Dolphin Daydream

Dolphin Daydream is the 4th episode of the BNA: Brand New Animal anime series.

Overview
Michiru and Nina travel to the mainland to attend a party.

Summary
Michiru meets Nina, and the two attend a party on the mainland. Nina gets to experience human life while Michiru struggles back to being human again. Giuliano Flip is livid, but Shirou is able to return with them before midnight.

Plot
Michiru tries again to turn into a human but can't. Melissa interrupts her and says Michiru got a call from the council.

At the City Council, Michiru receives her Beastman registration credential and insurance card as thanks for helping with the incident yesterday. Michiru hands the phone she received back because it doesn't connect to the human internet she's used to. Rose's assistant explains the Beastman Territory Law censors information about human society from beastmen. Michiru is upset so Rose shows a video explaining the distinction between the Beastman and Homo Sapiens species. Beastmen are able to change shapes with the beast factor. The beast form is inherited from one of your parents, not a mix. Because Michiru doesn't have beastman parents, the impossible had occurred.

Beastmen have only lived in isolation from Humans, but the expansion of human development created conflicts. Rose looked into Michiru's genes which are missing the important beast factor. Rose hypothesizes her cells rapidly divide when she changes shape.

Outside, Marie takes Michiru to an alleyway and sells a sim card that is able to bypass Anima City's firewalls. Michiru accepts and puts it on Shirou's tab. At the dock, Giuliano Flip is interrogating a bound Kusakabe who doesn't know who distributed the Medical Center supplies. Flip tells him that it was his fault for being seen by Shirou. Shirou arrives at the scene, but it's too late. Kusakabe is dragged out to sea by a passing boat and perishes.

Michiru logs into her Facelook account and it's her birthday. She sees a Livestream in her app, and it turns out the same girl is recording from right across her. Michiru interrupts the girl but is knocked out cold. She wakes up and is bound inside a house. A bodyguard questions how she knows the girl. Michiru claims she just knows her from Facelook. Upon hearing this, the girl perks up and transforms into a dolphin excited that Michiru is from the mainland. The girl introduces herself as Nina Flip and Michiru is disappointed she turned out not do be a human. She is happy to know humans were watching her. Michiru is unbound and asks about her father. Nina denounces him and explains that her grandpa was caught and eaten by humans, or says her dad. She doesn't believe him.

Upon finding out Nina was listening to human music, Flip forbade her from leaving the house. Nina then shows Michiru a box of knick-knacks, among them a single earbud. Michiru thinks back at the time Nazuna and her used to listen to Night Running together. Nina asks Michiru if she wants to go back, but she replies she can't when she looks like this. Michiru says she wants to go back. Sparks fly, and she suddenly turns back into a human. Michiru is elated.

They both go to the beach and sunset. Nina says a girl named Lisa from Facelook invited her to a party in the mainland. Michiru agrees to go. Flip returns home and with some presents for Nina, but she's nowhere to be seen. The bodyguard does a full cowing and apologizes.

Night falls and finally arrive on the mainland. A bike cop passes them not suspecting a thing. They reach the party where people in masks are dancing to EDM. Night Running begins playing and Michiru reminisces her memories with Nazuna again. Nina interrupts her and asks if she's okay. Lisa walks up and greets Nina. Nina is elated and jumps but accidentally turns into a dolphin. Lisa is surprised she's a beastman, but doesn't react negatively. Nina and Michiru are both shocked at the reaction. Lisa introduces Nina as the special guest for the beastman-themed party they were having.

Rose calls Shirou warning Flip will get mad if he finds out Michiru and Nina were partying in the mainland. Flip already knows, and is en route to the port. Shirou stops the car and promises Flip that he will return with his daughter. Flip agrees to wait until midnight.

Meanwhile, at the party, everyone is cheering Nina at the pool. Michiru wants to go home because she feels something is off. Nina takes this wrongly and thinks it's because she's the popular one at the party. Nina refuses to go home. Michiru is feeling down and asks herself what she is doing. Shirou calls Michiru from Marie's boat asking her to return Flip's daughter immediately because he's about to start a war with the humans. Michiru is frustrated and walks out. Nina is trapped in a tank and is about to suffocate. Lisa had placed her in because she thought dolphins needed water to breathe. Michiru transforms back into her beast form and punches through the glass tan with her Gorilla Punch. Nina coughs and is finally able to breathe. Michiru says it's time to go home, and Nina nods in agreement. Lisa is out of words.

The group depart the mainland on Marie's boat. Nina apologizes for acting that way earlier. Shirou asked Michiru why she didn't stay in the mainland. Michiru replies she wants to learn more about beastman and stay in Anima Land. The tension in the air breaks when Shirou asks about the bill on his tab. On a plane, Alan is watching clips of Michiru and Shirou and is amused at their stronger than normal beastman powers. Michiru is laying in bed on her phone when she notices her mom posted a cake celebrating Michiru's birthday on Facelook. Michiru is about to reply, but refrains.

Characters

 * Michiru Kagemori
 * Melissa Horner
 * Barbara Rose
 * Shirou Ogami
 * Masaru Kusakabe
 * Giuliano Flip
 * Nina Flip (debut)
 * Lisa (debut)
 * Marie Itami
 * Nazuna Hiwatashi (Cameo)

Trivia

 * This is the first time we get to see Michiru's human form in action and only time we see it outside of flashbacks.
 * Akko's Luna Nova hat appears when Michiru tries various hats in her human form.
 * The way Nina is fascinated with objects from the mainland she finds on the beach and keeps them as treasures is a direct parallel to Ariel from The Little Mermaid who is fascinated with the human world. Nina's obsession with humans, as well as her desire to experience what's it like being human, are also a direct parallel to Ariel.
 * "Night running" can be heard 3 times during the episode (twice during the episode itself, and during the ED), being the most amount of times we have heard a single song during an episode.