Nagi no Asukara – 23
Contemplative Chisaki and Shioshishio
Battling Factions on this week’s Nagi no Asukara
Better to Be Spared the Pain
These two images don’t really have anything to do with this section. I just wanted
to see which was the more ridiculous place for a smiley face.
Everyone, except for Manaka, now knows about Manaka’s inability to fall in love. And this has split the group into two camps. On the side of “it’s fine that she can’t fall in love” are the, for want of a better term, losers. Kaname, Chisaki, and a part of Miuna. Of course, this lines up with the people who fell in love with people who love other people (follow that?), aka, the Broken Hearts Club. Kaname thinks that she’s obviously happy now, why tease her with something that seemingly doesn’t matter and get her all upset about it? Meanwhile, while Kaname gives Tsumugu the evil eye, Chisaki muses about how she might have been relieved to not have the pressure and pain of falling in love.
Don’t Mess With Mount Sayu
But Kaname’s even-keeled wannabe adult musings set off Mount Sayu, who gets ticked off at him for acting all grown up. Well, at least that’s what she says, but she really thinks that he’s saying it’s not important to love someone. I think Sayu’s explosions of emotion are a lot more palatable than Hikari’s, in general, because unlike a volcano, they really do seem to be more focused, even if she kind of goes back and forth about what side of an issue she’s on. But that effectively breaks up the meeting, although not before Hikari calls out Kaname, Tsumugu, and Chisaki on their passive-aggressive love triangle deal. Seriously, it’s really gotten weird, and maybe finally Tsumugu will drive a truck through the roadblock. And he might get help from Sayu, who decides on her own that she’s going to confess to Kaname, whether she gets shot down or not.
Better to Love
Hikari sees something beautiful
Interestingly, tho, Hikari doesn’t join the “She doesn’t need to be able to love anyone” group, even though he was sure that he’d lost Manaka to Tsumugu (before losing her to be bride of the sea god). And he’s still sure that Manaka loved Tsumugu, and that she was going to tell him so after the ofunehiki. And Miuna seems to be on the side of “Let’s make Manaka whole”, even if she agrees that it can hurt to love someone, and can understand where they’re coming from. I find this is a nicely consistent position, informed by her past from 5 years ago, the Miuna who was afraid to love Akari because it hurt too much to lose her mother Miori. Although it can’t be sure that she isn’t just going along with Hikari’s position to support him.
Everything I love about PA Works art in one shot: lighting, skies, expression
The lengths Hikari will go to, however, are a bit much. Such that he asks Tsumugu to play up to Manaka to try to trigger her memories. Thankfully Tsumugu won’t go along with this plan, while schooling Hikari in what the differences between a 19 year old and a 14 year old are, physically. But the main reasons he won’t cooperate with Hikari are that it’s wrong to lie about your feelings, and that he loves Chisaki, who overhears his confession. And after that, we get another miracle, as Tsumugu tries to chase Chisaki underwater, and before drowning he also gains ena. And using that, he confesses to Chisaki that she’s like the sea that he loves. Calm and beautiful, yet able to be stormy and uncontrollable.
Chisaki marvels at Tsumugu’s acquisition
I thought it was a very nice confession. Not the first blurted out one, but in comparing Chisaki to something else that she knows he loves. But the question I come back to is wondering if there’s a reason that Tsumugu got ena. Was it his love for the sea? Was it his wish to chase Chisaki? When Miuna fell in, and gained her ena, her thoughts were of Hikari. Is it a general love? Or would anyone who fell in be saved? I don’t know if the show will go into it more, but could this be one of the ways to try to turn around the decline of the sea that we talked about back in the beginning of the show?
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: Metanorn Regular with 104 comments
Oh damn,Suavemugu’s really showed off his charm this episode 😀
While I mostly enjoyed it and was especially glad to see Tsumugu & Chisaki FINALLY starting to make some progress,was the part with Tsumugu getting ena for convenience’s sake really necessary? It kind of ruined the moment for me…I’m sure they could’ve approached the matter in other ways,such as have Chisaki NOT dive and just run off somewhere where Tsumugu could chase her,or have them meet up later. Better yet,they could’ve had her look back a bit and save him from drowning. That way it wouldn’t ruin the moment and IMHO,might’ve made it even better.
I usually hate making a case of such things but Tsumugu getting ena isn’t really something look over. Seriously,don’t have the plot drive the characters in what’s mainly a romance show which if you think about it,has been happening throughout the entire course of this show.
I have to let it slide,I have to let it slide…I just need to keep telling myself that but UGH! It’s definitely not easy!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Hmm, I thought that Tsumugu getting ena was part of a larger point in the overall story, and worked very well. Yes, it was a bit convenient that ‘Oh, he fell in the water, and is saved by ena, the same thing that saved Miuna’, but I think that’s exactly the point. It’s Manaka’s sacrifice that is saving them, essentially it’s Manaka’s love. And to me a lot of it goes back to what she said as she bargained for Akari during the ofunehiki. “She has people waiting for her.” Manaka sacrificed herself so that Akari could get back to Itaru and Miuna. And now her sacrifice is letting first Miuna get back to Hikari and her family, and now Tsumugu to get back to Chisaki.
I don’t really see it as the plot driving the characters. To me, having Chisaki run somewhere else would have felt much more contrived. Why would she bypass the refuge of the sea to go somewhere lesser in her mind? If they had done anything different, then Hikari should have saved him. But I think the ena is a far better development because of what it means to the overall story and also Tsumugu’s character.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m reminded of another Okada episode 23. Toradora. Thou she adapted the material, it was her series composition that put it into place. Then and now we can see how everything is coming together, and even thou it’s messy and full of bustle, it’s still elegant and easy to understand. It feels like the rest of the story can be told.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
There are two possibilities to Kaname and Chisaki’s suggestion to Hikari. On the one hand, the individual wouldn’t feel emotionally vulnerable but on the other hand, it could make them as cold as ice. Like it was said, it depends on the person.
I like how straightforward Tsumugu’s response to Hikari was. The kid is so consumed by unstable emotions he’d allow anything just to satisfy his feelings. I suspected Tsumugu would eventually develop ena even if he’s 1/4 of the species. If Miuna can achieve it, why should he be different?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
You know, I really think people are overstating how much Manaka has lost emotionally. I’ve seen people say on twitter that she’s “dead inside” now. To me, the show’s been very clear that there is still joy in Manaka. She seems to adore playing with Akira. She wants to make people happy. She is a happy person. I think that what she’s lost is much more limited than that. It’s more that she just can’t make a romantic attachment. Be friends with everyone? Sure. Care about them? Definitely. She just can’t go that extra step and be ‘in love’ with a person.
I wonder if anyone who fell in now would get ena. That’s kind of how it seems. Although maybe there needs to be that component of love. Tsumugu’s love for the sea and Chisaki, Miuna’s love for Hikari.