Nagi no Asukara – 09
Time for Cooking With Manaka!
Given the way this show has gone, I have a hard time remembering that this is a 2-cour series. It’s really setting up to have a big crisis over the ‘last’ three or four episodes to get to 12 or 13. And maybe we will have that big crisis, and get the aftermath. Either way, how was this episode?
Giving It One More Try
Everyone’s pitching in… again
I have to give it up for the stick-to-it-iveness of these kids. They’re now on attempt 3 for the ofunehiki, rebuilding the ojoshi for the second time after it’s been destroyed. And this time, they’ve decided to do it all on their own, borrowing a boat from Tsumugu’s grandfather and getting most everyone in the class to help. But without too much running around, we get to see a lot of discussion among characters, with conversations between Manaka and Isamu (Tsumugu’s grandfather), Kaname and Sayu, and, most importantly, Tsumugu and Chisaki.
Chisaki doesn’t always like what she hears (plus that lighting…)
But unlike the conversations Tsumugu has with Manaka, where Manaka reflects on what he says and comes out the other side as a stronger, more resolute, and confident person, Chisaki is more apt to buck Tsumugu, rejecting what he says about her going against her own feelings. Of course, he’s pointing out the contradictions between what she wants and what she says she wants, even as she thinks she’s trying to be a ‘better’ person by not pursuing Hikari. Meanwhile, poor Kaname can’t get any traction with Chisaki, even if she’s not going to go after Hikari. He is getting play with the younger crowd, tho, since Sayu has fallen pretty hard for his rock-solid maturity.
Hikari makes a move
But there’s also big movement by the Hikari and Manaka ship, and I can’t imagine it’s what those who are onboard that boat want to see. Hikari finally does realize that he doesn’t want to just ‘support’ Manaka, resulting in his hug with her after she tries to explain what she knows. But when that goes on a little too long for her comfort, and maybe she realizes what he’s trying to mean with that, she shakes him off, and it certainly seems like she answers his feelings properly, but with “I’m sorry…”
But not the reaction he was going for
The End is Nigh
Telling the citizens
At least to hear the people of Shioshishio tell it, there is a huge calamity coming. And the reaction on the part of the sea people is to turtle, keeping all the kids from going to the surface, and even getting Hikari to stay when he comes back to find out what happened to the other kids. I really don’t know if they needed all the adults outside like that showing some ominous front, but it looked good.
Hmm… who does that guy look like?
However, I don’t know if I really would go along with how calamitous this will be. The show can, of course, go any direction it wants to, but the idea that it would get too cold for humans to live on the surface is pretty laughable. Even the idea that it would be too cold for people to live at whatever latitude the show is at (presumably in Japan) is kind of out of the realm of possibility. I mean, people live in freakin’ Finland (although they are widely thought of as the gloomiest people on Earth). But we’ll see what they’re going to do. And what it will mean for those exiled from Shioshishio on the surface like Isamu and Akari? If it’s so dire, will they be abandoned to die, or will they be welcomed back to live?
An ominous welcome
If this is the result of the Sea God being angered, will there be any leniency given because of the efforts of the children to continue the ofunehiki? And I also wonder about the children of those who have left the sea, would they be granted an Ena? Or is the point to get rid of as many people as possible who don’t revere the Sea God?
As I said in the introduction, it’s kind of surprising to realize that we’re only about 1/3 into this series, not ¾ done. And to have Hikari and Manaka have their moment, ultimately of separation, maybe that means there’s time for them to get together, or maybe this is the misdirection from Mari Okada? That’s not really her style, tho, with all the other romance shows of hers that I’ve seen being pretty steadfast in the ‘obvious couple ends up together’ department (Taiga and Ryuuji, Mashiro and Sorata, Shinichiro and Hiromi) even with other temptations. So I’m going to stick with Manaka and Tsumugu in this one.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
What can they do with the rest of this cour and the second? Probably spend some time with the insane amounts of damage that a possible Kaname x Saya will entail.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
If they made it another 6 years or so, then KanamexSayu would be perfectly fine. Of course, I think Kaname’s got *all* the girls from the shore after him.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I think the rest of the show will be dealing with the calamities and relationship fallout or whatnot.
I dunno!
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
This was a really a great episode and I like how they are keeping the nature of the calamity in secret and no one’s really saying what it is. However a new ice age would make sense. Large ice formations take water from the ocean and increase the salinity of the water. The larger the ice, the larger the salinity. Now how all that salt got to the surface, I have no idea. However, seeing everyone standing there with their lanterns lit was a little creepy and worrying. It must be really something bad that everybody in the village is on their guard.
It is of course possible for the temperature on land to be so cold that people wouldn’t survive. And for some reason ice ages are becoming common in anime recently (Galilei Donna and the recent Gargantia both featured them), I wonder why?
As to why the sea people are scared, they do mention some prophecy that might have some part of it. Also, if somehow the entire ocean waters iced over, could it be possible that it would create a barrier between land and sea? The ice so thick that any sea person stuck on the land would have no access to the sea water they need to live? Could that be why they’re staying to the water?
I know it’s not very realistic, but again, this is supposed to be a fairy tale land and total fantasy, so I’m not counting it out.
I’m glad we’re getting some background on Tsumugu who’s been this mixture of bland and unknown the entire time. I also think he might have a thing for Chisaki too, just as it’s obvious that Kaname does. He’s not shown one iota of interest in Manaka other than just being nice. And then there’s poor Hikari…his emotions and hormones are boiling right now and he’s dealing with so much right now. He’s entering teenage-hood and he’s angry at adults and is tired of being treated like a kid, but yet despite that, he IS still very much a kid and he’s gotten homesick and wants to go home, but he’s too stubborn to think so. And then there’s his love for Manaka….and for him to get tossed like that after that hug… 🙁
And yet, I can understand why Manaka did it, and I don’t think it had anything to do with Chisaki. Remember that this is pretty much the “baby” of the group. She’s the least mature of all of them and the last to really grow up. She’s not the teen girl we’re used to in these kind of stories. Her get hugged like this by a guy she’s thought of as her brother, it just overwhelmed her. I know I was like that and in a way, I still am. Suddenly having a guy come up to me and hugging me intimately would freak me out, even if it was a guy I’d known platonicly for a while , I would still probably knock him away too. The thing is, I don’t think Manaka is rejecting him, I think she doesn’t realize the meaning of her feelings and the real reason that she just “had” to get to him.
As to the length of this series, I think at the half-way point is where the calamity will hit, and the next half with be a time skip to after it’s over and the story will continue from there.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Being realistic, warmer temperatures for the earth mean very little. There could be sea level rise, but the maximum sea level rise that the earth could have is only about 200 feet. That would affect a lot of coastal regions, but once people moved, it would have minimal effect. Warmer temperatures are better for growth, better for life. The only real threat to life is cold, and at our level of technology, it would need to be associated with some other catastrophe to have severe effects right away (say a supervolcano). So cold is a far more believable natural catastrophe, but even then, I can’t see that it would be so catastrophic, especially for developed nations.
Personally, I think Manaka’s reaction is borne from her feelings about Hikari: She’s not interested in him like that, and never has been. And when she understood the subtext of his embrace, that was her answer. There’s still no fascination, no amazement, especially like we have been shown she feels with Tsumugu. Hikari is just her friend, a good friend that she would risk quite a lot for, but in the end, he’s just a friend.
Another thing I’ve seen is that while everyone is ‘finding themselves’, as people do in their young teen years, Hikari is the only one who is doing so by trying to impose on others. He imposes on Itaru and Akari, he tries to impose his will on his father, he’s trying to impose his feelings on Manaka. That’s why he gets more pushback from all sides, and it’s why I still think he shows the least growth of any character in this show.
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
We must not try to apply real science here, or we’ll go crazy. They specifically say in their summary of the show that this is a “fairy tale” and therefore, really anything can happen.
And I really don’t think he’s imposing his view on anyone. He’s not trying to make anyone think anything really. Actually, you’re the first person I’ve seen that said he has had the least growth. Even those who vehemently hated him in the beginning have said that he’s experienced a lot if not the most growth of all the characters. I’ve always liked Hikari even at his most unagreeable. I hope that he and Manaka can settle their differences.
As someone else stated, it’s almost as if everyone has fallen in love with a person who is in love with someone else. Chisaki likes Hikari, who’s in love with Manaka. Manaka think she like Tsumugu, who it appears to have some interest in Chisaki. Chisaki is in love with Hikari, but hasn’t noticed the affections of Kaname or the subtle notice of Tsumugu. And then there’s the little girls with their crushes. Oh, it’s such a tangled web. Hopefully, they’ll be able to sort this all out eventually.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
If you’d asked before this episode if Hikari had grown, I would have agreed to a point. But I think it’s clear from this episode that what he’s really done is just simply change his opinion to one more people would agree with. As for ‘growth’, he still goes about solving problems the exact same way: getting angry, acting impulsively, denigrating that which he disagrees with. And it’s not imposing his ‘view’, it’s physically imposing *himself*. He doesn’t confess to Manaka, he embraces her, nearly envelops her. He still physically confronts that which he disagrees with, yelling at his father or the village men. Heck, even with Akari, he’s willing to physically confront anyone who thinks differently from his new viewpoint. To me, that’s not growing. That’s still acting immaturely, lashing out. It’s just that he’s switched sides on some things (such as Akari and Itaru or the character of the land people).
To me, the person who’s grown most significantly is undoubtedly Manaka, and it’s been described multiple times in the show. She is becoming her own person. She’s finishing her thoughts. She’s strongly stating her beliefs. She’s achieving her own agency. She’s communicating better. And she’s getting more of a concept of what she’s looking for.
Pretty much every Mari Okada show is a love conga line: Toradora (Taiga > Kitamura > Seitokaichou, Ami > Ryuuji > Minori then Taiga), True Tears (Miyokichi > Aiko > Shinichiro > Hiromi), Sakurasou (Miyahara > Nanami > Sorata > Mashiro). So this one isn’t much different with Every girl on land > Kaname > Chisaki > Hikari > Manaka > Tsumugu.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Honestly, things feel like they’re moving at a fast pace and we’re not even halfway through. I wonder how the second half will be done.