Nagi no Asukara has done an exemplary job—far better than most—at keeping so many potential relationships in a state of limbo. Sure, it’s easy to critique the characters’ actions and words and determine a course of action that would have resulted in far less stress and strain, but just as not having the ability to love would be a temporary relief, so too would a scenario in which everyone finds someone too easily.
In the last review we may have jumped to conclusions in assuming Manaka would never have the capacity to love someone again. Even Uroko-sama doesn’t know for sure if that’s the case; she could return to normal in time, or given the proper stimulation. But if ours was a jump, Hikari’s is a towering leap to “definite” conclusions, letting fear and jealousy fuel the notion that Manaka was in love with Tsumugu.
Even so, Hikari is determined to get her ability to love back, even if the one she loves isn’t him. Ironically, it was Miuna’s ability to love Akari, leading to such a happy, loving family, gave Hikari the hope and strength to do whatever he can to help Manaka. When Miuna senses Manaka’s loss and the pain it’s causing within her, she commits to doing whatever she can. In both cases, they’re putting their own feelings aside for the sake of Manaka not just being happy, but being whole.
Getting back to Nagi’s penchant for keeping things up in the air, we’re in the home stretch now, meaning truths are starting to out between the right pairs of people, whether accidentally or not. After the debate about Manaka’s condition, Sayu damns the torpedoes and decides she’s going to ask Kaname out. And when Hikari picks a fight with a much larger Tsumugu, Chisaki happens to spot them arrives to break it up just in time to hear Tsumugu say he’s in love with her.
That could have been a decent bombshell to end the episode, but in typical Nagi fashion, it had another surprise up its sleeve: Tsumugu growing an ena when he dives in to follow a fleeing Chisaki. Because he dove in, the fish swims out of his arm, and he gains the ability to follow Chisaki back to Shishio. There he delivers one hell of a line to elaborate his feelings:
You’re always so quiet and calm, and yet sometimes you become so fierce that I can’t handle you. At that time, I thought you were like the sea.
Chisaki can’t very well turn that down, now can she!
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