Ep 1. Deep Blue

At the heart of Okinawa's college town of Izu lies a diving shop called Grand Blue. A refreshing and carefree lifestyle centered around diving is shared by the young protagonists of "Grand Blue Dreaming." Iori Kitahara moves to the beachside town of Izu for his first year at a university. He's excited to move away from the bustling city of Tokyo in exchange for a more relaxed and laid-back lifestyle filled with sun, sea, and sand. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle runs the diving shop called Grand Blue, where Iori is forced to live with fellow diving enthusiasts; his club members, which include Kohei Imamura, Shinji Tokita, Ryujiro Kotobuki, and Chisa Kotegawa.

The season premiere episode of "Grand Blue Dreaming" is entitled 'Deep Blue' and it shows us the beginning of Iori's colorful college experience in Izu. We see Iori as he starts to navigate his post-secondary life in this new town surrounded by scenic landscapes and beaches, making new friends, and attempting to fulfill a long-held deep-blue dream. The episode starts off with Iori and Kouhei moving to their new apartment in Izu. Iori is looking forward to having a youthful college experience, however, as soon as he steps into the apartment, he discovers that his uncle's diving club occupies it! He is devastated by the reality that he won't have a place to himself.

Despite being annoyed by the situation, Iori eventually comes to believe that living in a house full of attractive girls who also share his passion for diving can't be so bad. Upon meeting the members of the club for the first time, Iori discovers that they are all beautiful, but stern and uptight about their diving because of their fear of getting sick. On the other hand, Iori's easy-going approach to life and his lack of fear regarding diving is a stark contrast.

The first episode takes an interesting twist when Iori and Kouhei go out to explore the city and eventually stumble upon a small festival happening in the town plaza. While there, they run into two girls dressed in stylish yukatas who offer them some pamphlets for a new magical girl anime series. However, Iori is more cynical about anime series and is rather more interested in the idea of a women's diving club, which he quickly asks the girls about. Overhearing their conversation, the two other club members of the diving club, Shinji and Ryujiro, immediately recognize Iori because he looks a lot like the main character from their favorite anime series.

From there, the episode takes a comical turn with Shinji and Ryujiro trying to get Iori to join their diving club by using their obsession with anime as leverage. Shinji and Ryujiro succeed in taking Iori to Grand Blue, where Iori is not only introduced to the diving club members but is also asked to join their club. Initially, Iori refuses the offer, but after a few days of observing the diving club's members, he's hooked and instantly gets involved in the group's diving fiascos.

To celebrate their new mate, the diving club throws a party which leads to plenty of drunken shenanigans that are typical of college students. The episode ends with Iori waking up after a long and drunken night to discover the surprising identity of the girl he's been obsessing over since he first saw her outside the festival.

The first episode of "Grand Blue Dreaming" sets the tone for the show, introducing us to the setting and characters while moving the plot forward. The show's emphasis on diving and the ocean is vivid and life-like and the animation is top-notch. The characters create a sense of camaraderie with each other that feels genuine and natural, even when drunk and behaving silly. The humor is consistent and light-hearted and keeps the episode entertaining throughout. "Grand Blue Dreaming" is a visually stimulating and intriguing series that will undoubtedly draw audiences in with the likable and colorful cast.