Grand Blue Dreaming

Grand Blue Dreaming, also known simply as Grand Blue (ぐらんぶる), is a Japanese manga series written by Kenji Inoue (manga artist) and illustrated by Kimitake Yoshioka. It has been serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Good! Afternoon since April 2014. The manga is published in English by Kodansha USA under the Kodansha Comics imprint. An anime television series adaptation by Zero-G aired from July to September 2018. A live-action film adaptation was released in August 2020. A second anime season by Zero-G and Liber aired from July to September 2025. A third season by Zero-G and Saber Works is set to premiere in July 2026.

Plot

Iori Kitahara looks forward to his new life on the Izu Peninsula as he prepares to start his college life there, staying in a room above his uncle's diving shop "Grand Blue." However, he is quickly shocked as he meets the local Diving Club, a group full of buff men who spend more time drinking, partying, and stripping naked than actually diving. Despite his attempts to distance himself from the group, Iori gets quickly swept up in their antics, while his cousins try to show him the wonders of diving into the ocean and sea.

Characters

Peek a Boo (Diving Club)

Iori Kitahara (北原伊織)

Iori is a first-year Mechanical Engineering student at Izu University and a member of the diving club, despite never having learned to swim. Though he attempts to live an ordinary life, he frequently finds himself drawn into the club’s chaotic activities, which often involve drunken antics. Outwardly brash and carefree, he deeply values his relationships and suppresses his flaws when necessary. Despite his father’s adoption into the Kotegawa family, he considers Chisa and Nanaka as true siblings. His genuine demeanor gradually endears him to others, though his earlier immaturity sometimes causes friction. Once an aspiring musician, he now cringes at his past attempts at songwriting. Naturally athletic, he excels in sports requiring precision, though he tends to overcomplicate simple problems with absurd theories. He occasionally cross-dresses.[7][8]

Chisa Kotegawa (古手川千紗)

Chisa is Iori’s cousin and classmate at Izu University, a composed and intelligent young woman devoted to diving. Unlike the other members of the Peek a Boo club, she maintains a reserved demeanor, avoiding their rowdy behavior and showing little interest in romance. Despite her disinterest, she frequently deflects advances from fellow students. Aspiring to become a dive instructor like her mother, she prioritizes diving above all else. To maintain her independence, she manipulates situations—even pretending to be in a relationship with Iori to deter suitors or retaliate when he helps others over her. Though she shares a love of diving with Iori, their dynamic shifts between warmth and frustration due to his loud personality. Her strained relationship with her mother leaves her emotionally guarded, causing her to become flustered in vulnerable moments.

Kōhei Imamura (今村耕平)

Kōhei is Iori’s best friend and rival, an eccentric otaku who proudly wears anime-themed shirts. He enrolls at the university chasing an unrealistic dream of attracting high school girls, but is instead drawn into the Peek a Boo club. His obsession with anime distorts his social awareness, often leading him to misinterpret real-life situations through the lens of his favorite shows. Easily manipulated by references to famous female voice actors—especially Kaya Mizuki—he becomes a frequent target of the club’s pranks. Despite his absurd demeanor, he demonstrates unexpected resolve when his interests are threatened. Though his friendship with Iori is marked by playful antagonism and boisterous clashes, he remains deeply loyal when it counts. Hints suggest he hails from a wealthy background.

Aina Yoshiwara (吉原愛菜)

Aina is a shy Ōmi Women’s College freshman who joins Peek a Boo after Iori and Kōhei defend her from bullying at her former tennis club. Nicknamed "Cakey" for her heavy makeup, she sheds this persona upon joining, revealing a timid nature that contrasts with the club's rowdiness. Though initially interested in Kōhei, she develops feelings for Iori after he avenges her. Her farm upbringing makes her adept at manual labor but self-conscious about her rural accent. Naive about romance and insecure about her body compared to Nanaka and Azusa, she paradoxically becomes wildly uninhibited when drinking.

Ryūjirō Kotobuki (寿竜次郎)

A senior student at Izu and a member of Peek a Boo who often got himself and other club members drunk and naked. Kotobuki is just like Tokita both in appearance and in personality when they are partying, but Kotobuki can be surprisingly charismatic. He works as a professional bartender part-time.

Shinji Tokita (時田信治)

A senior student at Izu and member of Peek a Boo who often got himself and other club members drunk and naked, Tokita is a muscular, laid-back college student who loves to party. However, just like the other members of PAB, he sincerely loves diving and takes the possible dangers seriously. To Iori's surprise, he has a girlfriend.

Azusa Hamaoka (浜岡梓)

Azusa is a senior at Ōmi Women's College and one of the few female members in Peek a Boo's senior circle. Her natural sensuality leads younger members to assume she is sexually experienced, though her interests focus almost exclusively on Nanaka for comedic effect. While harboring unrequited feelings for Tokita, she avoids acting on them to preserve group harmony. Notoriously unconcerned with modesty, she frequently undresses without warning. She befriends Iori after mistakenly believing him to be bisexual, seeing him as a potential confidant. Despite her playful mischief that often creates humorous complications, she demonstrates genuine care and insight when helping others with personal problems.

Other characters

Captain Kudō (工藤会長)

The Captain of the Tennis Club, "Tinkerbell," and an attractive playboy who was publicly humiliated by Iori and Kōhei due to his mistreatment of Aina.

Hajime Nojima (野島元)

One of Iori's classmates at Izu University. A self-styled playboy who is largely unsuccessful in attracting a lover. Although he tries to be charismatic, it usually comes off as lame.

Shinichirō Yamamoto (山本信一郎)

One of Iori's classmates at Izu University. Incredibly blunt in his desire to find a girlfriend, he is often teased by his friends that he will be a lifelong virgin.

Kenta Fujiwara (藤原健太)

One of Iori's classmates at Izu University. A muscular man, and the most decent and innocent of Iori's friends. He is often portrayed as invisible to other significant characters as a running joke.

Yū Mitarai (御手洗優)

One of Iori's classmates at Izu University. Unlike most of the others, Yu is in a relationship with his childhood friend Rie, which his friends immediately attempt to sabotage once they find out. Through a self-destructive desire to flirt or his friends' machinations, he finds himself beaten up by Rie on multiple occasions.

Shiori Kitahara (北原栞)

Iori's little sister, a third-year middle school student who often walks around in an old-fashioned kimono. She pretends to show affection to Iori while secretly trying to mold him into taking ownership of their family's ryokan so she will not have to, as she seeks to escape the stringent demands placed upon her by her parents. Shiori is unusually cunning and intelligent for her age, able to construct surveillance equipment as well as maintain a facade as an impeccably mannered young girl who dotes on her brother. She later develops genuine respect for Iori, although she still dismisses him as dim-witted and irresponsible.

Naomi Otoya (乙矢尚海)

Iori's co-worker, and a high-school student. He is passionate about diving and is the president of the diving club at his school. He secretly likes Iori.[11]

Sakurako Busujima (毒島桜子)

A student at Oumi Women's University. She is focused on good looks, both for herself and her partners.

Sayaka Kotegawa (古手川紗耶華)

Chief (チーフ)

Maki (マキ)

type	TV series
director	Shinji Takamatsu
producer	Kazuaki Takahashi Toshihiro Suzuki Toshihiro Maeda (S1) Shin Furukawa (S1) Ryōhei Suzuki (S1) Yōko Baba (S1) Gōta Aijima (S1) Kazuto Matsumura (S1) Youichi Kurashima (S2) Akira Yonezawa (S2) Sachiya Sakikawa (S2) Kei Takamoto (S2) Hiroto Sakami (S2) Hideyuki Kachi (S2)
writer	Shinji Takamatsu (1–8, 10–12) Kenji Inoue (9)
music	Manual of Errors (S1) Yukari Hashimoto (S2)
studio	Zero-G Liber (S2) Saber Works (S3)
licensee	Amazon Prime Video (former; S1 only) Crunchyroll (current)
network	MBS TBS, BS-TBS, AT-X (S1) Tokyo MX, BS11 (S2–3)
first	July 14, 2018
episodes	24
episode list	List of Grand Blue Dreaming episodes

Grand Blue Dreaming

Plot

Characters

Peek a Boo (Diving Club)

Grand Blue (Diving Shop)

Other characters

Media

Manga

Volumes

Volumes

Anime

Film

Reception

See also

External links

References