(L+CR) Nagi no Asukara (Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea)

[FredFriendly]

30 seconds into the episode proper and Hikari is already being a racist pig. Within a minute, he's abusing Manaka again. Is there really anything to like about him?

I'm not all that thrilled about Chii-chan, either. She's so blinded by love that she can't see (or won't admit) that Hikari is being a total jerk, excusing his actions and telling Manaka everything's ok because he was just "worried" about her.

Kaname seems like the only reasonable one of the "sea kiddos," but Tsumugu, so far, is the only really likable character.

Originally Posted by Haak

Very good episode, but that was just one really disturbing scene at the end. Frankly those guys should have had their heads kicked in.

Frankly, I found that less disturbing than Hikari's in-the-face racist bluster. But why stop with just those guys? Shouldn't everyone in the sea village that goes along with the racist policies get their heads kicked in? Besides, who wouldn't rather just get banished from the village instead of, say, getting your genitalia chopped off, or perhaps even stoned to death? Of course, Akari's punishment might just be something like that.

[Tranhieu]

Episode 2 is a pleasant surprise. I never thought the studio decided to go straight to the matter right after episode 1 without beating around the bush. Us viewers were given heaps of information together with hints of where the story is heading together with character development of everyone. The drama here isn't subtle but it's still very well made and enjoyable to watch, and (personally) quite believable at the same time. Hopefully P.A Works will manage to keep the quality consistent for the rest of the series.

[mark1246]

For Episode 2:

15:14, Kihara Tsumugu. Great another villain from the To aru Majutsu no Index/ Railgun Franchise that has stumble into another anime! Those darn Kihara

[Birdway]

Originally Posted by mark1246

For Episode 2:

15:14, Kihara Tsumugu. Great another villain from the To aru Majutsu no Index/ Railgun Franchise that has stumble into another anime! Those darn Kihara

Kihara...

Now everything makes sense.

[playmaker2k]

Good job, Hi-kun.

You not only made one girl cry, but two in a span of 15 seconds.

I hope you get a harpoon to the chest.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

30 seconds into the episode proper and Hikari is already being a racist pig. Within a minute, he's abusing Manaka again. Is there really anything to like about him?

I'm not all that thrilled about Chii-chan, either. She's so blinded by love that she can't see (or won't admit) that Hikari is being a total jerk, excusing his actions and telling Manaka everything's ok because he was just "worried" about her.

Well as Chisaki pointed out, Hikari did put himself at risk when he went looking for Manaka so he does genuinely care about her. It doesn't excuse his behaviour there either but it's obvious it isn't being completely excused anyway. And it is worth pointing out that he's only 13 years old: There has to be some degree of mitigation in the same vein of excusing the little kid that kicked Hikari and tried to write racist stuff for Akari.

As far as likeability goes, the only thing I can give him is the fact that he's perceptive enough to know he's being an arsehole and the fact that he was at least open minded enough to quietly accept that Akari's happiness came first despite his culture and identity saying otherwise. For the most part though, he is pretty unbearable.

Frankly, I found that less disturbing than Hikari's in-the-face racist bluster.

Really? Hikari's racist bluster is inexcusable as well but it was so petulant and transparent that Kihara wasn't even fazed by it. We know for a fact that Hikari isn't racist and his outburst is that of a childish 13 year old. In contrast, what we saw was a bunch of adult men physically assaulting a women and causing clear distress to her out genuinely racist beliefs. In a way it's kinda ironic how the society Kihara views as exotic and beautiful actually has some pretty disgusting undercurrents.

But why stop with just those guys? Shouldn't everyone in the sea village that goes along with the racist policies get their heads kicked in? Besides, who wouldn't rather just get banished from the village instead of, say, getting your genitalia chopped off, or perhaps even stoned to death? Of course, Akari's punishment might just be something like that.

Let's not jump the gun there...

[sikvod00]

Hikari even admitted to himself that Tsumugu is not a bad person. The kid can be bratty, but he's not as terrible as some are making him out to be.

[Birdway]

Originally Posted by Haak

Well as Chisaki pointed out, Hikari did put himself at risk when he went looking for Manaka so he does genuinely care about her. It doesn't excuse his behaviour there either but it's obvious it isn't being completely excused anyway. And it is worth pointing out that he's only 13 years old: There has to be some degree of mitigation in the same vein of excusing the little kid that kicked Hikari and tried to write racist stuff for Akari.

As far as likeability goes, the only thing I can give him is the fact that he's perceptive enough to know he's being an arsehole and the fact that he was at least open minded enough to quietly accept that Akari's happiness came first despite his culture and identity saying otherwise. For the most part though, he is pretty unbearable.



Really? Hikari's racist bluster is inexcusable as well but it was so petulant and transparent that Kihara wasn't even fazed by it. We know for a fact that Hikari isn't racist and his outburst is that of a childish 13 year old. In contrast, what we saw was a bunch of adult men physically assaulting a women and causing clear distress to her out genuinely racist beliefs. In a way it's kinda ironic how the society Kihara views as exotic and beautiful actually has some pretty disgusting undercurrents.



Let's not jump the gun there...

You're trying to argue with someone whose judgment has its basis on character hating... If you didn't notice yet.

---
Btw, I found hilarious and disturbing the part with Tsumugu's poker face at Akari being sorrounded as if it was just a day for him.

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by Haak

And it is worth pointing out that he's only 13 years old:

Huh? I didn't know that being 13 years old was a get-out-of-jail-free card for any egregious acts one commits. Well, I guess the world and the level of tolerance for bad behaviour has changed substantially in the many decades since I was 13.

As far as likeability goes, the only thing I can give him is the fact that he's perceptive enough to know he's being an arsehole and the fact that he was at least open minded enough to quietly accept that Akari's happiness came first despite his culture and identity saying otherwise. For the most part though, he is pretty unbearable.

Agreed, but will he be able to change his behaviour now that he's come to those realizations, at least by the final episode?

We know for a fact that Hikari isn't racist and his outburst is that of a childish 13 year old.

Whoa, Nelly! I don't know that he isn't a racist. He acts like one. He talks like one. He's got thirteen years of learned behaviour as one behind him. I haven't seen anything that proves otherwise.

In a way it's kinda ironic how the society Kihara views as exotic and beautiful actually has some pretty disgusting undercurrents.

That reminds me of my grandson's recent High School trip to Haiti. If you were to look at a bunch of travel brochures of Haiti, you'd see an island paradise the likes of which you couldn't imagine there would be anything finer. However, the photos that he brought back were quite different. There was the hole in the side of the bus directly under his seat where some local terrorist had shot at him (fortunately his bus driver did not die, but it took two hours to drive to the nearest hospital). Almost all of the rest of his photos, and he had a lot of them, showed a destitute countryside with heaps and piles of rotting garbage everywhere, on the sides of roads, in streams and rivers. And so it probably is with Kihara's views of the sea village. What he can see from the surface of the water does not reveal the ugliness that lies therein.

Let's not jump the gun there...

Hmm... That's also a possibility, but I wonder how effective firearms are underwater.

Originally Posted by sikvod00

Hikari even admitted to himself that Tsumugu is not a bad person. The kid can be bratty, but he's not as terrible as some are making him out to be.

You can say that with a straight face after he made not one but two girls cry in the same episode? And not just any girls, two girls that are supposedly his friends, and one of which he claims he wants to "protect?" Do you like being guilt-tripped when you haven't done anything wrong? Do you like being screamed at by someone who's supposedly your friend? I agree playmaker2k:

Originally Posted by playmaker2k

Hikari is only 13, but he is showing early signs of being a wife beater in the future..

[Kaoru Chujo]

Excellent second episode, written by Okada and storyboarded by Okamura Tensai. Every character takes a step or two.

I still despise Hikari's nastiness, but I sure understand his feelings, even if he doesn't. But he is beginning to, and it may lead somewhere.

Tsumugu's admiration of the undersea town makes him even more sympathetic. But I wonder if he has feelings for Manaka or just for fishies of all kinds? And will he take the big step of trying to spend time underwater?

Will Uroko-sama be more broad-minded than the local townsfolk? Akari is played by Nazuka Kaori. Uroko-sama by Toriumi Kousuke. That seems appropriate for more reasons than just that Toriumi-san is such a good seiyuu: the name Toriumi is written with kanji meaning "bird" and "sea."

[Haak]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

Huh? I didn't know that being 13 years old was a get-out-of-jail-free card for any egregious acts one commits. Well, I guess the world and the level of tolerance for bad behaviour has changed substantially in the many decades since I was 13.

Neither did I. XP

Agreed, but will he be able to change his behaviour now that he's come to those realizations, at least by the final episode?

All signs say yes. For example, there's a much bigger narrative reason for the twist that sea people are exiled if they marry landwellers. The implications for Manaka are immediately obvious and the first perspective we're given is Hikari's. The story is very clearly setting up issues to test Hikari's character.

Whoa, Nelly! I don't know that he isn't a racist. He acts like one. He talks like one. He's got thirteen years of learned behaviour as one behind him. I haven't seen anything that proves otherwise.

He isn't racist. He knows Kihara is a good guy and he doesn't mind the fact that his sister likes a landweller (well he does but for entirely unrelated reasons.) We were also shown that 13 years of learned behaviour means little to him as we saw in the first episode when he thought those adult men were overreacting to issues raised. He talks like one but as we saw with his outburst with Kihara, it was just a facade to hide his real feelings. If he really acted like one then he wouldn't have grudgingly thanked him.

[Dark Faith]

Kihara-kun, huh?

Hikari continues in the lead for the most annoying lead of the season thanks to those outbursts of him while Manaka is still so brainwashed that she feels the need to apologize when she's not the one in the wrong.
Can't blame them though (okay, maybe a little), judging by those adults' actions at the end of the episode, that's one heck of a messed up place they grew up in. It truly is a "Us vs Them" world out there...which makes me wonder exactly what are the adults thinking when they sent a bunch of impressionable young children (they are at that age afterall...) to study in the surface.

Still, I enjoyed this episode more than I did the first. Maybe there's still hope!

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by Haak

He isn't racist.

Quote:

"I'll tell you right now. Surface people have no business concerning themselves with the Village of the Sea."

But what he really meant was:

"I'll tell you right now. Surface boys have no business concerning themselves with the Village of the Sea girls."

Sure sounds like something right out of To Kill a Mockingbird.

"I'll tell you right now. Black boys have no business concerning themselves with the white girls."

Racists make racist comments. Non-racists don't.

[Kanon]

Hikari made two girls cry in this ep. Boo. Sure, he's a kid, but that doesn't excuse everything. He acts like an ass most of the time and that doesn't make him likable in the least. I'm enjoying this show so far but I would like it more if the MC was relatable.

On the other hand, I'm warming up to the other characters. Kaname seems like a very sensible and reasonable person, the complete opposite of Hikari. Tsugumu is a cool kid, 100% rooting for him. Manaka is cute but she is a way too meek, hopefully her character will develop over the course of the series and she will eventually stand up to Hikari. No opinion on Chitose, she's the kind of character that doesn't stand out much. She's alright, I suppose.

Going by what we've seen at the end of the episode, it's evident the fishpeople are living in a complete backward society. It's pretty revolting. I'm curious to see how they'll handle the matter with Hikari's older sister. I fear the worst. The best she can hope for is to get banned.

[erdii]

well he is just making excuses for Manaka not to fall in love with a surface person. he is just thinking " we ara basically different beings so there is no way she can love him", more like he want manaka to accept this. he would probably act different if he fall for a surface girl. he is just acting on his feelings.

well those village people were annoying and got me scared. it was like they were going to kill the girl just because she loved someone.

[DXMichael]

I see a whole load of bashing towards Hikari, and while I understand why people are doing it, I can't help but favour him more than the others and I actually find Manaka the more annoying one. Yes yes, she's the clueless, innocent damsel in distress but that's also a problem, she doesn't realize how Hikari is feeling. He despises the surface people, so when the one you're trying to protect and love begins to fall in love with with of the surface people, he's feeling the pressure, worry and anger of being ignored for another man, especially if that man if a human above the sea.

True, he overreacts and goes way over the top, but that's his attitude that we've established from episode 1. He can't help that that's the way he was raised and taught.

[erdii]

by the way manaka ı saw in the manga was better drawn than this and was much more cuter. why ı couldn't feel the same in the anime. she was so cute during crying moment in manga

[Birdway]

^Because PA Works always ruins character designs in anime? Also she didn't had a voice.
This must be the first time find HanaKana to be annoying when trying to do a cute character, even Mirai from KnK wasn't that annoying despite being a bland mc.

>Tsumugu does nothing.
> 100% rooting for him.

Lolz

Kaname looks okay cuz he didn't make his move yet, let's see how the writer messes him up in the next episodes .

[Kaoru Chujo]

Here's a characters/seiyuus page for this show, with pics of nine characters and their seiyuus, and a bit of info about each seiyuu.

Originally Posted by DXMichael

...True, he overreacts and goes way over the top, but that's his attitude that we've established from episode 1. He can't help that that's the way he was raised and taught.

Yes, taught by the older men we see manhandling his sister, he gets scared and instinctively turns to anger and force. I'm ready to feel better toward him when he relaxes and at least tries to get along with the pigs. At the moment, it looks to me like he feels ownership of Manaka. It's easy to mistake that feeling for love. He refuses to take her ideas (like wearing the land uniform) seriously. Manaka is timid, but she hasn't done anything that annoys me yet. In fact, her putting on that uniform was a positive step none of the other three were willing to take. But never mind. We all react differently to characters. And I'm sure Hikari will grow as the show goes on.

My reaction is probably partly conditioned by the comparatively patriarchal nature of Japanese society, and by knowing someone who married a Japanese man and was roughed up by him from time to time. I hate it when I see shows that make me think the Japanese male ideal is harsh and aggressive like this.

[Sound of Azure]

To be honest, all this "racism" sounds more like small-town insularism, or possibly nationalism. I've seen that kind of thing happen in my own home town, though not recently.

The show remains as pretty as ever, but the under-sea village shows a number of disturbing undercurrents. There's definitely latent prejudice on both sides of the shoreline though. Hikari's behaviour is troubling, but he seems to be aware that he has issues. It will be interesting to see how he will change- though it seems likely that his sister's situation will be a catalyst for an attitude change. I understand that sense of feeling misunderstood by everyone. You think no one can understand you, especially since you can't understand yourself rationally. Hormones can be pretty scary, after all.

In the end, I have a feeling that Hikari will be one of Manaka's strongest defenders should she get closer to Tsumugu against the wishes of the village. He just has to reach the point where he can accept that. Easier said than done.

I don't know if it was intentional, but I found Chisaki's line to Manaka at the beginning chilling. While I don't buy the "Hikari is a future wife beater" thing, he does show some controlling behaviour, and Chisaki's line does sound like the kind of apologetic line one can hear about controlling spouses.

As for the 'making girls cry' thing, apparently that is a capital offense now. Who knew?

I'm going to continue to watch this one, the character dynamics have improved in interesting ways IMO, and I am curious to see where the story leads. I just hope the melodrama doesn't get too intense. I would like to see this one reach heights Tari Tari reached, but without its missteps.