Diving Back In! A Lull in the Sea Premium Edition Unboxing

Hey café-goers, today we’ve got a little something special to take a look at! To be exact, this is NIS America’s Premium Edition release of Nagi no Asukara or A Lull in the Sea. With its steep price (which I’ll cover later), I have been skeptical on picking this up since before they even released it–In fact, you could say that this set is what pushed me to watch the sub on Crunchyroll! I consider this one of my top 15 anime (cause 10 just won’t do), and finally having it in my collection is a milestone achievement. Because I couldn’t just settle for the DVD version I bought a while ago, let’s dive back into Shioshishio and into my favorite box set of anime that I own!

~As a side note, shout out to LitaKino, the undersea maiden of this blogosphere. This one’s for you, girl!~

Here is the front featuring the main poster (my favorite pic). The front and back both have a standard gloss texture to them, yet the chipboard is much firmer than any release I’ve ever touched. It’s higher quality than FUNimation Entertainment’s ‘limited edition’ boxes, and I dare say it’s better than Aniplex of America’s sets.

Now, you’re all probably eyeing that attractively themed spine, which shows the English logo and decorative bubbles and swirls that line many of the walls in Shioshishio and Oshiooshi. That attention to detail makes this not only a creative set, but one with actual designs from the show instead of plain color patterns companies usually make. My favorite part would have to be the little sea slugs (they play a role in the show), aww, so cute! To complete the design, all of the blue parts are actually slightly raised and have this glittery shine and texture to them. They don’t show sign of coming off either, which just completes the package.

Just like the side, the top features an engaging blue sparkly-textured design. This time, it’s the legend of the Sea God and his wife, which plays a huge role in the series. Again, the attention to detail makes this set not only gorgeous, but the designs hold meaning, too.

I honestly was not expecting this artwork to be on the back, yet here it was, and now I love it almost as much as the front art! Same glossy texture as the front, and same high-quality printing, too. Love the bold colors of the sea and our ocean kiddos!

Here is the open side with all of the contents. I’m diggin’ the variety of blues from light to dark. Tired of being teased? Alright, let’s pull out the guts.

Here are the lovely (yet kinda unnecessary) three DVD-size cases which each house one Blu-ray disc. The episodes are divided evenly, which is a plus. Each case features the main characters, and while I enjoy seeing young Miuna and sleazy Lord Uroko on the third case, I wish we instead got Akari Sakishima, as she plays a huge role in the story (and she’s one of my favorites).

And here are the insides of each case in the same order. I love their cheeky smiles on the third one and the lovely Chisaki in the middle. More beautiful water color-looking artwork, which I am a huge fan of. Each of the discs feature the same artwork as their respective cover, so I didn’t bother to snap a photo.

I’m honestly speechless here. Just wow, artwork, wow. As much as the text disturbs the masterpieces printed on each case’s back, I do appreciate the episode and extras listing. That helps me navigate around a lot easier. But yeah, that environment is truly magical.

Ooh, now I really love this. Soundtracks one and two are stored in this DVD case which features the Shioshishio school’s music room. Melancholic yet entrancing at the same time, and same goes for the accompanying pamphlet that is decorated in more environmental porn.

Here’s the backs of each one. Lyrics, song listings, and more environment. Now this takes me back to Nagi-Asu‘s world.

The discs feature the same design yet with inverted colors. The back of the case paper shows two full-shot scenes, and every time I open up the soundtrack, I’m tempted to flip that paper so I can see the inside more! The soundtrack, by the way, is easily one of my favorites. It’s chill enough to pop in anytime while cleaning, cooking, reading, or just walking around. OPs and EDs are also included, though only the TV cuts of them.

Gah! The artbook! It features the main characters on the front and back, and sports a glossy cover. The binding and horizontal makes the book really easy to open. The fact that it is indeed horizontal puts many other artbooks of mine to shame, especially Sentai’s Chunibyo book. The contents are good, but that other one is a pain in the rear to keep open flat. Wanna know what’s inside?

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I have it in slideshow version, but the book is loaded with character designs and profiles, episode summaries, commentary with the creators, and environmental porn. Lots, and lots, and lots of pretty visuals of the props, landscape, and setting. I only wish there were more full-paged pictures, but alas, having it all on print is more than enough for me to trip through nostalgia land.

What’s this?! A sideways flag!? If you order from NIS America’s homepage (link at the end), they’ll throw in a smaller replica of the Ofunehiki flag that Hikari held up and Miuna fixed! Isn’t that awesome? And it’s FREE while supplies last!! For the layout, it’s as if they took two flags together and stitched them front to back so that A) it’s double the thickness and B) the design is fullproof on both sides. While I have a barrel of fun waving it around (heavy duty flag material makes it indestructible), you’ll want a nice place to perch it. sadly, the wooden rod that holds it up is a bit too short, but hey, you can always pull it off and hang it/frame it somewhere, right?

Isn’t this the most gorgeous set you’ve ever seen? But you don’t just have to look at my photos–Purchas your own at NIS America’s site HERE or over on Rightstuf.com HERE if you frequent that place like I do. If you want the awesome flag, do it from NISA (I also didn’t have to pay for shipping because it’s over $75 or tax for some reason). It’s about $144 on NISA and about $153 on Rightstuf.

Now, that’s not a budget for everyone, and I totally get that. Only, and ONLY, purchase this set if you are an absolute fan of the series, and are wanting to rewatch it. This Blu-ray set is regions A and B with English and Japanese audio and all 26 episodes, so none of this Part 1/Part2 bullsh*t. If this anime was only mediocre to you, but you are interested in seeing the dub (which I wholeheartedly recommend, this dub is incredible), try Crunchyroll’s premium service, as they have the dub and sub for their premium members. That, or the DVD versions by NISA, which yes, are Part 1 and Part 2 and only come as regular DVD cases with a mini insert pamphlet. Here’s the dub trailer if you’re mildly interested:

I hope you enjoyed this slight change of pace from the café before I make another huge announcement! I love everything about A Lull in the Sea, and even wrote about it RIGHT HERE if you happened to miss it! I think it’s my most viewed or most liked review. I think. In fact, I met many of my best blogger friends through this show/review, so here’s a big thanks to all of you supporting me and to P.A. Work’s stellar anime and NIS America’s fantastic release of A Lull in the Sea!

My siblings and I just completed this anime as part of our 2016 Summer Movie Theater and absolutely fell in love (for me, it was all over again). You can read about that here! Comment below any questions or thoughts about this set or the show itself. If you feel the need, share it with a friend who happens to love Nagi-Asu like we do (I’d appreciate it ^.^), and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host