If you have not yet read it (or need a refresher,) please consider taking a look at Megan’s terrific review of the first cour of this series.
After a tumultuous and emotional first half, The Aquatope on White Sand (streaming on Crunchyroll) has returned. Kukuru and Fuuka’s story continues in ways that surprise and delight and, in its final moments, gave us the absolute rightest ending for this story.
As the second cour opens up, the folks from Gama Gama have taken positions at Tingala Aquarium, a new, shiny and vastly better-resourced aquarium than Gama Gama ever was. Tingala, (which means ‘galaxy’ in Okinawan,) is built to present an immersive experience of the oceans, rather than “creature in small tanks.” It does not escape me that this is a brilliant metaphor for Kukuru and Fuuka’s experiences. They had been in a very small tank and are now being immersed into a much wider world, in preparation for entry into the ocean of life.
The story begins with a summation of the growing pains the Gama Gama team as a whole are having. Tingala staff is a well-oiled machine and they all have to learn to work within the new system in a way they had not really prepared (had not been prepared) for. But Fuuka is first to find her new place. Having decided for herself that is what she wants to do…she does it. Which leaves Kukuru.
Kukuru expects to take care of the sealife as she had, but instead is assigned to marketing under a very unpleasant director.
Let me digress here. As an adult, I place the blame for Kukuru’s unhappiness through much of this cour on the heads of the two aquarium directors of Gama Gama and Tingala – both of whom had plenty of time to explain what they were thinking about Kukuru’s future. There was literally no need at all for Kukuru to doubt herself, her skills, her creativity or her life choices, when “I’m putting you in marketing so you can learn about other aspects of running a large/new/progressive aquarium, to build on your knowledge of taking care of the creatures here.” would have sufficed. I am very angry at these two old men who made her suffer needlessly because, probably, that was the way they learned. It’s a stupid way.
A large chunk of thise cour is watching Kukuru struggle under that apparently petty rule of a man who has strong opinions and is completely incapable of managing a team that needs managing. He’s not wrong, his ideas are good, but the petty tyrant method of management is bullshit. He almost breaks Kukukru…why? So we spend a lot of time watching Kukuru ground down. Fuuka jumps in to help solve a number of problems all at once, buy creating a girls’ day out for various team members who need help breaking through their funks.
The girls day episode also solves the one real conflict Fuuka herself is confronted with, thus proving my point above – talking with people helps resolve issues. The way in which Chiyu is set up as an antagonist, so that we are forced to feel exactly what Fuuka feels when she learns the whole story, was a masterstroke of story telling.
Kukuru’s struggle is not lessened as time goes on. I wondered about this as I watched the anime. It’s a bit like randori in martial arts – conflict keeps coming at you, and you just have to keep figuring out how to not go down. But randori is for practice and not meant to be real. The resolution of Kukuru’s randori comes in the form of opportunity for her to change her circumstances.
And that opportunity will change everything for not just Kukuru, but also Fuuka and others at Tingala. Once again, our two protagonists are asked to look at their choices and imagine a future for themselves. Only this time, their choices are vastly different. If the theme of the first cour was endings, then the theme here has got to understood as beginnings.
The animation by PA Works was breathtaking. With a bigger aquarium, and more scenery shots than before, the animation team just animated their hearts out. It never felt unreal, but the scenes often felt slightly realer than real, which is its own unreality.
Lastly, let’s talk about Fuuka and Kukuru. I know a lot of reviewers said they felt Yuri vibes about their relationship. As Megan pointed out, the first cour somewhat heavy-handed this intoa “sister” relationship in. My interpretation is that nether and both of these are correct. These two strangers, brought together by chance, become friends. Shared experience and trial bring them closer together while we watch. The sister thing might seem awkward, but. We don’t really have a way to ask “I’d like to be something more to you than a friend,” really, without it sounding like being asked to become lovers. This series has Fuuka and Kukukru developing a deep relationship and we just don’t have a word in English for it beyond family. I have many friends I love deeply and, yes, consider family. So, sisters, yes.
When we turn to the second cour, they again act as each other’s strength at least once. But they are still so much in a process of becoming who they are, I’m actually uncomfortable labeling their affection and love as romantic. It doesn’t feel like it is to me…but, it feels like it maybe, could become, one day. As an iteration of a platonic love, I find Fuuka and Kukuru’s relationship relatable and inspiring. I’d love to see a lot more of that. We need more complexity in women’s relationships shown in media. Women’s relationships are not limited to a handful of roles. The ending of the series gives us two people who might be that for one another and equally may not, and either way works for me.
One last comment, for a wholesome and “healing” (iyashikei) anime, I cried a lot through this series, because it was so often extremely beautifully written, as well as animated. One point off for that, because I really hate crying. ^_^
Ratings:
Story – 9
Art – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – This has got to be up to personal interpretation. Where Megan saw 6, I saw 0 with a “possible” in the future.
Service – 1 On principle, mostly
Overall – 9
A wonderful anime from beginning to end and very worth watching. I hope it inspires some folks to care about the world’s oceans.
