Daphne in the Brilliant Blue

“The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper. I cannot quite make it out.” – Annie Dillard.

Global warming is a big threat to the world; however after watching this series in its entirety it could be argued by some that environmental disaster could relieve the monotony. Daphne in the Brilliant Blue is a series with the odd flash of goodness amongst a lot of uninteresting material.

The series is set in a period in the far future where. due to rising sea levels. humanity has moved into just eight cities that were formerly submerged under the water but have since been on the surface for 100 years. The world is ruled by the “Ocean Agency”, and in Kamchatka City 15-year-old orphaned girl Maia Mizuki is desperate to join it. However, she somehow fails to pass the exam. She is then evicted from her home, becomes the victim of crime, and is accidentally shot.

When she comes to, she finds herself in the offices of the Kamchatka City branch of Nereids, a “help-for-hire” organisation which takes on any task that the police is not too interested in, mainly staffed by a group of attractive women. The group consists of Rena, the de facto leader who often seduces people to get her own way, and Shizuka, a gluttonous bespectacled mechanic. Later on we encounter Gloria, a tanned miser with a love of guns, and Yu, a lonely dog lover and expert fighter. There is also their male branch manager who is constantly pushed over by the ladies.

Maia decides to take a job with Nereids, where she is consigned to carrying out all sorts of trivial tasks, and more often than not ends up hostage whenever she is sent on a more important mission. However, as the series continues, we learn that Maia is suffering from amnesia, and the series moves on to trying to piece together her missing memories.

While the amnesia storyline does provide some entertainment, as well as some twists and turns in the plot in the latter episodes, most of what happens in the series is of no real significance. Watching it, you can clearly see that the five female leads have been designed for fan service appeal. For most of the time they wear very revealing outfits. The problem is that, as it occurs all the time, it sort-of loses any appeal. Also, Rena and Shizuka seem to wear some sort of undergarment down below that covers their groin and back-crack but it’s not being held up by anything. In the end, you just spend time thinking how on earth those straps stay attached. It makes you wonder how come this series only got a 12 certificate.

In terms of extras, there are two comic OVA episodes, one a promotional video for Neredis, the other a “Freaky Friday” scenario, and an art gallery.

So overall, there are some moments, but on the whole there is nothing of real substance. If you like to watch some buxom action-packed ladies, feel free to go for it, but if you want something with more depth to it, you are better off elsewhere.