They're back again. After taking a half year break, Shiroi Suna no Aquatope (aka The Aquatope on White Sand) aired as one of the key projects celebrating PA Works' rich body of accomplishments. Or can it be called that? After all, P.A. Works can be a hit or miss sometimes based on their track record. But one thing is for sure, P.A. Works is no stranger in the anime industry. They've produced memorable adaptations and original works all the way back in 2008. Founded since 2000, you can bet that the studio brings their wealth of experience again to Shiroi Suna no Aquatope.
Let me preface ... and say that if you're a familiar fan of P.A. Works, then you can easily tell the show dives into a slice of life story with coming of age themes. There's a bucket list to check off and of course, cute girls is among them. Shiroi Suna no Aquatope is yet, much more about cute girls doing cute things. It's about characters following their dreams and making a difference in their world. It all starts when an eighteen year old Fuka Miyazawa escapes to Okinawa and meets Kukuru Misakino, a high student with a passion for aquatic life. It doesn't take long for the two to become friends and she develops her own passion and finding her place at the Gama Gama Aquarium.
With slice of life stories like this, we have to realize and set expectations clearly. The show tells a realistic story that depicts how characters live. P.A Works is known for both their realism and fantasy naturalism. But for this anime, they decided to go with realism by telling their story, and focusing on the cast with their dreams. To the surprise of no one, Kukuru and Fuka represents characters that met by fate. The director obviously set up this show for the two main cast to meet through chance and added the texture of chasing a dream as part of the plot. Watching this anime made me realize how quickly Kukuru and Fuka became close together from the very start. Despite coming from different backgrounds, it's obvious the show wanted to see how both characters develop as a pair and individually. And let's just say, both characters learn a lot from each other. What's more important is how much the two characters affect each other in their own way. With Fuka's support, Kukuru discovers herself and continues to follow her dream regardless of any obstacles in her own. Similarly, Kukuru is able to show Fuka that there's a life outside of being an idol and that becoming part of the aquarium gives her new opportunities. That's what life is about, seeking opportunities, and following dreams.
With a total set of 24 episodes, the anime is structured in two parts with the first half taking place at the Gama Gama Aquarium. After certain circumstances, we get the second half of the story taking place at the Tingaara Aquarium. Despite the change in setting, the anime still retains its themes and knows no boundary about its love of aquatic life. From taking care of dolphins, nursing sea turtles, to cosplaying to attract an audience, every episode has its passion. To be honest, the anime does have its subtle yuri-tones but the relationship between Fuka and Kukuru eclipses so much more than that.
One thing I want to mention about Shiroi Suna no Aquatope is that while Kukuru and Fuka are the two characters that stand out the most, the rest of the cast seems to be here and there adapting their roles in the most safe way possible. What I mean is, the majority of the cast are introduced as who they are but receive little development overall. This is especially true in the second half of the show when the Tingaara Aquarium is introduced. Characters such as Karin, Chiyu, Kuuya, among others only get some involvement with the plot. After the first half of the show, it seems they are very much overshadowed by Fuka and Kukuru. Now, I don't know how the plot was created from behind the scenes but it became obvious that the director wanted to shift its attention entirely on the two main leads. It's just a shame that there's an overemphasis on Fuka and Kukuru than almost anything else.
But, don't let that distract from the gorgeous chereography and high quality stellar visuals. P.A. Works and their talent of crafting lustrious visuals is once again present in their latest work. It rewards fans with stunning quality of the aquarium waters to natural look of the outdoors. It remains that way throughout the series as there are no episodes with noticable drop in quality .Character designs are also decorated with simple yet mature look for its cast. Human emotions are protrayed with realistic expressions and every episode has its share of its behaviors. From a technical perspective, this is a breathtaking representation of classic P.A. Works anime and you're in for a treat.
If there's an answer to making a solid slice of life anime this year, then it's P.A. Works. From this original TV anime of 24 episodes, we see what their talent bought to us. And with Shiroi Suna no Aquatope, the show proved itself to be a simple yet effective story. It gave us a story that matters, a story that we can find ourselves relatable to, and a story that we can all share about following dreams.
Alternative Titles Synonyms: Aquatope of White Sand Japanese: 白い砂のアクアトープ Information Type: TV Episodes: 24 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Jul 9, 2021 to Dec 17, 2021 Premiered: Summer 2021 Broadcast: Fridays at 00:00 (JST) Producers: BS Fuji, Tokyo MX, Infinite, Forecast Communications, Kadokawa Media House, DMM pictures, Bandai Namco Arts, AQUA ARIS Licensors: None found, add some Studios: P.A. Works Source: Original Genre: Drama Theme: Workplace Duration: 23 min. per ep. Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older Statistics Score: 7.511 (scored by 50,689 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #18302 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1393 Members: 168,843 Favorites: 1,375 Available AtResources |
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