This show is one of the most profound, relatable and best written shows ive ever seen... As soon as you get past episode 4. It was highly recommended to me by several people however others said it was boring and to melodramatic. I find myself in the camp of its amazing however there are a couple of slightly major issues i find with this show so even if the start of this review seems one sided i do spend time covering its faults
Hands down this is the most beautiful setting and most interesting world building and lore I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Easily P.A works greatest aesthetic work (this is an anime original btw). Whilst there is some bias in this but as someone who's grown up next to the sea and often loving the sea more than the land, this is one of the greatest forms of wish fulfilment i could ask for. The colour pallet is a rick mix of blues purples and whites underwater and on land its made of slightly gritter browns and greens drawing a great distinction. An the detail in some of the landscapes is amazing as well. Look above at that photo, look below at this as well
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The Music
OHHHHH
This soundtrack is defiantly a stand out. Its one of 4 shows of the 100 + I've watched that I've put on my playlist. Its a mix of simple innocent-like xylophone guitar and harp sounds and grand dramatic sounding violin pieces that perfectly mixes both the calm playfulness, grand majesty and dramatism of the sea. Truly a masterpiece, i have my 3 standout tracks (particular the first one below) but most people I've come across who've talked about this show seem to have a fairly even split of favourites across the whole soundtrack.
Please i beg you to just take 2 minutes to listen to this glorious piece of music
Visuals
I sort of touched on this in setting, but oh my Uroko-Sama does this show look beautiful, the visuals look absolutely glorious, its one of the 3 shows I've actively thought, Damn this shows animation is well and truly amazing.
Story/Romance__
This is one of those places where i know many people find the show lacks. Without spoilers i will tell you there is a major shift in the show that occurs around episode 12 which is a drastic turning point for the show. But first.
The first core of the show is mainly establishing characters, relationships, the worldbuilding and working together to a goal. Basically its slice of life. On its own i don't think it would be bad, i rather enjoyed the first core (past episode 4, more on that in a minute). However there is 2 issues, firstly the MC Hikari in the first 5 episodes is the most annoying, cringe, salty character i ever seen, honestly its unbearable. I had to skip several scenes in the first episodes cause they where 2 painful to watch, however he hits episode 5 and some development happens and he becomes a pretty decent MC so don't worry just tough those first few painful scenes out.
The second issue is the love triangle. See the love triangle, (or should i say love Septagon by the end of the show) in Lull in the sea both makes the show and breaks the show. Let me make this clear, I am not a fan of love triangles, i can think of exactly 0 shows which do a good love triangle, And the first 4 episodes of Lull in the sea i would judge to be a perfect example of how NOT to do a love triangle. Its painful to watch, Then thankfully the love triangle takes a backseat in the face of the (far more interesting and better executed) plot until around episode 10 ish where its fairly average. HOWEVER, once the second core starts and an event occurs, Episode 12 - 26 is the only love triangle/septagon that I've ever found myself not only tolerating, but actually interesting, the romance was so well executed i would defiantly put it amongst the greats such as Clannad Toradora and Oregariu (even tho i think those last 2 are way overrated) even if my favourite girl didn't get her man. Once this change does happen the entire show just becomes so much better, the writing steps it up, the plot becomes gripping, I couldn't put the show down.
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Themes
There are 2 main themes in Lull in the sea, the first is discrimination and acceptance, the people of the sea and people of the land, as a rule dont get along, therefore when 4 teens are sent to school on land surrounded by land people, it leads the show down a very interesting route where it explores the mentality of discrimination and acceptance. The second more major theme is change, and both accepting its inevitability but also how we can still take an active hand in forcing how and what changes which is explored by characters in very interesting ways
Characters
I think the vast majority of the main cast were well done and all had decent development through the first half of the show. With the exception of the MC who's personality kills me until he gets some development they are all amazingly well crafted, human feeling characters with the possible exception of Manaka who whislt still decent feels less “real” than the others. Of our original 4 sea friends, You've got a hot headed protagonist Hikari who is fierce and passionate about everything and never speaks quitter than 1000 decibels in case someone from the next country doesn't hear him, the ditzy cute hair head girl Manaka who makes friends easily and has a smile that could bring about world peace. You've got Chisaki the mature adult carer of the group who almost becomes best girl for several episodes but is then undermined but someone else in the last 5 episodes. Finally you've got the gigachad Kaname, he's the "cool straight talking" guy who is always slightly on the side to everyone else. On land we are introduced to one more MC in the first half called Tsumugu who is Hikari's rival but is in everyway better, superior and less annoying than Hikari, he's the cool kind silent type who doesn't waste words but is still literally the nicest guy ever.
In the second half 2 more characters come into the role of main characters and become a pivotal part of the group. Miuna - (Best girl.) She is technically Hikari's step niece since Hikari's older sister married her Dad after her Mum died, but she is literally the best written character in the show, and Sayu who is pretty unimportant save for one scene where she shows that she is actually also a really great character
Overall
Look ii judge this show in 3 stages, episode 1-4, whilst the worldbuilding, exposition, art and music are all amazing the character relationships and Hikari himself is painful to watch. Episodes 5 -11 keep the same good elements i listened but the characters and writing and plot all drastically improve to good/slightly above average. However when you hit episode 12 to 26 i promise, this show oozes quality, everything about it is amazing, the art and music is gorgeous, the plot and themes are executed so brilliantly there are many scenes that showed that i realised had a much deeper meaning than i originally thought and it all ties in brilliantly, and the characters, writing and dialogue in those 14 episodes are probably the best I've ever watched in this medium of anime with the exception of a couple of scenes from Clannad. If you do watch till episode 12 I promise you wont be disappointed and its well worth the first core, which really isn't that bad (if the show ended on episode 12 id give it a solid 7 out of 10)
Please Please just watch this show, the good far outweighs the bad and for a sea lover like me this was a dream come true to watch and i wish i could watch it again not knowing what happens
My Personal tribute to the show (this section can be skipped as its mainly just my very personal detailed thoughts and feeling i just really wanted to let out and write down, but I am aware this review is already on the long side, so feel free to either read of just skip down to see my score, there are a few spoiler sections but there aren't to many)__
My thoughts on Hikari
Right so I started out hating him, he was loud, obnoxious, annoying pretty horrible to everyone around him including his friends. I get the idea was he's like a sea storm and all turbulent and stuff but it was just annoying for the first few episodes, however then you hit 5 and he clams down and becomes a surprisingly competent leader of the group. Once the event happens on episode 12 and everything changes however, Hikari to me becomes a much more interesting character especially his relationship with Chisaki and Miuna
Spoiler, click to view
his outburst to tsumugu on the boat about how hard it was to cope with the 5 years of change was very emotional to watch, especially with how he was unwilling to interact with ChisakiMy thoughts on Manaka
I love Manaka,
She was one of the 2 characters that kept me watching the show through those first 4 episodes, the personality archetype of the loveable innocent playful airhead is one of my favourites and i swear, that sile should be protected at all costs. She is what makes the first core of the show for me. And whilst I cant relate to her character development as much as several other characters she was still my favourite for a good chunk of the show
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My tribute to Tsumugu
Tsumugu is me,
Well his personality isn't, he's the cool calm man who doesn't waste words guy which I'm literally the opposite of.
However we are united and i relate to him massively through his love for the sea. His grandfather was a Man of the sea who left for the land yet kept that love for the sea, Tsumugu lives with him and shares this passion for the sea, yet the children of a land person and sea person does not have ena therefore tsmugu is limited to the shore, he sees those with ena and there freedom to swim in the sea and he yearns for it but does not have it, when he joins the main group, he always feels part an outsider as he cannot access such a major part of their world. He is the outsider in the friendship group whom everyone wants there but there is that barrier he cannot pass. His part in the romance is also handled masterfully, always being confided in as the one man of the group who does not have history with the other 4 who are so close knit, yet for that reason never being able to act on his feelings until near the end. He also has one major event that occurs near the end which i cant say without spoiling but its a happy thing that if it happened to me it would be one of my greatest wishes ever come trueand it was the one part of the show that bought tears to my eyes
Spoiler, click to view
After the time skip and he has to live with Chisaki yet can never make a move on here just hit me hard and heighted my opinion of him so much. And his ending when he gets together with Chisaki is very well done and I'm really glad they ended up together.Also when he gets Ena and you see the look on his face and the tears in his eyes i wont lie I teared up as he realises his greatest wish has just been granted.
My Tribute to Kaname
Poor Poor Kaname. I also feel i often relate much to Kaname i feel we are in very similar positions. The girl he so loves doesn't return the feelings,
Spoiler, click to view
in almost every relationship he has save one at the very end there is always someone i front of him and he is always the one in the friendship group who is simply there. All his friends do want him there, yet he doesn't truly play a full roleSpoiler, click to view
Damn that scene where he admits how lonely he feels and though that no one was truly waiting for him until Sayu comes in and yells at him really hit me hardMy Thoughts on Chisaki
Chisaki is, in my opinion, the best written, or best utilised character in the show, she has the most complex character and she carries the first half of the second core until best girl Miuna takes over.
The show was very clever in crafting her character, being the one who doesn't want things to change and yet for her wish to come true she must change, and then her being forcibly changed more than any other the other character, makes her personally and character development very interesting to watch
Spoiler, click to view
Her after the time skip being so conflicted and terrified of her changing and if her friends would still accept her also endeared me to her even moreMy Thoughts on Best girl Miuna
Whilst i don't relate to Miuna as much as Tsumgu or Kaname she is still a close third due to both her yearning for the sea and her unrequited love.
Whilst in the first core i didn't really care about her that much, after the change in episode 12 and she becomes a more relevent active character i found myself liking her more more and. Her trope is undoubtedly the one i am affected by the most in these sort of Romance drama shows, the character who secretly loves MC but knows the feelings aren't returned but helps them out anyway all the while trying not to die from the pain inside. (A famous example of this would be Yui Yuighama from my teen romantic comedy). The one scene where she needs to get her love interest to literally shout out several times that he loves someone else just to crush her own feelings on purpose killed me.
Spoiler, click to view
Also her mentality about how she feels towards Miuna not being around after the change, and how now they where the same age she finally had a chance to get close to Hikari on more than a superficial level and then secretly hoping that Miuna doesn't come back and thing herself for that really hit me hard. Also at the end when she sacrifices herself for Manaka and gives herself up and simply smiles as Hikari realises her feelings and hopes he and Manaka will be happy is something i really admireAlthough her ending was the one ending that i wasn't satisfied with in the show since she is the practically only one who doesn't end up happy with their partner i mean it fits and all but it still doesn't change the fact that the one show that i would have actually been willing for the writers to leave open-ended on who ended up with who was the one show where the writers confirm who ends up with who.
Well thats the final end to my review. It was long but i thank you for reading, hope you'll give the show a try if you haven't seen it as its one of the few shows that did effect me and touch me deeply as it resonates with so many of my passions and fears
Also if I didn't mention it enough before the soundtrack to this show is easily God tier and the art an animation is the best i've ever seen, topping the likes of your name and violet evergarden (there are several incredibly animated scenes particularly in episode 12, 24, 25 and 26 that i could not show due to spoilers)