Those unfamiliar with the popular anime series “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” may be disappointed to learn that the second standalone film in the series, “Tears of the Deep Blue Sea,” features very little of the gooey substance. To the uninitiated, this title seems to promise something far stranger than what this basic anime currently offers. There are currently four seasons and one more movie included in the world-building epic about an average Japanese man who reincarnates into another universe as a slime with the ability to absorb the powers of other beings.
Fast forward through dozens of these chapters, all based on the web novel-turned-manga that first appeared in 2013 and are now being turned into a series for TV and film by animation studio Eightbit. Rimura Tempest, the mud of the title, becomes a formidable leader of a multi-species society. That means his adventures include clashes with dragons, demons, ogres, and more.
Starting in the third season, Rimura begins to establish diplomatic relations with other countries and begins building diplomatic relations for his own country. It would be a lot more interesting if Rimura was just a slime. But the world leader has to maintain appearances, so what we get is his androgynous human form for most of the series, including “The Deep Blue Sea.” In any case, you can watch this new movie without having seen any of the previous chapters, mainly because the plot is formulaic and generic.
At the beginning of this sidequest in the film, Rimura Tempest (Britney Karbowski in the English dub, Miho Okasaki in the Japanese version) and his band of counselors and bodyguards are invited to the private island of Emperor Elmesia, which can only be accessed by means of dragon-powered transportation. Naturally, trouble spoils the crew’s relaxation. It features a sea princess named Yula (Allegra Clarke, Saori Onishi) running away from the villains Zodon (Christopher Corey Smith, Koichi Domoto) and Jeice (Yuri Lowenthal, Koji Yusa).
This trio of characters is new to the series, but besides Rimura and the others wearing crisp beachwear, the biggest change is the focus on series mainstay Gobuta (Ryan Reynolds, Asuna Tomari). One of Rimura’s closest friends, Gobuta is usually material for comedic relief. As the Squeaky Goblin, he is depicted as a puppet with a puppet-like face, alongside his humanoid companions and their sleek attire. But here, he has a heroic moment as Yura’s unexpected love interest.
Directed by Yasuhito Kikuchi (who directed the previous film, Scarlet Bonds, and most of the series), Deep Blue Sea unfolds like an inescapably tragic romance, with moonlit moments of near-kissing interspersed with moody interludes of franchise insider humor and palace intrigue. Yura’s sworn enemies are part of her elderly father’s underwater court and seem to be after her magic flute, an ancient device that controls the kingdom’s dragons. In scenes where Yura remembers her childhood and connection to the Beast, the animation adopts a gauzy, more primitive style, in keeping with the film’s more cosmic, oceanic themes. The water action scenes (waterfalls swirling around an aerial charge) should play well on the big screen during the film’s theatrical release.
Still, this story of an underdog playing knight in shining armor against a mysterious woman is too schematic to have any real stakes in a series revolving around another character. Rimura seems to be playing diplomat out of obligation to Gobuta, but they’re a little too cold about the whole ordeal to believe that anything we’re seeing really matters. Plus, with the series’ fourth season still rolling out into the summer, “Azure Sea” plays more like a long weekend getaway than a true full-length fable. Fans are sure to join for the extra nuggets of lore, but there’s little reason for players other than slimeheads to take the plunge.
