The Editor says: Many people first learn about a profession through manga — think GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka for high school teachers, or Say Hello to Black Jack for doctors. Manga can introduce otherwise dry career topics in a simple and humorous way. The storylines may be over-the-top, but they can still be a great gateway into understanding a field. A big thank you to PPyeah for writing and recommending Grand Blue to us. We hope everyone will keep following this series — so that even when we can't get in the water on land, we can still feel the magic of the ocean!
Grand Blue — Learning to Dive Through Manga
In July 2018, Japan launched a new serialized anime called Grand Blue. It is based on the diving manga written by Kenji Inoue and illustrated by Kimitake Yoshioka. The story follows protagonist Iori Kitahara, who moves in with his uncle's family — who run a dive shop in a coastal town — as he begins university life. There, he encounters strikingly beautiful girls and a group of burly seniors who are passionate about drinking and scuba diving. From this first encounter, Iori's most uproarious and absurd campus life begins to unfold.
Grand Blue
This is a diving anime that the Editor highly recommends. Although the storyline primarily revolves around the male lead's various hilarious campus escapades — with diving-related plotlines taking a back seat — the Editor must say: whenever the story does turn to diving, the author manages to introduce all kinds of diving knowledge in a witty yet professional way. At the outset, protagonist Iori is portrayed as an ordinary person who is afraid of water and can't swim. But through the guidance, communication, and instruction of his relatives and seniors, he gradually comes to understand that scuba diving, as a leisure activity, doesn't necessarily require swimming ability — and that the underwater world is truly beautiful and fascinating. The first step to learning how to dive is to enjoy the feeling of being in the water, followed by understanding the safety precautions to observe while diving, because most people's fear of diving stems from the unknown.
In the manga, Iori's senior says while teaching him to dive: "The water is indeed a frightening place. It is precisely because we acknowledge this that we take many precautions. As long as you confirm your safety checks and prepare thoroughly, the ocean has a charm that you won't be able to resist."
When the manga addresses diving, it doesn't follow a rigid textbook format — yet it earnestly covers everything from the right mindset toward water, to an introduction of the scuba diving equipment we put on, to important considerations and basic common sense while diving. Among these, the author illustrates several small mistakes that beginner divers often make — for example: when your scuba tank / cylinder is running low on pressure, always speak up. Don't worry about inconveniencing others; no one will see it as a burden. Dive safety always comes first. The allure of diving is also vividly conveyed through the author's pen — the sensation of weightlessness, the feeling of being alone in your own world beneath the sea, and the wonder of the countless marine creatures you encounter are all feelings that we, as divers, find impossible to put into words.
Although this anime doesn't dwell extensively on the diving itself, whenever it does reveal the ocean's magic, it makes you want to jump back in and dive — because the sea holds exactly that kind of pull, drawing us in to explore its depths. One character even says: "Even if it's the same stretch of ocean, I could dive it a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand times and never tire of it — because at any given moment, the sea always has unexpected beauty waiting for us to discover."
The Editor would also like to sneak in a small recommendation: apart from Grand Blue, two other diving-related manga worth checking out are the completed series Special Rescue Team and the ongoing series Blue Ocean Girl. The Editor gives them a wholehearted recommendation.
Image source: Internet
Original article authorized by the PPyeah fan page.
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