Nagi no Asukara - Episode 19

Manaka's return to the surface seems to have rekindled an old memory in Chisaki's mind, as she recalls a time when both herself and Manaka were found and rescued by Hikari having become lost on some kind of expedition.  Some things never change, it seems...

Back in the present, Manaka still hasn't regained consciousness after several days on the surface, although as far as the doctor is concerned she's perfectly healthy so it's more a matter of "when" rather than "if" she'll come round, much to the relief of all concerned.  Indeed, the theme of this week's episode as it pertains to Manaka's reappearance is that it's finally time for the proverbial clock to start ticking once more for the cast now that all and sundry have been reunited.

Of course, that ticking of the clock might not necessarily be a welcome one in all quarters - Miuna's hopes of attracting Hikari's attention seem dashed now that Manaka has returned, and for all of her grown-up posturing Chisaki ultimately has to admit that deep down she still has feelings for him too, in a realisation that comes when her own attempt to return to see Shioshishio almost goes awry.  Meanwhile, Chisaki remains at least somewhat oblivious to Tsumugu and Kaname's butting heads over her affections, perhaps at least somewhat distracted by the fact that an untold aspect of the tale of the Sea God and Ojoshi may in some way relate to Manaka, and more specifically the disappearance of her Ena.

Although this episode is another slow burner in terms of building up (or rebuilding, rather) its relationships and tangled web of affections, by this point its cast of characters are so strong that simply bouncing these sometimes tricky inter-relationships off of one another can easily fill an entertaining episode.  Although perhaps a risky decision, allowing Chisaki to grow up while her friends stayed the same age in the wake of Shioshishio's hibernation really pays dividends in an episode such as this, with any focus upon her giving us a unique outlook that adds another dimension to this enjoyable show.