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「失くしたもの」 (Nakushitamono)
“That Which Has Been Lost”
We’re traveling down heartbreak road faster than we can apply the brakes.
The only thing scarier than not knowing someone is seeing someone you know become a stranger before your eyes. That’s something most people who have had close friendships fall apart can testify to, but in the case of Nagi no Asukara, this is something much more frightening. The initial relief that Manaka has returned is beginning to wear off for Hikari as he notices that something is noticably off with her; it’s not just the dead-pan eyes that are unnerving him, but also the fact that she seems to have forgotten important parts of what constituted their relationship. It doesn’t help that Uroko-sama reveals what we’ve all been suspecting since last week; for Hikari, it doesn’t lessen the pain to realize that the girl he has always loved has lost her ability to fall in love, perhaps forever.
To me, Manaka’s cheerfulness feels a lot more painful to watch. It’s not that she’s lost all emotion; we can clearly see she cares about some things and is, in fact, happy, but is her overly peppy side a result of the fact that she’s not capable of much else? Is this why she didn’t seem alarmed at seeing Chisaki, her best friend, all grown up? Is this why she’s taking everything in stride so well and can’t seem to attune to the fact that Hikari is quite upset? Perhaps it’s not this bad, but her interactions with Akari make me think of something a little more sinister than just the loss to feel romantic love; are all her attachments gone? Is she really more Ojoshi-sama than human now?
Whether or not that’s true, however, the fact that Manaka has lost her ability to love, and that her awakening seems to have sped up the impending doom of the world, is enough to drive Hikari to despair. His love was always a hard thing to deal with, especially with Tsumugu in the picture, but even without his rival, things seem even more hopeless than before. It’s understandably painful and traumatic because no matter how stoic and resolved he was being, deep down Hikari had held on to the small hope that Manaka may have someday looked his way. Even if that wasn’t the case, seeing someone you love lose something this important must hurt.
Hikari aside, I found plenty of what Uroko-sama said to be hugely interesting. There hasn’t been enough attention on the real issue at hand (Uroko-sama says that no one is going to be affected until two generations later, but that’s hardly the point), and I find the Sea God’s lore to be fascinating, if lacking a little in terms of urgency. The Sea God, fittingly, seems to be mostly swirling emotions personified by water, which only amplifies the symbolic aspects of what’s going on. Hormones and storming feelings on the part of the sea and land kiddos are something of a duality to the Sea God’s free emotions, which seem to have no real structure and probably act on impulse. The want for a sacrifice seems to have been the Sea God’s longing for the lost Ojoshi-sama, which led to a stability on the part of the world’s situation and the Sea God’s control. Manaka now gone from the sea, things seem to be going to hell faster than ever, and I don’t for a minute buy there won’t be more stops on the road to heartbreak before we get to the destination.
Preview
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And this is why human sacrifices should not be taken lightly!! >_<
Who had the gall to suggest Miuna should be the next sacrifice???
Well, now that was a plot twist. A lot of us expected that Manaka’s rescue would speed up the destruction of the surface, or the fact that she lost her ena because of that, but the whole loss of memories/cannot love anymore thing was quite a surprise, to me at least.
Also, I don’t get why the sea people had to go sleep so soon when the catastrophe doesn’t come until two or three generations later o.o
They said that their ena will continue to thicken while they hibernate. We can probably imagine the magnitude of the disaster if it requires 3 generations of lead time.
この気持ちは誰のもの？
What if Miuna’s feelings for Hikari are, like her Ena, not truly hers?
You, good sir, just raised a very interesting point. I’m intrigued.
Oh my. Now this is intriguing!
Interesting thought, but she started blushing around Hikari some time before the Ofunehiki. So I think her feelings are more genuine.
Thematically, it’s fascinating. But like Kyral said, Miuna turned down What’s His Face because she had a crush on Hikari, and this scene took place before she fell into the water and first heard Manaka’s Ena tinkling to her.
She started liking Hikari after the dolicon incident
That’s my thought as well. Either the Sea God/Manaka/Both are trying to compensate Hikari on Manaka’s sacrifices by making Miuna the vessel for what Manaka lost. I think it’s fairly obvious that Miuna’s ena was the ena Manaka sacrificed to lead the kiddos to her.
Now that’s a WHAM! question…
nah her feelings are genuine the reason she can hear the ena is because she and manaka like the same person
actually it’s Akira. since Akari is his mother (also Hikari’s sister)
Manaka’s punishment is indeed cruel and frightening (with those eyes…) but it didn’t surprise me or something. call it amnesia, loss of her soul/Ena/emotions or the the ability to love (or just a combination of it LOL), all in all, it bring the same effect to our story. despite that was more or less predictable, they managed to present the punishment in some ironic and frightening way – Manaka is still cheerful, she smile and play (like with Akira and the other kids) but in the bottom line she feels nothing. emptiness. the execution of it was good.
Manaka’s condition continue the repetitive cycle of Hikari worry over her and frustrated till despair, while Miuna tries to support and watch over him (without him to notice that). that cycle is there almost all the time (take 3 or 5 or 8 eps ago). but interestingly, there is an unseen connection between Manaka and Miuna. Uroko stated in his story that Manaka’s love and emotions made her “reject the sacrifice. and I think Miuna shared a similar emotions (loving Hikari and/or just the love to the sea and surface, in other words the lively nature as she wanted to keep on living and enjoy life). that’s why she was able to hear the Ena’s current and maybe collect or develop Ena in the first place.
(even the surface kid that showed up, reminded me a reflection to Manaka like when the times Manaka met Tsumugu or something).
Uroko’s story didn’t bring something new that much. he made the points (we already theorized) much more clear and added a few interesting facts (like the fire and its past, which may affect later on as we can see Miuna and Manaka taking care of the fire in the new scenes of the opening. maybe reviving the sea god?). but we didn’t get an answer as to why he cursed Tsumugu?was it personally against him or just some sign to that surface going to be destroyed by sea-god anger(remember that Uroko said the apocalypse/destruction was halted and now it’s not)? Also, unlike the old Ojoshi’s story, Uroko doesn’t state it was Manaka’s love to a surface kid, he said she simple didn’t accept her sacrifice. it’s not a concrete answer to the question whether Tsumugu is behind Manaka’s love and emotions. it would be ironic to Hikari if it is Tsummugu in the end…though I doubt, but hey, it’s Okada we’re talking about. she is capable of anything…
a word about (sayo-)Kaname-Chisaki-Tsumugu trio. the two silent types had a moment but still everything kinda the same (I think it’s a sign it’s going to explode soon). although it seems more mature trio, this has become tiring somewhat. I don’t feel nothing from Tsumugu. Kaname is agonizing. Chisaki knows he feels “like yesterday” and I don’t understand how Chisaki which is 5 years older misses hurt Kaname. that aside, a few eps ago Chisaki found out she still loves Hikari. ever since that..what about it?we saw something? nope, nothing. even if it will come back later on, I feel like they aren’t handling it right. especially when you have Hikari and Chisaki that are in the middle of a trio and are not aware of it..
even though this episode didn’t bring out something really new (since the complex remained the same and we didn’t get a real progress..something we can say about more than a few NnA episodes), still, this episodes had some interesting and good points and it flowed well.
I feel like the “vortex” has started to form. almost there for emotional burst (especially those silent-types Kaname and Tsumugu. Hikari maybe too?) but I hope it won’t push the melodrama button too much. I guess we can all agree that the surface destruction/apocalypse won’t happen but I wanna see the execution of this (probably Manaka-Miuna related). and I doubt it they will really remember that there was a problem of “(sea-people) humanity has declined” problem…
I kind of think of Tsumugu’s plight as a plot device to get Uroko-sama to show up. That being said, I see your points, and I like how you analyzed them.
That Sea God turned Manaka into a sociopath D:
I don’t think it’s just romantic love that’s gone. It’s the ability to feel any love. Look at how Manaka’s eyes turn dead even when she’s playing with Akira. She’s probably thinking, Hey, it’s a cute kid. I used to like kids. I’ll play with this kid. But why don’t I feel anything?
That’s just messed up.
Quite funny that Uroko made the exact same remark about Manaka ovulating back in episode one to Miuna this time. XD
And the porn mag issue that they used to lure Uroko out happens to feature a “Lonely Housewife Special” (団地妻特集). They might as well ask Chisaki to dress sexy. >.O
https://randomc.net/image/Nagi%20no%20Asukara/Nagi%20no%20Asukara%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
how’d you know it was lonely house wife? O__O
Seriously, RC, you guys need to work on your spam filter. I put only one INTERNAL link to your own screenshots and my post gets flagged for moderation?
Anyway, in case the mods take forever to unflag my previous post, in a nutshell:
LOL at Uroko saying Miuna is “ovulating” much like what he said to Manaka way back in episode 1.
ttp://randomc.net/image/Nagi%20no%20Asukara/Nagi%20no%20Asukara%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
The ero mag issue used to lure Uroko happens to feature a “Lonely Housewife Special” (団地妻特集). Might as well get Chisaki to dress sexily for the same effect. XD
It was flagged because of the word “porn”, not because of the screenshot.
The bundle of information suddenly coming from Uroko seemed a little clunky, but otherwise I was glad of the movement in plot.
What struck me as interesting (and has for a while) are the side relationships – especially the “grown” kids’ triangle (square?).
Kaname making the comment about asking Chisaki out again not only hurt the two unintentional eavesdroppers, but probably deeply affected Chisaki as well, since she can hardly view Kaname in a reciprocal manner at this point, and even the reminder of how she’d felt during his first confession was mixed up in Hikari and Manaka. I’d really like to see her take a step out of her frozen emotions, to either reject Kaname or Tsumugu’s (personally still rooting for Tsumugu), or to liberate herself from the feelings of her childhood for Hikari. So far the show has done a decent job at giving each “main” character time to have romantic movement/reflections, and I hope some of that is resolved well almost more than I want the problems with Manaka to have closure.
Well that was a heart breaker ;c
In the meantime… the two boys are busy w/ they’re own problem lol
Poor Hikari…. He’s been trying to reach Manaka since the beginning of the series then a suddenly “Sorry mate but Manaka lost her ability to love”
OH god! I can’t stand it!! I’m really hoping for a happy ending for Hikari or a bittersweet where Manaka and Hikari both sacrifices their lives to save the surface(ofc after the confession)
all ships are rocked by stormy seas… soon only chosen few will remain!
“The detritus is swimming in the warm water
Spinning the threads for a long, long time, to form a cocoon
How long have my eyes been closed?
Even if we keep waiting, the two of us will always be alone
In the finite space of this aquarium
If a person’s name is called, he will turn into bubbles
The detritus is swimming in the warm water
Spinning the threads for a long, long time
As you sleep peacefully, I watch over you from the outside
I’ll be the cocoon that protects you from all the world’s emotions”
Just realised that the first ending was sung from the Sea-God’s perspective!
Now I think about it , you’re right. How did I fail to notice that?
I wonder whose perspective the second ED is from?
While watching this episode, I immediately had that rush feeling flowing within me. It’s like an adrenaline, hormone whatever but it felt good and I shivered. So rare it is to have an anime that can directly cause such stimuli. What is it? What could be the cause? At that time I could praise the heavens this anime, now not so – but that doesn’t make it any less than a great anime! The soundtrack I think was the reason. I remember getting bait by this anime because of the ost. It was out there you know. Just goes to show how good this anime is.
I actually just thought a plausible way for Manaka to get her emotions back. And it has to do with Miuna who despite being a side character has been getting more attention than some of the folks in our main cast (poor Kaname). I remember when Uroko talked to her when they were exploring the village questioning her about what she “really wanted”. So far it seems
like things have been revolving around Miuna’s true feelings.
I don’t think that Hikari waking up when him and Miuna are now the same age is a
coincidence. Since she was in love with him before the time skip this
outcome is probably the scenario she wanted. However i took notice that
everyone BESIDES Manaka woke up on their own. Which means Miuna saw her
as an obstacle and didn’t wish for her to ever wake up at that time. I know the fact that we find out Manaka was a sacrifice and couldn’t wake up on her own kind of throws a hole in this but just hear me out!
When she longed to be more like Hikari and the others she ended up
receiving ena. Before they decided to explore the village together
Miuna made up her mind to support Hikari anyway she could which is what i
think allowed them to find Manaka. She sincerely wanted to find her for
Hikari since she saw how sad he was without her around. Considering that Miuna was the only person who could hear the sound Manaka’s ena leaving her I believe that if she honestly didn’t want to find her Mankaka would have died in the end.
However when they returned to the surface Miuna once again got jealous
over Hikari fawning over Manaka so much. And the last couple episodes
before she woke up emphasizes that. Since she felt that way Manaka had not woke up for weeks ever since they recovered her. But by the end of episode 20 after
finally realizing what she actually felt and receiving some good
old Tsumugu wisdom she begins to sincerely want Manaka to wake up. And
guess what happens? Manaka wakes up.
So in conclusion I think it’s possible that Miuna will end up giving up her ability to love someone to Manaka in order to make Hikari happy. She has been working her hardest to support him since she’s more or less given up on hoping that he’ll lover her back so i believe this outcome is entirely possible if not inevitable.
I think that her being a descendant of the Sea God would be the only way for this theory is to pan out properly but considering how much interest Uroko has taken in Miuna i wouldn’t say it’s out of the question. Because again i just think that these scenarios can’t just be coincidences. I mean everything that’s happened so far to Manaka clearly benefits Miuna. Hikari and crew not being able to find her, not being able to wake up and of course now not being able to love. The Sea God might be effecting everyone related to Miuna based on her feelings. Not quite the “Haruhi” concept but close to it.
Miuna is a main character. She’s listed as such on MAL. I don’t know why people keep saying Miuna is a side character. Side Characters never get this kind of development that Miuna has been receiving. That would simply be bad writing all-together.
I think that they possibly changed that because of recent events. At the beginning of the series it’s likely she was listed as a supporting character. Miuna didn’t get nearly as much focus in the first half compared to now where she’s been getting more screentime than most of our main group. As for your supporting characters never get the same development as other main characters statement i have to say it’s very much untrue. I mean just look at Log Horizon. Minori is still listed as a supporting character even though she has possibly received the most development of anyone in the show. That’s not bad writing. Not at all really.
Apples and Oranges. Log Horizon has a very huge cast of characters, and the difference between main and supporting characters are very blurred. The story is world-building-centric, not character-centric. It is mainly about how everyone adjusts to living in this new world, rather than working towards some ultimate goal, thus everyone gets their small piece of the story pie.
NagiAsu on the other hand is Character-centric, so the story comes from character development and how they deal with conflicts at hand (Relationships and Doompocalypse). Miuna did get her share of development in the first half as part of hooking up Akari and her husband together, and to give her this kind of central role in the story, in a Character-centric story, would be taking away from the main characters who are meant to solve the conflict. That’s not a very good story. Supporting characters don’t do that. They support the main cast.
I like the way you think. Everything seems to be revolving around Miuna’s emotions, which might indicate, as you suggested, descendance or other relation to the Sea God. I’ve been having this sneaking suspicion for a while now that the resolution is going to end up in some kind of sacrifice on the part of Miuna. To what degree will her sacrifice be? Hard to say, but it’s a safe be that it’s going be a jagged knife to the heart.
* A figurative jagged knife to OUR hearts, not hers. lol. Thought I might have worded that last sentence poorly.
I see what you mean! It never occured to me until now. I suspect that maybe, just maybe Miuna’s mom was the girl who sacrificed herself but was then sent back into land and married Miunas dad. BUT, miuna’s dad is actually the sea god and her land dad isn’t her birth father. So with that being said, Miuna is not Hikari’s niece and she is a direct decendent of the sea god. Now my question is how would a develpoment like this affect the overall story?
damn you mari okada… you’re a cruel mistress!!!!
That’s probably why Manaka doesn’t feel jack about Tsumugu; Because she doesn’t have the ability to love anymore
This makes me so mad and sad!!!! Tsumugu and Manaka are perfect!!! Whyyyy the mixing of couples?!?!/since when did Chisaki become the main lead?!?!
So if the ena that Miuna developed is actually Manaka’s ena, then that means that the feelings she has for Hikari were never her feelings in the first place (it is true that she genuinely had a crush on Hikari, but those feelings intensified when she unwittingly stole Manaka’s ena). So in order to return Manaka to normal, she has to return Manaka’s ena, but end up losing those feelings for Hikari.
I don’t think I understood anything Uroko-sama said during this episode. Why is Manaka void of all romantic feelings? What was she the sacrifice for, anyway?
This is it in a nutshell: Sea God was angry cause that’s what gods do, so humans sacrifice Ojoshi-sama to appease him. Ojoshi-sama couldn’t forget about the guy she loved on the surface, so sea god lets her go back but takes away her ena and ability to love cause he’s a dick. In the current time, the sea kiddos tried to do a Ofunehiki to stop the coming catastrophe, but Manaka ends up being the Ojoshi-sama instead of the wooden doll. Just like the first one, Manaka can’t forget about Tsugumu(and probably Hikari too) so sea god takes her ability to love as well.
Oh wtf ever Uroko, if even Dexter can love somebody, Manaka sure as hell can. Maybe she’ll have to stealth kill a couple of people first to satisfy her dark passenger, but whatever works!
After Uroko’s story, all I gathered from it was that the Sea God was a whiny little bitch, just like a little kid who wants to take his ball home so no one else can play with it.
So when is the Squeeler moment going to happen, I need to see a big plot twist because I have yet to actually see a big one yet.
This episode just got me in the edge of my seat.
When Uroko smelled Miuna i remembered he did the same thing with Manaka that is indicating that Manaka and Miuna are linked together and possibly the reason why Miuna found Manaka. Uroko said Manaka locked her feelings and that her feelings/ena have been scattered in the sea did somehow Miuna inherited Manaka’s ena by who and why?? is her love for Hikari genuine or was it because the effect of ena?? When did Miuna started to love Hikari and how?? I need Miuna’s backstory.
I cried at the part where Manaka’s eyes is just a complete blur of darkness unable to love and feel loved poor Manaka… :'[
This just makes me think of Cardcaptor Sakura all over again. I only mean the “ability to fall in love, perhaps forever” part.
Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering! Suffering!
I’m really glad I picked this show up. I’m really happy about how it’s turning out.
I’m betting Miuna will need to be sacrificed to the Sea God like OP has it.
I’ll kill you if that happens!
Why so mad? I can feel LB! mad aura from you…
Biggest mystery: How did the kids get the adult magazine!?
Didn’t they say they found it.
Manaka is now Hannibal Lecter.
lesson of the series: gods can be dicks
So , Miuna and Manaka are clearly connected…but I can’t help wondering if Akira and Hikari are connected too? Apparently Akira looks like how Hikari did at that age , and he’s gotten very attached to Manaka (Namaka!)in the space of a few days , more so than he seems to be to any of the other girls. I mean , obviously there is the uncle/nephew connection , but what if tis something else too?
I’m calling out that Miuna will sacrifice herself to the Sea God in return for Manaka’s ability to love and for the weather to return back to normal.
Therefore the ships shipping out to ship are:
TsumuguXChisaki
HikariXManaka
KanameXSayu
MiunaXSea God
Miuna and the guy who confessed to her he’s pretty cute too :]
Itaru: No way my Miuna is going out with some random dude!
I’m so frustrated and mad….that tsumugu and Manaka didn’t end up together. I thought they were perfect honest. It’s really making me mad that he fell for Chisaki!!!! Ughhhhhhhh! This isn’t what I want!!!!!!