Sakura Quest

P.A. Works has been experimenting with a lot of ideas in recent years. Shows that focuses on coming of age storytelling, collaboration projects that adds a touch of fantasy to its world setting, and even mecha from their recent 15th anniversary project. Advertised as an anime about a “working series” involving people and jobs, one can’t help but relate to their previous works such as Hanasaku Iroha and Shirobako. However, Sakura Quest is also very distinguishable on its own.

As an original anime running for a span of 25 consecutive episodes, Sakura Quest has plenty to offer despite the simple premise. The idea of taking ... a young girl to a new place with a big responsibility on their shoulders strikes intriguing. I mean, the idea can even be relatable like the time when you had to bear a big responsibility like being the class president or organizing a sports event. For Yoshino Koharu, she reluctantly becomes the Queen of Manoyama after a case of mistaken identity. Now, she bears the responsibility to help reinvigorate Manoyama, a town with an economic struggle. Following this coming age adventure, I can safely say that Sakura Quest intelligently crafts its story with its cast of characters.

A main part that attracted me to this show is the five main characters – Yoshino, Maki, Sanae, Shiori, and Ririko. They come from different backgrounds with different personalities. However, they all share the same goal and that’s to help the tourism agency reestablish Manoyama. Now I have to admit, it took me a little time to accept these characters. They each have their own personal problems. These range from graduating without a job or money, job depression, a rootless goal of a dream career, dealing with a town that gradually fades away, and living a life of isolation. In many ways, these social issues are very relatable. Think about it. Ask yourself the question: “have I ever faced one of these problems before?” Even if you haven’t, I’m sure you know someone or heard of someone that does. I can honestly confess that this problem exists in my life at one time. The bottom line is, Sakura Quest’s realism in exploring social issues is very realistic and we can all relate to them in one way or another.

The storytelling itself brings promise from the first few episodes. It establishes the setting, objectives, and reasons for the characters’ roles. It has a plot that follows a well-crafted pacing to make us appreciate its themes and emotions. At many times, I feel connected to the episodes’ intentions as it interconnects them with the characters. Even the characters themselves often question about certain purposes and the actions they take. The most noticeable character is Yoshino as she is the leader and surprisingly enough, she does possess leadership skills. As the leader, Yoshino wonders about her purpose as Queen of Manoyama and carries a big burden on her shoulders. What impresses me about Yoshino is that she always wants to improve. Whether it’s success or failure, Yoshino is a girl with a determined attitude and gets back up when life knocks her down. And that’s what it takes to be successful in life. On the other hand, the overlay of the plot sometimes feels lacking with anticlimactic resolutions. I also have to admit that the sub-plots in this show could need more work for improvement.

The other characters in the show each have their own distinctive roles as well. Shiori is a member of the tourist board so compared to others, she has more knowledge about Manoyama. Maki, the inspiring actress, struggles to secure a job and in some ways, I think her role in the show is very relatable to others. The idea of trying to obtain a dream job is something I’m sure most of us can relate to. Then, there’s Ririko, an isolated girl that locks herself away from society. She has low self-esteem and serves as the antithesis of a tourist. Finally, I have to admit that Sanae’s role in this show is perhaps the most mature among the main cast. With her experience from working from Tokyo previously, she can be seen as a de facto leader. In essence, these characters’ roles individually define them and amplifies personalities. It also does a neat job with clever background storytelling. Even some of the minor characters outside of the main circle gets spotlight in this show. For instance, Ushimatsu Kadota, the board and director of Manoyama often makes Koharu and the others perform difficult tasks. Erika, a sharp witted girl brings in a lot of the drama in the latter half of the show. Among the tourists, it’s also rather intriguing to see their interests.

On many different fronts, I think Sakura Quest delivered its entertaining values just right without missing its mark. The comedy comes out naturally and doesn’t feel like it’s forced down viewers’ throats. This is accomplished with the usage of the show’s mascot, the chupacabra. Entomophobia also becomes a source of humor with certain characters. In addition, I think it’s important to realize that the tourist attractions themselves contain entertainment value as the main cast tries to make the most of them. Whether it’s success or failure, it’s how we see these characters strive to improve themselves and make Manoyama a better place. It inspires hope and the show has a strong attitude.

The studio does it again. P.A. Works’ production quality is sharply appealing with its effective coloring, character models, and backgrounds. Manoyama is actually based on Nanto city in the Toyama Prefecture in Japan so it come as no surprise that some of the buildings and backgrounds look similar. Character designs looks mature for their age and doesn’t rely on cheap cardboard fan service to bring them to life. In addition, the show also decoratively make the characters look attractive as many of the female cast wears diverse clothing each episode. Character expressions aren’t over exaggerated but instead reliable as it’s cleverly timed.

Even the soundtrack for the majority of this anime makes sense and invites attention whenever it’s used. Theme songs has a very coming of age feel and rhythm. The OST is cleverly paced that matches each scene to bring the most out of them while character voice mannerism really sounds convincingly real. Koharu’s voice plays an important role as she is the Queen and I must admit, the VA performed her role quite well to bring her character to life. Among others, Maki also impressed me as her voice matches her personality perfectly. As I took notice of this show more and more, it really has a lot of personality and each episode showcase of that with its character voices.

Sakura Quest is an underrated gem that probably slipped from the radar this year. Some of P.A. Works’ series delivered questionable content in recent years but Sakura Quest proves that their original anime can still be valuable. The show takes many thoughtful ideas and molds them together to create this insightful story. With its strong circle of characters, realistic storytelling, creative themes, and high production elements, it really brings a golden slice of life anime that can be recommendable to almost anyone. With 25 episodes, you can sit back and relax to enjoy this with its easy pacing. The show is like a quest that takes these characters and embarks them on a life journey.

“A place is only as good as the people you know in it. It's the people that make the place.”

P.A. Works did it again! With a fresh and enjoyable concept Sakura Quest managed to distinguish itself from the regular seasonal shows through its original concept . With lovely and adorable characters, with an emotional and soothing atmosphere, Sakura Quest is an anime that focuses on promoting tourism in a rural area called Manoyama.

A story is always passed down from a person to another during the passing time. Sakura Quest makes no exception to this rule and each ... character has his own story to tell. Their stories filled with happy or sad memories, filled with regret, filled with on spot decisions, filled with experience or reckless youth, filled with morals and lessons are the essence of Sakura Quest. What makes Manoyama a place to live are not the houses or buildings but the people. With this in mind Sakura Quest presents the lifestyle and experiences of the people who give a reason and meaning for why Manoyama needs to be saved.

Let’s talk about the characters, who without them the story cannot be passed down in Sakura Quest. Different circumstances and experiences led our 5 main female characters to meet with each other and work together. Despite having different points of view and personalities they influenced each other in a good way discovering what they really love to do for the common goal they set their minds on .The anime does a great job of fleshing out their characters during each task they do for the purpose of promoting tourism. It also takes advantage of that and explores the surroundings presenting the mundane lifestyle of its inhabitants. Manoyama and the people who live there are peeled of their secrets just like the skin of an apple. I like how they used a local legend passed down through generations to flesh out Riri’s character and create an emotional attachment between her story and the viewers:” The dragon, surrounded by friends, smiled just a little”.

Manoyama holds different meanings for each character, for outsiders like Koharu and Sanae is a place where they can find their own identity, a place where they found their true selves and what they like to do after running from the suffocating life of Tokyo. For people who spend all their life in Manoyama it means everything to them putting a value on the traditions held there. Manoyama is also a place where people found love and established a family, a place of meeting and farewells. You can notice from each characters experience and story how Manoyama holds a special place in their heart.

Sakura Quest values patience, perseverance and innovation during the process of change that Manoyama goes through. Although the mindset of the people and the system cannot be changed overnight it takes time to do that, the small steps that our characters achieve during each task later on will have a great contribution for the whole image. The bounds and how each character works as a whole to make the change possible for their hometown is one of the strong points that Sakura Quest is worth praising for.

One of my favorites themes that I must mentioned is the conflict between modernism and traditionalism but also the collaboration between those two. They are portrayed through the stubbornness of a woodcarver's work who is used as the first step for the Sakura Pond project . Another good example would be how they used the modern technology to improve the current lifestyle of the old population from Manoyama thus making their daily activities easier.

The characters art style is adorable and gives a soothing feeling to your heart, the details used for the background scenery and buildings captivates your eye and takes you into a fleeting state of melancholy, the relaxing and slow paced ost combined with the characters story creates an emotional atmosphere and manages to steal your tears away and put a smile on your face. As the story progresses you will fall in love with them and they will hold a special place in your heart .

Sakura Quest is the perfect medicine after having a hard day, it manages to put a smile on your face, it motivates you and makes you cheer for the boldness and reckless characters, it takes you away on a trip of feels combined with relaxing ost and stunning visuals and in the end it gives you a lesson about life, decisions and a lot of morals to learn from them. Thank you P.A. Works for such a great anime!

Sakura Quest is one of many in the line of adult work life focused designed by PA Works. It's in the same vein as Shirabako and many who watch it draw comparisons between the two of them, however, they aren't all that similar and ultimately while Shirabako works, Sakura Quest doesn't.

Sakura Quest has a really neat idea. The idea of these young women all with different backgrounds coming together to help out this town is a good basis. It's not overdone and it works well with the story that Sakura Quest is trying to tell. However, the execution of that story was missing. While there ... are good moments that are able to detail the decay that happens as everyone moves to the city and what to do about it, there is also a lot of wasted time. A lot of it. Some episodes aren't able to make that point as well, or can't execute it. There is also a lot of plot filler. While those "filler" episodes are more notable for the characters, they do stall the plot, and sometimes it feels like the group is running around in circles rather than moving forward. In fact felt like a whole lot of circling and not a whole lot of getting anywhere. Furthermore, some of the plans that they have are pretty terrible or don't seem to aid in renewing the own at all. It feels like this interesting plot idea never fully got the focus and power that it could have in the end.

Furthermore, it lacks in feel, while shows like Akiba's Trip capture the busyness and obsession of Akihabara, and Non Non Boyuri captures the life of the sticks, Sakura Quest doesn't capture the life of its small decaying town. While it's obvious that it is one and I don't feel true immersion into the town itself. And for a show that is about that town, it's a problem.

The characters are really hit or miss. While they are given enough room to grow at times, it does feel like their development is often uncut by other plot lines or the annoying parts that surround some of the episodes. Some of the side characters can be really annoying. Some of the male characters in particular act in pretty annoying ways, that seem to do nothing more but point out how pathetic they are. One or two would have been fine but a lot of minor Sakura Quest characters fill this role, the worst of the lot being a serial butt grabber. Added onto that it can sometimes go for cliches in the worst of way. While Sakura Quest is trying to tell a more serious story it would insert in these childish cliches with no added value from them. They're played completely straight and completely generically. While it might have worked in a more childish show, the confliction and annoyance between these elements and Sakura Quest's more serious ideas didn't work well overall. While the characters did develop and grow, I never felt an attachment to that development, nor did I feel much from it. The execution of those moments was bland and lackluster, which is disappointing because if they were done right they could have been really good.

The presentation is standard and it doesn't really help with the standard feel that it has. It never really excels at any point, and sadly that's too it's weakness. If it were more stylized I think it might have portrayed the town more accurately and powerfully. This show needed some richness to it. Each part was built up so blandly. And while that might reflect their idea of what their city was like... I don't think that's true. Each city has its own character and unique life to it. And while they explain some of that they don't fully express it. I can't feel the richness of it. It's the same with the characters. I can see some good development, but I can't feel it. And without being able to feel it, it doesn't work. It was a nice attempt and it had some good points to it, but ultimately I don't think it lived up to what it could have done.

Sakura Quest an anime that shows us the simplicity of the life. We don't need fights, powers, weird plots to like a story. We just need a connection with the characters and a story that creates a living relationship with us.

How many times have we confronted problems, challenges, and feelings that affect our decisions and all around us? Sakura Quest answers that question and gives us an example in a very creative way. One day we hate our work, and the next we could start loving it as happened with Yoshino and this group of women with unique skills that complement between them. The need ... to save Manoyama united this group, and they will fight hard for a common purpose on a daily basis. No matter their failures or the challenge this group will continue fighting to achieve their goal.

The art is marvelous. They add several details to all the persons involved in the animation. They didn't try to create a fantastic weird animation. They focused on the simplicity. Their goal was showing an animation that could be compared with our real life, and they succeeded.

The soundtrack, the OP and ED songs from both seasons are good. The sound mix is well executed on the right time. The combination of music and narrative highlights the emotions of the characters. The correct pacing created a fluid motion combined with a beautiful soundtrack that reflects the talent of the production group.

The characters could be the strongest part of this animation. I consider them as ordinary persons with some remarkable skills but with problems and fears. Yoshiko is a girl that arrived at Manoyama from a big a city, and she isn't satisfied with being there. She has a significant change after some time, similar to us when we arrive at a new unexplored place. After all, we are human beings that aren't perfect as these characters, but we could change our mind and our emotions no matter the adversities. Same with the other part of the cast that is simple but with their problems and differences.

The final MAL score doesn't give a real merit to this animation. Someone could consider this plot boring and tedious, but the point of the anime is the experiences on a regular daily basis and the hard work needed to complete a goal no matter how simple it is. I recommend that you watch the first episodes and don't give up with this animation, it is worth the time.

Even though just a fifth of the season has aired and it's far too soon to mete out judgement on anything, I'm writing this because I noticed a dearth of previews - I hope this can offer some insight on those who are wondering whether to pick this show up or not.

As one can judge by the cover, this show features an all-female main cast with designs very reminiscent of Shirobako, which is arguably P. A. Works' best title; they might be trying to re-create that magic, albeit in a wildly different setting. If you liked that show, and want more of Cute Adults Doing ... Responsible Things (with Pink Miyamori this time!), you should definitely give this a go.

Elaborating on the setting: The MC ends up being appointed as the 'Queen' of a rural town which had once styled itself as the Kingdom of Chupakabura, in an ill-fated attempt to re-invigorate its dying tourism industry. We follow her as she attempts to bring it back to life with the help of her newly-made friends and some peculiar townsfolk. It presents a fine puzzle to the viewers, which serves as a vehicle to introduce themes like rural depopulation, urban vs. rural life, the quiet decay of traditional art, tradition vs. avant-garde, and something as universal as finding a purpose in life.

If you like slow-burning Slice of Life shows with less drama, more natural conversation, lots of interspersed comedy and characters who are interesting because they feel real, this is for you. You can find your weekly dose of wholesomeness here. Tentatively 8/10 overall.

P.S.: The only fanservice you will find here is that the main cast gets a rich and varied wardrobe. Hey, just like in real life!

Can a clueless woman who failed about 30 job interviews revive a town?

I began this series entirely clueless and not knowing what I'll get. So what did I get?

Sakura Quest is pretty much the anime version of how Tourist Board ( workers ) work. It's pretty scary how realistic this is, but at the same time I'm also quite happy as these kind of stuff are hard to find. What's even better is the fact that this is 25 episodes.

Despite being categorized as comedy, this show wasn't funny at all. It was pretty serious most of the time and I never recall laughing ... or giggling. The only thing I recall was me nearly crying many times. That's about it.

If you're looking for a true Slice of Life then this is just for you. No idea why the rating is so low. I think it was amazing. If you're looking for comedy, however. Don't come. There's no comedy here.

Story : 9/10
Actually, this one based on a personal taste. I enjoyed to watch this anime because I like work genre anime. Especially if MC live and work in village or mountain area. Just like Hanasaku Iroha, Barakamon, etc. So the first story is nice, a girl who cannot find a job in Tokyo go to Manoyama to becoma a Queen in local area (Who can expect this one? lol), found some friends and interesting things with a job in there.

Art : 8.5/10
Who can deny this one? P.A. Works original anime art always attractive in my eyes. Remember Shirobako character art or Hanasaku Iroha ... nature art? P.A. Works keep their quality in this aspect. Just for info, I started want to watch this anime after I saw Yoshino standing on the ricefield with coronet in her head posters. (^^)

Sound : 10/10
Yeah, this one I can help it. But from the start, the opening song and video was so good. I just think I won't ever skip the opening for Sakura Quest. It's not only opening, BGM or sound effect also well done. And it's not stop there, Sakura Quest also give us a beautiful ending song.

Character : 7/10
It's not that bad actually, just because all of 5 warriors character actually seen in other anime. Yoshino as an energetic girl, Shiori as an airhead girl, Ririko as a silent girl, Sanae as adult girl, and Maki as a cool girl. Actually I need some new character in this anime. As I expect in P.A. Works original work anime. So it's good, but I expect something new in this anime.

Enjoyment : 8/10
I just don't know yet how to say about this one. Because I just watch 5 episodes yet. But so far this show really interesting for me. As I said, it always based on personal taste. But this one actually potential enough to become one of best working anime in the future.

Overall : 9/10
Maybe for some people, this show is a kind of boring (I'm not making an irony for one of the threads) but If u want to watch working anime, slice of life in the village anime, or want to know how interesting to live in japanese village, I recommend this one.

This anime totally underrated gems. it is different that usual setting. no high school girls, no fantasy, no romance etc all is focused on adult main character in realistic life. Actually just rewatched it again after 4 years and overall from production quality to storyline all still hold up well even up against latest anime. I'll try to elaborate without too much spoilers.


This anime bring few of notable parallel theme that contrast each other, being playout through whole season where it touch stuff that people could related to our real adult life. whats great more is both side of contrast is not wrong.:

1. Abnormal vs ... Normal - the main character Koharu Yoshino and other related character didnt want live her life as 'normal' as other people, meanwhile through the story, there are peoples who not bother to be abnormal, and prefer to be normal who enjoy being as one. both side not wrong. there also self acceptance for example is character like Ririko who is totally different than others. she always wondering if it okay if she is a weird. but everyone need just to be themself. these unique character is not something wrong to behave at.

2. Outsider vs Local - outsider, who unknown to local tradition and way to do things, can see things and doing things differently vs local who some of it reject different way or cant see other path. for example the main character is outsider, who can do stuff only outsider can and see. to revitalize the town, they need both local and outsider way of doing things. local also has their way which is outsiders cant do. both side are needed each other for example Shiori who do what her can as local while Koharu and Sanae doing things that they can as outsider.

3. City vs Rural - this is one of main element being played for whole season. Mayonama, a rural area is pale in comparison to city of hope like Tokyo where lot of chances waiting. The main character Koharu also from countryside who also move to Tokyo due to this reason. Other character like Erika also want to go out meanwhile there is others like Shiori or Maki's brother Kosuke who prefer stay in the area while his sister Maki and Sanae run from city into countryside for various reason. the parallel situation tell of how both side each has their own pro and cons.

4. Change vs Stagnate - this is relate to point 2. as countryside full of elder people, where lack of booming bussiness, some people prefer change. even the presiden Ushimatsu also used to longed for change. but there is people who prefer things stay as they are. the folks who already like what they currently have and didnt bother to change. Preserving both side is important as part of the main character challenge.



then later there is stronger theme that gonna play role in changing Mayonama atmosphere and lot of character's development

1. Flow of time - even how much they prefer to stay like how they currently are, they cant change flow of time. trend changing, some change inevitable. some choose to adapt but some choose to let things happens. both not wrong as both prefer the way it end up. the town of Mayonama for example has less of people shopping around due to big convinience store, lack of younger people attraction, lot of young people migrate to city didnt take over their family bussiness etc. some youngster return home and open shop. some elder however prefer let things as there are, even they end up closed. some even pass away. they rather enjoy life moderately everyday.

2. Must able to accept change - this is the core message being send for whole storyline. it related to the town folklore about an outsider dragon girl who been chased out by local. however the true story is the local actually welcoming the outsider and want to share her wisdom. the villagers dancing to welcome here but the dragon mistaken for them to get angry and she later die alone retreated in cave. this is message been told. the Mayonama town must accept outsider. originally it part of their culture. Ririko's grandmother for example didnt like outsider. some of villagers against changing. but the tales told that their ancestor didnt hesitate to learn from outsider and change themself, adapt throught the time. these been told until the final episode where Ririko sing the missing song of the folklore.

all these element could relate strongly with audience age 20s or even 30s.

whats great more, not just major plot, but side plot and lot of side character has 'closure' to their role. even if just a side character. each of them has their own character development outside of main characters which is something rare. Sandal-san for example finally find his root. Kumano and Sayuri finally dating. Amamiya, finally has his redemption. Ushimatsu finally drive out tv host who played them before. The town policeman finally found love. Doku, Ushimatsu and Chitose finally fullfill their promise after 50 years. its like everyone is changing. the town overall is changing

overall story is fun, soothing and warm anime. the ending is one of anime that i could feel empty after watch. whats more, not merely end of the story but also signify the end of main character journey in the place which is already become her second home. audience also get attached to the place. the final where she left the place from train station is one of best ending that left lot of feeling for audience.

all plot, character development stuff, whats important is ability to connect with audience which is this anime nailed it with characters, plot, humor and location.

overall it has lot of deep meaning included in the story and overall audience definitely can see the love and passionate the animation staff put here. "Working series" is specialty of P.A Works and here they show their expertise while always showcase beautiful art and music alongside interesting character and plot.

totally underrated anime, story must not necessary explosive, or strong in emotion but sometimes relaxing, moderate element like this als could hit hard. definitely one of best P.A Works masterpiece.

What does it take to revive an nearly abandoned town?

P.A Works is at it again with their working girls...working this time for the tourism industry and looking at the lives of 5 girls, one a "queen" and 4 ministers to rejuvenate an almost abandoned town.

Those 5 girls are the queen Yoshino Koharu wanting something special and failing to get a job in Tokyo accidentally gets hired for a one year contract to Manoyama. Sanae Kouzuki voiced by Mikako Komatsu who is a fellow Tokyonite and is efficient in IT-related works, Maki Midorikawa voiced by Chika Anzai, an actress with broken ambitions and had ... many part time jobs, Ririko Oribe voiced by Chiemi Tanaka, a shy hikkomori with a fascination towards the occult, finally Shiori Shinomiya voiced by Reina Ueda a staff member of the Manoyama Town Tourism Bureau who helps Yoshino with her endeavors to rejuvenate the town.

Throughout the anime and many situations they develop not only these 5 girls that also reflect on the state of Manoyama but as well as the many side characters such as Ushimatsu Kadota voiced by Atsushi Ono who is the leader of the Manoyama Town Tourism Bureau who screwed up with the chupacabra scthick even before Koharu arrived in Manoyama, Chitose Oribe voiced by Maki Izawa who severely dislikes Kadota's tourism antics, Erika Suzuki voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa a bratty teenager who's sick of the countryside town to Kindaichi voiced by Masashi Nogawa who wants a girlfriend and Alexandre Cena Davis Celibidache or Sandal-san voiced by Vinay Murthy who wanders Manoyama in search for something he's usually with the 5 girl's antics at times.

Sanae's development is really what happens when your stalling for your future will fade from memory and be what she was before she got recruited by Koharu. Sanae was and by the most part LA's favourite character because of her revelation because LA could relate to her ALOT, looking more to the past than looking to the future thus stifling her place in the world and even after her "arc", she still got some witty comments and was still important in certain differing arcs like the outer-town elderly village where they tried to "connect" elderly to technology in which even that mini arc tells alot of cross generational gap when it comes to technology and bringing light to the elderly in a growing town.

Maki's development is although LA thinks this is a smart tongue in cheek in P.A Work's part but it has reflections of Chika Anzai's career, mainly because Maki was in a theatre troupe much like Chika Anzai before she got picked up by an acting agency. Maki faces her fears to go all the way as it were in trying to be an actress and her arc works towards the Dragon Song and gives us some world building and backstory to Manoyama's cultural history which reflects to Manoyama's isolated mentality it had to the Dragon Song in opening up to outsiders (aka. Koharu is STRONGLY suggested to reflect the Dragon Song.) Maki's main contribution to the anime is more to Manoyama's history through the Dragon Song.

Ririko Oribe development is essentially her finding a purpose in life and wanting to see the rest of the world however with her grandmother Chitose keeping her in check so she can take over her traditional snack store instead. Ririko does have a link to Maki as she helped her become a singer and actor but ultimately her purpose to the anime was an audience proxy to those who have lived in the countryside for the majority of their life but wanting to see more but is barred by family and planned out their lives for them.

Shiori Shinomiya development is like Koharu's goal to rejuvenate Manoyama, however she also faces issues when dealing with living in an almost abandoned towns. She and her family has been in Manoyama and she is happy in Manoyama and wants to see Manoyama grow for the better but she clashes in beliefs with Erika, as Shori sees all the good things in an abandoned town as her family lives here and is mostly positive about the situation in comparison to Erika's more cynical look at living at an abandoned town when most teenagers at her age would look to the city to survive and see a more active environment.

Finally we have Koharu who is the entire catalyst in shaping and reconstructing Manoyama into a great tourism spot. As LA aforementioned that Koharu is portrayed in the Dragon Song, she does have wacky ideas in trying to get exposure to Manoyama however her development does focus on her "normalness" but also how Manoyama's exposure can used in a good or horrible light. Such as the case of the TV exposure Manoyama gets (and you KNOW what happens when the main characters don't have full control of their TV program) and with a concert trampling on the culture Manoyama had for a rock concert turns into mindless exposure. Whereas reviving the culture of Manoyama through a real cultural experience of a local defunct festival (which ties back to Kadota and Chitose's past) does for exposure done right.

If you just haven't noticed but LA just loves the character development to Sakura Quest as not only does each of the character arcs ties to other characters, but they also bring in Manoyama cultural lore as well as some "generations gap" messages and the capitalization of cities that causes these abandoned towns to become more rampant that become very profound and makes you resonate with these characters and you want them succeed so the culture of towns and their people will live on.

P.A Works did a fantastic job in animation, from the exotically detailed characters designs in which even their character wardrobes changes alot, to their typically great backgrounding, the animation was overall above average to amazing and bets of all consistent. Sure in later episodes, there are dips in quality though rare but nonetheless LA still saw the animation to be outstanding.

Voice acting wise, LA loved the majority of voice actors with some surprises like Tomoyo Kurosawa as a bratty snarky character role when she was Kumiko Oumae, some adorable ones from Reina Ueda (as usual) and some typical ones like Mikako Komatsu but even with the great voice cast, LA just loved Ayaka Nanase who voiced Koharu, LA can't pinpoint why LA loves her voice but there's a certain cadence to her that makes her vocal range to be diverse and wider ranging all wrapped up as Koharu. Ohh and Vinay Murthy who voiced Sandal-san, he did a great job as him with great Japanese and English accenting and all round some witty lines he gets.

As for the finale, LA was nearly in tears by the end of it god damn it Kadota you got LA to shed some tears and seriously a rare few animes actually did that to LA. *ahem* emotional things aside, LA did accept Koharu's and heck even the 4 other ministers' future plans and it definitely worked in their development as well as showing some resolution to the rest of the cast. As much of an emotional finale it took, it's definitely one that ended it in a most graceful and concluding manner.

Sakura Quest maybe an anime about 5 girls trying to rejuvenate a nearly abandoned town and yes it does it that as a base, but it's also about a society's culture and how it's affected by capitalization, it's about the generation gap and how it can both mend and hurt families or people, it's about looking to the future. P.A Works did an amazing job with this anime original, from their memorable characters, thoughtful character development, Manoyama historical lore, current real life worries to a capitalizing mindset, amazing animation and voice acting and a great finale. Sakura Quest is by far LA's favourite anime for Spring 2017 and a strong contender for best anime for 2017.

I'm not a big anime watcher, to be honest, I probably watched less than ten animes during my life. Among those animes I've watched, the majority of them was about fighting, magical powers and this sort of stuff. And that's probably the reason why Sakura Quest had such a different impact on me.
Sakura Quest is not about great and powerful people, goddesses, or anything, it's a show about "normal" people and how they struggle to find their way in life.

The plot is really simple, yet imersive, it's just about a group of very different girls trying to find their way in life. Sakura quest has ... a
really nice message for the young adult audience, telling you that it is okay if you haven't found anything you're really passionate about, it's okay to feel like you're just a number inside a company and wanting to change your life radically (and it's also okay if you like the simplicity of your life the way it is), but the truth is that in the end, you can find your way if you really try.

The characters are a great point of the show, not just the main cast, the whole cast is amazing. There's lot's of different personalties, which grow up as the episodes go on. It's impossible to watch Sakura Quest and don't see yourself in one (or more) characters.
Now, about the art, while there are better animes when talking about the drawing of the characteres, the landscapes are really pretty and serene, capturing the beauty of the Japanese coutryside.

Another thing that I really appreciate was the sound. The voice acting (I watched the English dubed version) was simply perfect! The musics were also amazing, I can't stop listening to the opening and ending songs of the show.

The ending episode was really heartwarming - I literelaly teared up watching it - just to seal this beautiful piece of art.

Sakura Quest is - handsdown - the best anime show I've ever watched.

An anime about what it means to be invisible-- which leads to well-earned tears and beautiful discovery.

It feels like a travesty just even bringing up the fact of which Sakura Quest is one of the most (if not THE MOST) underrated creations out there as it feels like describing something that really is not what it is. However, it is better to dissect Sakura Quest not as a hidden gem but as a piece of narrative dealing with a relatively uncharted subject matter. The whole narrative revolves around a college fresh graduate named Koharu Yoshino who just can't score any first paying job at all. ... It does not mean that she has no potential (or even worth) as a future member of the workforce-- she just can't help but slip under the radar (even with that pink hair of hers). One day, out of desperation and failure to read the fine line, she becomes a tourist ambassador for a rural area named Manoyama-- which is neither a traditional village (they have Internet there) nor is it a utopia (the shopping district is basically a Zombie Shibuya). It is soon palpable that the lost girl and Manoyama have one thing in common: both are dealing with being invisible-- and that's where things get very fascinating.

Yes, being invisible sometimes sucks but nothing is ever straightforward-- especially when it comes to human being. Some Manoyama locals actually don't mind being invisible because they have understood all too well the price it pays to be under the spotlight. While there are locals that are still optimistic and would like to shine a light on their hometown and all of its hidden glory, Manoyama is too colorful to finally agree on one unifying sentiment. However, with Koharu and her 'royal ministers', each difference is tackled, each doubt is confronted, and each struggle is worth enduring. Not every plan shall work out but at least someone is there and cares enough to come up with a plan.

Even though it seems similar, Sakura Quest is not in the same group as rural-flavored anime such as Barakamon or Non Non Biyori. From the get-go, Manoyama is not exactly a fairy tale palace and regardless of the historical values and enchanting nature, there are plenty of others like that across Japan. So what is it then that makes something that is usually invisible become, well, visible? Sakura Quest cannot promise the audience the answer but gosh, it is truly a question worth finding answer for.

#felixlovesanime

Sakura Quest is a show about two major themes, which it manages to balance incredibly well: firstly, the slow death-spiral of small towns and their way of life as massive urban sprawl sucks away both resources and people. Second, that growing up and becoming an adult and dealing with the issues of self-image and worth that come with entering the workplace can be both a difficult rite of passage and something to be enjoyed.

When this show aired, I was still in college. Having left school and looked for a job since then, I relate more than ever to Yoshino's struggles: her difficulty in spreading her ... wings and striking out on her own is something that I think most adults can relate to, even those who've found success. Moreover, it's an important step in growing as a person, something that I think the show really excels at.

While I've never lived in a small town and primarily experienced them as passing blips on the highway, I can say that the message about the decline of smaller towns resonates less with me, but I think it's still important to consider. The great, interconnected globalised world is not the only way of living, and there's a certain humble charm about the unique issues that small towns face that can use a lot of attention. Things like the accessibility of senior citizens or issues of rural internet connection (something that's become a contentious issue in the US as well) can often go overlooked in the short-attention-span world we find ourselves in.

This is a show that puts a lot of earnestness and thought into it characters and setting, and for that, I truly do think it's a masterpiece. It's not perfect--no show is--but I really do think it has some essential themes, and I'd recommend this to just about anyone who's ever struggled with trying to figure out just...how they're supposed to be an adult.

Summary: If you simply want a spoiler-free recommendation about whether or not to watch this show, I will provide you with this brief summary. If you enjoy workplace Slice of Life shows, especially of the much more low-energy, laid-back variety with plenty of well-timed humour sprinkled throughout yet still present with emotionally compelling themes, this is your show. If you enjoy watching a show about young adults trying to find their way in life like Shirobako (which may have led you here, but don't expect the same high-energy intensity), especially via strong bonds of friendship forged through mutual struggle, then this is your ... show. If you enjoy a peaceful, serene, and well-written story about finding happiness in these struggles, even when they don't always turn out how you want, then this. Is. Your. Show. I strongly recommend it. There will be feels. Much feels. I will not claim that the show is perfect, but it mostly does right.

If you want a more in-depth look at my feelings towards it, dig in for the long haul and continue reading. I break it up into the first section, which talks about the messaging and meaning behind the show, and a second section which looks briefly at the technical merits of it.


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Sakura Quest is third in line of PA Works "working women" line of shows, not necessarily directly linked in story, but in spirit. I've seen many people go into this show therefore expecting something akin to a Shirobako 2.0, and I can tell you that if you are expecting such a thing, you will only hinder your own enjoyment of this show. This show is not Shirobako, it is not Hanasaku Iroha, it carves out its own identity and it is better for it. It shares with Shirobako the basic setup of 5 young adult women working at trying to get their careers off the ground, but lacks its energy and absurdist, rose-tinted optimism, and it shares the more serene and slow paced country setting of Hanasaku Iroha without having the same laser focus on the MC. That's really where the major similarities end. So if you're curious about the path Sakura Quest has struck on its own, then I implore you to keep reading; you might find something worthwhile!

First off, this show has some really excellent messaging and themes to work with. Sakura Quest on the surface has some pretty basic story setup initially (for the first half); it gives each girl their own arc of struggles to develop them, which all tie back into the over-arching story of them trying to revive a small country town. These arcs can, at times, feel a bit isolated from the whole of the story, but by the end of the show and more tightly focused second half, I realized that they weren't really so disjointed. This is due to one of the major themes of the show I came to realize: understanding that lack of success isn't necessarily failure and appreciating little successes and opportunities that do come your way. Life isn't always easy, it isn't always fair, and things will rarely go the way you plan them to or desire them to, but at the end of the day it is all we have and we have to make the best of it with all of our beloved family and friends. This stands in stark contrast to the more fairy-tale like story of Shirobako where perseverance will find you success and lead you to your goals in the end! Sakura Quest doesn't play that game. Being an adult doesn't mean you get what you want, it often means being happy with what you have and adapting to the unexpected. This, in my opinion, is the biggest takeaway from Sakura Quest, and more importantly, what initially ties all of these arcs together and makes them feel a lot more cohesive than may originally be apparent, especially once it all starts folding back into the main thrust of the story: reviving the town.

For those of you old enough to have had plenty of hard knocks in life, you're aware of what it means to keep going past these issues, to find those new doors, new pathways that open before you as others close. As a result, watching Sakura Quest can often be a cathartic, albeit sometimes melancholic, experience. The girls struggle to find their way on the path to figuring out where they are appreciated; often their dreams are crushed ruthlessly in front of them despite their best efforts. This doesn't stop them from finding their own happiness though. Carving out your own place in life despite these failures is what makes us stronger, and I think the writing and storytelling of Sakura Quest does an excellent job of relaying these struggles in an appreciable way. It isn't in your face about this message, instead choosing to pleasantly weave this tapestry throughout the entire show's length on a fine spider silk that resonates more in your gut than your conscious. You don't have the characters spelling out their emotions, but instead see them forge forward, constantly dodging all the blows life tries to deal them in their hunt for fulfilment and friendship. It all feels very heartfelt, honest, and emotionally raw. Often the girls find themselves struggling with situations and issues we all do in life, and it really helps you want to cheer them on and keeps you engaged in the story. It makes the show feel very grounded, even despite some contrived circumstances and zany adventures. I wouldn't say every situation in the show is completely realistic, it is an anime after all and shenanigans will be had, but even the silly scenarios presented were very cleverly analogous to many of our own issues in life. This emotional depth hearkens back to the main theme of finding fulfilment in yourself, even if your outward goals haven't work out perfectly.

This emotional depth, this tangible empathy I speak of also starts tying into the other major theme of the show: acceptance of change and different cultures/people. I see a lot of people watch this show complain that they don't enjoy seeing a lack of progress from the girls or side-cast in terms of the main objective of reviving the town. People will say this really bogs down the pacing, makes the whole thing feel pointless, and creates lack of satisfaction in the viewer. I think that is a clear example of missing the forest for the trees and missing this second major theme of the show entirely. The girls' goal is to revive the town, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have to drastically increase its population, or increase tourism, or raise its revenue, which by all accounts they have failed to do. In the case of this show, much of the "revival" the girls discovered was most important was more about simply having the townspeople be proud of their unique cultural flavour and maintaining it within them. Things could change externally such as town boundaries, the name, the buildings, even the people, but as long as someone there remembered their culture and unique history, then it lives on in their hearts. This change shouldn't be feared, it should be embraced and used to help the townspeople grow, but that doesn't mean they have to give up their memories and cultural pride. This theme of the show is exemplified in the Dragon Song which very much talks about acceptance of outsiders, of other cultures, and learning from them. Yoshino, the "MC" of this show, is originally an outsider. Even after her job is finished in the end, she still considers herself an outsider, but one that is accepted and welcomed by the community. This is not the success the girls originally sought out, but it is a kind of success, and it is an emotional triumph for them as well as the town.

This second theme is often demonstrated with the secondary cast of the show, which is quite rich and deep. They all have their own personalities and they all feel wonderful and developed by the end, or at least as much as a secondary cast tends to get. More importantly, they all make this wonderful little country town feel lived in. This really sells the environment of the show and does more to immerse you in it. This seems to be a very strong point in most of these shows from PA Works, the excellent handling of an ensemble cast that leaves many other studios and directors reeling to balance. The Direction of the last few episodes was especially strong in this regard and really helped the messaging of the show and emotions of its characters resonate with the viewer, so props to Souichi for that satisfying wrap-up. This of course leads wonderfully into the next technical section, starting with the characters.


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The cast of this show is incredibly diverse and interesting, with PA Works flexing their large-cast muscles again. Of the 5 main cast, I would suggest that Yoshino is actually the weakest sell of the bunch, as her story is largely one of aimless wandering amongst a sea of personality. She kind of got the short end of the stick there and plays off mainly as the genki fit girl of the show. It's okay though, because the rest of this well-handled giant cast is all quite compelling. With the other four girls we have Maki, a struggling actor with some familial issues, Sanae, a techie web-designer and big-city girl stuck in a small town not sure what to do with her skills, Ririko, a small town girl who starts out incredibly shy but full of dry wit and courage, and lastly Shiori, a small-town pleasant girl working for the tourism board that loves her town and all of its history. All of these girls, as previously mentioned, get their own stories and struggles which helps to reveal their true character as well as slowly expose us to the massive ensemble cast of such a small town. All these additional side characters often even get their own exploration to some degree as well, though obviously not to the extent of the main 5, and it really helps the whole thing feel... human. By the end of the show, I felt like I was leaving behind a dear group of friends, I was sad to see them go. That is the strength of these characters. They all feel unique, they all feel important, they all have an impact in some way. Their interactions are often wonderful and heart-warming and their banter is frequently hilarious. Sandal-san especially, a wandering blonde foreigner that generally only briefly talks when he's either saving the day or imparting some ancient wisdom, is a gem for so much of the series (fun fact: his full name, Alexandre Cena Davis Celibidache, is actually in the show credits as the pseudonym for the production team of the show!). Maki ended up being my favourite character though and I think her personal story was the most well fleshed-out. I was invested with her every step of the way through her trials and tribulations, and it really felt like any small success she was given was absolutely deserved. I think that goes for a lot of characters in the show and what makes them so compelling. These aren't just character archetypes we're expected to understand, they are people that earn the viewer's respect and earn that investment, all with their own hopes and dreams.

Visually the show was quite pleasing as well. The nice pastoral backgrounds often drawn up by PAs well known background art team aren't super flashy, but often allow for a very rustic, comfortable feel. I wouldn't say they are as stand-out as some of their other shows such as Nagi no Asukara, but they were always consistent and helped push the feel and emotions of the show. I always like the details PA Works likes to put into drawing scenes to make them feel more alive, be it beautiful cherryblossom trees flowering and shedding or just random items in a room to make it feel lived-in. There were definitely times where they seemed a bit phoned in though, which was unfortunate. The background work in their cabin quarters is one such example, and occasionally it could be distracting if you really focused on it. Fortunately they had PA Works legendary character designer Kanami Sekiguchi along with BUNBUN to make the main performers of the show always wonderful to look at! The amount of work that went into character design seemed to me to be astronomical. Every single character had their own unique and defined look, and every character often had dozens of unique clothing/outfits, which must have been a labour of love to draw up. It was wonderful to see how many new outfits would pop up in any given episode and it really helped the characters feel like more than just colourful projections. The animation for the most part was decent and consistent as well, with a few standout moments. It was never mind blowing but it served the show well enough. There were a distinct couple of episodes where it seemed out-sourcing shenanigans were wreaking havoc, but due to PA's pretty awesome quality control, it was never so bad as to be distracting. These were exceptions though in an otherwise solid effort.

The voicework was all top notch, with some stand-out performances in both the Japanese dub and English dub for Riri's character. Both Chiemi Tanaka and Brina Palencia do an amazing job during the singing scenes and I enjoy both of them greatly. I certainly can't think of any weak points from any of the other actors either. I could easily recommend either the subbed or dubbed version of this show to people with confidence. The OP/ED work by (K)NoW_NAME is absolutely fantastic and most of the insert songs meshed well with the feel of the show. I will say there was one unfortunate insert though that occasionally got played at distracting times when it wasn't even needed and hurt a couple of scenes as a result, even if just from its repetitive nature.

The story was a standard working girl type affair that anyone familiar with the Slice of Life genre should know of, but it is handled competently by the Director Souichi Masui. He navigates all the emotional currents well, trying to keep our cast busy looking for resolutions without trying to speed up the pacing to anything overbearing. It is a very slow paced show, and while many end up finding it boring as a result, I found the whole thing quite tranquil. The series composition can, as previously mentioned, feel a bit disjointed initially, but really picks up steam in the second half and finds its rhythm and flow, which eventually builds up to a satisfying emotional finish and goodbye. Plenty of callbacks to earlier in the show keep it upbeat despite the tears I had flowing at that point. The girls may not have succeeded at their stated goal on paper, but that's because the solution wasn't really what anyone in the town was expecting or originally searching for. They found deep satisfaction in their hearts in simply restoring dignity and pride to the town and its culture. That memory living on is enough to keep the town "alive", no matter what change the future brings, and its inhabitants are happy to be remembered as such. I appreciate that the story didn't go the simple route of just getting the girls from A to B, but rather showing them on their journey into adulthood, wherever that may end up. It isn't a message I think we see often enough in mainstream anime as it seems like people always want a clearly defined goal and success/failure, but that just isn't how life often goes.

Overall, my enjoyment for this show was just phenomenal. To bring up the early comparisons to Shirobako or HanaIroha, two of my favourite shows of all time, I would certainly say Sakura Quest belongs among them as one of PA Works best shows. I definitely think Sakura Quest is weaker than both of them, but not by that much. I'm very sympathetic to its message of struggle and happiness where you can find it, moreso than the themes of the other two aforementioned shows, but it was a bit less tight at times with the storytelling, characters, and artwork. On its own merit though, Sakura Quest is quite a fantastic show. I think it caters to a bit of a niche taste and would resonate a bit more with older viewers, but a strong show regardless. If you're a fan of young working adult slice of life shows in a more grounded setting, I think you owe it to yourself to at least check this show out.

As a fan of P.A Works both as a studio and as a company, I must say this show features many of the studio's own personal values which is why I belive this is one of the best shows P.A has put out there.

Story:9/10
The story features five young adult girls working in the tourism board of a small rural town trying to revive both the town and the local tourism. It has this Shirobako thing, but here is where P.A portrays its own values the most. The studio is one of fewest who doesn't have their headquarters in Tokyo, their headquarters is located in Nanto ... a rural town with arround 50,000 inhabitants. What i'm saying is the references for the show come directly from their own daily lives in the town, the wood carving district, the temples, festivals everything has a relation to Nanto. It's like a declaration of why they love their town. For more information i'd likie to reccomend Koitabi: True Tours Nanto, that is an anime P.A has made especially to show the tourism in Nanto, and also the youtube channel The Canipa Effect that has a execelent video about the studio (and it's where i got most of this info).

Art:9/10
The background art and the character designs are great just what you would expect from P.A Works. The details, colors and styles of the characters clothes are amazing.

Sound:8/10
The Soundtracks fits well the atmosphere set by the show, as well both the openings and endings performed by (K)NoW_NAME and the outstanding inserted song on Ep7 -thyme- that made me shed a tear or two.

Characters:10/10
The characters are awesome, their personalites and strengths are well portraied, and their growth from the beggining to the end of the show is so visible. Also the way they learn things with each other from the experiences they have during the show or that they had during their lives, makes you wanna cheer for their sucess all the way. Also if you like strong female characters this show has plenty of them.

Enjoyment:10/10 - Overall 9/10
For me its a great and relaxing show to watch, just the right ammount of things that make a great and enjoyable slice of life anime with something more than just routine our cute girls doing cute stuff (not that I have a problem with that). For people who like more action based shows this one may feel a little boring but for the people who are looking for a great slice of life, this one can surely fill your quota.

Story: In the beginning it's focus on Yoshino and the miscommunication from Manoyama was a good start to this show. Add in the other characters backstories throughout the series and you got a really good story.

Art and Animation: Really beautiful at times. You can tell the quality went down for some episodes and some parts but they were easily overlooked.

Sound and VA's: Honestly I wasn't a fan of any of the ops and eds but the BGM was really good. The VA's did a really good job. No problems at all.

Characters: Really enjoyable cast. Very relatable on all parts.

Enjoyment: Really enjoyed this anime. Fantastic ... Slice of Life.

Overall: I can understand why this is scored lower then I feel it should be, and how it is overlooked. It's main focus is Adults who can relate to the same problems or situations these people are facing in their everyday lives. So while it does not portray to everyone, if you're looking for a great Slice of Life where you can feel the same way these characters do I highly recommend Sakura Quest.

Reviving a town is your quest.


This was a great series, when I first heard it was about a girl that becomes queen of a town, but it wasn't what she expected I didn't know what to think. I thought maybe it was some story of a young girl that becomes queen of a real kingdom, or maybe even a isekai, but what I found ws something so so much better.

Story: at it's heart, it's about trying to help make a town better, one that is slowly disappearing as more people leave, and five people trying to help the town and journey ... they take, I very much greatly enjoyed the journey.

Art: Your usual, but has some great moments, but to me it's more then art and I could enjoy this how ever it was.

enjoyment and overall: it's a long series, two coures long, and 25 episodes, but it didn't feel that long, once I got into it I was looking forward to each weeks episode, and sad that it's over, I so hope we get some specials, and OVA's, and maybe a side story or sequel some how.

It may not be the anime of the year, or of the season. It's not even on my list of favourites, but it was a great show, one that I will cherish for a long time.

The characters were foolish, naive, full of empty enthusiasm, yet that's exactly what made them human, what made them relatable.

The plot structure showed me that you don't need a development arc for each character, instead the characters are growing all the time, learning new things, improving themselves. A human doesn't just grow for 5 days per month, he grows constantly, and that's what this show did to its characters, even ... minor ones.
Not to mention the barrage of life lessons it gave me every 10 seconds of watching.

I cried numerous times watching the show, but never out of sadness, but out of how well a plotline was written, how relatable a problem was, how pure and honest the characters' intentions were, and how the show finally ended.

I may be a bit biased, as I myself come from a country which is basically in itself a dying village, and watch it slowly vanish from existence day by day.

Thank you, PA Works, for this gaping hole in my heart you created, and this beautiful experience you taught me.

For people who really liked to watch anime and always watching anime every season im sure they can tell just from the cover, art design and the title that this anime are done by P.A works. Its just give this unique vibes just from looking from its cover and style. And just from that you already know that these guys are the real deal and everybody knows that P.A works are one of the best in this industry.

The story,art,sound,enjoyment,etc are 10/10 from me just the first 3 episode you will understand that all of your expectations gonna be fulfilled(if you like slice of life and ... P.A works style). If you like tari-tari,hanasaku iroha then you come to the right place, we all know they disappoint us once with glasslip, but you can finally get what you waiting for this time.

It is at least worth 8 point and its an hidden gem of this season
This anime isnt just about tourism and just like hanasaku iroha it tells us about a girl who work on the countryside, people giving it low score when it still ongoing and everybody expect it to be a boring anime but now it gets 8.4 point. Im not a tourism student, i dont know and dont care about tourism but what you need to know is P.A works wont give you a boring,shitty anime that tells you about tourism every episode, in this case the tourism is just the foundation of this anime and maybe just 15-20% of it. So what you`re gonna see is 80% of their magic, there will be life lessons and problems that maybe some of us can relate to it.

Summary:
It will show you a bunch of hardworking girls who once thinking that the countryside is just their place to run away from their reality,their dreams,their life and now they get this second chance to prove themself to the world and support each other. These girls once were going to tokyo to chase their dreams, searching for something that they cant find when they still lived at the countryside where they were born, and now they go back again to their starting point, now these lost girls become friends and now they started to like the countryside and without they realized they already loved the village that once they hate and they working together to make that forgotten village become once again a tourist destination, now they find a new life purpose for their empty heart all this time and answer to their unanswered life question.

I hope you can appreciate this art.

Sakura Quest is a show which lacks for nothing but marketability. Thankfully, this doesn't actually affect viewer experience. It only serves to get things noticed in a crowded market. One may ask, "How does an anime outside the usual, marketable trends get made in the first place?" That has everything to do with the production team behind it, you see.

Progressive Animation Works (hereafter P.A. Works) has a very indicative name. It's clear from the name alone that the intent of the studio was to push the medium forward. One can see several of the latest trends in anime production ... by viewing P.A. Works shows alone, though some studios are comparable in these areas. They've had at least modest success with other anime-original projects, such as Shirobako. This has seemingly emboldened them enough to take on themes which are rarely seen in anime due to demographics issues.

Sakura Quest is a story of change. It's told through familiar methods, even if the content is unfamiliar. Most of the roadmarks of the Hero's Journey are present here. It's not a bad thing to base your story on familiar building blocks. There certainly are realist works of fiction that abandon this framework, but it's a hard thing to do. For every "Madame Bovary" there are perhaps a million amateur works that fail completely on a basic level. Sakura Quest probably could not afford to have an alienating form in addition to its unfamiliar content.

As someone who grew up in a rural setting, the idea of a "ghost town" is familiar to me. They generally result from a macroeconomic change. In my home state, many were created by the coming of railroads, which put the steamboat industry out of business. It's not unusual to see abandoned gas stations in the U.S. due to the building of new roads, such as the interstate highways. Whenever a market changes significantly, there are always people and businesses left behind. In this case, there's an entire community left behind by the times.

Manoyama may be a fictional place, but its situation is one that many rural places in Japan today face. The pressures of low birthrates and continuing urbanization have led to a depopulation of rural areas. It's just this realistic setup that encourages them to embark on a very animesque solution. That is, to hire a cute girl from out of town to become a representative of the town itself and encourage tourism.

Enter our protagonist. Much like the town itself, Yoshino Koharu has been left behind by a difficult job market and a young person's lack of particular skills. Despite an initial and very understandable reluctance to take on such a strange and open-ended job, Yoshino soon takes to it like a fish to water with her can-do attitude and sheer pluck. There are many challenges on the way, and like any real-world problem there's probably no "right" solution. The first of these challenges is to get some people on her side, because she certainly isn't going to solve this problem on her own.

One would be tempted to think that the local chairman of tourism, Kadota, would be the first person in her corner, but he's more of an impediment for most of the series. Despite his age, he has a lot of growing up to do and he's living in the past to a large extent. The one good thing that can be said about him is that he's willing to change things, even if he has no idea what. The rest of the town isn't so friendly to the idea. Unsurprisingly, the people most open to change turn out to be other young people.

Because this is an anime, these other young people are cute girls in familiar archetypes. The main difference here is that these young girls are actually adults in situations not unlike Yoshino's. Sanae moved to the country hoping that country life would sound more appealing on her blog. She's the girl in glasses. Maki moved back home, unsure what to do with herself after a failed attempt at an acting career. She's the cool beauty. Shiori is the homemaker who isn't already married for some inexplicable reason. Ririko is a recent high school graduate who's living at home due to her social awkwardness. She's the kuudere. None of these girls join Yoshino without going through a character arc of their own, though.

These aren't the only characters in Sakura Quest, and I think this is one of the better parts of the show. The supporting cast is actually very large, and it creates an increased sense of community and verisimilitude. Even many of these get story arcs of their own, which fit with the overall theme of change. These also often showcase some aspect of the community and make it come alive.

This world-building is actually rather important to Sakura Quest, since it's more of a story of an entire community than a single person. Assisting in this area is the artwork, which is very clean and attractive, even when it's depicting a permanently shuttered storefront. It's easier to get emotionally invested in a beautiful place full of attractive people. There's plenty of expressive character animation too, to help the viewer get attached to the characters. It's all strung together by competent direction. There's a lot of perspective shots, and viewing angle changes as necessary to create a sense of space.

The careful construction of P.A. Works extends even to the sound. The music is excellent and fitting, and the OP/ED sequences are among the best this year has to offer. The voice acting is on-point. They even managed to find a fluent English speaker to play the recurring foreign character, Sandal, and Spanish speakers for one particular episode. All of these things combine to make a show that's easy and enjoyable to watch.

Everyone who watches anime should watch Sakura Quest. Much like the town of Manoyama, it has a lot of charm and personality of its own. It's probably too much to ask for the core anime demographic of young, urban people, especially teenage boys, to relate to its themes, but the viewing experience is good enough even if it's exploring areas totally unfamiliar to the viewer. The worst thing I could say about Sakura Quest is that it might not be quite as good as some other things I've seen, but that's nitpicking at best. In my experience, if I have to resort to this kind of argument to criticize a show, it's definitely one of the better ones.

Why did I love Sakura Quest so much? For starters it’s very relatable. Being an adult that floundered through life I can relate to our heroines trying to find their place in a world that believes they should’ve already found it. Who am I & what do I want are profound questions each must ask his/her soul and this show understands that it’s okay not to have those answers. This is in stark contrast to say a shonen epic where the main character has a clearly defined goal from day one and every step on their journey is a step towards said goal. The second ... thing I loved is that they’re all adults. Not that I’m unable to relate to high school age characters, but rather that high schoolers are immature and make decisions based on that immaturity. But adults tend to weigh and measure potential consequences before taking “radical” action. Another great thing is the fact that Manoyama isn’t a real place, so the show isn’t a 24 episode tourism advertisement. Nor does require lessons in the history and geography of Japan to enjoy. This also meant they didn’t have to stay true to dress, decor etc. They were free to make their own world and expand and limit it as such. Another impressive aspect of this show is how the right answer, the correct path isn’t always so clear & that there will always be obstacles on the path of least resistance. It’s a beautiful slice of life show that showcases the other slices of life; rather than just ‘high school is the best days of our lives’. But showcases regret, nostalgia, exploration and the constant battle between progress and tradition. It’s funny, heartwarming but not insistent upon itself. It doesn’t beat you over the head with morality or lectures on the ideal way of life without avoiding such real and mature topics as they affect the lives of the characters. Because of that, it’s never boring. It’s more than a slice of life, it’s the whole pizza of life.