After abandoning her career and dream as an idol, Fuuka Miyazawa flees to Okinawa and wanders until she ends up at the Gama Gama Aquarium. She finds that this small aquarium is on the verge of closing down, meaning the granddaughter of the owner, Kukuru Misakino, is going to lose her dream. Seeing the magic and having nowhere else to go, Fuuka gets a job at the aquarium and she and Kukuru work tirelessly to bring it back from the brink.
P.A. Works only knows how to tell one sort of story these days, but damn if they don’t do slice of life so beautifully. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like The Aquatope on White Sand, then head on down below.
Anime Like The Aquatope on White Sand
For Fans of Water Visuals
A Lull in the Sea
Long ago, all of humanity lived underwater. However, a portion of them soon left to live on the surface, losing the ability to breath underwater. With this gap between them, the two societies grew apart. A Lull in the Sea tells the story of a group of kids forced to attend school above the water where they come to terms with themselves and the discrimination against them.
Both series ultimately tell slice of life tales by the seaside. However, while A Lull in the Sea is a slice of life series, it is also a drama filled with a mighty love polygon. So it is a bit more intense in that way.
Amanchu
Hikari Kohinata grew up by the sea and as a result developed a deep love of scuba diving. On her first day of high school, her hobby and her relentless cheerfulness sweeps up those around her in a maelstrom, and they all cultivate a love for diving together.
If you enjoyed all the seaside scenery and underwater vistas, but don’t really need too much plot going on, Amanchu has got you. It has a bit of a school focus, but free diving, and the beauty within is still very much the star of the show.
Tsuritama
Yuki Sanada is a socially awkward young man that, due to his grandmother’s job, has to move around a lot. He has all but given up on making normal friends until he moved to the town of Enoshima. There he meets a man named Haru who claims to be an alien. It turns out Yuki was right on one account, he would never make “normal” friends.
Tsuritama, unlike Aquatope, is more of a comedy show rather than just straight slice of life. However, it surrounds fishing and other antics in a seaside town that is more vibrant and exciting than Okinawa in Aquatope, but still similar.
For Fans of Floundering Businesses
Hanasaku Iroha
Ohana Matsumae is an energetic teenager that lives with her mother in Tokyo. However, when her mother decides to run off with a man, she is sent to the country to live with a grandmother she has never met. As it turns out, her grandmother runs a traditional Japanese inn, but due to her frivolous mother, treats Ohana quite coldly. Eager to earn her keep and grandmother’s affection, Ohana begins the hard work that makes sure an inn runs smoothly.
Both are P.A. Works slice of life shows. This means that it doesn’t have an intense plot, and looks just lovely. Ultimately, both shows are about girls working in a struggling business, and giving it their all to help it. Both also have B-plots where they are dealing with their personal problems as well.
Amagi Brilliant Park
Kanie Seiya, a smart, but narcissistic high school student, believes that the reserved Sento Isuzu has invited him on a date to the amusement park. However, the park turns out to not only to be run down, but his date was more of job recruitment. Recruited as the new manager, can he turn this park around in just three months?
Both shows follow people that end up in struggling entertainment parks. The major difference is that Amagi is a comedy show, so many of the employees are oddballs. However, if you enjoyed watching characters trying to revitalize things, Amagi fills that role well.
Sakura Quest
In the wake of a national movement during a Bubble economy period, a small town decides to revive its tourism program and hires five women as travel ambassadors. As this series follows them for a year, we learn of the trials and tribulations that come with trying to reinvigorate a small town.
Yet another P.A. Works slice of life show, so, again, it is beautiful and less intense in plot. Both series feature girls who flee from the city and start working at a job in a rural town where they are essentially trying to build some hype.
For Fans of Scenic Slice of Life
Tamayura
Sawatari Fuu is an aspiring photographer. She spends her time by the Seto Inland Sea taking pictures of her friends. She is especially pleased when she is able to capture tamayura, small orbs of light that appear when her subjects are especially content.
While the content in each show is different, both series take place in very scenic seaside towns and set up a plot that highlights that. In Tamayura, because it is about photography, you get the very best view of the area alongside lovable characters.
Glasslip
Touko, the daughter of a prestigious glass artisan family, has the ability to see fragments and hear voices from the future. One day, these voices lead new transfer student Kakeru to her and her friends.
While I am loathe to recommend Glasslip because it has a plot that goes nowhere, it is ultimately a P.A. Works slice of life series. It is beautiful, and it even takes place in a seaside town. However, Glasslip set up an actual plot and abandons it, so it can be disappointing.
Waiting in Summer
While testing out his filming camera one night, Kaito is blown off the bridge by a streak of blue light. As he is falling, the last thing he remembers is a hand, grabbing his own. When he wakes up, he finds himself mysteriously back in his room, dazed but uninjured. As Kaito proceeds with his summer break, deciding to make a movie with his friends, he takes an interest the new upperclassman wandering the town, Ichika Takatsuki, and she ends up invited to join them.
Despite Waiting in Summer being a romance series, and having a sci-fi twist to it, both it and Aquatope really capture a lovely summer vibe in the scenery and plot. Everything is very vibrant and it really makes the rural areas in each show charming.
Do you have more anime recommendations like The Aquatope on White Sand? Let fans know in the comments section below.
