First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「Grand Blue」 by Shounan no Kaze

「ディープブルー」 (Diipu Buruu)
“Deep Blue”

I thought it would be funny. I was prepared for funny since I first read Zaiden’s preview. But I didn’t dare hope it would be this funny. Lo and behold, Grand Blue is the most uproariously funny premiere I’ve seen so far this season!

Grand Blue follows the story of Kitahara Iori (Uchida Yuuma), a college freshman who moves in with his uncle and two cousins in order to attend college. His uncle runs a diving shop. There are a lot of naked men. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bwahahaha!

There’s no denying that this series trades on the comparative hilarity of male nudity. There’s probably some social commentary I could get into there, but I’m not gonna because I was drinking while I watched it, which I feel is very on brand. What this does series does so well, though, is it does “mean comedy” in a way that puts Jashin-chan’s premiere to shame. That series just seemed mean, the two main characters were mean but one got to win because she did. Here, the secondary characters are constantly roping Iori into all sorts of shenanigans that impact his life for the worse, but there’s a crucial difference: Iori is complicit. He quickly shows that he’s no better, no different, he’s just one small oolong tea from stripping down to his skivvies and coercing some innocent freshman into joining a club against his will. He escapes from campus police, he demands his cousin give him her clothes—he’s no better! Which makes it hilarious because he spends about three minutes being an everyman PoV character, and then he comes to life. Who cares about an everyman we can easily inhabit? Give me the interesting, silly characters every time! And better still that he’s complicit in his own misery. That means it’s not mean anymore. It’s comedy!

There’s also a ton of drinking in this series, which, once again: on brand for me. As RC’s resident lush, I had to do the intro. (What, you’ve never lit alcohol on fire? Flaming Dr Peppers were my go-to in college. That and the Pissed Off Japanese Minnow Farmer, though mostly for the name. Also: bourbon in any form.) Zaiden went over how they got this past the censors, and I just love it. In all seriousness, don’t drink to where it negatively impacts your health—but obviously, right? You also shouldn’t go heroing. We can enjoy these things in fiction. And it’s just hilarious both because of what it results in, and because it enables Iori’s complicity in his own misery. Love it!

As far as characters go, they’re all lovely. The bad sempais, the delusional otaku pretty-boy, the kissing cousin and the siscon lesbian are all fantastic! Even the uncle is great with his disconnect from “normal” reality. I don’t remember everybody’s names, but I know who they are, and I’m ready for more of their stupid, hilarious antics.

I don’t know if I’ll be blogging this—Fridays are terrible days for me, unfortunately—but you should definitely be watching it. As long as it continues as it began, Grand Blue is going to be a fantastic ride.

Random thoughts:

  • The reaction faces! I love it!
  • I’m not sure if the ED will be a changing thing each episode, or if this is it, but either way, it rocks. So does the OP, I’m already singing along to that one, but the ED conveys so much characters. Great use of show time.

My SECOND novel, Freelance Heroics, is available now! (Now in print!) (Also available: Firesign #1 Wage Slave Rebellion.) Sign up for my email list for updates. At stephenwgee.com, the latest post: Risk Tolerance in the Creative Life.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「紺碧のアル・フィーネ」 (Konpeki no al Fine) by Izu no Kaze [Uchida Yuuma, Kimura Ryohei, Yasumoto Hiroki, Konishi Katsuyuki]

Preview

20 Comments

  1. Japan’s legal drinking age is 20, btw.

    Word is Blue’s author was worried about his series getting animated because of the risk it would make him a target of local parental watchdogs over the prevalence of underage drinking themes/jokes.

    zztop
    Reply

      1. Everyone, apart from the 3rd years, are all under 21. And all of them drink heavily, except Nanaka and Chisa and a later character. Also all of them are scumbags except for Nanaka and Chisa and said later character xDDD.

        cvb
        Reply

      2. They don’t have to be 21. As said right above you, Japan’s legal drinking age is 20. The anime aged-up everyone so they’re at least 20 in order to avoid trouble.

        Wanderer
        Reply

  7. Reading the manga for a while now, hilarious, been looking forward to the adaptation for this one.

    I am convinced ANN is no longer fun. Just check out the reviews for this show on there.

    Prime_pm
    Reply

    1. It’s the best manga I have read in a very long time. And apart of the goofing and drinkig it feels more closer than most of those high school setups, it touches some topics about becoming an adult.

      cvb
      Reply

    2. ANN doesn’t have good reviewers anymore, apart from Theron Martin. The rest is just bad. You’re better off at going to MAL and reading a review there.

      P.s: @RandomC, You guys really should implement disqus for the comments. It’s so much easier and better.

      Swarz
      Reply

  9. Came to expect the intro disconnect with the last 10 seconds before OP.

    Was not disappointed (at all).

    OTOH, I’m pretty sure there’s such a thing as “drinking under influence”…

    infocam
    Reply

  11. Stilts, you should read the manga if you have time. It’s definitely worth it. One of the most hilarious manga I’ve come across. Well, it’s from the author Baka To Test after all.

    Swarz
    Reply

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