Nagi no Asukara - Episode 8

Having survived the trials and tribulations associated with their difficult decision to leave for the surface, Akari and Hikari are all set to begin their new lives, however awkward those first steps might be.

Indeed, their first evening at the home of Akari's boyfriend and daughter Miura is a classic case of nobody knowing quite how to act and what to say, while any attempt for Hikari to be tactful and take his leave are quickly rejected by his sister.  Although she remains quite, it's really Miura who's having arguably the toughest time - although she's very much over her attempts to push Akari away, she's still struggling to find the right words to say to welcome her into the family.

So, if words won't work, why not something else?  Hikari is once again the generator of a rather good idea, which sees him and his friends take Miura on a shopping trip to the city - a first for all of them aside from Tsumugu, who is also tagging along.  When Miura sets her heart on a pendant that's out of stock, all and sundry work their socks off scouring the city for somewhere else that might have it - but perhaps there's no need to spend inordinate amounts of money for Miura to convey her feelings at all, when the real answer resides much closer to home?

All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable feel-good episode of this Nagi no Asukara, which offered us a chance to really see how much all of the main cast have matured and learned important lessons over the course of the series so far (something which really doesn't happen often enough in shows like this), leading into a really satisfying end to the main thrust of the episode which also lay down some very important seeds for future plot developments.  It might not be able to command the hype and excitement of Kill la Kill and its ilk, but there's an increasingly quiet majesty to the way this show is going about its business that makes it a joy to watch, and a visual feast to boot.