Grand Blue Dreaming is a dream anime, a treat to my eyes. I personally always would want to live a life similar to what the characters are living in this anime. But sadly, most of us end up dreaming until it's too late. Before I share my thoughts, I have to laud the work of Kenji Inoue, the original writer of the anime. He has represented an ideal world for most teens and adults through his story. A world that is concentrated around close friends and family. Friends who care for each other. It's like escaping our day to day misery and landing on a remote island with our close ones and living peacefully. Our generation of youth is predictable. But the young characters in this anime are not. They don't give an iota of attention to what the future has in store for them. They live the present. Frankly, that's how it should be but we all are predictable. We live today thinking of tomorrow unnecessarily. Kenji resents this life of millennials and came up with this masterpiece.
There is no real story or plot in the anime, to begin with. And you might be asking how can an anime be that good even without any story? The point is when I was watching the anime I could relate to whatever the anime has to offer. Because I was lacking everything the anime has to offer. The fun of having friends who cherish every moment of life, trying new things with them knowing that they have your back, getting encouragement from them, sharing your delicate, warm and hearty feelings with those friends, going out with them to a new location, making the most serious and nervewracking moments of your life light and delightful, occasionally getting into an argument, having silly fights but at the end of the day going to bed with a smile on your face and many more - the anime has so much to offer. It is unlike the real world where most of us do not get to live these moments. But after watching this anime I can at least say I lived those moments in my mind even though it was short-lived. I watch anime to escape reality. This anime rightfully filled the void I had in my life for a short while. Every episode has a random story but you wouldn't want to miss a single episode - it's that good.
Now I have to account for why this anime is so good? First of all, it is one of the most hilarious anime I have ever seen in my life. The anime is a comedy powerhouse. I laughed my heart out while watching it. Especially, the facial expressions during any slapstick incident will blow your mind and make you wonder - how do animation studios even come up with these creepy and cheesy expressions.
It is predominantly a slice of life anime with lots of comedy, drama and outdoor sports activity in scuba diving in between. Characters are soaking in the heat of much-awaited summer in Japan with half-naked bodies, always enjoying their drink(alcohol) and playing group games. All the characters get almost equal screen time. Most of the time all the characters are together in any setting which makes any scene more exciting.
Putting aside the deep meaning of the anime, you still get to learn a lot about scuba diving. The gears that professionals use, hand signs to communicate underwater and how to prepare for emergencies, there is a lot to take out from this anime. It's only after watching this anime, I now know that you need a certain kind of license before you can dive underwater all on your own.
This anime speaks in volume about the fact that people full of life and energy can make a difference in our life if we are suffering from a life/existential crisis. We should have an open mindset for people around us to get the most out of them as well as us. The MC Iori opens himself up after the influence of some new friends in his life and loves every bit of it. Even though most of the time he wouldn't want things to happen the way they did, at the end of the day he cherishes those moments. It's a perfect slice of life anime - a slice I also want to add to my life.
Though, I regret that it's only 12 episodes long. This anime is too good to have only 12 episodes. Rest assured, you will not regret it after you watch the anime. I can go so far to say that it is the funniest anime of 12 episodes I have ever seen. It can easily feature in my list of most rewatchable animes. I can rewatch this anime any day.
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