Anime Review - Sakura Quest - P.A. Works’s Take on Tourism and Revitalisation of Rural Towns

P.A. Works have been bringing very unique stories into the playing field, but in the recent years, their anime is super good on one season, then super bad on the other, after Nagi no Asukara. I'm not sure why that's the case. I know P.A. Works is a studio known for their amazing animation, perhaps on par with Kyoto Animation (Kyoto Animation consistently good however). 

After Nagi no Asukara, there were no spectacular anime until Shirobako, and that was an amazing anime. A cute take on how animation studios work and the story is unique too. It was executed perfectly, and whilst you might say that none of the characters are memorable, but isn't that most of the anime industry? We only know a few iconic faces that helps drive the production, but there's a lot more faces that we will never see, and maybe never even bother to acknowledge. Pretty sad really, but I guess the important thing is that you love your job and your loved ones recognize you for it. 

Back to the main topic, Sakura Quest is a debatable anime - I personally enjoyed it since it was a refreshingly new and unique idea. Now, onto the juicy part of the review!

Story (8/10):

The story is initially from the perspective of a fresh university graduate who struggles to find a job in the city, and eventually get a job in the countryside to revive the town through increasing tourism. We then get more girls introduced into the party that is dedicated to reviving the once popular village of Manoyama. From there on, it's just stories and processes that we see the girls undergo to start reviving the village - getting to know the village, helping the locals, creating buzz, etc. As Wikipedia states, Sakura Quest is in the "working series" after Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, and I definitely get a similar, but unique vibe to it. 

One plothole (perhaps a minor one) was how there was a picture of Yoshino as a child in the village - and that was never explained. Perhaps I missed it but I am very sure that it was never explained, other than her stating that she possibly could have visited the town before. If there were some past backstory, it would be a bit more interesting as it would give her even more motive to improve the town.

One possible reason people didn't like the anime was perhaps the "unresolved situation" of the village. The village was full of buzz and popular yet, but what did people expect? A village cannot be revived in a matter of 1 year - especially when some parts of that time was dedicated to knowing more about the village. Evidence of this is shown when the TV company who promotes them invites a famous band to perform in the village. After they are gone, the visitor leave a huge mess behind and nothing is gained in the long-term. 

I get that people like happy and resolved endings, but sometimes you have to be a bit realistic. I really liked the ending - how we see the transformation of Yoshino from an arrogant and outback-hating girl to a woman who loves to help revitalise "dead towns" and most important of all, developed a heart-to-heart connection with the locals. It's truly heartwarming to see, and that to me was more important than the revitalisation of town - since revitalisation of town is gonna take a while - the promotional events for the town will take a while to take off.

Frog uses Frog Song LUL

Characters (7/10):

The characters are unfortunately very forgettable, just like Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha. Yes you can clearly differentiate them from others in the anime, but compared to other characters, these characters can be easily forgotten. The main reason is that they just aren't unique - they seem like basic girls who just have good intentions. But that comes back to my main point, most people in the "working life" will never be known and there will just be a "cog in the machine", and perhaps that was the approach of P.A. Works. Make them distinguishable from the other characters in the anime, whilst making them seem homogeneous in the huge pool of anime characters.

Art (8/10):

Art is beautiful as expected from P.A. Works. You know there is dedication to art in this anime, when even supporting characters are easily distinguishable from others.

Sound (8/10):

The OP and EDs are beautiful to listen to. They are super catchy, but they are very calming and suits the anime. Voice acting is not bad too - nothing cringy and that's always a good thing.

Enjoyment (9/10):

Despite the contrary beliefs, I really enjoyed this anime. I waited for this anime to be fully completed before watching it since there was some plotline. Never was I bored when watching this anime, perhaps I just like calm and chill anime, where things are done in a cute way and with good intentions.

Overall (8.5/10):

I loved Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, and Sakura Quest is also worthy of praise. Don't let the score on MAL fool you, some people are just too fantasical or too impatient to appreciate the slow parts of life - the hard-working parts. If you are an impatient person, this anime is definitely not for you. Perhaps people found some parts of the acting cringy? Seriously, if you are still cringing to even the slightest of things, there's something wrong with you. However, if you just want to chill and you liked watching Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, you will definitely enjoy this anime.