A Lull in the Sea
Basic Info
26 episodes
Made by P.A. Works
Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Plot
In the beginning, all humans lived in the sea. They can breathe and live under the sea because they are covered by a barrier called“Ena” which was given to them by the god of the sea. But, as humans started to leave the sea to live in the land, they lost their Ena. The story starts out with our MCs living in the sea having to go up to the land to attend school since the underwater population was declining due to everyone going up to land. The plot tackles some heavy topics such as clashes between different “races”, complicated human relationships, love etc. Can our protagonists find true love while maintaining the various human relationships both between and outside themselves?
Characters
Hikari -He is the main MC of the show. I would call him a loyal tsundere, a tsundere that is loyal to the person they like even to the point that they become oblivious to their surroundings. Even though he can give off the impression that he is just a bratty stuck up kid,he is a pure and strong willed boy who is truly caring for his loved ones and I can really respect that.
Manaka -She is the main heroine of the show. She is clumsy and shy but she is the most challenging and curious of the group which helps push everyone forward.
Chisaki -At first glance, she may seem like the reliable mother character of the group, she is actually quite passionate inside.
Kaname - The “sawayaka ikemen” stereotype. He is a good looking dude who is always calm and collected. But when it comes to the girl that he likes, he will go beyond your expectations.
Tsumugu -He is similar to Kaname in the sense that he is always calm but he has a side to him that allows him read others and sense different emotions. Even though he isn’t the best when it comes to expressing himself, he is there to help others when needed.
Review
Welcome to the second edition of reviews that I am writing right after I finished watching.
In all seriousness, this Anime was amazing. There was a ton of drama that makes you feel all sorts of genuine emotions. If a show can make you feel sadness, sorrow, loneliness after finishing it, you know it was a great show and A lull in the sea was just that for me.
Now, I am going to give a run down of the great points of this show.
Firstly, the concept of having the sea as one of the main settings was a great one. Not only did it give us a lot of beautiful sceneries and animations, but it went really well with one of the core messages of the show which is feelings. They really synthesized the idea of feelings and the sea really nicely and it was moving to see it unfold in front of my eyes.
Secondly, the characters were amazing and I already miss them. The characters are definitely one of the main selling points as is true for most shows with a heavy drama element. Most of the main crew had real depth to them and their emotions felt so real that my emotions were changing along with them while I was watching.
The main characters mainly consisted of middle school students which you wouldn’t really expect to be all mature about their emotions especially when it comes to the feelings of liking someone. In the real world, no one really gets the opportunity to feel emotions as genuine as the ones these characters felt and they would definitely not handle it well. (Like, the best they could do is probably to send a vague text message trying to figure if the other person likes them back.) Even though there were many convoluted feelings and love triangles everywhere, the characters were extremely mature about it which made each character both relatable and likable no matter the demographic.
Thirdly, everything else. The music, animation, design, everything really supported the strong plot and characters well. The art style reminds you of the quality that only movies could achieve and yet it remains consistent throughout. It even cranks it up a notch during the important scenes which I really appreciated. Even though the other elements may go unnoticed, I think that speaks volumes of the greatness of it. There is nothing wrong with having stunning audio and visuals, but the main focus of shows should be the storytelling, and if the other parts can make the storytelling better, I think that is what good audio and visuals are.
Lastly, I would like to review the show comparing it to a similar show, Anohana. Anohana for me was really difficult to watch because the characters acted like children who are full of themselves to the point that it became unbearable. Even though the cast of A lull in the sea were faced with tougher situations at times, they take it very well by not being a bunch of selfish jerks. They may go through some painful emotions and realizations but they don’t continue to feel bad for themselves forever, they actually grow from each experience no matter if it’s a success or a failure. They understand that other people have feelings too and that they are not the only ones that are suffering. This is a very powerful trait as it pushes the audience to root for the characters instead of sitting there cringing or being disappointed in the characters.
Enjoyment level: 4.5/5
-The drama was intense at times that I could not help but to keep on binging. Just be careful, you might need to take a few breaks here and there or your heart will not last for long from all the emotional scenes.
Overall score: 9/10
-I am surprised this show is not talked about as much as it should be. It this wasn’t on Amazon Prime, I would’ve probably never met this Anime which is a scary thought in it of itself. If you have the chance, definitely go give this show a watch as the storytelling and characters are some top tier stuff.
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