Warning: The following contains spoilers! Viewer discretion is advised.
So here's a little new thing I'm doing: it's a quick (and not so detailed) reaction post of the fourteenth episode of one of my favorite anime shows of 2013: Nagi no Asukara. Last time the show left me with utmost desire to watch the next episode, and when it finally became available on Crunchyroll it felt like years had passed since I watched episode thirteen. And, funnily, years have passed in the anime—five years, to be more specific.
Chisaki was the only sea kid from our group (Hikari, Manaka, Kaname, and her) who managed to avoid the whole Ofunehiki-Sea-God-disaster-thing that occurred in episode thirteen. She and Tsumugu are now both college students; Miuna and Sayu are attending the school Hikari and the gang went to; Akari now has a son named Akira (changing the letters around, I see? Very clever . . .); and Hikari assumingly fell asleep under the sea, Kaname "died," and Manaka—well, Manaka is who knows where?
Well, anyway, the story begins with a five-year timeskip. As stated in the paragraph above, Chisaki and Tsumugu attended high school, then graduated to college. Tsumugu is studying to become an oceanographer researcher (something like that) and is helping out a professor to understand what happened the day of the Ofunehiki. Chisaki is apparently studying to become a nurse, as she is helping out in the hospital. At the hospital, Tsumugu's grandfather is there after being found collapsed by Chisaki some time when she was still attending high school.
So it is seen that Chisaki develops a close liking to the old man after he allows her to stay at his home when that weird dome-thing appeared over Shioshishio and she had nowhere else to go. Another flashback shows how when Akari discovered she was pregnant with Akira, she was mortified, as it was not a real good time to have a kid. However, Akari began to feel better when Miuna cheered her up, saying she's happy about having a little brother.
Later at school, the teacher (yes, the same teacher from the other episodes with the round glasses and interesting voice) tells the class that the Tomoebi will be occurring at around eight o'clock (it's that three-sun thing that happened in episode six; just that it's with the moon now, not the sun). The class decides to have a party at the beach to celebrate the occasion.
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| Sigh. I'll never get tired of looking at this gorgeous image. |
At the beach, Miuna gets confessed to by this boy from her class but she instantly declines, saying she's in love with somebody else (obviously Hikari). Suddenly, Miuna and Tsumugu get a mental image of a strange light and they run off to end up meeting at the same spot where the phenomenon is occurring (I assume this happens because they are both related to a person from the sea). There they find a naked Hikari, who has seemingly not aged since the day he disappeared in the sea.
Miuna does CPR on kisses does CPR on Hikari and he wakes up. He doesn't recognize Miuna, as it has been five years since he last saw her, so when Tsumugu says she's Miuna, Hikari is shocked. Realization then dawns on his face about what happened, and Miuna says to the audience that his eyes "stopped moving in sadness, like the lull of the sea," thereby quoting the other title of the anime, Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea.
Woot! Woot! Everyone get on the feels train and buckle up, because this ride is gonna get a lot bumpier! This episode made me feel a range of emotions: excitement, sadness, surprise, and ultimately depression. I feel so bad for everyone in this episode, especially Hikari and Chisaki. Chisaki because she is the only one from Shioshishio to avoid the hibernation (excluding Akari), and Hikari because—well, the poor guy falls asleep the day his crush and childhood friend sacrifices herself to the Sea God, only to wake up five years later to see that the people he knew from the sea village are all gone and everything has changed. I just want to give these two a hug—a big, warm hug to make all the pain go away. Hopefully everything will be happy and great in the series' finale.
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| Looking at this picture, I feel sad. Am I the only one? |
And, boy oh boy, this love polygon is becoming so complex that I highly doubt rocket scientists could figure it out. Now that Hikari is back, this might stir up some feelings in Chisaki—although she seems to like either Tsumugu or Kaname now (please let it be Kaname; he has no one else!)—and most definitely Miuna. (Back off! Only Manaka can be with Hikari!!!!!) But seriously, this love . . . er, shape is getting way out of hand. Please let the characters I want to be together be together in the end! And also, even though physically Hikari is eighteen or nineteen years old, he's still mentally a fourteen-year-old (I think?), so would that mean it's all right for Miuna to be in love with him? And isn't he also her uncle? Not by blood, obviously, but—Oh, never mind. I don't ship the two together, anyway, so why should I care?
Story and characters aside, the new opening and ending songs for Nagi are just as soothing as the previous songs, albeit a lot more depressing and sadder. Although it will take some time to adjust to the new songs, I know I'll love them by the end of this anime.
So what are my predictions on Nagi? Honestly? I have no freaking clue. And I love how I have no idea. Based on the opening, and the picture above, Kaname seems to be returning as well, so I'd love to find out what the heck happened when that pillar fell (or not?) on him. Where's Manaka? Hell if I know. Maybe in some alternate world with the Sea God or something . . . but I hope to find out soon!
Hopes on Nagi? Please let it not end on a cliffhanger or "read the manga" kind of ending. This show is absolutely magnificent, and one of the best I have ever seen. If it were to end badly story-wise, my rating for this show will plummet so fast that it'd be worthy of an Olympic gold medal. Also, I'd love it if the couples I ship get together. Hikari and Manaka, Chisaki and Kaname, Tsumugu and . . . hell if I know. But for now, I am in love with this show and excited for the next twelve weeks of awesomeness!
Also, I'm sorry about how this reaction is all over the place, but this episode was SO GOOD. I have officially boarded the feels train after watching this episode and I need to see how this show will end. Will I continue watching it? Hell yeah I will! And with that, see you next time, otakus!
