Story(9): Nagi no Asukara has a very interesting story that will convey both heart warming moments and heart breaking moments. Much of the story is strongly driven by romantic entanglements of the various characters present. In a world where there are two types of Humans in the form of land dwellers and sea dwellers, when 4 sea dwelling teenagers are forced to attend school alongside land dwellers; the internal struggles as well as the emotional impact of trying to adapt to the new situation, results in an interesting Slice of Life type of drama. The story itself revolves around the changing relationships between the 4 sea dwellers as well as their relationships with land dwellers and elders of the sea village they reside in.
Art(10): The animation used in Nagi no Asukara is simply marvelous, quite outstanding even amongst strong contenders of 2014 animes. The art done for the underwater world of the Sea dwellers are beautifully rendered, making it effortless for the viewer to imagine oneself as being in the Sea village. This creates the feeling of being underwater in a world that is like our own yet different at the same time.
Sound(10): Nagi no Asukara has exceptionally well done sound effects, voice acting, as well as the music that is seamlessly integrated into the scenes with precision. The sound of an underwater world is most certainly unknown to most of us as we possess no natural capability to survive underwater for any extensive length of time; however if one could survive underwater, the sounds you might hear is quite possibly near identical to the sounds Nagi no Asukara delivers. In addition to the realistic sounds, the music utilized is quite emotion-provoking. During emotionally powerful moments in the anime, the music delivers a strong force unto the viewer that can definitely cause the activation of tear ducts without conscious control.
Character(10): As such animes are mainly driven by the interactions and relationships between the various characters rather than flashy fights, the Characters of Nagi no Asukara most certainly fulfill its role in creating a high quality anime of great enjoyment potential. The changing world around them and the need to adapt to an unknown world from their own, results in changing relationships. When romance is added in to the emotional drama that is Nagi no Asukara, it becomes quite interesting to observe how everything will end. The concern, worry, and fear as well as confusion regarding their changing world view, is something that is channeled in a very human way; as these concerns are not only those of 14 year olds but also for adults, it is very easy to understand the mental processes of the characters in Nagi no Asukara.
Enjoyment(9): Nagi no Asukara was a very enjoyable anime. Though I personally prefer animes of the darker nature, Nagi no Asukara has enough twist and turns plus emotional dramatic moments to maintain my interest. It was very difficult to predict what will happen, who would end up with who, can the main character come to understand his confusions and overcome his fears, as well as what in blazes is happening to the world in Nagi no Asukara? Thus, even without flashy fights or the mysterious and psychological aspects of darker animes, I found Nagi no Asukara to be most enjoyable indeed.
Overall(9): It is of my personal opinion that Nagi no Asukara possess a strong enough story with a very human element to it, which adds to the relatable drama and emotional moments, thus can be enjoyed by a large variety of Anime watchers. As such, I would recommend Nagi no Asukara to those with a heart and suggest supernatural beings watch other Animes more to their liking, such as Another.
