A curious new project that shows promise.
Summary:
- Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night revealed a new PV, and fans are trying to guess what the series will be about.
- Proposed similar anime include Bocchi the Rock!, Ya Boy Kongming! and A Place Further Than The Universe.
- This is one of many anime in recent years that deals with insomnia, and otaku are wondering if this has become a trend.
Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night (Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai) is an anime scheduled to air in April. An original project by Doga Kobo, it was announced about a year ago, and since then, fans were really unsure what it is going to be about. The newly revealed PV gives enough room for speculation — but it’s still not entirely clear.
Fans’ comparisons
The anime seems to be focusing on a group of girls starting a band. This setup has existed in anime for a while — perhaps the series that popularized it the most was K-On! — and it seems to be only getting more popular.
Some fans quote Bocchi the Rock! as the inspiration for the recent rise of girls’ band anime, as it was a huge hit with anime fans. Viewers compared the PV for Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night, expecting something like it, but with less focus on social anxiety.
Others expect something closer to A Place Further Than The Universe (Sora yori mo Tooi Basho) — the trailer seems to put a huge emphasis on the “follow your dream” themes. While it is probably not going to be as grand as A Place Further Than The Universe, fans are still curious about it, especially because the latter has been a huge hit when it aired. Both are anime originals as well, which further strengthens the potential similarities.
Another natural comparison for a night-themed music anime is Ya Boy Kongming! (Paripi Koumei). Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night will probably be less focused on the industry itself, but fans expect similar vibes of a night city from it.
Is there a trend?
Some fans have also noticed a curious thing. In the past few years, there has been a huge rise in anime dealing with insomnia — notably, Insomniacs After School (Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia) and Call of the Night (Yofukashi no Uta).
Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night is another night-themed anime that focuses on this topic. While it doesn’t seem to be similar to either of the aforementioned insomnia-related series, fans are still curious if this trend indicates something.
No idea where it will go
We have no idea currently where the plot of Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night will go. Some fans even speculate on a dark twist of sorts, though attempts to predict these things are usually futile. We know one thing for certain, though: we’re always happy to see more anime with night vibes, and this project is welcome as well