Review of A Lull in the Sea

(Summary at the end) So, at first, I lowkey hated this anime. The first 1-6 episodes or so were all sort of introducing the characters, their relationships, things that would become relevant later etc. However while watching it really just seemed like a great setting/concept with a terrible plot centred around irrelevant drama and love triangles. I also hated almost all the characters, they all seemed vaguely annoying. Then around episode 7 or 8 things start picking up. There's definitely still some moments where things feel a bit over-dramatised or annoying but I was so surprised by how many things from earlier episodes were paralleled and actuallyused to make important points and have an impact on characters (particularly in the second half of the series).

The themes that are echoed throughout the series are really brought home in the last few episodes in a gorgeous way, it' s such a sweet coming of age story about change, loss, grief, love, moving on and friendship.

The art and sound are really gorgeous and I was in love with the lore and world-building. It was so ethereal and magical, it was reminiscent of a Ghibli movie in that sense.

The character development is a little back and forth at times but that's also fairly true to life, people don't develop and change in a linear way and especially not if they're trying to hold onto things/have unresolved things. So while some aspects of the characters seemed childish or silly, it seemed like it was purposefully done to make that point. And while they didn't change in some ways they definitely made efforts and strides in other ways. Seeing the characters try to change (or try not to, in some cases) made them a lot more likeable.

Overall this was a great anime, though it was a bit slow to start and the love triangle (more like decagon, jeez) was a bit much in some episodes, I think it was very enjoyable and definitely worth watching, especially for the gorgeous art.