Iori’s little sister writes him a letter, so Chisa and Nanaka search for a safe picture to send back to her.
Episode 1 — “Little Sister”
First Thoughts on Grand Blue Season 2.
College boys drink a lot. I knew that already from my university days. But I had no idea Japan had a similar masculine culture at some party schools. The first season of Grand Blue (Grand Blue Dreaming is the English title) was the extreme opposite of dive shop anime compared to Amanchu!. That slice-of-life spiritual successor to Aria the Animation ended in the spring right before Grand Blue started in the summer. Relaxing iyashikei cute-girls-do-cute-things anime was 180 degrees from a brew-pounding fanservice gag comedy. It will not surprise you that the artist for the Grand Blue manga also created the ecchi TenPuru. The reaction faces are the same!
I worried that the seven-year lag between seasons would affect how much the anime would show “sensitive” topics. Much has happened from 2018 to 2025. But, nah. The disclaimer about underage drinking is bigger than it was last season. That’s it. Everything else is the same because the same studio, Zero-G, manages production. Grand Blue S2 even reused scenes from the first season for flashbacks. We have another anime (like My Dress-Up Darling) that continues where it left off with no stylistic differences. Will you get sick of naked muscular men drinking heavily? Not me! I’ll laugh my head off while waiting for sexy female bodies to peel their wetsuits off.
Hmm.
I track cellphones and gaming handhelds in anime to figure out what year it’s set in. Grand Blue has had seven years between seasons, but it’s only been three months since Iori entered his first year of college. Will he still be playing with a Sony PSP, or will the anime producers choose to update the devices to Nintendo Switches and recent iPhones? That question is relevant because of the plot point that Shiori, Iori’s younger sister, has become adept with remote cameras and spying devices. The specific year for Grand Blue doesn’t matter to the plot, but I’m always curious what decisions the art directors take. I believe Iori played with a PSP, so Grand Blue has kept its continuity.
I had the same issues looking at cycling tech as Yowamushi Pedal dragged on from 2013 to 2023. The story became a vintage bike show from 2011, if you looked at what the kids rode. Is Grand Blue a diving club comedy from 2016? Diving enthusiasts will know from looking at the equipment, so I wonder if they’ll feel the same way I do whenever I look at sport-specific anime to which I’m an adherent. Is this issue distracting enough for most of the audience? It might be for the gaming devices. But only the niche-hobbyists will care about anachronisms based on wetsuits and digital gauges.
Grand Blue S2 Make Me Go Heh.
The first frame of Grand Blue sets the tone for the whole series! Straight into my veins with “a litany of depraved and shameful acts portrayed in binge-drinking scenes.” Oh, right. This is a scuba diving anime. Chisa looks the same in her tiny, teeny bikini as she did in 2018. Here’s your first plot point of the season: Iori’s little sister, Shiori, wrote him a letter.
The opening credits and theme song immediately take me back to the first Grand Blue season. Fun, bouncy music from Shonan no Kaze. Muscular male bodies? Check. Lithe, athletic women in bikinis? Check. Photos of binge-drinking parties that act as a recap of the first season? Check, and check!
The Kitahara family runs an old-fashioned Japanese inn, so it makes sense that Shiori wrote an old-fashioned letter in Japanese cursive. Iori has been at college for only three months, according to Grand Blue! I hope he did well enough on his final exams for his first term. Oh? She sent a bunny doll with big eyes along with her letter. Uh oh. Iori can’t reply to his little sister because he doesn’t want to admit to all the depravity he’s been up to. But he can’t avoid it because Shiori wrote to Nanaka and Chisa! They need to get their stories straight. Male nudity, cheating on exams, and skipping class. Iori should avoid sharing these items with Shiori.
She doesn’t believe a word he wrote. How does the non-technology-minded Shiori know the truth? Because she planted a hidden camera in her stuffed bunny! Shiori has much in common with Nanaka — they’re both obsessive about their siblings.
Grand Blue Cooks Up Spicy Dishes
It’s a lazy, rainy day at the Grand Blue dive shop. Aina is jealous and wants to cook with Chisa. She worries about Chisa being alone with Iori. Chisa’s butt is too fine for Iori not to take advantage of her! But Iori sees his cousin more like a little sister than a love interest. Kouhei has too much anime on the brain and thinks little sisters are targets! Whoops, Chisa. The other kids know someone who lusts after a little sister. Uh oh. Kouhei needs details about Iori’s little sister! Har. Aina knows how sneaky little sisters can be! Oh no. Shiori sent another bunny to spy on Chisa!
Shiori asked Chisa to send pictures back, but Iori needs to curate them to stop her from sending incriminating evidence home. The only safe ones are the underwater diving photos! Ho. There’s a hot one of Azusa and Nanaka. Which episode of the first Grand Blue season did that happen in? I want to see it! So does Iori. He’ll play it cool and pick his moment to steal it! The idea of Iori having a little sister has cooked Kouhei’s otaku brain. Aina warns Chisa to watch out for Iori, but the cousin put a spicy picture in her back pocket. Grand Blue has set the formula of misunderstandings fueling comedy. Bring on the gags!
Grand Blue — Violent Vocabulary and Sister vs. Sister
Fans of tights, rejoice! Yes, Chisa has a “spectacular ass,” but that’s not why Iori reached for it. Oh, you know, even borrowing shampoo will factor into Grand Blue’s funny scenarios. Hold on. Why would Chisa stick the spicy photo in her back pocket again after she changed clothes? Ah. Iori isn’t that stupid. He’ll go dumpster diving after Chisa goes to sleep. And she caught him. Hah! She knew all along he was after that picture! Now. Fight! Use your words, not violence. No! Not that way, Chisa! Oof. They knocked each other out.
Who will have the last comedic misunderstanding in Grand Blue? Oh. How about a yandere older sister? Welp, Iori’s dead. Hahaha! Nanaka has the Bionic Woman sound effects. Yup. Nanaka smelled Chisa’s shampoo in Iori’s hair. All for naught. Chisa ripped up the sexy photo of Nanaka and Azusa. What is Iori’s punishment? Death sentence? No. Marriage! Chisa doesn’t want that! It’s okay, though. Nanaka will calm down after they wed. Be patient! There it is! Shiori objects! Absolute insanity!
Grand Blue’s end credits use more scenes from the first season to remind us how crazy this show is. It also put all the spoilers for the new season here. The chibi versions of those scenes tickle me so.
Next time, Shiori upends Iori’s college life of binge-drinking and public nudity.
Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 (Grand Blue Season 2) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio with subtitles in multiple languages.
I’m glad this first episode reminded me how much fun Grand Blue’s first season was. Are you ready for more unapologetic ecchi humor and debauchery? I am. What do you think Nanaka and Azusa were doing in the picture? Let us know in the comments below!
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