Nagi no Asukara Episode 20 | TFP Review
Hitsugi Amachi: Lot of drama and overwrought emotion for a while, but two things stand out positively for me: the scene between Tsumugu and Miuna was really quite nice. An unusual pairing, since we normally don’t see just these two together, but it was a great chance to learn something about Tsumugu, who’s otherwise been largely inscrutable for most of the series.
EmperorBrandon: Hah, was nice seeing Hikari and Kaname blush in unison at how much a beauty Chisaki is.
Poor Miuna has a lot of conflicting feelings about the whole situation, and gets her saying something harsh towards Hikari at one point. I did like the scene between her and Tsumugu too, for some of the same reasons. Liked the one with Sayu and Kaname in class when Miuna and Hikari are home sick too. Some more focus on how Sayu has matured there (her and Miuna are of course always a nice pair too).
GingaDaiuchuu: There you go, Chisaki. You just had to get five years older than Hikari for him to become attracted to you.
Miuna has surprisingly been almost the main character for much of this second half so far, and this episode does a lot more for her character and her internal conflicts. It definitely makes sense that she’d be unsure of whether or not she wanted Manaka to wake up because of her position, and it’s very telling of how sympathetic a character she is that it eats her up so much. Her and Tsumugu make up one of the few pairs that hasn’t really had any time to interact, so it was nice to see that play out, especially with Tsumugu having his own uncertainties. I like that he acknowledges being the odd one out in terms of emotional intensity.
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Hitsugi Amachi: And finally, the end where they wake Manaka up
What I love especially is the manner in which they do this. It was surprising, unexpected, and yet totally hilarious to boot.
EmperorBrandon: Yeah, totally caught me off guard in such a delightful way. I wouldn’t have thought of it happening like that, but it’s the perfect manner of waking up for her character. Now I’m going to be very curious to see how her period of adjustment turns out. She appears to be normal and awake now, but do wonder how sea-related circumstances, like her loss of ena, will continue to affect her.
Jun Kuga: I laughed so hard I think Crunchyroll heard me and paused the video – or was that just the buffering issues? Regardless I really wasn’t expecting that. It was just so ‘matter of fact’ it completely caught me unaware.
Who’d have thought. It didn’t need music, nor did it need a snog. She was just waiting for an excuse to moan at Hikari.
Sabure: Classic Manaka. Honestly that was the only true way for her to wake up.
Hitsugi Amachi: And if this is the future, Hikari, seriously, choose another girl, unless you’re a closet masochist who likes hearing “Hii-kun baka!” all the time.
Sly05: I thought Manaka waking up would not happen until closer to the end so that scene caught me off god for sure. Really brilliantly handled. The final face she makes had me laughing.
GingaDaiuchuu: Definitely succeeded in catching me off guard, and it worked out perfectly as a result.