Back in 2018, I used to watch anime more than now; currently, I only watch 2 or 3 anime per season, I’m getting old now. In 2018, I was looking for something new to watch and I came across this anime about diving called Grand Blue. I thought of watching it because it was a new topic for me, so maybe this diving thing would interest me, and also, I was looking for a more serious anime… Well, I got fooled like a little kid. Zero-G (the animation studio) tricked me so well, but I forgive them, because Grand Blue became one of my favorite anime and one of the best I have ever watched, and I will tell you why.
Usually, when you come across an anime about diving you think about the sea, summer romance, seriously learning how to dive, and that kind of stuff; but Grand Blue is just 40% of that. The plot goes like this: the protagonist Kitahara Iori comes back to town after 10 years to live under his uncle’s roof to start a new life as a freshman at Izu University. His uncle owns a diving shop as a family business where his two daughters Chisa and Nanaka also work.
Upon entering the shop for the first time, he meets the “diving club” during their regular meetings… The problem is that their regular meeting is an extremely heavy drinking party that even the most expert drinker would end in a coma. Well, the two leaders of this club force Iori to join the club and participate in their shenanigans. Remember that this anime is about diving.
Every episode is a gem and you will learn to not trust your alcoholic friends. In some cases, you will feel sorry for Iori, and in other cases, you will laugh at his bad luck because in some cases, he deserves what is happening to him. If you are one of those people that don’t usually laugh with anime, do not worry, you will seriously laugh with this one.
All of the characters in this gem have a good amount of development (if you continue with the manga, you will notice this). A little spoiler right here; Iori’s transition from being a very reserved teenager to going all out with the club in a matter of minutes is extremely funny. I absolutely love Kohei Imamura, Iori’s both best friend and worst friend; Kohei is a die-hard otaku that in some cases will help Iori with his plans and in other cases will help others to make him suffer. The two seniors and leaders of the club (the club is called “Peek-a-boo” by the way) Ryujiro Kotobuki and Shinji Tokita are two muscular expert divers (and expert drinkers) that are the reason why this anime is how it is. They are two individuals that will give a cup of Vodka when you ask them for a cup of water (because water and vodka are both “the same color”) and will think that everything is fine. By the way, Chisa best girl.
The animation is great but is not something from another world, and it’s not something that will rival Kimetsu no Yaiba or Fate but honestly, for an anime of this style, it does not have any flaws. Grand Blue’s art focuses on characters’ facial reactions and expressions when something stupid happens, and the more you watch it, the funnier it gets. Like I said before, the animation is simple but you will not have any kind of problem with this topic. The voice acting in this anime is very well executed, every seiyuu (voice actor) in this anime did an excellent job; I personally refer to Iori, Kohei, and Cakey’s voice actors as the best in this anime.
The soundtrack is also really good; the opening theme called “Grand Blue” performed by Shonan no Kaze is hands down one of the best anime openings I have ever heard, the opening will make you remember summer memories you never had, that is kind of sad but whatever, the song is great.
I personally got hooked on the first episode and until this day, I refer to Grand Blue as one of the funniest and best anime I have ever watched. If you want to continue with this endless river of comedy, I recommend you to read the manga, it is as funny as the anime; more characters will appear, more funny situations will happen, and definitely, more laughs from you will come.
