The anime industry received some exciting news today as it was announced that Season 2 of the Grand Blue Dreaming anime has been greenlit. The announcement comes more than six years after the first season of the anime series first aired.
The Green Blue Dreaming anime is an adaptation of the Japanese manga written by Kenji Inoue and illustrated by Kimitake Yoshioka. The manga has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Good! Afternoon since April 2014 with Kodansha USA publishing the manga digitally in English.
The anime television series adaptation by Zero-G aired from July to September 2018. It's been confirmed that Shinji Takamatsu (Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto) will return to direct the second season of Grand Blue Dreaming at studios Zero-G and Liber, with character designs and chief animation direction by Hideoki Kusama and music by Yukari Hashimoto (Senpai is an Otokonoko).
"Thanks to the overwhelming support, the production of Season 2 has finally been decided!" the anime's website reads. "A teaser visual has been released, depicting the PaB members toasting under the summer sky!"
Grand Blue Dreaming is a coming-of-age, comedic story that follows Iori Kitahara's post-high school journey as he moves to a seaside town for college. Living above his uncle's diving shop, Kitahara joins the local Diving Club, only to discover it's full of buff dude-bros who spend more time drinking and partying than actually diving. Kitahara — eager to reinvent himself and meet beautiful girls — quickly gets swept up in their antics.
Kodansha USA officially describes the manga's story:
After graduating from an all-boys’ high school, Iori Kitahara moves away from home to go to college in a seaside town. He’s eager to start a new chapter in his life–one filled with dreams of reinventing himself, meeting beautiful girls, and reveling in his youth. But when his new abode is his uncle’s dive shop, Iori’s college debut doesn’t turn out as glamorously as he planned! Can Iori keep himself afloat, or will the booze-fueled antics of his university’s diving club wash him away?!
A coming-of-age tale with beer, bums, and the Grand Blue!
Below is the full list of confirmed staff members returning for Season 2 of Grand Blue Dreaming:
- Director/Scriptwriter/Sound Director: Shinji Takamtsu
- Character Designer/Chief Animation Director: Hideoki Kusama
- Chief Animation Director: Yoichi Ueda
- Art Director: Reiko Kasuga
- Prop Designer: jimao
- Color Designer: Aiko Matsuyama
- Director of Photography: Naoyuki Kato
- Editor: Shun Tokuda
- Sound Production: Saber Links
- Music: Yukari Hashimoto
- Animation Production: Zero-G x Liber
It's also been confirmed that the main cast from Season 1 are returning to reprise their roles for the second season.
"I was very surprised and delighted when I heard that the second season of the anime was decided after six years," said manga author Kenji Inoue in a statement while sharing some new artwork. "'Even after such a long time, people are interested in diving enough to want a sequel!' I thought. It's such a happy story. Originally, this manga was aimed at raising awareness of the marine sport of diving! I hope that through the second season of the anime, we can convey to even more people the wonders of the ocean, how to build friendships, the difficulty of physics experiments, and the importance of staying hydrated."
While we await more details on Season 2, fans can rewatch the entirety of Season 1 for free. All 12 episodes of the first season are available to stream for free via YouTube's "NBCUniversal Anime/Music."