History Anime / TheAquatopeOnWhiteSand

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Tingaraa and Tingarla. The latter is correct, but the former was used initially.

* ButNotTooForeign: Marina Yonekura is of Hispanic descent, has admitted she's had trouble speaking Japanese in the past, and occasionally drops exclamations in Spanish. Her Japanese surname suggests that she's half Japanese and with her history she may have been raised in Latin America.

* ItWasWithYouAllAlong: [[spoiler:Much of Kukuru's grief for the loss of Gama Gama Aquarium seems to stem from the emotional and re-assuring visions that she and others experienced within it's halls, and sure enough, this element of the series all but vanishes during the second half of the series set at Tingarla Aquarium as Kukuru struggles to settle into the tedium and compromises of a working adult life. In the final episode, Kukuru finally has such a vision like those she experienced at Gama Gama at Tingarla instead, suggesting they are somehow more related to her love of the ocean or peace of mind and acceptance of life moving forward, and never had anything specifically to do with Gama Gama.]]
* JerkAss: The Assistant Director at Tingarla is not a pleasant individual, showing little concern or enthusiasm for the aquatic life at the aquarium, only caring about results and achieving maximum ticket sales and guest satisfaction. He seems unusually harsh towards Kukuru (a newbie to office and management work) saddling her with constant projects and work you'd usually not give to a newcomer, and giving her zero slack for any hinderances or issues out of her control, only concerned with results.
* JerkAssHasAPoint: The Tingarla Assistant Director is a massive prick, especially to Kukuru, but he is not wrong about their department needing to do everything in it's power to make sure the aquarium maintains a good reputation and popularity with the public to keep the lights on. [[spoiler:A previous aquarium he worked for, and left for a Bank, went bankrupt after he left. He's determined this will not happen again.]]

* MagicalRealism: It's a completely ordinary SliceOfLife[=/=]ComingOfAge story, except it takes place in an aquarium that gives people striking visions of the past, and of the future. The magical aspect of the story goes away by Tingarla arc as the Gama Gama has been shut down by that point, although it returns at the end of episode 23.

** When coming up with ideas for sweets to sell at the aquarium, the girls first decide on ice cream - only to find out that they are unlikely to get a food permit to sell it. They go with shaved ice instead, because with no dairy, it's easier to get a permit for it.
** The general premise

** Episode 13 begins eight months after the previous episode, from Sep 2, 2021 to April 1, 2022 [[spoiler: after Gama Gama has shut down and its staff have found new jobs at Tingarla Aquarium.]]
** halfway through the final episode, there is a time skip forward two years for an extended epilogue.

''The Aquatope on White Sand'' (''Shiroi Suna no Aquatope'') is a twenty-four episode anime produced by Creator/PAWorks and began airing during the summer 2021 season. It follows eighteen-year-old Fūka Miyazawa; after she yields her role as an idol unit's centre to a junior upon overhearing her desire to perform, her managers misinterpret this and take this as a sign that Fūka is losing her interest in being an idol. With her dream fading away, Fūka decides to run away and finds herself in Okinawa. Here, she encounters a fortune teller and decides to head east, eventually coming upon Gama Gama Aquarium, which is being run by deputy director Kukuru Misakino, a high school student. Wishing to leave her past behind and stay in Okinawa, Fūka implores Kukuru to give her a job at the aquarium, but quickly learns that working at Gama Game is no easy task.

* JerkAssHasAPoint: The Tingarla Assistant Director is a massive prick, especially to Kukuru, but he is not wrong about their department needing to do everything in it's power to make sure the aquarium maintains a good reputation and popularity with the public to keep the lights on. [[spoiler:a prtevious aquarium he worked for, and left for a Bank, went bankrupt after he left. He's determined this will not happen again.]]

* RealPlaceBackground: The series' events are set in and around a town in Okinawa called Nanjō, and [[https://twitter.com/InfiniteZenith/status/1413703995193892867 Gama Gama Aquarium is located near Azama Sun Sun Beach]].

* [[spoiler:ItWasWithYouAllAlong]]: [[spoiler:Much of Kukuru's grief for the loss of Gama Gama Aquarium seems to stem from the emotional and re-assuring visions that she and others experienced within it's halls, and sure enough, this element of the series all but vanishes during the second half of the series set at Tingarla Aquarium as Kukuru struggles to settle into the tedium and compromises of a working adult life. In the final episode, Kukuru finally has such a vision like those she experienced at Gama Gama at Tingarla instead, suggesting they are somehow more related to her love of the ocean or peace of mind and acceptance of life moving forward, and never had anything specifically to do with Gama Gama.]]

''The Aquatope on White Sand'' (''Shiroi Suna no Aquatope'') is a twenty-four episode anime produced by Creator/PAWorks and began airing during the Summer 2021 season. It follows eighteen-year-old Fūka Miyazawa; after she yields her role as an idol unit's centre to a junior upon overhearing her desire to perform, her managers misinterpret this and take this as a sign that Fūka is losing her interest in being an idol. With her dream fading away, Fūka decides to run away and finds herself in Okinawa. Here, she encounters a fortune teller and decides to head east, eventually coming upon Gama Gama Aquarium, which is being run by deputy director Kukuru Misakino, a high school student. Wishing to leave her past behind and stay in Okinawa, Fūka implores Kukuru to give her a job at the aquarium, but quickly learns that working at Gama Game is no easy task.

. While in most shows some miracle or stroke of business genius would save the aquarium, none of that is here. It's shutting down, and there's little anyone can do to stop it. [[spoiler:Especially after a typhoon all but wrecks the place.]]

* WeddingEpisode: The final episode features the wedding of a blended family. Fūka decides there will be no shoes, submitting the idea of a barefoot wedding theme, and sand is spread all around the aquarium for that reason.

** The general premise. While in most shows some miracle or stroke of business genius would save the aquarium, none of that is here. It's shutting down, and there's little anyone can do to stop it. [[spoiler:Especially after a typhoon all but wrecks the place.]]

* {{Bifauxnen}}: Kaoru. So much that Kūya worked alongside her assuming she was a man until told otherwise. When she mentions Kūya was going to appear during a filmed documentary at Tingaara because the producers wanted a handsome young man, he even responds under his breath that she'd that description easily.

* DemotedToExtra: Most of former Gama Gama staff have greatly reduced screentime during Tingaara arc as the focus shift mostly Tingaara staff. Even Fuuka is only relevant in small handful of episodes.

* JerkAss: The Assistant Director at Tingaara is not a pleasant individual, showing little concern or enthusiasm for the aquatic life at the aquarium, only caring about results and achieving maximum ticket sales and guest satisfaction. He seems unusually harsh towards Kukuru (a newbie to office and management work) saddling her with constant projects and work you'd usually not give to a newcomer, and giving her zero slack for any hinderances or issues out of her control, only concerned with results.
* JerkAssHasAPoint: The Tingaara Assistant Director is a massive prick, especially to Kukuru, but he is not wrong about their department needing to do everything in it's power to make sure the aquarium maintains a good reputation and popularity with the public to keep the lights on. [[spoiler:a prtevious aquarium he worked for, and left for a Bank, went bankrupt after he left. He's determined this will not happen again.]]

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Fūka is this to Kukuru. Without her support, Kukuru would have emotionally broken down from the burden of keeping Gama Gama aquarium open. This happens again as events at Tingaara drive Kukuru into depression. It also works in reverse, with Kukuru the crutch for Fūka when she first arrives at Gama Gama.
* MagicalRealism: It's a completely ordinary SliceOfLife[=/=]ComingOfAge story, except it takes place in an aquarium that gives people striking visions of the past, and of the future. The magical aspect of the story goes away by Tingaara arc as the Gama Gama has been shut down by that point, although it returns at the end of episode 23.

** Episode 13 begins eight months after the previous episode, from Sep 2, 2021 to April 1, 2022 [[spoiler: after Gama Gama has shut down and its staff have found new jobs at Tingaara Aquarium.]]

* UnsettlingGenderReveal: At Tingaara, Kūya spends his work time comfortably assuming that Kaoru is a man due to her short hair and deeper voice. Once it's pointed out that she's actually a woman, his gynophobia immediately kicks in.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Fūka and Kukuru, with the scene after Fūka's mental breakdown in episode 4 reading more like a love confession than anything.

* RealityEnsues: The effort to save Gama Gama faces major and even disastrous events that are not plot contrivances, but things which happen unexpectedly.

* TheRunaway: Upon spotting a poster advertising Okinawa, Fūka decides to run away on the spur of the moment

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Fuuka and Kukuru reunite after a couple years and the two resume purusing their new dreams.]]

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Fuuka and Kukuru reunite after a couple years and the two resume working at the place that gave them new dreams.]]

* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Fuuka and Kukuru reunite after a couple years and the two pursue their fully realized dreams.]]