Grand Blue stands out more as a modern slice of life that adheres to a young adult cultural society. Here we meet a guy named Iori Kitahara who starts his new life as a college student on the Izu Peninsula. His place of residence happens to be a diving shop known as Grand Blue and thus where daily life adventure begins. Grand Blues storytelling mainly chronicles the daily life adventures of Iori although plenty of other characters are featured aside him. The main cast consists of diving club also known as the PeekaBoo. He meets others including his cousin Chisa Nanaka Kohei Azusa Tokita and Kotobuki. Among this group the male cast seems more like they are in love with drinking more than diving. The first episode immediately sets off the humor with the nakedness and adult jokes from the very start as we meet the core members. That is to say Iori himself also lacks common sense when he attends his first day at college while being half naked. Judging from just this impression it should be easy to recognize that the show love to make fun of its characters. It uses stereotypes that makes fun of college life such as young adults drinking and partying. Then theres metahumor that plays on jokes with the nudity. Its also selfaware being that it never attempts to disguise its humor. Certain characters are very aware of their actions regardless of consequences and this often sets off the wrath of others such as Chisa. For the main female cast it consists of a colorful group with a diverse range of personalities. The most levelheaded person in the show is Chisa who takes many things in life seriously. She also loves diving and geniuely enjoys the feelings of being in the azure ocean. Shes like the antiPeekaboo member in the show as she cant tolerate being embarrassed. Because of this theres often a clash between her and Iori as the two gets into compromising positions. The end result is often Iori taking the blow and Chisa face palming herself. However its also noticeable that she does care about Iori especially during brief flashbacks before them. Often times I guess you could say that she misses her childhood with him and reliving those moments brings a peace in her mind. Then we have Nanaka who seems to play the role of an older sister type for the main cast although at the same time she also has an unhealthy infatuation towards Chisa. Its the type of humor that makes fun of siblings but in a sarcastic way. Azusa is the senior student who behaves much more like the guys in the show. Her bisexuality is hinted at many times and often makes sexual jokes at others especially Iori. Last but not least is Aina a freshman who is much shyer compared to the others. She does go by another persona early in the series so watching her sometimes may remind you just how different her two personalities are. Between the guys a main selling point in the show is the character chemistry. Regardless whether you like it or not theres an abundance amount of humor when the guys interact with each other and it often comes off as absurd humor. The most prominent is between Iori and Kohei. They are often observant but says things that may be interpreted in the wrong way. They often get into trouble with the women in the show too given their actions that disregards common sense. The two also gets into many bickering moments. Early in the series the series also makes fun of the guys with porn jokes. And lets not forget about the drinking. Pretty every male character in the series loves to drink whether its alcohol beer vodka wine or whiskey. As you may expect from action that results in consequences the guys behave like drunks while stripping naked and causing questionable scenes. The series pokes fun at this type of adult humor by covering their private body parts with black censored circles. Its the type of selfaware humor that youll witness quite often. So now what? Is this series just a giant ball of meaningless humor? Or is it something more deceptive that people misunderstands? To me Grand Blue stands out as a show that deals with adult gimmicks and stereotypes but makes it into a humorous flick. It seems like a popcorn entertainment and youre not wrong if it feels like the story went nowhere in the end. However the shows knows how it operates and inserts every joke with a clear intention. The guys in the series acts bold and behaves in ways that wild college students do. The girls are slightly mild but it doesnt detract them from getting into the party on occasions. Theres a lot of running gags with the drinking jokes nakedness and misunderstandings. Its what the series uses to sell its humor. If youre in it for actual diving there are some moments too with info dumps. Dont expect this like a relaxing slice of life as its far too hyperactive to be considered as such though. Watch this for the pure entertainment and forget common logic. That way youll grow to love Grand Blue. Also the animation is consistent thankfully the studio managed to step up to the plate and capture the magic for this show. It deserved a glorious quality and got treated such way with the beach setting aquatic ocean and sunny atmosphere. Character designs also feels real with the cast looking like they are college students although Aina sometimes makes me question this Fan service is literally in every episode but they take the extreme during party scenes and drinking segments. Finally I love the way characters reacts that pushes the envelope to the extreme. Iori and Kohei are prime examples of this while others such as Chisa and Nanaka also have their own moments. The voice actors in this show must be mentioned because they have to put so much energy for so many scenes that requires: screaming out of lungs playing serious in a stupid act and playing the straight man of course. Its not easy to voice act but they have some very familiar voice actors that fits very well with each character. Opening is very catchy and it gives out this dive vibe The ending of the anime however reflects how absurd weird and funny the anime is Iori and the others are in the Karaoke booth then we see Iori and Kohei sing while the other two guys scream their lungs out and after they finished the song all of them stripped and got naked. Pretty fucking amazing right?. Grand Blue is not for everyone but it does deliver the college type of feel and I kinda skipped the part about diving in this review. Lets be honest.. this anime might look like about diving but its mostly focused on character interactions and how you should view your life as student in college. Animation are very nicely done and can be wonky at times but that shouldnt really stop you from watching it. This show is a must try If you are a college student or you just love comedy this show is for you As a fan of the manga I think Grand Blue established itself as a selfaware humorous showstopper. Taking the risk of glorifying its humor made this show look like a joke at first glance. However once you get sucked into Grand Blues themes youll find love with this show. From the adult humor to the numerous character gags its an anime that plays with itself. Its a Summer sensation.