{"id":9603,"date":"2013-12-28T20:56:01","date_gmt":"2013-12-29T01:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/?p=9603"},"modified":"2013-12-28T20:56:01","modified_gmt":"2013-12-29T01:56:01","slug":"nagi-no-asukara-midseason-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2013\/12\/28\/nagi-no-asukara-midseason-thoughts\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagi no Asukara&#8211;Midseason Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Saving Tsumugu\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Saving-Tsumugu.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<em>Nagi no Asukara<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.crunchyroll.com\/nagi-no-asukara-nagi-asu-a-lull-in-the-sea\">Crunchyroll<\/a>) ended its first <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#cour\">cour<\/a> with a cliffhanger that was both visually striking and emotionally wrenching. By my rules this isn&#8217;t eligible for the &#8220;Best of 2013&#8221; list. Everything depends on how well they do the second half. However it may still qualify for the 2014 list.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Fleet with flags\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Fleet-with-flags.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nSome people dropped the series right at the start because Hikari, the main character, was such an immature little jerk. However he&#8217;s matured a lot over the course of the first cour.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Uroko with kids\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-with-kids.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nIn fact all of the kids have had to grow up pretty fast. They are all more mature now. In fact each, in his or her own way, is somewhat heroic.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Underwater television\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Underwater-television.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nMany bloggers were discomfited by the way life under the sea is depicted as pretty much identical to life on land. Some objected to the idea of electricity and television under water. Personally I lost it when I saw them drinking soup out of bowls. But once you&#8217;ve accepted the idea of merpeople (or <em>umihito<\/em> or whatever you choose to call them) you&#8217;ve already swallowed the camel. Everything else is straining at gnats.<\/p>\n<p>Most animators would have made a point of showing how wondrously different life under the sea is. The decision to do just the opposite was obviously a deliberate artistic choice.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Ceremonial fleet\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ceremonial-fleet.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nProbably the intended point is that the Sea People and the Land People, though they consider themselves very different, are really no more different than the residents of Osaka and the residents of Tokyo. (<em>You<\/em> may not be able to tell them apart but the difference is important to <em>them<\/em>.) Or to put it in European terms, the Norwegians and the Swedes.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Uroko and father\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Uroko-and-father.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nIn my <a href=\"\/fun\/2013\/10\/19\/nagi-no-asukara-anime-early-impressions\/\">original post<\/a> about the show I wrote &#8220;if this story turns out to be a variant of <em>The Little Mermaid<\/em>, Uroko-sama probably corresponds to the Sea Witch.&#8221; This story has more depth than either the Andersen or Disney versions of <em>The Little Mermaid<\/em>, but I think my prediction has basically been vindicated.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves-550x309.jpg\" alt=\"Boat and waves\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-9610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves-550x309.jpg 550w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Boat-and-waves.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nIn any case this show has made a very good start. Let&#8217;s hope they keep it up.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally the producers have apparently decided that the English title should be &#8220;Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea,&#8221; which seems a bit ironic considering what just happened. A better translation of the Japanese title might be &#8220;Calm Seas After Tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nagi no Asukara (Crunchyroll) ended its first <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#cour\">cour<\/a> with a cliffhanger that was both visually striking and emotionally wrenching. By my rules this isn&#8217;t eligible for the &#8220;Best of 2013&#8221;&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2013\/12\/28\/nagi-no-asukara-midseason-thoughts\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[585],"class_list":["post-9603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anime","tag-nagi-no-asukara"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9603"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9617,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9603\/revisions\/9617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}