Anime Review: Grand Blue Episode 1

Grand Blue Episode 1

Studio: Zero-G

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Stream: Amazon Prime

Grand Blue is an anime about scuba diving.

Grand Blue is just another anime about a fun group of young people bonding over a hobby that they all love. The first episode introduces the viewer to Iori as he begins his freshman year at Izu University. He anticipates a great college life filled with wonderful opportunities and new friends. As he arrives at his uncle’s old scuba diving shop, he gets hit with the sudden realization that maybe he won’t get his ideal college life. A group of drunk and naked upperclassmen greet him and suddenly Iori is drinking himself.

Grand Blue is an anime about drinking.

Based on the manga by Kenji Inoue and Yoshioka Kimitake, Grand Blue follows Iori’s wild college life as he constantly finds himself in rowdy situations. Following his unexpected introduction with his fellow classmates, Iori simply tries to get by in college while gaining the approval of his cousin, Chisa. The anime is unapologetically wild, with constant binge drinking and the effective repetition of hilarious gags. Watching Iori writhe as he tries to evade his drinking peers is genuinely funny, especially when he drags other characters into the mix.

Grand Blue‘s supporting cast is fun, with the main additions being the rowdy gang, Chisa, and Kohei, who has “Iori’s future best friend” written all over him. No character is particularly deep, but that is to be expected for a first episode. Each character complements Iori well, especially Kohei who immediately rivals Iori during a club fair due to clashing agendas. Those who want an actual scuba diving anime may need to look elsewhere because this first episode is really nothing but jokes and binge drinking. While there is sure to be diving at some point in the series, it’s clearly not the focus of the series.

Production wise, Grand Blue doesn’t really stand out from other slice of life comedies. The animation isn’t exceptional by any means, and feel scenes feel somewhat choppy. The animation doesn’t distract from the comedy, however, which is likely what is most important for this series. While the animation isn’t special, the actual art in this episode fits the series perfectly. Grand Blue might have some of the best reaction faces in anime.

Fans of comedy and raunchy humor should absolutely check out Grand Blue. It’s a fun, enjoyable distraction from some more dramatic anime. The characters are likable enough, and I am looking forward to the next episode.