Review of A Lull in the Sea
Robert's Too Late Reviews rolling through again! Get the tissues out for this one folks, because it's a total tearjerker. I am, as tradition, reviewing the dubbed version. Nagi no Asu kara has such movement, such deep character arcs and tense drama that I wholeheartedly recommend this anime to anyone. Let's go fishing and break this thing down. Story: 10 As the synopsis states, this series is set in a time when humanity, who were all native Sea People, have split off to live their lives on the surface. This migration of people from the ocean to terra firma causes a deep, and lasting, schism betweenthe two groups. When our cast of characters, who are Sea People, are forced to attend school among Surface Dwellers, the rampant prejudices reign in the hearts of both groups. The Sea People feel that it was wrong for the Surface Dwellers to leave the waters, giving them an arrogant and elitist view of themselves. The Surface Dwellers are angry at such treatment, and also take pride in the lives they have built for themselves on dry land.
This is very much a commentary on racism. The two groups immediately and pointlessly hate each other, for no other reason than that's what they've always done, for each group being slightly different from the other. This hatred is so ingrained that no one thinks to question it or try to find a way to move past these negative opinions. This is further ingrained by the fact that there exists 'interracial' relationships between Sea People and Surface Dwellers. When a person of the sea falls in love with a person on land, the sea person is banished from the city of the Sea People, and forbidden to ever return. Even on the surface, the people there also harbor resentment at these mixed couples and what they represent.
This is so reminiscent of my country's (the US) reactions when it comes to mixed relationships. There have been times, not far past when a person of color marrying a white person could be actually physically dangerous, with acts of violence carried out to protest the union. This is not some long past situation in my country (and I suspect many parts of the world) that we can just look on as the 'dark days'. My mother, who is alive and well today, remembers clearly the days of segregation, Jim Crow laws, and proclamations of parents everywhere saying things like "don't bring that (racial epithet) to my home" and "you think you're too good to date your own kind". This is still a problem today, much to society's shame.
I have spoken before in reviews about my personal experience with racism because I'm a white man that was in a long term relationship with a Hispanic woman. How we both felt shunned by our respective 'people' and resented by in-laws, so to speak. This is a major plot point in this anime, that there exists this level of foolishness that in the end it nearly destroys everything that both groups hold dear. Their irrational hatred of each other causes them to care less about their own impending doom than throwing around the most impressive insults.
Of our cast, the person I would name as the main character in the ensemble (Hikari) seems to be the worst in carrying around the racist grudge. Even when chances for him and the other three Sea People to have positive interactions with the Surface Dwellers, he allows his hate-clouded vision to ruin it. A minor SPOILER here, this kid's older sister falls for a man from the surface, and has every intention of spending her life with him, which not only means banishment from the ocean city, but after a little time, she (and all Sea People) lose their ability to breath underwater, so she couldn't go home even if she wanted to. This infuriates her little brother, but also helps to open the door of his heart, even only slightly.
Complicated alliances, complex feelings, and confusing dynamics all smash together and help break the cycle of hatred among the two groups, with the younger people having to force their elders to change. There are holdouts on both sides, but after much effort, the Sea People are able to convince many of the Surface Dwellers to put aside their hatred and perform a religious ceremony dedicated to the Sea God. This does not go off as planned, partly due to still lingering racial resentment, and because they didn't truly understand the symbolism behind the ritual itself.
In the middle of this, one character is struck a sudden and powerful blow, becoming cursed in a manner that is not only heartbreaking for the character, but throws the entire dynamic of the cast into chaos. Secrets are revealed, feelings come forth, and many of the characters suffer terrible heartbreak. These setbacks cause the cast to once again attempt the Sea God ceremony, and the outpouring of love that has developed between the Surface Dwellers and the Sea People moves the Sea God in such a way that the impending disaster is averted, and the deity blesses both groups once again.
The story is played out in such a manner that I found myself emotionally invested in the characters very quickly. Within a few episodes I was already seeing events unfold that threatened to bring tears to my eyes. It brought anger and despair to my heart as I watched the two groups carry on their racial grudge. It sent me soaring as I watched the brave young people come together, in spite of the hatred they had been taught to have, and give everyone a chance. I choked up as the power of love overcame the villainous darkness of hate. And in the end, it wraps in a way that is somewhat unexpected, but also satisfying. It is easy to make predictions on who dates who, but likely those predictions will turn out to be wrong. But the end brings it all together in a beautiful package, and plays out as one of the best anime I've come across.
Art: 10
I loved the art in this show. There's a lot of muted colors, soft and pastel-like at times, which makes absolute sense because we're dealing with the salty ocean (both beneath in Sea People town and above in the village) and it's ability to fade colors and give everything that 'washed out' look. This is of course very fitting for the show's setting. Under water, the sea life is bright and vibrant, and the architecture has a very natural flow to it, as one would expect from a group of people living underwater in such a way.
The characters themselves are interesting, and are visually distinctive for the most part. There's an event that happens towards the end of the show that did occasionally make me mix up two characters (Miuna and Chisaki to be exact) but otherwise, it's a looker. The eyes are amazingly expressive, the backgrounds are very fitting, and it comes together in such a pleasing manner.
Sound: 10
The music really guides our emotions through the series, with beautiful piano pieces and such bringing heightened tension, or moments of pure release, or even serenity to appropriate scenes. The score was very well done. Now the big question: does the voice work sound good? For the most part yes, everyone sounds as they should, and the voices seem to match the characters really well. Monica, one of the Sea People, has a bit of a pitchy voice that can get grating at times, but not enough to make me bite my nails or anything. The mysterious Surface Dweller kid has a really well done voice, in that he sounds so very wise beyond his years. From where I'm sitting, everyone sounded great together and the voice acting was well done. The theme songs are as pretty as one would expect with this being a drama romance show, but they weren't enough to knock my socks off either. Good, but not really very memorable.
Character: 10
Here's where it gets good. We have all kinds of love triangles going around, as one might expect, but the cast is bigger than just a guy and a few girls, there are several male characters who all have their own motivations for what they do and how they act. There are layers on layers built upon the foundations of these characters, leading us to never quite be certain how or if a particular relationship will play out.
By giving the more 'supporting' cast romantic roles deepens the complexity and gives it a lot of realistic weight. Love is a complicated thing, and there are always difficult dynamics involved. Oftentimes our hearts wants something that not even our minds realize. The exploration of these intertwining feelings and relationships serve to augment the theme of love, loss, and longing quite well.
It is because of some of these relationships that the younger characters break the cycle of hate that their elders were so determined to keep. By getting to know each other, love blossoms and then the truth emerges: it doesn't matter where you're from, what you look like, or anything like that, because we are all people in the end, and that's what matters.
There are several twists in the feelings department that did catch me a bit off guard. I thought for sure things were going to go one way, only to have them not. I don't mean this as a complaint, I mean it as a compliment. It wasn't as predictable as most. Usually by episode 4 you know who's going to be with who and all that. Not this time around, at least not for me.
The characters are more than background props, they are all fully fleshed out and stand well on their own. This gives the show a much more organic feel to it.
Enjoyment: 10
I just adored the whole experience with this show, and if you like things like 'Your Lie in April' or 'Anohana' or even 'Aru Hara Ride', you should be quite at home here.
Best Girl: Sakishima Akari. Akari is brave enough to step out and live the life she wants, even if she does waver here and there about the decision. Her relationship with the guy she falls in love with helps embolden her little brother to take action to bring the Surface and the Sea together again. For breaking the cycle of hate, she's the best girl.
As I said, I was misty-eyed quite often throughout the series, and found myself on the edge of my seat a few different times. It was compelling without feeling forced, the twists seem shocking but make sense when pondered, the message of love thy neighbor permeates through and through. Jump in the sea, the water's just fine!