“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea”.
Grand Blue is a college/university humour manga series about the passion of diving into the alluring blue ocean. The way it's presented makes you lose yourself to the beauty of the underwater world. It portrays the themes of it to their very peak with it's lively cast of characters and memorable moments. There's nothing unique or much to the story as this is a slice of life. The manga takes us through our protagonist's uni life as he meets along new people, how they become friends with the most amusing of interactions and how they discover love for an activity which they were altogether new and unknown to.
The character cast in the onset looks very plain and generic but as time passes on in the story you'll find yourself getting immersed into their lives and relationships. Iori and Kohei are arch enemies when it comes down to getting along together but are an immovable duo when faced with any calamity or a common enemy. They are naive friends who transform into youthful ever drunk perverts, ready to strip in the twinkling of an eye. We also see our female leads Chisa and Aina as they slowly bud into amazing friends who can relate into each other's lives. And their senpai? They are absolute chads ready to go nuts at any given moment's notice. Iori's college friends are always up to stir trouble and plot each other's downfall in the most ridiculous of ways imaginable. What appeals to me truly is how each of these characters really stand out with what they enjoy, they are not ashamed of what they love and are passionate about their interests with others. Overall, the cast is extremely lovable and fitting for the themes of the story.
Nude rock paper scissors game along with some good oolong tea. Now, on with the comedy aspect of this manga and I kid you not it's genius in it's presentation. One thing which I often tend to see in these type of comedy settings is that the comedy gets exaggerated and overused to the point where it becomes unfunny or dull. This is not the case for Grand Blue as the comedy comes at you in the most unique settings imaginable which are unpredictable. The characters just go full out bonkers all the damn time and their reactions are strongly expressed unlike any other comedy out there. There's always a misunderstanding brewing and their layout is perfectly built up. The scenes are not forgotten by the author and later give birth to more trouble and comedy. This is the type of manga which will make you actually laugh your heart out.
Unlike many other comedy manga like "Gintama" or "Binbougami ga!" where there are walls of text which can get pretty absurd to read, Grand Blue's flow of text is pretty fluid and it's panelling is done great which makes it easy to follow. The dialogue boxes are well placed and lead in the right direction. It's a comfortable read to the eye. The art is simplistic yet very expressive and appealing. It suits to the atmosphere of the story. The diving moments are beautifully drawn which make them quite memorable. The writing is witty and imaginative. The author has done his research on what he shows and I'm always keen to learn something new about the ocean, food cuisines, places and many other things.
I would love to be in a club such as PAB and although the manga is about diving and comedy it teaches us quite a bit about life.
Grand Blue teaches us to be authentic. It conveys you to be true to yourself, speak your truth and live your values. People may laugh at our likings or passion but we must embrace them and accept ourselves for who we are and what we like for that is a part of us. However, one of the hardest parts about being authentic is recognizing that we are not perfect and our relationships with others are what which make us whole. Live your live to it's fullest and when in hard times, never forget that there is always a shoulder you can lean on to. Such is the moral and soul of the story.
If you've read my review this far then I would be honoured if I was able to show you how great of a manga Grand Blue is. It's top tier comedy which every fan of the comedy genre should read. I can assure you as a fan of comedy that it won't disappoint and what's even better is how it holds a high reread value, it's something which I would reread and still enjoy the most out of. In the end, if there's one exclusive thing that this manga has taught me then that would be to always keep a lighter on me when hanging out with friends. And why so? You'll find out as soon as you start reading it.
