Animated by PA Works, Nagi No Asukara follows a group of middle schoolers as they transfer to a dry land school when their own one, located in the underwater village, is forced to close due to a lack of attendance. While the visuals and setting suggests a slice of life type of show, it is an engaging and emotional drama about people coming into terms about their feelings and relationships. In terms of storyline, the 26 episodes runtime is spread with racial tensions, love triangles left, right and center and a supernatural element thrown in. There are mundane events that happen, which is are shared among all the anime of this type, but it is always in service of driving and developing the characters and their relationships with one another.
Having done work on fan favourite shows like Angel Beats! and The Eccentric Family, PA Work's visuals do not disappoint in the least. The background art is lavishly detailed and colored to match the season, whether it take place in the summer or wintertime. The surface town is based off a real seaside town in Japan and is faithfully recreated in the anime. On the other hand, the underwater village of Shioshishio is created to resemble a Greek seaside villa, completed with pristine stone white houses that layered on top of each other. What makes this show stand apart from its peers is the way the lighting and water effects play with the scenery and characters from the way the sunlight filters through the seawater and the reflective light as it interacts with various materials. Equally important is the way the animators portrays the lack of lighting, which translates into detailed and shifting shadows, heavy contrast between lighted and shaded areas and the muted sun of the wintertime.
A drama lives and dies by its characters. Otherwise it just become another show with pretty background work. Thankfully, Nagi No Asukara also boasts very well-designed and realized characters in spite of the fact that the main cast consists of a bunch of 14 year olds. Each character contribute their own identity into the group dynamics and drive it in their own unique way. At the same time, their flaws also come into play making it feels a lot less in the cast being shoehorned into pre-established archetypes and more like a group of real teenagers struggling through their trials. Initially, a few characters are bit annoying and unlikable but as the series ran its course, good execution of character development makes it much easier for the viewer to attach and identity at least one redeeming trait in everyone. For example, Hikari's bullish and aggressive nature put him at odds with many people and more often than not, ends up in direct conflict. At the same time, his traits allows the story to propel forward and tries his absolute hardest in everything that he does. The same thing can extend to all the other main characters in where they excel and where their imperfections lie.
As flawed and complex as each character is, there are some logic gaps in some of their actions and thought processes that may annoy some viewers. However, this being a show where emotions run high and painful memories weight heavily, logical reasoning is probably in low supply all around. Supporting characters that are not part of the five core characters do a commendable job of interweaving their own experiences within the overall narrative. Standouts include Hikari's sister, who offers an adult experience in completing her coming-of-age stage of life and two elementary schoolgirls who play a much bigger role than what it might initially seem.
Equally as strong as the characters being portrayed are voice actors performing in their own respective roles. The female VAs give off a soft tone and match up well with their characters while the male VAs are more diverse in playing the hot-headed Hikari, and perceptive Kaname and aloof Tsumugu. By using the piano as the basis for much of the soundtrack and being supported by string instruments, the musical score is rather melancholic whether it is playing during a day of shopping or one of the series' more intense moments. As a result, the soundtrack flows through and with the scenery and never becomes overbearing. In particular, the two openings and closings are well-put together as the first OP and ED is reflective of the carefree and mysterious atmosphere of the first half. In contrast, a dark and ominous presence permeates the second OP and ED as the story comes full circle to its conclusion.
Nagi no Asukara shares many traits with the 5 Centimetre per Second movie in terms of glorious visual and subject matter. One of the strongest connections that these two pieces of work share is how they handle relationships on a physical, emotional and temporal level. Instead of physical distance being portrayed in 5 cm, being measured in kilometres, Nagi's physical distance is based off of the biological divide between surface and sea dwellers. Those with Ena (something that allows people to breath underwater) are always in tension with those that do not process Ena as they compete for relevance and relationships. Unrequited love is another main theme in which all characters experience, as they long for someone else who has eyes for another. Out of the three relational levels, this is the most prominent as it forms most of the tension in the character interactions and is underlying motive for plot progression. Finally, the passage of time plays a big role in having certain characters coming to terms that relationship do change over time and feelings will shift from one person to another. Where 5 cm per Second methodically goes through each form of distance over its one hour run-time, I find it fascinating how these three forms of distances comes together constantly in Nagi no Asukara and its effects on a much larger cast. Much like the sea, the themes swirls and moves from one characters to another, flowing differently for each individual.
In the ocean of anime being produced in recent years, Nagi no Asukara stands tall and unwavering in both its genre and the Fall 2013/Winter 2014 season.
