Grand Blue Dreaming

orpheusx9 Nov 9, 2017

10

EDIT: 4 years later (Dec 2021), and this manga is still a masterpiece. The artwork has gotten EVEN BETTER. There are really beautiful "stills" in some chapters where emotional impact is important, and the gag faces are so ugly and hilarious but you can tell there was real skill and artistic talent in drawing them. And there is a story! Characters (and romance) do develop, so it's not just 100% gag and humor, even though there's a lot of it. It's so, so funny, and it's not just a "heh" funny, but some panels will just make you explode and L O L. But at the same time, you love all the characters because they feel like real people and act like real people (aside from the obvious jokes and gags)! Read it! (No, this is not a martial arts manga) --- You need to read this manga right fucking now. It's such a breath of fresh air in a world with mostly unoriginal isekai crap. This manga will leave you holding your sides in pain from laughter. Aside from Gintama, there is no other manga except this one that has me reeling with laughter and cackling maniacally through all the chapters. The artwork on this piece is also very unique in that it's extremely clean. AND THE FACES. THE FACES ARE ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. Whatever, just stop reading my review and start reading the manga. You will not regret it. I eagerly check each month for the next chapter of this piece.

nathandouglasdavis Mar 15, 2020

9

When talking about Grand Blue Dreaming, one must talk about the humor. It does an excellent job of creating a fun and funny environment with very odd-duck characters. For visual gags, they like using ogre faces and nudity. The nudity is also funny from a more conceptual standpoint, especially since the guys act as though there's nothing weird about it. In a way, this manga is more about drinking parties and public nudity than it is about diving. And that in itself is a bit of an ongoing joke (the fact that this diving club is basically a drinking club). They do a good job of creating situations which lead to misunderstandings. There are several instances of conversations where the two parties involved are both saying things which are interpreted differently by the other party because of a misunderstanding. This is where the manga really shines for me. This type of humor feels great, especially when the misunderstandings stretch out over multiple chapters. Chisa's probably the cutest and most engaging character. Fe doesn't really get embarrassed by the nudity and stuff, but fe still does come across as a bit shy and perhaps unaware of feir own romantic feelings. This creates a nice tension where fe's simultaneously cool and bashful. And fe can be vindictive, which creates funny moments. Aina and Azusa were both vital additions to the ensemble in their own ways--Azusa being a bridge between the guys and girls and Aina being a straight man, keeping us rooted in reality and keeping the weirdness weird. They turned Kohei from an otaku into a lolicon. Fe even says stuff like the only 3D girls fe might be interested in are middle schoolers. I'm not sure if I cared for that character development. I ended up liking Sakurako more than I initially thought I would and I'm happy whenever fe shows up in a chapter. I generally don't enjoy any of the storylines involving the group of classmates (Yamamoto, Mitarai, etc.), the associate professor, or Shiori. But the absolute worst chapters were the ones about the festival at the all girls' college (ch. 24-25), the job at the lab (ch. 40), and the first day of the new semester (ch. 58). [Reviewed at chapter 60]

DifficultFr Nov 7, 2022

10

Amazing manga. each episode got my crying from laughter and it never goes has a point where the quality drops. The manga from what ive seen only gets better both artwork and story wise and I highly recommend it for everyone who is looking for a animanga with a spectacular cast and amazing comedy that has you tearing up every single chapter.