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• Studios: P.A. Works
• Source: Original
• Genres: Slice of Life
• Synopsis: “Kukuru Misakino, an 18-year-old high school girl working in an aquarium, meets Fuuka Miyazawa, a former idol who lost her place in Tokyo and escaped. Fuuka will spend her days in the aquarium with her own thoughts in mind. However, the crisis of closing is approaching for the aquarium, as the girls explore their dreams and reality, loneliness and friends, bonds and conflicts.” -MAL News

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First Impression:

I haven’t been this excited for a P.A. Works anime in a LONG TIME. They have been hit or miss the last few season but I have confidence (from what I’ve seen so far) that this will be one of the ones that hit! There’s a lot of good things going on, an interesting storyline that revolves around two girls with two different life styles, a focus on aquariums and idols, as well as some stellar art and animation that P.A. Works has been known for! Let’s DIVE IN!

I’m in shock at the quality of this show. Just the first few minutes of the first episode are just scenic shots and they’re absolutely gorgeous! We haven’t even gotten to any of the characters yet and I’m already in love with the show. The level of details does suggest that these are in fact real location throughout Okinawa! The backgrounds sets a really nice and refreshing tone for the story while also highlighted the beauty of Okinawa.

Let’s take a moment to appreciation the immaculate directing and compositions throughout the show. The excellent use of color, character placement, and the scenery of Okinawa really blend well to create dynamic and interesting scenes even if it’s just Fuuka (Top images) making her way through the city or Kukuru (Bottom images) going about her daily life. It’s not just the scenes but the characters as well with their subtle moments such as Fuuka’s hesitant walking or Kukuru’s familiarity of her home and determination to save the beloved aquarium. Even with no dialogue and it’s easy to pick out and that (in my opinion) is what makes a great anime.

I love the attention to detail when it comes to not only the backgrounds but also the aquatic life that is presented throughout the show. From the iconic Blue Tang (Dory from Finding Nemo) to the colorful wrasse, different types of butterfly fish, and even puffer fish! The coral are also depicted accurately and it just gets me really excited because I kinda have an obsession with aquatic life and especially aquariums!

And of course we can’t end the first impression without a look at some nice architecture! The Okinawan traditional housing, the Okinawan Shopping district, some small parks along the beach, and even some modern architecture in Tokyo! The incredible detail that does into replicating these spaces and setting the mood for the scenes that are about to unfold really help ground the story in more ways than you think! I could go on all day about anime backgrounds but I think I’ll save that for another post!

Recommendation:

YES

While I didn’t talk a lot about the story, I think the art is more than enough eye candy and interest for anime fans to watch the show. The story itself is pretty well rounded and although we didn’t get into a lot of the story development, the foundation is laid out quite well with Kukuru’s determination to save the town beloved aquarium crossing over with Fuuka’s regrets with her troubles back in the city. It’s bound to be an emotional roller coaster with beautiful scenery the entire way, so you definitely won’t want to miss out on this one!

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