Apr 7, 2022
Shiroi Suna no Aquatope is one of those series for me where I went in expecting to rate it a 6 or a 7 at best, but it came out as a 10 - a masterpiece. I understand that the use of this word might make some people stop reading this review and I will fully admit there is bias in my use of the word, but that's the nature of art/entertainment. I won't pretend to be some expert on media, or anything like that - I simply had to write something about this series.
In terms of the story, the realism of the world
...
is tempered by fortuitous (perhaps influenced by the magic of storytelling) events that strikes the right balance between monotonous slice of life drama, and whimsically fantastic... well fantasy. There are crushed dreams, new hopes, disappointments, successes, significant changes, eternal constants - the story has no problem being realistic or idealistic and manages to marry the two into something that is at the same time entertaining and meaningful. Since it has aired, I've watched it twice, once weekly as it came out and once again with a friend to whom I recommended it. Re-watching it, I was not at all less impressed than when I watched it for the first time as the story was so endearing.
The art should speak for itself. Colourful, detailed backgrounds are a constant. The attention to detail for the sea life is astonishing. The character designs are reflective of the characters personalities in subtle ways. The food and drinks that are periodically shown look appetizing. It truly is a P.A Works artistic masterpiece.
The sound was another high point for the series. The OPs and EDs were all songs I've added to my Japanese/Anime music playlist. The music during the episodes was fitting, but there wasn't any particular standout musical direction. The sounds of water, animals, and small things like 'boots on rocks' versus 'boots on tile' were all well done and helped build the immersion. The voice acting overall was very well done, and well casted. If you have a thing for anime with good/popular voice actors/actresses, this anime delivers and more importantly makes use of their talent appropriately.
The characters were not particularly groundbreaking, but in the context of the series, were a great fit. Normally I would have been more harsh on the characters having seemingly one-track minds, but as the series progresses and you learn more about the characters, they tend to look more like real people and less like one dimensional archetypes personified. I'll admit that the series could have gone further with the characters (like with the characters in Oregairu), but the stories of the two mains girls Kukuru and Fuuka make you love them. Growing up is tough, and the strength that the girls showed by the end of the series is something you would be hard pressed to imagine they would show when the series begins. The way they approach problems and losses is at the same time idealistic in that the story does not allow them to give up, but realistic in the way that the character holds those failures in future reactions to things.
My enjoyment of this anime was something that only comes around once every so often. After the first episode, I almost dropped it but by about the 10th episode I couldn't wait for the next episode.
Is this an anime for everyone? I wish it was because I find it so appealing, but in reality it is not. I've seen complaints about yuri bait, and there might be some truth to it but I think that's reaching for something that isn't there. There is also a romance angle to it between the main character and one of the side characters, and that never really gets solved, more like just abandoned. For me though, these are not significant issues because they are merely peripheral to all of the things that make this series a masterpiece for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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