Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea Volume 1

“No good will come of you going up to the surface.” Lord Uroko. 

For years without number, the people of the land have co-existed –  uneasily – with the people of the sea, their neighbours in the Sea Village, Shioshishio. The sea people have a direct connection to the god of the sea through their kami, blue-haired Lord Uroko, who watches over the sacred fire that gives them light and warmth (and is the physical manifestation of the Sea God). But conditions in the sea have affected the land villagers who depend on fishing for their livelihood.  

So when four teenagers: ditsy Manaka, earnest Hikari, shy Chisaki and laid-back Kaname leave the village beneath the sea to attend junior high school on land, old resentments between land and sea are awakened. One boy out fishing with his grandfather, Tsumugu, happens to catch Manaka in their net – and unwittingly provokes a complicated tangle of relationships. Because Hikari has always had feelings for Manaka, but Chisaki likes Hikari, while Kaname secretly likes Chisaki and now Tsumugu seems fascinated with Manaka. To complicate matters further, Hikari’s older sister Akari has fallen in love with a land-dweller Itaru, a widower with a young daughter Miuna. As relationships between land and sea are forbidden, she risks being banished from the sea forever.

Then the homeroom teacher suggests a project to make a figure of the Lady Ojoshi so that the Ofunehiki can be held again. This is a festival that celebrates the sacrifice long ago of a land maiden sent to be the bride of the Sea God, in which the villagers sail out to sea, singing traditional songs, to send a wooden doll of the Lady Ojoshi down into the deep. Tsumugu volunteers – so Manaka does too – which means that Hikari, backed up by Chisaki and Kaname, joins in. Yet instead of bringing the two communities together, it only seems to divide them even more.

But a change is coming that threatens both land and sea. The salt-flake snow that falls below the surface has begun to fall on the land as well. Lord Uroko warns the people of the Sea Village that they will have to go into hibernation for a long time to avoid the drastic climate changes that the salt-flake snow will bring on land, as well as beneath the sea.

Stubborn Hikari insists on going ahead with the Ofunehiki, hoping that it will somehow avert the coming disaster – but not everything goes as he plans…

A Lull in the Sea is a visual treat. You can almost feel the wind off the sea, or taste the salt-flake snow; even the rusting equipment in the harbour has a beauty of its own. The intense blues of the underwater scenes, filled with colourful fishes, are just as ravishing. The use of dolphin calls and whale song between scenes helps to evoke the atmosphere of a world below the waves. However, the whole premise of the world beneath the sea doesn’t make a great deal of sense, which gets in the way of buying into the whole storyline. The sea villagers seem to have the same amenities above and below the waves (telephones? TVs? newspapers?). But it takes until Episode 3 for the explanation to emerge as to how the sea people can move so easily between land and sea and why their clothes dry out so swiftly on land – so it’s hard not to be distracted from the story with practical issues (OK, so that’s how their clothes dry out, but what about their hair? etc. etc.) A great deal of suspension of disbelief is required! (The sea people have a special layer of skin, called Ena, that enables them to move between sea and land – although on land, they have to remember to keep their Ena hydrated.)  

The legend of a sea god marrying a land-dwelling woman recurs in many different cultures throughout the world – and it is often a tale with a sad ending. The underlying message is that water and land do not, cannot mix; whenever the bride begins to miss her life on land and leaves her husband and children, it usually ends in tragedy.

This is a story that brims with emotions, much as the young protagonists’ large and liquid eyes frequently brim and spill over with tears. With a piano accompaniment tinkling soulfully away, the creative team sometimes pile on the emotions just a little too much, too soon. Nevertheless, this is a series that is well worth staying with and not just for its high production values, as the intense chemistry between the main characters is sensitively developed and relatable – even if you’re no longer in your teens! The true essence of the story, about whether the people of the sea and the people of the land can learn to live together without prejudice, is an important one and the way the ancient legend is shown to influence the problems of the present day resonates on many levels.

The music for the series is just right at some moments, providing an evocative wash of textures and sonorities. Several musicians are credited with providing the music, including DEPAPEPE – a duo who play acoustic guitars. At other times, however, it seems as if one of the musicians was improvising spontaneously (on piano or guitar) to the animation, rather as a cinema pianist used to accompany silent film, and this is less successful. The Opening Theme “lull ~Soshite Bokura wa~” is performed by Ray to more of the ravishing visuals, setting the scene above and below the sea. The soulful Ending Theme, focussing on Manaka, “Aqua Terrarium,” is performed by Nagiyanagi.

Viewers who followed this series when it first streamed subbed on Crunchyroll may well be interested in the English dub – and it’s sympathetically done. The script manages to preserve and enhance many of the little touches of humour which bring a welcome contrast to the moments of high drama and the chemistry between the main protagonists is convincingly portrayed. Especially worthy of mention here are relative newcomer Max Mittelman who captures Hikari’s forceful, earnest energy really well, and Michelle Ruff who makes Manaka so much more than just a sweetly moe airhead. Another relatively new voice actor, Chris Niosi, brings a wonderfully dry humour to sake-loving, ‘perverted’ Lord Uroko, a mere ‘scale of the Sea God’, as he frequently likes to remind his charges, while at the same time, it’s hinted, genuinely caring for them. 

Episode 13 ends on a nail-biting cliff-hanger – but MVM/America NIS have been kind in including Episode 14 as a bonus (as well as trailers and textless Opening and Ending songs).

This review covers Episodes 1-13 on MVM’s DVD release. The Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray will be issued soon after with the whole 26 episodes, as well as goodies such as the soundtrack album and a 76-page book, with episode summaries.

For those interested in learning more about the making of the series, this is a link to Anime News Network’s recent Q & A session with some of the cast and crew: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2015-07-14/the-cast-and-crew-of-a-lull-in-the-sea/.90416

In Summary

Ravishingly drawn, coloured and animated, Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea tugs at the heartstrings – maybe a little too frequently for some  – but makes for compelling viewing.