English Dub Season Review: Sakura Quest Season One

Anime Parks and Recreation, only without the crazies and morons.

Overview (Minor Spoilers)

Yoshino Koharu is a small town girl with big town dreams. Haunted by a memory of being a queen, she seeks a destiny that is a bit more special than living out in the middle of nowhere. Tokyo doesn’t hold many prospects for her, as she gets turned down for every job interview. Then, the promotional company she was getting small jobs calls her up. A tiny town called Manoyama wants her to jump in as a promoter, which they call the “Queen”, and she accepts. What she doesn’t notice is that this isn’t for a single day event, but for an entire year. The job is to increase the visitors to the small town’s theme park, the Kingdom of Chupacabra. She is joined by four ministers, each with their own specialties. They meet a variety of challenges, from selling manju buns to building a singles mixer event. Along the way, the five girls each begin to grow as people and develop into their roles. We also get to see more of the townspeople, and the culture the place has built up over the years.

Courtesy: Funimation

After a major defeat due to no fault of their own, the girls go back to their roots to recharge and discover that they indeed have a passion for the work they are doing. Even Yoshino, who wanted nothing to do with small towns, has developed a love for Manoyama. This brings us into the second half of the season, where the girls attempt to revive the town’s yearly festival. To do so, they have to find the three treasures of the festival, which leads them to more and more issues around town. Just as the festival is about to be put on, the girls are given terrible news. The town is going to be absorbed as part of a nearby city. This would destroy all of their culture and traditions. Can the Kingdom of Chupakabura save Manoyama?

Our Take

Right from the get go, this series caught me. As an entrepreneur myself, many of the issues faced by the ministers and Queen echoed issues I met with in promoting things. Despite this, the girls have a can-do attitude that inspires me to keep going. The writing of the show is excellent, often juggling B and C plots that stem from how characters react to the A plot. Many times, we won’t understand why that character reacts in the way they do, but later episodes explain it. All of the characters you meet are fully actualized and thought through from the get-go, which makes the town come alive. All of this is happening is a peaceful, hometown-y vibe that rarely raises its voice or gets too excited. The writing itself is suffused with the nature of Manoyama, which made the show calming to watch.

Animation for the show is done by P.A. Works, a studio that typically does the in-between for other studios on big projects. This series is a huge demo reel for how awesome they are. Although examples peter out as the series progresses, the animation creates these difficult sequences that blend traditional and CG animation in various ways to recreate camera shots you would typically only see in live action. When they aren’t showing off, P.A. Works funnels their energy into the tiny, devilish details. Hair moves smoothly and is filled with life. Characters talk and move with plenty of personalities. There are almost no errors I could see. This show has had some of the best non-action animation I have ever seen, and I’m hoping P.A. goes on to do more anime of their own.

Courtesy: Funimation

Adding to the smoothness and character of the visuals, Funimation put together a solid cast of voice actresses to portray Yoshino and the girls. These actresses are sensitive to the subtleties of their characters’ feelings, which helps them all come to life. The surprise breakaway is Brina Palencia. Her character of Ririko Oribe is a shy, introverted girl who speaks with a monotone mutter. As the series goes on, Ririko opens up more. She starts interjecting nerdy little one-liners that relate the events around her with fantasy tropes. Ririko gives her monotone a bit of personality and hidden depth that I just adore her. Then, she discovers an ancient song of Manoyama and sings it… well. A key scene in the final episode centers around the song, and it isn’t some pro singer being slapped in there. That’s still Brina singing. It is beautiful. Not a professional level yet, but she’s riding the edge.

Best Way To Watch

Sakura Quest is good to watch in two different ways. Due to the calm, brainstorming atmosphere of the show, this is a great series to put on in the background while you work. If you work in an office that allows you to stream while you do your desk job, this show may actually help your productivity. Another good way to watch it is after a long, hard day at the office, or when you’re frustrated with things not working out. More than half the series shows the girls dealing with overcoming obstacles and failures. So sit back, grab a cold one and relax, enjoying the catharsis by proxy.

Score

Summary

Sakura Quest may not be a big production with giant robots, monsters, and fighting, but it has exceptional return on investment. Excellent animation, thoughtful voice acting, and writing that draws you in and makes you a part of the town. I find myself wanting more, and would easily recommend this show. It averages 8 and change out of ten on the episode scores, and I think that's about what it is worth. Eight of ten, would watch again!

8.0/10