A new life begins for Kitahara Iori as he begins his college career near the ocean in Izu city, full of excitement for his new life. He will be moving into his Uncle's diving store "Grand Blue." There he finds the beautiful ocean, beautiful women, and men that love diving and alcohol. Will Iori be able to live his dream college life?
Every season of anime always has that one show. You know the one. From the start it receives constant praise and love by the masses, unrelenting in their desire to make their short-lived adoration known to any that will hear. For weeks it leads the figurative hype-train that has every seasonal watcher on board in anticipation to see where it will end up. Its the show you stay up late at night each week just to catch the latest episode on Kis-Crunchyroll.com. While every other show with potential may and probably will squander around the half-way point, this show – THIS SHOW – is the only one to matter, for it holds the embodiment of why weeaboos traded their social life to solely watch Japanese cartoons. __Newsflash: This ain’t it__. To be honest, this season as a whole has been remarkably unremarkable given the obvious trends that take place in the anime community. Although it may not be so surprising given that the season prior was coined by many as ‘The Greatest Season of Anime’, even the most popular shows airing currently have made little more than a murmur throughout their runtime. Attack on Titan, Overlord, the “final” season of Gintama, all well-known series that have all fallen silent amongst the public. But when it comes to new series airing, Grand Blue had to have been a main attraction; based on one of the most popular manga serialized today that features Shinji Takamatsu as director – the same director for successful comedies School Rumble and Daily Lives of High School Boys. Yet… something’s seriously off about this show, and since it seems to have slapped the tactfulness out of me, I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: This show fucking blows. I was planning to say something along the lines of “Let’s dive into this”, but whilst being the most cliché cringe-inducing pun I could have possibly made, there’s not very much at all to “dive” into here. Grand Blue follows 20-year-old Iori Kitahara who has moved to his uncle’s seaside town for college, where he is almost immediately roped into joining a male-dominated diving club. But if you thought this show was about diving, it’s a trap! Instead the club activities more or less revolve around drinking, stripping and getting hammered. Essentially, it is a comedy anime focused on the college life so a basic plot such as this is harmless so long as the comedy hits its mark. However, that simply is not the case. Instead Grand Blue comes off as an American frat house flick turned into a gag anime, except with nearly all the effort sucked out. Now I understand that comedy in general is heavily subjective so what personally may not land well with me could very well come off as a massive hit to someone else. Nevertheless, I have so many issues with how the show handles humour. One of the first instances of this come from the running joke where every other character tries tricking Iori into getting drunk. Conceptually, this does not strike me as humorous, but the ridiculous ways this is tried alongside dysmorphic character faces utilized certainly add to the punchline and made me laugh the first few times. But a cardinal problem with Grand Blue is that a joke which becomes par runs the risk of growing dull, and while using different scenarios can keep things fresh, Grand Blue instead drives them into the ground as fast as possible. Sure, the joke earned a few chuckles the first couple times, but then they use it once more, and again, and again… and again. Numerous times the overabundance of these quips was akin to beating a dead horse, and if at that point it does not feel overdone then I just do not know what to say. Clearly Grand Blue is a comedy show that lends itself to multiple running gags throughout the 12 episodes, but the way they are used is what inevitably ceases the series to deliver the same results on viewers like myself. Another issue with the comedy presented here more often than not is the timing. Timing is obviously a key factor for basically any form of comedy, especially with the kind of jokes Grand Blue exploits that rely heavily on the punchline. Yet here poor timing is so apparent that it comes off almost amateurish by the staff. Maybe this is a limitation when adapting the source material. I have not read the manga, but due to anime being… animated, it limits the way one can interpret a scene compared to a series of still pictures; the anime ends up much more restricting on the imagination. The punchlines themselves are also somewhat confusing at first if you had high expectations of Grand Blue without having read the manga. The series seems to treat comedy at a fairly lowbrow level where majority of the time punchlines were aimed between the more innocent characters being coerced or embarrassed by other club members. Sure, lowbrow humour can be funny and even I find it hilarious sometimes, but considering this is also a light-hearted comedy, makes Grand Blue’s task of making someone like myself laugh incredulously difficult. What also works in their disfavour are the more heartfelt moments mainly centred around Iori gaining appreciation for diving as a whole. These moments COULD have been useful as far as getting better invested in his character, except there is one serious problem: he has no character. You should not expect much in the way of development or characterization presented as there are only a handful of character worth remembering just to remember the plot meanwhile everyone else, despite their own “plot” are flat as a pancake. Again, due to Grand Blue being primarily comedy, there is barely any expectations as far as the narrative or characters go, yet the show continues to spread itself thin that I, as a viewer, am left with barely anything to truly grasp onto. Maybe I'm just an old fa[n] :( Perhaps the key problem I have with Grand Blue is not with the comedy or even the characters, but the subject matter. There has been an increasing amount of anime set in higher education as of late, each with their own take on a core aspect of college life. But before Grand Blue I had never been exposed to one that focuses primarily on the parts where the main characters get blasted off one’s face, and after watching this, it really does makes sense why. As a student myself I can tell you with assurance that there is not much fun getting shit-faced and even then, it does not last long. To those reading this that have experienced a hangover probably understand this most and, perhaps more importantly, the after-effects. Headaches, drowsiness, poor concentration and nausea are just a mere few of the symptoms that coincidentally are also felt when watching these moments every week. One of the most common appraisals about Grand Blue is how relatable the show is. I’m sorry but the main aspects that are relatable to real life here are not things that I would be celebrating as much and like those who have had poor hangovers, is something I would rather forget about. Although when it comes to alcohol in Grand Blue, there is nothing more depressing than seeing each episode open with a disclaimer about legal alcohol usage. Now, they were probably necessary to even have the series airing in the first place but way to present the exact opposite of comedy at the beginning of each episode. Of course nothing is mentioned about the nudity seemingly ever-present here; I see Japan has their priorities straight here. Speaking of; yes, I am a straight cis-male with no interest in the male nudity displayed in Grand Blue, but holy hell do they have the least creative way of censoring dicks. As aforementioned I have not read the manga, so I do not know how scenes were drawn but it is such a lazy way of going about it, though it does match the effort that arguably went to the overall visuals of Grand Blue. It looks absolutely lacklustre. Below average animation for practically every scene. Poor designs, even for the male supporting cast (no homo). This is not a series to watch for its technical appeal, because there practically is none. However, I find this fact to somehow work in its favour as far as the entertainment goes. Seeing comedic scenes with laughable animation effects certainly has a charm to it; perhaps a “so bad it’s good” quality, but not enough to warrant slogging through it all. Even fanservice for the male demographic was at a minimum. As far as the sound, both the soundtrack and voice acting are very forgettable. The opening and endings, whilst memorable, I personally found cringeworthy. Never will I not skip either if they ever happen to come up on a playlist. Just listen to these lyrics: _♫♫ Be passionate my friend Shine bright with the sun Dive into the blue sky And let summer take it all ♫♫_ And that is all there is to say about Grand Blue. It’s clear that not many people will agree with my statements as it appears to be a strong fan-favourite of whatever is left of the community still interested in seasonal anime. If you like it then I’m glad you enjoyed it, but there’s probably better comedies this season. Watch them; I thought this sucked. Grand Blue was the equivalent of a grand disaster in my eyes and stands a reminder that “in every age, in every place, the taste of weeaboos remain the same.” I guess I’m just not a fan of watching something akin to what the Fairy Tail guild would be like when knocked off their rocker. Anyways thank you to everyone who read my review. Be sure to leave a like if you liked-hell even if you disliked I’ll still take a like! Send a message for what I should review next. 99% unlikely to actually do it but who knows. Au revoir.
I remember it well, three or so weeks into the Summer anime season and thinking that Grand Blue Dreaming would end up being my anime of the season, if not of the year. I'm kind of nostalgic about those days, there was so much hope for these new shows and everything was shiny and interesting. So what happened? What made me lose interest or, if not losing my interest, what made me start to sour on Grand Blue? I think the answer has a few parts, most of them pretty subjective so bear with me as we go through them here. Getting started with the groundwork of any anime, Grand Blue's visuals are certainly solid for a comedy. Notice I said visuals and not animation, which certainly isn't anything to write home about in Grand Blue, as it's as simple as the come animation-wise. Aesthetically speaking, however, Grand Blue just pops off the screen with its bright colors, making the ocean scenes radiate beauty and excitement and keeping the air of youth and joy even when we're not on the ocean. I usually talk about sound design and such too, but I'm going to just mention the _fantastic_ opening, because the rest of the sound design is just somewhat run of the mill, nothing standing out which is a good thing for Grand Blue. __Favorite Character:__ Azusa Hamaoka ~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/7YvLaoN.png)~~~ I have to admit, I was a total Chisa fanboy at first, but then Azusa just stole my heart as the show went on, mostly due to her being a non-frustrating character. It's one of the reasons I soured a little bit on Grand Blue, characters just being frustrating at times. The only ones who really managed to avoid this pitfall were Azusa and Kouhei. Even Iori managed to frustrate me in certain episodes with his talent to always make the scummiest decision possible. Maybe I'm missing the point of Grand Blue with its scummy character interactions, but to me, I just don't like that kind of interaction, especially when it happens _all the time_. It gets rather tiring when the characters always end up trying to stab each other in the back in new ways with every episode. My issues with Grand Blue mostly boil down to the same things, which, in my opinion, plague the comedy genre in general. Those things would be the tiredness of the tropes involved. In anime, rarely do you get a fresh comedy and even Grand Blue doesn't really hit that target. Sometimes, it has a really fresh comedy scene, but I found quickly that I was watching for the more serious scenes, like when Nanaka took Iori to the aquarium. Those scenes were just magical to me, far outstripping many of the comedy scenes. I understand that I shouldn't be looking for those moments in a comedy, especially one of Grand Blue's reputation, but somehow, I just couldn't help it, I just really connected to the gangs friendships. That leads me into my next point, which is that there's no progress to the characters for the vast majority of the show's relationships. You see Iori and Chisa's relationship progress and Iori's and Kohei's friendship grow deeper, but it doesn't really happen anywhere else. Maybe you could say that Aina and Chisa's friendship, but that's not really focused on at all, they're just kind of friends all of the sudden. Again, maybe I'm wrong looking for this kind of thing in Grand Blue, but why is it wrong to be looking for development? Though I've been harping on it, Grand Blue Dreaming is legitimately a good show. It just didn't live up to my early hype for it. It got bogged down somewhere in the middle with its one-shot episodes with Iori's scum squad friends, which are easily the worst episodes in the series. And, even though it has its lows, you can almost always find at least one or two jokes that make you laugh out loud every episode, which is quite the feat for a comedy, in my opinion. Grand Blue falls prey to the same issues that most comedies end up falling into and that would be repetitiveness in its material. In Grand Blue's case, it's the absurd drinking jokes, which are funny at times, but sometimes its nice to have a break from the monotony. Obviously, this all boils down to my personal grievances with Grand Blue and why it dropped down my Summer season rankings quite a bit, but nonetheless, Grand Blue remains a great slapstick comedy.
Grand Blue takes the simple formula of providing a setting, an aspiring student trying to dip his feet in the adult world and completely turns it on its heel. __This is a diving anime for all intensive purposes.__ …well maybe 20 minutes total of the 12 episodes. And for all that is said and done, it works beautifully. Anyone that is looking forward to university, beginning or has already experienced it, this show is a fantastic example of what that really is. One of the selling points of this slice of life comedy is that it’s real. Social group of comradry, laughs and anguish, it’s there in full view. There’s a lot more freedom compared to high school and the first couple of episodes definitely show that diversion. Iori makes it his goal to have fun in his first year of classes, and the comedy that comes with that goal is definitely not one to miss out on. He’s half naked going to his first class. The foundation is set, you know what you’re in for. While the stereotypes are there, the jokes and gags never grow stale. The Grand Blue diving club is a hysterical cast of misfits just trying to enjoy themselves parent-free. It’s a refreshing take on comedies that take themselves too seriously. These characters know fully well of their actions, and the show never attempts to disguise it otherwise. The ongoing gags of nakedness, alcoholism, complete lack of academic prowess in lectures, it panders to those who have lived it, and it’ll relate to everyone that is lucky enough to experience it. A college life in every sense of the word. The dynamic duo of Iori and Kouhei never missteps in its absurdity. Complete opposites when it comes to interests, the two provide incredible chemistry in their ability to screw everything up. Within their own friend group, the Grand Blue club and even their futile attempt at picking up women, we see throughout the 12 episode season that their relationship, while hostile at first glance, grows into a brother-like bond that shines in its final episodes. Supporting cast of Asuza, Chisa, Nanaka, the power duo of Ryuujirou and Shinji, they all have their moments in the spotlight. The chemistry is one of the best I’ve seen in an assemble of characters. The quick jabs after a heated argument, out of no where curve-balls that send you on the floor in laughter, its a group that sets itself up for disaster, but always turns out into a hilarious outcome that leaves both you, and the characters themselves in a better mood afterwards. In particular, the tennis match, and alcohol tasting scenes are wonderful, and are regarded by many as the funniest scenes in the comedy genre. The story itself isn’t something spectacular, and in retrospect, it falls quite short in that aspect of character development and cohesion. We really get nowhere by the final episode, and I can almost argue we didn’t even move an inch from the initial introduction. As a comedy though, it lends itself as a true patron of the genre. You can’t take any of this seriously and as an enjoyment factor, this is a definite strong suit of the show. Going in line with the manga, the show did feel a bit rushed at some points, leaving out some scenes, and the ones that were kept, some did not capture the same magic when converted in the adaptation. ~~~img470(https://i.imgur.com/UscL9OS.gif)~~~ Animation is spectacular. On the handful of diving scenes you do encounter here, the artistic backgrounds and animation is top tier, and definitely amounted in Zero-G’s commitment to give this manga justice when converting it. Cool easter eggs and nods to the studios’ admiration of other anime works really show their heart was in this piece. I can safely say this is one of the studio’s finest works. Voice acting is just as good, and each character fits their voices in very nuance ways. The soft voice of Nanaka to the vibrant, but cold voice of Chisa, the VA’s have perfectly put their emotion in each character. Azusa’s in particular is fantastic and fits her upbeat and cheerful attitude perfectly. Grand Blue is not for everyone, but it definitely can be if you go into the show with a open mindset. While it boasts the real world characteristics of the post high school life, it should be enjoyed as exactly what it is, a comedic hit of the ages that absolutely never takes itself to seriously. Would I recommend you watch it? Yeah I would, but only if this immediately caught your interest on the premise. For me at least, it is the epitome of comedy anime, and will be one of the pieces that measures all others after it. ------ img(https://i.imgur.com/n3kFLrc.png) (+) - Top tier ensemble of characters (+) - Character chemistry is immaculate (+) - Visual animations & voice acting (-) - No story driven plot at all (-) - Running gags may not be for everyone, especially nudity and excessive use of alcohol (-) - Typical troupes are present here: Siscon, relative-love interest plot
_A spoiler-free review~_ ~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~~~~img(https://i.imgur.com/MlQ60RU.png)~~~~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~ The color ‘blue’ in Japanese culture exemplifies youth, an epoch of excitement and boundless possibilities. Grand Blue, a pretendedly diving-related anime, dives into these motifs of youth, college life, concurrently blending in adult humor, a few diving-related elements, and drinking shenanigans; consequently giving rise to a brand of comedy which had me ceaselessly laughing my ass off on numerous occasions. Admittedly, comedy is conceivably the most subjective genre, and Grand Blue is undeniably not for everyone. The elements which might not work for everyone are most of the jokes being adult in essence, inclusion of a plethora of drinking, and needless to say, the fanservice arising out of both the male and female characters. Being a college student like the main cast, and having thrown myself into a fair amount of parties with drinking involved, I was able to instantaneously connect with Grand Blue’s cast, and the moments illustrated in the anime. This is also specifically one of the manifold reasons why the comedy of this particular anime clicked with me, and also why I was able to relish it to the fullest. ~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~~~~img(https://wallpaperaccess.com/full/1950580.jpg)~~~~~~══════⋆✧☆✧⋆══════~~~ To me, a good comedy anime is all about the amusing characters and pure entertainment; Grand Blue for me patently ticks all those boxes. The cast of the anime is packed with entertaining characters who consistently find silly ways to trigger fits of laughter out of me. The living embodiment of a love/hate relationship, Iori and Kouhei squabble like an old married couple, and their comical interactions never fails to elicit a laugh from me. What ended up being my most loved aspect of this anime was the manner in which the characters responded, and their dramatic facial expressions. In the thick of moments concerning embarrassment, anger, and confusion; the expressions of the characters abruptly transform into those literally resembling the faces of ‘titans’ from AoT, and these scenes unfailingly evoked a laugh from me. While comedy is the name of the game, Grand Blue does take diving seriously from time to time, and it never messes around when the focus shifts to anything below the sea. Its manga is highly rated, and just as funny as its anime counterpart. I find it even funnier at times, and wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of this anime, and just about anyone. Generally speaking, from the adult humor to the copious character gags, Grand Blue is essentially a show that plays with itself. It’s a comedy sensation and one of the funniest anime that I have seen.
#~~~__Juro que la puntuación final es una media y no algo intencionado__~~~ ~~~~~~ Una nota inicial. En este caso, creo que no tiene mucho sentido dividir en una opinión con y sin spoiler, ya que es un anime cómico sin mucho peso argumental y lo máximo que se podría reventar a un espectador incauto son las bromas que hace la serie. Al lío. "Grand Blue Dreaming" es un anime cómico con, como ya se ha comentado, mínimo peso argumental. De entrada, la premisa inicial es bastante potente, y algo con lo que prácticamente todo estudiante se puede identificar en algún momento de su vida. El anime sigue a dos chicos recién llegados a la universidad en una ciudad diferente a en la que crecieron, que se unen a un club universitario para acabar haciendo de todo excepto lo que se supone que deberían hacer en un club de buceo. Como anime, tiene cosas que hace muy bien y otras con las que no estoy tan de acuerdo. Voy a quitarme de en medio primero estas últimas, y así puedo pasar al resto de una serie que ya adelanto, me gusta bastante. Como puntos negativos, se tiene el típico punto de vista y personalidad de las mujeres en Japón, siendo Chisa extremadamente predecible y plana y el resto de chicas por el estilo y con personalidades típicas. Además de unos cuerpos hechos para dar infartos a los fans buscando posteriormente sus nombres en R34, para qué engañarnos. Dicho esto... la serie tiene algunos momentos de lucidez y excepto Chisa, los personajes femeninos en general se redimen bastante a base de situaciones cómicas y algún que otro tópico roto. Me gusta especialmente Azusa, con sus ideas locas y su bisexualidad que es un secreto a gritos. En esta serie, entiendo que se incluyan, pero me sobran, ciertos momentos de corte más emotivo, que no consiguen dar mucha profundidad (ajjaj en un club de buceo). El caso es que, a pesar de que me guste poco este trato a los personajes femeninos, soy menos crítico de lo habitual porque a los masculinos se les trata de la misma manera, o peor (para bien). Quiero decir, seguramente haya más fotogramas en toda la serie de los protagonistas prácticamente desnudos que con ropa, incluso asistiendo a clases de la universidad. Y esto me parece un gran acierto, un muy buen enfoque de lo gamberro de la vida universitaria, que es a lo que aspira esta serie. Es una comedia distendida del caos, la fiestas universitarias, la nueva vida al entrar a un club y lo poco que parece importar la universidad en sí suponiéndose que tu actividad principal es asistir a ella. Y para ello, se necesitan unos personajes graciosos, en lo que los escritores han hecho un trabajo estupendo. Me encantan los rifirafes que se traen los dos protagonistas, con sus ridículos intentos de rescatar algo de la dignidad que les pueda quedar, y la desvergonzada actitud de los veteranos por arrastrar a estos novatos a una vida plena universitaria. Las situaciones son realmente un _mindfuck_ tras otro y personalmente me pasé gran parte de ella partiéndome la caja. Por todo esto, recomiendo Grand Blue Dreaming si quieres pasar un rato divertido con una serie cortita que no pretende ser más de lo que es, pero que da mucho la talla para el tiempo invertido en ella. ~~~~~~ ~~~_Haha 69 de puntación, nais - Dijo nadie, nunca_~~~ ~~~~~~ ¡Gracias por llegar hasta aquí! Un saludo de SiegmAer, de Catarina. ~~~img220(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71DsnDpyoYL._RI_.jpg)~~~
Grand Blue is a 1 cour 12 episode slice-of-life comedy show based on college life and diving. We start off with our main protagonist Iori Kitahara moving to his uncle’s house for college. The series starts off with Iori walking into his uncle’s shop and seeing some very questionable men. He immediately runs away because he doesn’t want any type of relationship with those people. But he is convinced by those same people to stay here or more so he is forced by those people. We later to get to know these questionable men as Shinji Tokita and Ryujirou Kotobuki. As the first episode finishes, we get to know our main cast: Chisa Kotegawa, Iori’s cousin and a tsundere, Kouhei Imamura, an otaku, and our second male protagonist. We also get to know side characters like Nanaka, Chisa’s elder sister, and Azusa, a college student who thinks being naked in front of other people is a normal thing. The show is based around these characters alongside some of Iori’s “friends” in college. ( you will understand why I use quotation marks when you watch the show.) Grand Blue mainly focuses on slapstick comedy and dirty jokes and college humor. While Grand Blue’s main audience is people who are in or have graduated from college, the show can be enjoyed by anyone who is okay with mature jokes and can understand the dirty jokes in the show. So, you shouldn’t watch this show thinking it will be a really lighthearted and wholesome show. The series’ another aspect is that the slapstick comedy is mainly executed through the absurd and hilarious reactions of the characters in those situations. img220(https://media1.tenor.com/images/add9f72f061a5d48da9b876d339ae08a/tenor.gif?itemid=16311522) Even though the show is based around scuba diving, it’s never the main focus of the show. It’s just an element to make you feel like the story is progressing while it focuses on the slapstick comedy. This is actually a really good aspect of the show as it never feels boring and a lot of series that try to do this type of thing always come off as really boring or the audience never really cares about this aspect of the show. Take a show like Prison School for example. That show is another really hilarious anime but it also focuses on the main plot and setting of the show. And to be honest, I didn’t like that aspect of Prison School because sometimes the characters were really detestable and most of the time I wasn’t really invested. That is one of the main good points of Grand Blue. It always sticks to what the audience likes about the show and can also manage to never be too repetitive or boring. Another bonus point of Grand Blue is that if you are like me and can only get invested if there are really good ships, then Grand Blue's got you covered. I won't say anything here because that would give you major spoilers. One of the negative aspects of Grand Blue is that it takes time to be invested in some of the characters. I have loved this show from episode one, but as a person who doesn’t like tsundere, it took me a while to like Chisa, who is a tsundere. While I do get why she acts the way she does, being around all of these weird and questionable people, I sometimes thought she was a bit too rude at times. img220(https://media.tenor.com/images/21c3215a6618ccbc26247bbfc775a605/tenor.gif) But by the end of the series, she definitely had a lot of character development. This can also be said about the jokes they introduce later on in the series. I am of course talking about the side characters and Iori’s classmates. Sometimes it felt like the show is giving them too much priority. But, I came to like all the characters by the end. So, I would say if you give a lot of emphasis on the characters and that is what you think is the deciding factor of the show, then you might have to wait a bit before you get properly invested in the show. Or, if you cannot stand tsunderes, then you probably won’t like this show that much. Another thing I personally did not like about the show, is that even though there are some beautiful women in this show, I could not find any doujins of it. I think I found 4 doujins on nhentai and none of them met my expectations. So, if you can find some good doujins of Grand Blue, send me the links on my Twitter. (Links in my bio). I think Grand Blue is one of the best slapstick comedy series in recent times and I think it is a must-watch if you like anime based on college or slapstick comedy. The manga is also really good although I prefer the anime because I really love the voice acting and dialogue in this show. I hope you liked my review and thank you for reading till the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__Grand Blue__ _"Si solo te apegas a lo que ya sabes nunca llegarás a ningún lado"_ - Ryuujirou Kotobuki Lo primero que tengo que decir es que ha pasado mucho tiempo desde la última vez que un anime me ha hecho reír tanto, _Grand Blue_ es uno de esos pocos animes que nos quedan con una comedia tan bien hecha y tan absurda que es imposible pasarlo por alto, ahora, de qué trata este anime? Bueno, _Grand Blue_nos cuenta la vida diaria de nuestro protagonista; Iori Kitahara, quien empieza a vivir en una tienda de buceo junto a su tío y sus primas, allí conocerá a varios personajes que lo acompañarán a lo largo de la historia y junto a quienes vivirá una innumerable cantidad de anécdotas y experiencias que poco o nada se relacionan con el buceo. Lo que más me gustaría destacar de este anime es la facilidad que tiene de presentarnos situaciones completamente absurdas y que no tienen nada que ver con bucear pero aún así mantenernos atrapados con la historia, ahora, _Grand Blue_ también nos presenta algunos episodios o escenas que realmente se relacionan con este tema, y siendo honesto, estas me parecen una maravilla, allí podemos ver una naturaleza más honesta de los personajes y un lado nuevo de aquellos “irresponsables” líderes del club que ahora se muestran como unas personas serias y que realmente se preocupan por la seguridad de sus amigos, y todo esto sin perder la esencia de sus personajes. Ahora, ya que entré al tema de la esencia de los personajes me gustaría hablarles un poco sobre los que más me gustaron porque voy a ser sincero, este es uno de esos pocos animes en los que siento aprecio por absolutamente todos los personajes. Personaje favorito: Iori Kitahara img220(https://static.anime21.blog.br/2018/08/Screenshot_20180814-001304_1.jpg) Bueno, si hablamos de personajes mi favorito siempre será el protagonista, en este caso, Iori es simplemente increíble, todas sus escenas son comedia pura y la forma en la que intenta solucionar sus problemas me parece genial, claro que todo esto se potencia cuando se encuentra junto a Kohei, porque hay que admitirlo, uno no funciona bien sin el otro, la amistad que estos dos personajes construyen con el paso del tiempo es una que realmente deja una marca en el espectador y por supuesto, la comedia que consiguen estos dos es oro puro. Siguiendo con el mismo tema, si hablamos de mi personaje femenino favorito tengo muy claro que es Chisa Kotegawa. img220(https://i.imgur.com/JIAcPnI.png) No voy a mentir, al principio Chisa no me atraía demasiado y realmente prefería a Azusa, pero con el paso del tiempo y viendo cómo el personaje poco a poco muestra más de su verdadera naturaleza terminé completamente enamorado, y bueno, qué puedo decir, cada escena en la que aparece Chisa me parece un templo, desde sus expresiones de disgusto total hasta la forma en la que se sonroja solo me hacen adorarla cada vez más, simplemente un personaje hermoso. Y bueno, para terminar, _Grand Blue_me ha parecido un anime realmente entretenido y que lo recomendaría a cualquier persona que desee disfrutar de un buen rato sin preocuparse por historias complicadas o que nos pongan a pensar demasiado. Les recuerdo que todo esto es únicamente mi opinión personal así que no deberían tomárselo en serio si no concuerda con lo que ustedes piensan, como sea, gracias por leer mi primera reseña y espero que la hayan disfrutado. Adiós( ･ω･)ﾉ
Grand Blue stands out more as a modern slice of life that adheres to a young adult cultural society. Here, we meet a guy named Iori Kitahara who starts his new life as a college student on the Izu Peninsula. His place of residence happens to be a diving shop known as “Grand Blue” and thus where daily life adventure begins. Grand Blue’s storytelling mainly chronicles the daily life adventures of Iori although plenty of other characters are featured aside him. The main cast consists of diving club, also known as the “Peek-a-Boo”. He meets others including his cousin Chisa, Nanaka, Kohei, Azusa, Tokita, and Kotobuki. Among this group, the male cast seems more like they are in love with drinking more than diving. The first episode immediately sets off the humor with the nakedness and adult jokes from the very start as we meet the core members. That is to say, Iori himself also lacks common sense when he attends his first day at college while being half naked. Judging from just this impression, it should be easy to recognize that the show love to make fun of its characters. It uses stereotypes that makes fun of college life such as young adults drinking and partying. Then, there’s meta-humor that plays on jokes with the nudity. It’s also self-aware being that it never attempts to disguise its humor. Certain characters are very aware of their actions regardless of consequences and this often sets off the wrath of others such as Chisa. For the main female cast, it consists of a colorful group with a diverse range of personalities. The most level-headed person in the show is Chisa who takes many things in life seriously. She also loves diving and geniuely enjoys the feelings of being in the azure ocean. She’s like the anti-Peek-a-boo member in the show as she can’t tolerate being embarrassed. Because of this, there’s often a clash between her and Iori as the two gets into compromising positions. The end result is often Iori taking the blow and Chisa face palming herself. However, it’s also noticeable that she does care about Iori especially during brief flashbacks before them. Often times, I guess you could say that she misses her childhood with him and reliving those moments brings a peace in her mind. Then, we have Nanaka who seems to play the role of an older sister type for the main cast although at the same time, she also has an unhealthy infatuation towards Chisa. It’s the type of humor that makes fun of siblings but in a sarcastic way. Azusa is the senior student who behaves much more like the guys in the show. Her bisexuality is hinted at many times and often makes sexual jokes at others, especially Iori. Last but not least is Aina, a freshman who is much shyer compared to the others. She does go by another persona early in the series so watching her sometimes may remind you just how different her two personalities are. Between the guys, a main selling point in the show is the character chemistry. Regardless whether you like it or not, there’s an abundance amount of humor when the guys interact with each other and it often comes off as absurd humor. The most prominent is between Iori and Kohei. They are often observant but says things that may be interpreted in the wrong way. They often get into trouble with the women in the show too given their actions that disregards common sense. The two also gets into many bickering moments. Early in the series, the series also makes fun of the guys with porn jokes. And let’s not forget about the drinking. Pretty every male character in the series loves to drink whether it’s alcohol, beer, vodka, wine, or whiskey. As you may expect from action that results in consequences, the guys behave like drunks while stripping naked and causing questionable scenes. The series pokes fun at this type of adult humor by covering their private body parts with black censored circles. It’s the type of self-aware humor that you’ll witness quite often. So now what? Is this series just a giant ball of meaningless humor? Or is it something more deceptive that people misunderstands? To me, Grand Blue stands out as a show that deals with adult gimmicks and stereotypes but makes it into a humorous flick. It seems like a popcorn entertainment and you’re not wrong if it feels like the story went nowhere in the end. However, the shows knows how it operates and inserts every joke with a clear intention. The guys in the series acts bold and behaves in ways that wild college students do. The girls are slightly mild but it doesn’t detract them from getting into the party on occasions. There’s a lot of running gags with the drinking jokes, nakedness, and misunderstandings. It’s what the series uses to sell its humor. If you’re in it for actual diving, there are some moments too with info dumps. Don’t expect this like a relaxing slice of life as it’s far too hyperactive to be considered as such though. Watch this for the pure entertainment and forget common logic. That way, you’ll grow to love Grand Blue. Also the animation is consistent thankfully the studio managed to step up to the plate and capture the magic for this show. It deserved a glorious quality and got treated such way with the beach setting, aquatic ocean, and sunny atmosphere. Character designs also feels real with the cast looking like they are college students (although Aina sometimes makes me question this) Fan service is literally in every episode but they take the extreme during party scenes and drinking segments. Finally, I love the way characters reacts that pushes the envelope to the extreme. Iori and Kohei are prime examples of this while others such as Chisa and Nanaka also have their own moments. The voice actors, in this show, must be mentioned because they have to put so much energy for so many scenes that requires: screaming out of lungs, playing serious in a stupid act, and playing the straight man of course. It's not easy to voice act, but they have some very familiar voice actors that fits very well with each character. Opening is very catchy and it gives out this "dive vibe" The ending of the anime however reflects how absurd, weird and funny the anime is, Iori and the others are in the Karaoke booth then we see Iori and Kohei sing while the other two guys scream their lungs out and after they finished the song all of them stripped and got naked. Pretty fucking amazing right?. Grand Blue is not for everyone, but it does deliver the college type of feel and I kinda skipped the part about diving in this review. Let's be honest.. this anime might look like about diving, but it's mostly focused on character interactions and how you should view your life as student in college. Animation are very nicely done and can be wonky at times, but that shouldn't really stop you from watching it. This show is a must try! If you are a college student or you just love comedy, this show is for you! As a fan of the manga, I think Grand Blue established itself as a self-aware humorous showstopper. Taking the risk of glorifying its humor made this show look like a joke at first glance. However, once you get sucked into Grand Blue’s themes, you’ll find love with this show. From the adult humor to the numerous character gags, it’s an anime that plays with itself. It’s a Summer sensation.
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. # Story 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. # Why it's good? ## Comedy, drama and characters 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. ## Learnings 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. # Parting thoughts 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.
_This is a review for a contract through Anicord's Winter 2024 season._ I'm going to be honest, this show for me was incredibly difficult to get through. Unrelatable, fantastical and impossible. There's no way a mechanical engineering student could ever have this type of experience in college (at least to my knowledge). An on top of that, HOW can someone possibly drink 96% alcohol without hesitation. I know the show was meant as a slapstick comedy ignoring these things, but I just can't ignore this unrealism. "OK someone tell that nerd emoji looking clown to shut up about realism ^^^" ~~~img220(https://www.geek-germany.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2-44.jpg)~~~ _~~~Figure 1: The clown that just complained about realism~~~_ __These are its strengths__. At the end of the day, the show tells you that you may never get a girlfriend, so you might as well enjoy all that life has to offer. The existential crisis I had was realizing that I would, as an engineering student, never be so lucky as to experience a college experience the main character, Iori has as a member of Peek-a-boo. I do admit, the character interactions are amazing here. Not through the scope of character development, which you won't find much here, but the hijinks college kids tend to get up to. After thinking about it a while, my favorite part of the show is the portrayal of the boys messing around at any chance they get. In essence, the show was never about women, but the bond between kids, but a bit manlier, within the college environment. ~~~img220(https://wallpapers.com/images/hd/grand-blue-celebrating-scene-r5wuh1zupjdk2yad.jpg)~~~ As well as the praise I give to the character interactions, I absolutely loved the way diving was introduced to the viewer. Not only was learning diving a tool fool plot progression, but it was also a beginner's introduction into the actual profession/hobby of diving. From the way the director did not just brush the content, but actually give interesting information, the viewer could tell that the creators obviously wanted to share their interests with the rest of the world. ~~~img220(https://storage.animetosho.org/sframes/00086907_13770.png)~~~ I know nothing at all about the author, but I feel like Grandblue dreaming as a whole is a fantastical story that demonstrates what youth is all about, or at least the author's ideal. __tl;dr__ Is the show good? Short answer: Yes. Animation: 9/10 Actually quite polished Characters: 9/10 With the exception of maybe one, each character had a good amount of depth to add to the comedy Plot: 9/10 Usually i give ?/10s for these, but GB surprisingly did have a nice plot. The course of events did such a great job of blending in with the story that it just felt natural. Music/BGM: 9.5/10 The op, eds, and BGMs did an outstanding job to set up the atmosphere. ~~Waifus~~Husbandos: 10/10 There is not a single man in this show that was not wonderful Conclusion: So about my existential crisis: yes, I am not kidding. The fantastical portrayal of this anime was so great that it made me question where I had gone wrong in life to not experience a life like Iori's. For the vast majority of us, this is impossible. Nonetheless, one can dream. ~~~img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/6889/d56528286eac32cc100bda15287e25cdeb93637er1-540-304_hq.gif) (Or maybe not)~~~