Yoshiaki Dewa - Uroko Sama no Monogatari [ Nagi no Asukara ]

This is definitely my favourite track from the entire show, and surprisingly, it was a track that I almost did not notice in the show if I had not gone back to rewatch the scene.

It was just total luck that I actually went back to the scene to read the subtitles again and I noticed this track. The scene itself was extremely amazing and I was so engrossed in the show that I never noticed anything else that might have been going on.
Soon as I noticed this track, at first I was like this is a fair track. I and probably many other people could hear a resemblance between this track's first half and witcher 3's track called kaer morhen. However the second half of the track was so good, I genuinely got goosebumps at the second half with that piano tune. While this track also has a fair contrast between the first and second half, this time however I feel a sense of continuity in the track which does not make it seem like two different tracks. The overall atmosphere is very well maintained throughout the first half, the middle transition and the second half.

The track starts off with some really nice and melodious guitar notes, with I think some Chinese string instrument ( I guess pipa ) supporting it in the background. Both go really well together and make a really nice sort of a medieval theme which goes really nice with the story being told at the time it was played in the show (especially in the last episode where the background of this video is also from). The tune is very soothing and quite straightforward with no sort of over the top complexities. Just a simple and very calming and melodious tune.
At 0:44, another instrument is added to the same tune adding a different sort of variation to the tune. I think its from the xylophone family, i am guessing a marimba but not sure.

This new instrument only comes in for a short while upto 1:09 and then the track shifts into a sort of a middle part or as I like to call it a transition phase. The track still has that acoustic guitar in the background, but this time very much dampened and muffled. Also piano is added in this part, which is why I call it a transition part as it has the elements of the previous tune, as well as the tune after it playing together in a really nice and soft manner. The tune however is different from both the first part and the coming part, but in no way incoherent. Its very subtle and complements the atmosphere really nicely.

This transition part ends at 1:37 and oh boy the actual best part of the track starts off at this time. I genuinely have no words how much I absolutely loved this part of the track in that scene in the last episode. This was also the reason I never probably noticed the track was because the first half of the track was something that was nice but not really that grabbing for me. The scene in the show was so grabbing that I probably never really got to notice the change in the track in background. I genuinely wholeheartedly love this second half of the track so much. The guitar plays the prelude to the main tune of the second half extremely well not to mention those very very soft and almost quiet violins in the background that complement the guitar and the entire second half.
I absolutely love these sort of small parts of tune being placed out apart from each other. What I mean by this is from 1:37 you can see the music come, and then it takes a pause for a second, and then the tune continues again. Its like sort small bursts of guitar where it plays the small section, then pauses for a second, then continues. I absolutely fell for this.

Not to mention when the track goes into the main tune of the second half at 2:01, absolutely marvelous. The piano tune is so soft and soothing and very emotional. The guitar in the background is so amazing and if you notice it more, you will realize the guitars are actually playing the tune they played in the first half. Absolutely no words for those soft violins complementing the emotional atmosphere so well. Definitely the piano tune will be the highlight, but I can definitely say all the instruments in this main part have an equally important role and absolutely nothing feels out of place.

That very small transition from the prelude of the second half to the main tune from 1:58 to 2:01 was also really really nice with that piano taking it up from that time and going into the main theme. Whats even better is how the track goes up a notch at 2:25 with that piano run from high to low notes. And at last, if listened closely, there is also another instrument, very very faint in the background with a sort of sound that I am not sure is out of which instrument, but its kind of rapid and probably can be heard at little more clearly 2:46 onwards before the closing piano.

I absolutely love this track.

This track's rating: 9.5/10
Anime's BGM rating : 9.5/10
Background : https://bit.ly/3hKW31N / https://bit.ly/3hJ8Z8p (First one is used in vid, second is just something i tried)