The story may seem like a typical romance, with a sea people twist, but it's so much more. At first, it was focused on the children and their feelings for each other and the surface. But as the children realized they were apart of something much bigger, the series was about accepting change and how some people wish for it and some fear it. More importantly, I thought this series told a good mixture of fantasy romance quite well. I loved the characters and was interested in the story's lore. The themes of unrequited love, change, and acceptance, were mashed around well. But, there lies a weakness in this story. The pacing. While you don't really notice this until the last quarter, it's pace is a bit too slow. Instead of dragging things out, there should have used that time to some a bit more interactions between the characters. Since they didn't do this, relationships were given poor resolutions and the ending was somewhat of a mixed bag. But in the end, I still enjoyed the story Nagi no Asukara told.
CHARACTER
Most of the characters are nicely developed, with a great main cast and supporting cast. With each character having their own personal problems and flaws to deal with. My favorite character, has to be Chisaki. She arguably goes through the toughest times, and I can kind of relate to her fears. But, there's also a few characters I'm disappointed with. Manaka is probably the most controversial character in the show. Some people are annoyed by her, and some are cool with her. I'm with the latter, but I wasn't too pleased with her character in the second half. While she does develop I found her presence to be a plot device in the second half. I just feel what they did to her character was freeze her development, and in a show about change, that's a bad thing. Another thing I didn't like was that, in the end, the character relationships weren't tied up as I liked. This traces back to the pacing problem, and it's a shame. There was room for things to be tied up better, but overall, the characters are the best part of the show.
ANIMATION
Animated by P.A Works, Nagi no Asukara is amazing to look at. From the stunning backgrounds, lighting, and the overall feel of the show. I have to say, it's probably P.A's best work. Rivaling their past show, Hanasaku. The animation is also pretty good for a romance, and that's because of the fantasy aspect of the show. The swimming looks really good, and while it's no where near Free!'s animation, it's fluid enough. The best aspect of the animation has to be the backgrounds. I felt that P.A Works know what a run down fishing town looks and feels like, and the show wouldn't be the same without these backgrounds.
MUSIC
The music of Nagi is very relaxing to listen to. Fitting of the theme of the show. A half of the ost was light summer like songs, but the latter half leaded on the cold and emotional parts. I really like this variety of songs, because it reflects the story. I find that the ost, to be a very nice listen for doing homework, or cleaning up your room. It's really nice to listen to. As for the openings and endings, I found every song to be nice. Like the ost they were nice, and I didn't really skip them. Okay, I admit, the second one is pretty amazing. It's a really good song with great build up, and emotional relevance to the plot. Overall, it's really nice, and I would give it a listen if you are doing your homework.
OVERALL
Nagi no Asukara may start out a bit bland, but it;s really a coming of age story about friction between two lands as well as relationships. I felt for the characters, because of how they changed and grew. And, I like how each character was characterized because of how it revolved around how everything has to change. Your home, family, friends, and most importantly, you as a person change. And that makes Nagi no Asukara worth watching.
