Nagi no Asukara episode 2

What the heck is this? I haven't blogged in 10 days? 10?!??! What slackerness is this? Why it is like my husband got me the new Pokemon game and then I spent an entire weekend at Disney celebrating my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME! But yeah I thought I had blogged two episodes last Thursday but clearly I didn't. Apologizes for keeping people hanging but I have lots of episodes on the way. Well 6 for now. Haven't picked the game up in 4 days to get caught up.

....Still very weird.

Up first in the catch up train is episode 2 of Nagi no Asukara. Spoilers for Manaka being slightly annoying. Also did I confuse Kaname and Chisaki's names in episode 1?

Banished folks!

Episode Summary: Manaka wakes up and checks her knee fish. It basically says goodbye and swims out of her knee. She thinks back to Tsumugu and how he complimented on her knee fish. She blushes and thinks....wait the thing that he liked about me is gone?! Manaka goes to see Uroko and throws food at him, saying she deserves to be cursed again. Uroko is like what are you talking about crazy girl? Manaka goes to school and thanks Tsumugu for saving her with the bath tube. He asks how the knee fish is doing and Manaka pretends to make it talk. Hikari walks up and thanks Tsumugu in his own way, saying that surface people need to back off. He walks away and Manaka runs after him, saying that Hikari was rude to Tsumugu. Hikari basically flips out that she is calling him by his first name. Manaka is like hello I don't know his last name but Hikari stomps off. Manaka starts crying and this alerts Chisaki to take care of the girl. Chisaki tries to explain that Hikari really isn't mad, this is just his way of caring...a lot. Chisaki looks sad about this while Manaka cries some more. Hikari is outside pouting when the two girls that were vandalizing his sister's stand see the boy. The girls act like brats for a while and run when Kaname shows up. Back in class the kid's teacher asks some of the kids to make the sacred doll. In times long ago the land people were punished for leaving the sea and they would sacrifice girls to appease the gods. Now they make dolls for the ceremony. Only none of the kids want to do this. Tsumugu is the only one who raises his hands which makes Manaka happy and raise hers. Soon all the sea kids raise their hands and off into the woods they go gathering the materials. Hikari grumbles the whole time while Tsumugu seems interested that Uroko really does exist. He explains on clear days he can see their village from his fishing boat. Before Part of Your World can break out the teacher dismisses the sea kids. Which is good as Hikari was seeing Manaka look at Tsumugu with stars in her eyes.

Um....that is nice and all in theory but banishment? How well did that turn out for Romeo and Juliet?

As the kids walk home they see Akari the sister being driven to the water's edge. She stops and kisses the driver which shocks everyone, mostly her brother. Kaname wonders if she plans on leaving the village. He explains one does not simple leave the village on their own. People who fall in love with someone on the surface are kicked out of the sea. Manaka is all like but what about love? Hikari wants to scream at Manaka some more and when the girl breaks into tears and goes into the ocean Hikari turns on Chisaki who thinks she knows best. Kaname tries to calm Hikari down. Kaname catches up to Chisaki who is swinging on the swing at their old school, looking at the salt. She is worried about people leaving her. But what if Manaka is the brave one, taking the first steps into a new world. The next day at class the kids work together to make the doll. Manaka has made the effort to learn Tsumugu's last name which just makes Hikari mad some more. Later Chisaki finds out that Tsumugu has been working on making them a water hole. How sweet. Tsumugu mentions Manaka and Chisaki asks him not to hurt the girl. Manaka ends up visiting Uroko again asking him to curse her. He asks why and she tries to explain. He tells her without knowing the details that if she feels this weak from a little lie how will she do things if she continues down this road. He tries to point out her friends are just trying to protect her. Manaka runs out of the temple just in time to see Hikari run up the road as there is a commotion. Akari has been manhandled by a bunch of villagers. They are taking her to see Uroko. She has been caught with the surface boy and that spells trouble. The father walks up and takes Akari into his custody. Hikari is very upset and Akari is barely moving on her own. Manaka sees for herself the future if she so chooses this path. THE END!

I see a liar face!

Episode 2 and we are already knee deep into drama. Oh I made funny. But seriously I can't tell if things are progressing at a normal pace or super fast pace. It seems fast to me since there are 26 episodes. Unless...some serious stuff is going to happen and we are just getting through all the fluff. No queer rats!!!!

But we were becoming friends!!

Speaking of the knee drama.....Manaka's knee has healed. I don't know if it was gross or amazing how it just swam out of her body. See ya and off it went. I guess since it was a magical curse it doesn't need to make sense with blood and tissue and stuff. Personally I would just carry around an accessory fish for Tsumugu to be impressed with. Maybe cursed knee fish look different. In any case Manaka was being a crazy girl. Oh a boy likes me for one reason? I must make that my most important feature. And when I lose said feature I will lie. Oh Manaka making that “fish talk”. And trying to get Uroko to curse her again. Impressing a boy who you have known for 5 seconds. Silly girl. Probably very accurate but...it's still a fish to the knee.

Manaka is good at pissing people off...

While most of Manaka's scenes with the knee were cute and WTF there was a serious moment at the end of the episode involving Uroko. As much as the man likes having free food thrown at him he wanted to know why Manaka was being so crazy. He really should be more concerned on how liquids can stay in containers unsealed under the sea but yeah. I have a feeling he already knew Manaka's problem. He just wanted her to say it. Like look you are lying about something dumb and you are this upset. What's going to happen if this continues? Ready to face the consequences of your maybe decision? This was going to foreshadow the end of the episode. Hopefully this got Manaka thinking that teenagers often do stupid things on impulse that might affect them their entire lives.

RICE DUMPLINGS!!!

But at the beginning of the episode Manaka was doing an excellent job in pissing Hikari off. I really can see both points of view and how each one is a jerk to the other. There is clearly a divide between land people and water people despite almost being identical. But there is some hatred and Hikari has probably been hurt by words in the past. Growing up with racism. And besides Tsumugu I don't see anyone really trying to spend time with the sea kids. So he's weary of the situation. A lot of it is fueled by jealously but I can see Hikari being upset outside of that. Like really Manaka, a guy compliments your fishy skin and everything is amazing? I might be pissed too. However even if Manaka wasn't...well dense as hell I can still see her side. The cycle of hatred will never stop if the kids keep it going. Just like in real life. It's 2013 and while racism is not okay it's really surprising to hear young people talk a certain way. Like can't you think beyond the awful words of your parents. So Manaka is trying to be open minded and Hikari is being cautious . At the same time Manaka is basically thinking dangerous thoughts about a person she's known for 5 minutes and Hikari is being a hater.

Last names are serious business too!

This all spells for a mini fight later in the episode. Kaname is too busy being Mamoru but even worse in this love pentagon. Manaka broke social norms by calling Tsumugu by his first name which fueled Hikari's jealously/anger. I mean.....when the sister Akari was caught kissing a land boy (out in the open, come on now!) that was a serious moment. Kaname explains just how serious it can be. I mean....the sea village might be a little dramatic with kicking out the member who falls in love. Wouldn't that be obvious? The land person couldn't go to the ocean. Unless the sea people wanted to live there and the sea at the same time. Either way this was a moment for Manaka to get it through her head that this is serious. Instead she was acting like a love sick fool. Like hello even if Hikari didn't love her they and the others are still friends. Why are you acting so casual. So you and Chisaki go swim in the ocean all mad. Because Hikari is a meanie. How dare he hurt a girl's feelings! And Chisaki loves you Hikari you best appreciate.

Tsumugu is just lalalaing.

Tsumugu is unaware of this or if he doesn't know something is going on he isn't letting on. Which is off because Hikari is very hostile in front of Tsumugu. Almost like Tsumugu is so...removed from the situation. Above the situation? Emotional not clocked in? Duck? Something. I wonder if Manaka is going to get her heart hurt. For now it seems that Tsumugu has given Manaka attention because she is a sea person. That he finds THOSE people interesting, not just Manaka. This would be awful in many situations. I hope Hikari isn't too hurt about being second choice. Or realizes he was first choice for Chisaki...who shouldn't settle for being second pick either. And then there is Kaname who I am sure is in love with someone and is the third choice....what a mess!!!

But I want to hate you!

Either way one surface kid (Tsumugu) volunteers to make the doll for the festival. Which is sad. All the sea kids followed Manaka's lead but that was still sad. It was the surface people's responsibility to do this task. They apparently angered the sea gods by leaving. How does it work if sea people are making the doll for them? XO Isn't that totally not the point? Also isn't this Japan, home of old people fighting to keep traditions alive? Just felt weird since it doesn't look too hard or expensive to make. Just an excuse to throw these kids together. No one else. Because Tsumugu is special. Well some of the land adults are okay with the sea kids. But almost all children in this series has been punks. Even the little ones messing with Akari and later Hikari. Is there a reason for it? Something more to the legend of how humans came to be or just bitter racist feelings? Stop the hatred!!

A lot of people aren't cool with this apparently.

If the little girls are related to whoever Akari is dating that might give some insight on why they are acting like that? Or at least one is the little sister as neither look alike. But Akari....well she has fallen in love with someone on land. Hopefully it isn't like Manaka and she fell in love in 5 minutes. Because I can accept Akari having that stand and a customer coming by day after day and they gradually fell in love. Real love, not puppy love. If one of the girls is related to the boy then it's understandable. Akari probably shouldn't be doing things like that in public though....and if that is the sister she needs a spanking.

Super serious business I see.

Despite Hikari being a hot head about other things he kept his sister's secret....a secret. And when she was getting manhandled by the men in the village he was quick to attempt to help her. But...it seems that Kaname wasn't being dramatic. There are real consequences to falling in love with someone on the surface. I almost compare it to some religions. They are super, super against marrying out of your religion. The other individual has to convert or there are problems. That is how I think the situation is anyway. Surely there must be more to the situation. Because the surface village isn't that far and some citizens already work there. Visiting seems easy. Okay banish me, that is what I was going to do anyway? The sea people will always lose though. It doesn't appear that surface people can come back to the sea. Being manhandled like that wouldn't make me want to stay though....

Welcome to your future.

And that is how the episode ends. Two episodes into this series and we already see things aren't picture perfect in swimmy town. A lot of rarw going on. Superstition. Well why the hell are they allowing people work on the surface? Letting kids go to school? If there is that much mistrust and anger why all the intermingling when there doesn't need to be. I know some interaction is necessary but the school? Are they really that low on kids? Where are the other kids attending the land school? If this is it...the sea people might be dying out, all going above water thus the anger. So....this series is going to be full of drama yes? And magical people who can drink from open containers under water of course. Duh.