Review of A Lull in the Sea

I should preface this by saying that I have seen this show multiple times, and I will try to be as impartial as possible. Nagi No Asukara begins as a happy-go-lucky slice of life riddled with romance that evolves seamlessly into a dramatic (even more) supernatural drama. You come for the art, ambient sounds, and music, but stay for the character development. The primary focus in this type of story should be to make sure your audience empathizes with the characters and I really think that this show hits the mark in that respect. Some characters are very obviously intended to be unlikable in the beginning,or visibly lack weaknesses, but each of those barriers that prevent us from empathizing with said characters is weakened as the show progresses, and when it's happening, it feels very natural. This creates a very multi-dimensional feel. As a result I could never forget Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, Kaname, Miuna, Sayu, or Akari. Each of these characters has to fight their own battles, and each of those battles feels like it has significant weight. Every single thing that happens feels like it has a real impact. You become easily emotionally invested in all of them, literally every single one (at least of the ones I've listed), and that is VERY hard to do with as many main characters as there are.

The art can't be described as anything but beautiful and organic, but most notable are the underwater scenes. Home to the people of the sea, Shioshishio is a town most likely inspired by the cliffside houses of Cinque Terre, Italy. As crazy as it seems to us, to live underwater, they make it feel alive and cozy. The muffled ambiance of being in the sea is so calming and immersive, and it really makes you want to live there yourself.

Last of all, the music is my favorite out of all the shows I've seen. Each song has a specific feeling it tries to convey (tying into what's happening in the show), and I believe that they succeed in that. There really are no skippable songs on the OST.

This was actually the first anime that I watched where I didn't expect much. I didn't expect to get emotionally invested. I was just looking for something to watch in bed at the end of the day to wind down and have some good vibes. Boy did it prove me wrong. The pacing is perfect and there is really 0 filler. Sure there are laughs every now and then, but you will audibly gasp, you will cry, and at some points you'll just have to take a few minutes after it ends to process what just happened. Also, a plus, it has 26 episodes instead of the usual 13.

I tried to not give this a 10, but I have to. It's my favorite show for a reason, and I will always come back to it.