Nagi no Asukara
It's funny, I can normally write a LOT without trying when I see a bunch of flaws in a series, but when it comes to the ones I really like, I usually have to actually think to find things to say (y'know, other than "this was really damn good, and everyone should watch it").
I just finished watching Nagi no Asukara, which was a really lovely series. I mean that literally, too - the art is beautiful, the scenery and colors and animation... my eyes were happy, let's just say.
The story was pretty engaging too, if you don't mind the endless series of crushes and complications that come with these kinds of pre-teen "growing pains" shows. I thought it handled itself well there, for all that you may have seen something similar somewhere else. The addition of the ocean city and the land city and their conflict and everything tying into a plot about change, feelings you can't control, and acceptance made things interesting.
I liked the endgame romances. More or less. Tsumugu's "I know you like me" got on my nerves a little, but given Chiisaki's mental block, that was probably the only way he could approach it. And I honestly appreciate shows where the characters move on when their first love doesn't work out. That "I'll always be waiting, loving you in the background" kind of gets on my nerves, but it sure is pushed in a lot of anime.
I also tend to pay attention to when it's girls who get the crush of their choice to turn around and realize that they really just didn't know their own feelings, because this trope is more common with the genders reversed. In this case... two couples with the boy's feelings being answered, one couple with the girl's being answered. At least there was one. And I really liked Sayu's character, so I'm happy for her (even if Kaname was kind of being an ass - at least it looks like he's learned something from it).
Miuna acknowledging that this was her first love, it was precious to her even if that love wasn't answered, and she'll have more experiences in the future made me smile.
All around, a very good series, and I recommend giving it a try.
Convenient video with all op/ed (note: spoilers in the second op/ed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9uMeTPWwVY
This entry was originally posted at http://silverthunder.dreamwidth.org/590158.html.
I just finished watching Nagi no Asukara, which was a really lovely series. I mean that literally, too - the art is beautiful, the scenery and colors and animation... my eyes were happy, let's just say.
The story was pretty engaging too, if you don't mind the endless series of crushes and complications that come with these kinds of pre-teen "growing pains" shows. I thought it handled itself well there, for all that you may have seen something similar somewhere else. The addition of the ocean city and the land city and their conflict and everything tying into a plot about change, feelings you can't control, and acceptance made things interesting.
I liked the endgame romances. More or less. Tsumugu's "I know you like me" got on my nerves a little, but given Chiisaki's mental block, that was probably the only way he could approach it. And I honestly appreciate shows where the characters move on when their first love doesn't work out. That "I'll always be waiting, loving you in the background" kind of gets on my nerves, but it sure is pushed in a lot of anime.
I also tend to pay attention to when it's girls who get the crush of their choice to turn around and realize that they really just didn't know their own feelings, because this trope is more common with the genders reversed. In this case... two couples with the boy's feelings being answered, one couple with the girl's being answered. At least there was one. And I really liked Sayu's character, so I'm happy for her (even if Kaname was kind of being an ass - at least it looks like he's learned something from it).
Miuna acknowledging that this was her first love, it was precious to her even if that love wasn't answered, and she'll have more experiences in the future made me smile.
All around, a very good series, and I recommend giving it a try.
Convenient video with all op/ed (note: spoilers in the second op/ed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9uMeTPWwVY
This entry was originally posted at http://silverthunder.dreamwidth.org/590158.html.