There are just some Animes out there, that can just make you...feel. It's a challenge to stand out in a market saturated by stereotyping and more emphasis on 'moe' 'shonen' 'harems' and 'ecchi' than good story telling and characterizations. Now, I am not saying that there are no good animes, but rather the disappointment that Animes like Nagi No Asukara are few and far between. And its even harder to find such series with impeccable animation, so beautifully animated that you literally feel like you're in it.
First, let's begin with the plot. Goddamn, this series reminds me of why i dislike romance animes with love triangles. The drama never stops (I kid you not) even after several plot twists or revelations. But surprisingly, this is more of a good thing for Nagi No Asukara. The anime is really brilliant in its pacing, and the plot keeps you far more intrigued then you'd ever thought it would. It sure did for me!
I love the setting, and the way they created such a world. The underwater scenes were absolutely breathtaking, and there was just the right amount of folklore and backstories inserted into it, so that it didn't feel dry, nor did it feel like an info dump. The ending wasn't much to speak of, i would say that it clears up some things, but personally, i felt that it wasn't all that satisfying. It varies with different people, so I wouldn't let something as minor as that prevent you from watching it.
Plot gets an (8/10)
Characterizations are well done and go hand in hand with the plot. Although the ending was sort of meh, I must admit that the message Hikari sends is a rather good one, and not to mention interesting. I can't mention it for the sake of spoilers, but I must say that I wholeheartedly agreed to what he said.
One of my favourite characters from Nagi No Asukara would be Chisaki and Hikari. I feel that Chisaki is the embodiment of how love affects people in real life. She is shown to be in love with Hikari at the start, and even after coming to a revelation years later, she delivers a profound message, in that you never really stop loving someone. Even if you are separated, or you begin loving another, ultimately, you will never forget those feelings. Bittersweet yet hopeful, is the words I would use if I had to describe the ups and downs of Chisaki's characterization throughout the anime. Ultimately, I feel that she is a character that people can relate too.
On the other hand, Hikari shows his continuous growth through out the show. From a narrow minded and sheltered boy of the sea, he tries to put aside his resentment gleaned from the older generation toward those who live on the land while trying to come to terms with his feelings for Manaka. Despite not being very realistic, Hikari's growth was by far the most interesting out of the four childhood friends. Of course, the side characters also play an important role in our main character's development, but overall, I loved Chisaki and Hikari's development the most.
Characters get a whopping (9/10) and the only reason it doesn't get full marks from me, is due to the fact that while Manaka was an interesting enough character, i felt that her character development was next to zilch, other than certain revelations and some tinny scenes where she showed how much she had grown.
Animation gets a (10/10) and the score is pretty self explanatory. Just watch one episode, and you'll realize how good the crisp, quality of the scenes are. I felt like this anime was spoiling me, with the amount of beautiful scenes it threw at me at 1080p.
Soundtracks and OSTs also get a (10/10), the openings and endings were phenomenal and there were scenes in which i would close my eyes just to listen to the bgm. If I had to choose, I would say that Nagi no Asukara's soundtracks would top Madoka Magica on my list.
5/5 : Recommended for EVERYONE, regardless of whether you like romance or not. Give it a try, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
No comments:
Post a Comment