • "The Three-leaf Knot"
  • Song: Yanagi Nagi
• Insert song 1
  • twenty five
  • "mnemonic"
  • Song: Yanagi Nagi
• Insert song 2
  • twenty five
  • "lull ~Earth color of a calm~"
  • Singer: Ray

Evaluation

"Nagi no Asukara" is an original anime produced by PAWORKS, a fantasy work that depicts the growth and romance of boys and girls set in two worlds, sea and land. This work was broadcast from October 2013 to April 2014, and was developed as a long series of 26 episodes. Below, we will go into detail about the story, characters, music, visuals, and overall evaluation.

story

The story of "Nagi no Asukara" takes place in the underwater village of "Shiokao" and the land town of "Mihama". The inhabitants of the sea and land were once the same human race, but they were divided into those who abandoned the sea and lived on land, and those who remained in the sea. The inhabitants of these two worlds continue to interact, even though they do not always understand each other. The story revolves around five people: Sakishima Hikaru, Mukaiido Manaka, Hiradaira Chisaki, and Isaki Kaname, who live in the underwater village, and Kihara Tsumugi, who lives on land. Although they are all the same age, second-year junior high school students, they grew up in different environments, one on the sea and the other on land, so when they meet, various conflicts and conflicts arise. However, they grow up and begin to understand each other.

The first half of the story depicts the problems that arise from the differences in culture and values ​​between the sea and the land, as well as the protagonists' youth and romance. In particular, the cultural clash that arises when the sea dwellers start commuting to land, and the protagonists' emotional struggles as they waver between friendship and romance are depicted realistically. The second half of the story depicts a major event that causes the sea dwellers to go into hibernation, and the story is set five years later. During these five years, the protagonists each walk their own path, and have grown a lot by the time they meet again. This depiction of the passage of time and growth adds depth to the story.

Additionally, the story's themes of "change" and "growth" are emphasized. The relationships between the inhabitants of the sea and land, as well as the emotional changes of the protagonists, are carefully depicted, deeply moving the viewer. In particular, the title of the final episode, "The color of the sea. The color of the earth. The color of the wind. The color of the heart. Your color," symbolizes the theme of the story and leaves a deep impression on the viewer.

character

Each character in "Nagi no Asukara" is unique and charming. In particular, the main character, Sakishima Hikaru, has a strong sense of justice, is good at cooking, and is memorable for the way he acts to protect his childhood friend Manaka. Mukaiido Manaka is an innocent and indecisive person, but she is also strong-willed and charming for the way she puts her all into everything she does. Hiradaira Chisaki is a childhood friend of Hikaru and friends, but she also acts as a protector to Manaka, and her bright personality and timidity when it comes to love make her even more attractive. Isaki Kaname has a quiet and easygoing personality, and is memorable for the way he reads the atmosphere and acts accordingly. Kihara Tsumugi is quiet and goes at his own pace, and his sensibility as he loves anything related to the sea adds depth to the story.

The supporting characters are also fascinating. Shiodori Miu is an elementary school student who has a calm demeanor, while Hisanuma Sayu is a foolish and spirited girl who is also depicted growing up. Sakishima Akari is Hikaru's older sister, and is charmingly cheerful and caring. Sakishima Akari is Hikaru and Akari's father, and is depicted protecting the village as the chief priest. Shiodori Itaru is Miu's father, and it is moving to see him raise Miu alone after losing his wife. Kihara Isamu is Tsumugi's grandfather, and his presence, knowing about Umimura, adds depth to the story. Uroko-sama is the guardian deity of Umimura, and while he is quirky, he is memorable for the way he gives important advice.

The human drama woven by these characters enriches the story. The portrayal of their growth, romance, and friendship deeply touches the audience and enhances the appeal of the story.

music

The music of "Nagi no Asukara" features a beautiful soundtrack by Dewa Yoshiaki. In particular, the opening themes "lull ~And So We Are~" and "ebb and flow" feature Ray's singing voice and beautiful melodies that enhance the atmosphere of the story. The ending themes "Aqua Terrarium" and "Mitsuba no Musubime" feature Yanagi Nagi's singing voice and poetic lyrics that deeply express the theme of the story. Additionally, the insert songs "mnemonic" and "lull ~Earth color of a calm~" also play a role in livening up important scenes in the story. These pieces of music have the effect of further deepening the emotion of the story.

picture

The visuals of "Nagi no Asukara" are characterized by the beautiful drawings and colors of PAWORKS. In particular, the beautiful scenery of the underwater village of "Shiokao" and the scene depicting the boundary between the sea and the land are impressive. In addition, the expressions and movements of the characters are carefully drawn, which has the effect of encouraging the viewer to empathize with them. Furthermore, the special effects by 3D director Hirata Yohei also enhance the fantasy elements of the story. These visuals further enhance the appeal of the story.

Overall rating

"Nagi no Asukara" is a fantasy work set in two worlds, on land and sea, yet it realistically depicts the growth and romance of young boys and girls. The story unfolds dramatically in two halves, deeply moving the viewer. Each character is unique and charming, and the portrayal of their growth, romance, and friendship enriches the story. The music's beautiful soundtrack and lyrics enhance the atmosphere of the story, while the visuals' beautiful artwork and colors enhance the appeal of the story. The combination of these elements makes "Nagi no Asukara" a work that deeply moves the viewer and leaves a lingering impression.

Recommendation

"Nagi no Asukara" is a work recommended for those who like fantasy and youth dramas. In particular, it is a must-see for those who like stories set in two worlds, the sea and the land, and works that depict the growth and love of boys and girls. It is also recommended for those who enjoy beautiful music and visuals. It is also recommended for those who like the works of PAWORKS and the music of Dewa Yoshiaki. Please watch this work and enjoy the story of the growth and love of boys and girls.