Nagi no Asukara - Episode 1

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?  Nobody in Nagi no Asukara, because they all have proper houses and stuff to reside in.

As you may have guessed, the main cast of this new series from the autumn live beneath the ocean waves, as part of a small but still notable species of not-quite humans who have the ability to breathe underwater despite otherwise looking identical to your everyday human (well, as close as anime characters can get).  Idllyic though this lifestyle might sound, that isn't quite the case - there's an obvious tension in the air between those under the sea and those on the land as the latter encroaches upon the former's fishing rights, while the closure of the only undersea school means that the only option for for schooling now lays above the surface with all of the teasing and bullying that entails.

Beyond these politics is a more simple tale of a group of friends, led by the brash, outspoken and short-tempered Hikari Sakishima, who spends more of his time looking after his childhood friend and full-time crybaby Manaka.  For all of his outwardly displayed frustrations towards Manaka's behaviour and inability to do anything much for herself, look a little closer and something far deeper is blossoming between the two of them - something which may be threatened in a number of ways, not least the appearance of new classmate Tsumugu as he saves Manaka from a potentially nasty accident.

With an interesting premise and some pretty solid character moments set up already, Nagi no Asukara certainly hasn't wasted any time in getting to the heart of what look likely to be its primary conceits, that being the relationship between those outside and inside of the water, and any romances and friendships which develop in the midst of all this.  Certainly, I hope that the series doesn't intend to shift its focus away from the behaviour between those two factions to concentrate solely on "slice of life" stuff, as this seems like the aspect of the series the richest with potential.  With some satisfying visuals on its side too, I'm certainly hopeful that this could be a strong series if it plays its cards right - of course, that could all just be a red herring...