Five young women have one thing in common—the careers they planned for themselves weren’t working out.
Job dissatisfaction, trying to make ends meet, and personal insecurities lead each of them to start
working at a local tourism bureau where their lives become intertwined. As the girls experience their
first year on the job, they learn a lot about their town, their industry, and themselves.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
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.
Sakura Quest is about the small town of Manoyama and a group of girls who either moved there for work from larger cities like Tokyo or were born and raised in the town itself. These women come together under a common ground of revitalising a place that was once filled with rich Japanese culture and history but has recently started dying due to a lacking population and high decrease in tourist traffic. I know, the premise in its simplest form, doesn’t sound like it would be that interesting or fascinating. When I first read the synopsis, I was pretty sceptical about it. Yet, after having seen it in its entirety, I feel that Sakura Quest is probably one of the most insightful and educational serials that I have ever seen, as well as quite inspirational. Japan is an extraordinary nation. When most people hear the name “Japan” they immediately think of places like Tokyo, where the city life is sensationally bustling and active, or Kyoto, where the history and culture is rich and lush with temples and shrines. There’s even Akihabara, the centre of otaku culture and technology. Rarely do people ever ponder what the countryside or small towns are like. Even in Japan itself, many youngsters who are born and raised in small towns are seeking avenues of escaping their homes. They are moving to more suburban and highly populated areas. Because of this these local venues are fading away into the distance, which is a terrible shame because the core of Japanese culture and identity, the true essence of what Japan once was and how it has come to be what it is now, resides in places like Akita, or in the anime’s case, Manoyama. That’s what Sakura Quest is about. The series shines a light on the dying locales of Japan and how it significantly impacts the nation as a whole, not just the people who live in these specific areas, as well as the different tactics that these places try out for revitalisation, and it does it with a gradual, character-driven chronicle, a cast with varying yet relatable circumstances, and beautiful animation. The anime begins with us following a woman named Yoshino who recently graduated from college and is having a tough time finding a job in the big city. So, when she is offered a temporary acting gig in the small town of Manoyama, she accepts it. When she moves to Manoyama, she isn’t charmed by it. It feels like a ghost town with how empty the streets are and how quiet the ambiance is. The people are also a bit timid and awkward to her. Yoshino is positively ready to get the hell out and try her luck back in the city once more. However, she doesn’t leave. She comes damn near close to it, but as she meets and interacts with the individuals of the city, she grows passionate about its rejuvenation and eventually finds a homely comfort there that she didn’t realise she was lacking in her life. A simple notion of discovering oneself in a place that you would least expect to is probably one of my favourite types of narratives. Yoshino’s self-discovery and uncertainty about her future is an allegory for the precarious future of Manoyama. They work parallel to one another the entire time during the anime. With each discovery and set-back that she has, you will see a similar occurrence pertaining to the town. In this way, the anime makes the economic struggles of a tiny city accessible to everyone. It’s not limited to watchers that have an interest or passion in that very precise subject matter, but recognisable by any person who has ever had similar difficulties in their lives; it humanises it. It creates a thread between the audience and the town, which helps to place the rather real-life aspects of its problems into perspective. In Japan, the core of the small town culture exists within the people and their experiences. For example, you have a woman named Chitose Oribe, who owns a confectionary store. She’s depicted as being this hard-arse type of person that is quite aloof. Yet, underneath all of that is a woman who was raised in Manoyama. A girl who once wanted to be a musician. But things ended up not working out due to certain circumstances and she inherited the family business instead. Her aloofness stems from her bitterness at not being able to pursue her dreams. However, by remaining in Manoyama, she came to appreciate the town as well as her Japanese heritage. We have another character who is a local mechanic that dabbles in engineering. A lot of things that he invents are rather incredible and would probably be a big hit in larger cities, or a huge draw for tourism. Yet, he is an older gentleman and doesn’t really know how to market this gadgets and gismos. People view him as eccentric and a bit of an outsider, but his passion for his creations—the joy it brings him—and the uniqueness of their designs are something you’d never see outside of this small town. Beyond his skills, he’s actually a lonely individual who ponders the future of his home like many others. Similarly to him, many of the other characters are aging, and with all of the youth leaving their hometowns for energetic and fast-paced environments, when the elderly pass on, so will these towns. I remember reading an article last year that talked about how the growing metropolitan places are affecting Japan. In many instances, the towns and villages are being torn down. This can be beneficial because it allows that land to be returned to nature. Nevertheless, the economy suffers because many things in those larger cities are produced and sent in via small towns. When a more efficient method is discovered, the towns lose their only source of income and livelihood, which then puts more people out on the streets or worse. Fewer towns means fewer tax dollars and increased pressure on the governing parties, plus of bunch of other stress factors. In Sakura Quest, we see how the lack of funds from a non-existent tourist season affects the budgets of the town, making it significantly more challenging for them to work on actual revitalisation. Tons of effort goes into making even the slightest of positive changes. When those changes do occur, they tend to arrive in waves and phases that last for a hot second and then dissipate. The concentration on these aspects within the anime may seem unexciting and humdrum, but once again, when you tie them to characters that have emotionally evocative contentions, it is quite difficult not to get invested and to not want to know more. I found the symbolism in Sakura Quest to be one of the most essential things to ever have been portrayed in the anime medium. It really highlights the dilemma of a country that many love and appreciate, but also who don’t truly grasp what the country is going through on such an intimate level. Everyone has this fantasised idea of what Japan is, thus taking it and most of its difficulties for granted. It’s ridiculously easy for Westerners to say, “If Japan did this, then they could do this,” or “If Japan did this, then they wouldn’t be struggling as much,” and more. Nonetheless, the gravity of their situation and its effects on their future is far more complex and deeper than many people realise. It goes so far beyond “do this” and “don’t do this.” Sakura Quest allows us, the outsiders, and youngsters, to understand why that is. Even on the surface, Sakura Quest isn’t a simple and straightforward story. It’s so incredibly multi-dimensional. There are a bunch of women trying to work through their own shit by focusing on facets outside of those respective problems. Some of those problems include facing your fears, confronting disappointments, dealing with dysfunctional families, or merely learning to grow the hell up. Then you have an analysis of the profound impact that dying small towns have on an entire country, as well as how cultural identities die in the modernising era, regardless of where you are. Those are just to name a few in much larger jar. So, if the concept of resurrecting tiny towns doesn’t float your fancy, maybe one of these other elements shall. Either way, I’m so glad I invested my time and effort in watching Sakura Quest, and I recommend that you do the same. 8.75 manju outta 10!
Sakura Quest is an interesting series in how it approaches small town life and passion. It's focus being on revitalizing a small town in the middle of nowhere, while keeping its townspeople happy and not taking away the things they love about Manoyama. I'll be talking about a few spoilers. The characters do a really great job of exploring my favorite theme of the series, passion. Each character has something they are passionate about whether it's Maki with acting or Shiori's love for her hometown of Manoyama. The exception to this is Yoshino who doesn't have a passion at the beginning of the series and is resistant to her job at the tourism board, but over time she grows to love her job and finds a new passion in town revitalization. Despite the passion they have for these things they fail often or entirely give up on their passions. Which is the case for Maki. She returns to her hometown after not making it as an actress and has to rediscover her passion for it, or find a new reason to be passionate about it. As she shows failure is painful. It's frustrating to do your best and not be able to make it. To feel like everyone and everything is against you. It's hard to want to keep going and easy to give up. I struggle with these feelings as well, and often feel that I'm wasting my time or that everyone else is better than I am which makes me want to quit. Maki embodies these feelings but her arc also gives me reason to push forward. If I lose sight of why I'm doing these things I should take a step back and rediscover those passions. Manayoma is a beautiful town to look at. It's natural feeling and lake make it really pretty. It's also a great setting for this type of story as it feels like it has a personality itself thanks to its local traditions and Chupakabura Kingdom. At a certain point the lake gets drained and an old festival is rediscovered and brought back as a part of the town. The town itself has it's own history and forgotten passions that get rediscovered throughout the series. As someone who grew up in a small town I can understand and appreciate how the characters view it as well as appreciate its natural beauty. Music wise it's OST is fantastic and I listen to a handful of songs a lot on my own time. Particularly the first OP, both EDs, and the song Thyme. The full OST is really great though and it fits the series exceptionally well. Sakura Quest is one of my favorite shows because of how it portrays passion, failure, and small town life. It really resonates with me and it's a series I'm happy to have experienced. However, I'm hesitant to recommend it because it's a very niche appeal. If anything I've mentioned seems interesting it's worth a look.
When I graduated high school I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I hated school but I hated the idea of getting lost in the normalcy of adulthood even more, so I did the natural thing: I went to college. After changing my major twice and mostly squandering five years of my life, I graduated with a degree in Political Science and, wanting to make full use of my education, the first job I got out of school was… on the tax team of a major investment bank. Life is weird like that. Even if you happen to know exactly what you want to do (or not do) any number of things could change your plans, and an increasing number of young people have no idea what they want out of life in general; whatever that may be, getting started can often feel like you’ve just been suckerpunched by unique blend of uncertainty and self-doubt. On the surface *Sakura Quest* may be about a dying town and the urbanization of Japan, but beneath that is a universal and very human story about overcoming the issues plaguing those on the precipice of modern adult life. A recent graduate from a two-year junior college, twenty-year-old Yoshino Koharu is in a spot many people just out of school can relate to; despite her best efforts she has no job and is on the brink of just moving back in with her parents. That changes when, out of the blue, she gets call from a talent agency asking her to partake in a “coronation ceremony” as a tourism stunt for Manoyama, a small town in the countryside. Even though Yoshino is apprehensive about leaving Tokyo and the job prospects the city represents, the need for income is more immediate so she accepts. Upon arriving, however, she is gets hit by two bits of information. Not only was the reason for her selection illegible handwriting that was incorrectly relayed as her name, but the contract she accepted wasn’t a one-time gig, it would run for the duration of a year. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/Q4h6SVG.png)~~~ ~~~_Yoshino realizes there is no such thing as an unenforcable contract_~~~ After a brief, and understandable, meltdown, Yoshino is convinced to lean into her new role by Shiori, Sanae, Ririko and Maki, four other young women who agree to help her as various “ministers” in Yoshino’s “court”. These five are the core at the heart of the show, who take on the task of helping to revitalize a rural town with an aging population and a bleak future. Over the course of the story they put on festivals and concerts, play politics with local leaders, and generally do their best to try and prop Manoyama back up – but they’re fighting a losing battle. The modern world is not kind to rural communities. As it becomes more and more profitable to export labor to developing nations, young people increasingly see moving to a city as their primary way to find an education and job prospects, as well as start a family. What they leave behind are small towns, typically with aging populations, that essentially get slated to turn into ghost towns. *Sakura Quest’s* spin on this is interesting, as it’s about a group of young women, who decide the city isn’t for them, coming together to try and revitalize a rural town. But this part of the show also struck me as bleak; as the story progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that the girls are fighting a losing battle. Manoyama and towns like it are being ground down by the cogs of globalization, and the best efforts of these characters will not be enough to stop it. If this was all that the story had planned, it would be profoundly unsatisfying to simply watch as a small town dies over the course of a year. Luckily, it’s not. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/WuYkItR.jpeg)~~~ ~~~_Manoyama's nightlife pales in comparison to the big city_~~~ While putting Manoyama back on the map keeps the plot moving, what ends up giving *Sakura Quest* the emotional weight it needs to not be depressing are the characters. The reason the girls standout isn’t solely due to the chemistry they share or their personal growth over the course of the series, however, but is instead because of how they serve as parallels to some of the most common struggles that people in their twenties deal with. While Shiori might be doing something she loves, Maki basically had her dreams crushed and returned home defeated, and Sanae was burned out by the stress of modern office jobs – I know a depressing amount of people who have had those things happen to them. Even Yoshino, who I related very strongly to, is dealing with her own set of issues; she has no idea what she wants to do with her life, and a deep inability to settle for “normal”. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/lHKQP8E.jpeg)~~~ Having every character but one be struggling and aimless doesn’t really sound like an initial recipe for an uplifting story, but it works for two reasons. The first is that these are believably written characters facing, as mentioned, real obstacles to overcome. They aren’t trying to do something as grand as become the Pirate Queen or create a utopian society, they’re just trying to create a future for themselves. More importantly though, the show has a message that many really do need to hear – failing initially in your early twenties isn’t the end of the line. Sometimes people, like Shiori, hit the jackpot right away and find something they love doing. Oftentimes, however, the thing someone wants to do for the rest of their life can be hidden in a truly bizarre place, and how they stumble across it can be a fantastic story in its own right. That’s exactly what the Manoyama revitalization project is; instead of a plan that is doomed to fail being the focal point of the story, it becomes a weird, unexpected way for the characters to explore what they want to do. ~~~Img440(https://i.imgur.com/oW2WDjZ.png)~~~ There are a couple of things that hold *Sakura Quest* back, with the most glaring of these issues being the early pacing of the story. Two cour shows like this have a lot of room to breathe, and oftentimes can feel like they’re too slow or just filling time. Instead of dragging, however, early episodes of *Sakura Quest* feel rushed. Tension that could be better as a slow burn is built up and then broken down, often over the span of just two or three episodes, making the drama feel contrived. I would also say I was somewhat letdown by Ririko. She’s funny, charming and a likable character, but unlike the others she never really seemed to “fit” the themes of the story. Her issue was that she was essentially a shut-in who had never left Manoyama, but she just kind of… stopped being a shut-in as soon as she decided to stop. It felt like, in a story about overcoming failure, there was this character who had never really failed *or* succeeded – she had just never tried in the first place. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/hdtjtgN.jpeg)~~~ ~~~_"What do you mean I don't 'fit' the themes of the story?"_~~~ After graduating college and entering the workforce, the most important lesson that I’ve learned so far… is that I’m pretty sure I don’t want to work in tax for the rest of my life. I don’t know for sure what the future holds, but I do want it to be unique, something that I can tell a story about decades down the line. That why, in spite of the issues, I think *Sakura Quest* is pretty great. The plot is engaging, the characters are charming, the topics it tackles are relevant, and everything is wrapped up neatly by a strong, established theme. As mentioned earlier, there is a unique blend of uncertainty and self-doubt that comes with taking that first jump into adulthood. Too often people take that jump, fall, and feel like they have no way to pick themselves back-up. *Sakura Quest* isn’t really a guide on how to do that, but it does present a strong argument that people should try, and that they don’t just need to settle for where they first land.
O ser humano nasceu para fazer planos. Desde pequeno, quando começam os primeiros momentos em que descobrimos o mundo, quando surgem as primeiras profissões idealizadas, à idade adulta, quando planejamos famílias, casamentos, e tudo o mais. De fato! O ser humano tem este grande costume fazer planos. Planejamos nossas férias e as viagens que desejamos, planejamos a faculdade que queremos, planejamos nossos encontros com amigos. Planejamos, até mesmo, o dia de amanhã quando deitamos para dormir. Há quem planeje questões ainda mais sérias, como algumas gestantes que planejam o dia de seus partos, local, horário, dentre outras condições. E é exatamente por possuir esta capacidade de criar planos detalhadamente que a sociedade evoluiu para como a conhecemos hoje. Mas, e quando os planos fracassam? Sakura Quest nos conta a história de Koharu Yoshino, uma jovem moça, recém formada em sua faculdade, que saiu de sua interiorana cidade natal para tentar a sorte na imensa Tóquio, mas, viu tudo ser em vão quando sequer conseguia ingressar no mercado de trabalho. Após uma sequência de constantes rejeições, Yoshino, em uma medida quase desesperada, evitando o iminente retorno à casa de seus pais, aceita um trabalho temporário na longínqua Manoyama. Quase como uma mirabolante obra do acaso, Yoshino descobre que, não apenas Manoyama era uma cidadezinha, longe de tudo o que aparentaria ser minimamente evoluído, como este trabalho temporário não seria tão rápido assim, visto que nossa protagonista deveria residir por um ano para trabalhar no departamento de turismo. Graça a um erro da agência de empregos, Yoshino seria, então, coroada Rainha do Reino Chupacabra, uma designação dada ao Departamento de Turismo de Manoyama e trabalharia para revitalizar a cidade que beirava ao esquecimento, muito por causa do envelhecimento populacional da região. A história segue, então, os passos dados pela protagonista na pequena cidade agora que a única coisa que lhe restava era estar ali. Como seres planejadores, a humanidade preza por ter o controle de tudo. Mas, de forma bastante enfática e, as vezes, um tanto cruel, perdemos o controle de nossas próprias vidas. Sakura Quest retrata a história de Yoshino e outras quatro moças que se encontravam nesta situação. Jovens mulheres cheias de sonhos e ambições mas que viviam em meio à frustração por experimentarem o fracasso de tudo aquilo que desejavam. Como já mencionado, Yoshino, que crescera em uma cidade do interior, rejeitara tudo aquilo que aquele modo de vida representava e ansiava pelo cotidiano agitado que um morador da cidade grande possui, trabalhando em grandes organizações, dentro de seus importantes escritórios. No entanto, a dura realidade que enfrentara era a da rejeição. Primeiro a rejeição das grandes organizações, visto que, como ela, milhares de outros jovens recém formados também almejavam uma oportunidade no mundo corporativo. Se em sua pequena cidade natal ela se destacava, em uma megalópole seria apenas mais uma no meio de uma imensa multidão de outros jovens disputando escassas e seletas vagas de emprego. Mas, o que resta quando seu único e maior plano de vida falha? Paradoxalmente, a história nos apresenta Kouzuki Sanae. Nascida e criada em Tóquio, Sanae representava o oposto de Yoshino, uma mulher já estabelecida profissionalmente mas que experimentava por momentos de estagnação e insatisfação com o modelo de vida que sempre teve. Sanae deixa a cidade grande e parte para Manoyama fugindo das dificuldades que a vida adulta proporciona. Dentre as três garotas restantes do elenco principal, Midorikawa Maki também merece algum destaque. Crescida em Manoyama, Maki logo desenvolveu interesse por atuação e sonhava com a competitiva carreira do show business. Contudo, não somente fracassando, a jovem viu sua aprendiz ocupar seu lugar e despontar rumo ao estrelato. Embora possua um tom bastante humorado, o show nos apresenta estas constantes incertezas que são experimentadas na transição da juventude para a vida adulta. Todos os anos muitos são os jovens que enfrentam isto. A sonhada vida adulta nem sempre é tão glamourosa quanto antes aparentava ser. Este período de transição representa um momento de bastantes aflições. A sonhada liberdade da "vida adulta" chega travestida de incertezas quando, pela primeira vez, o jovem experimenta as frustrações, obrigações e responsabilidades que antes não possuira. Da sonhada independência ao amargurante desemprego, da estabilidade profissional ao marasmo social. A sufocante maioridade costuma causar este cáustico choque de realidade. O que fazer quando todos os planos fracassam? O que nos resta quando descobrimos que tudo aquilo pelo qual planejamos e trabalhamos, dedicando tempo, sangue, esforço e suor na verdade não são aquilo que imaginávamos? O que nos resta quando perdemos o controle de nossas vidas? __O necessário Ponto de Inflexão __ No campo dos cálculos diferenciais, ponto de inflexão representa o instante exato em que uma função muda radicalmente. Troca-se o sinal, muda-se a curvatura. O que era negativo torna-se positivo, e vice e versa. O mesmo é aplicável a nós. Em um mundo repleto de incertezas, inevitavelmente encontraremos o fracasso. Planos são apenas isso, planos, previsões. Eles não representam a realidade, tão somente o desejo de algo idealizado. A vida não para, o tempo não retrocede, não importa o quanto desejemos por isto. Não existem botões de restart. Quando os planos falham, quando fracassamos, quando perdemos de vista tudo aquilo porque ansiávamos, o que nos resta é encontrar nosso ponto de inflexão. Trocam-se os sinais, mudam-se as curvaturas. É necessário torcarmos os sinais de nossas vidas. De forma bastante alegórica o enredo nos mostra como as garotas reconstroem suas vidas à medida que a cidade é revitalizada. São nas vazias ruas de Manoyama que elas encontram os valores capazes de preencher seus vazios. É na cidade que ninguém desejava que elas encontram um local ao qual pertencerem. Não na cidade física, nas ruas ou edifícios. E sim na população ali presente. De apenas mais uma no meio da multidão buscando o sonho que tanto ansiavam, a extremamente necessárias em um local que ninguém queria. O grupo de protagonistas soube encontrar no acaso a oportunidade de mudança. E, assim, souberam reordenar a si mesmas. É necessário estar atento as oportunidades que a vida nos proporciona, ainda que elas venham disfarçadas com coisas que não desejamos. Sakura Quest não é perfeito. Mas ainda assim consegue ser marcante por ter estas características que são facilmente encontradas em nosso dia a dia. É uma obra que carrego um profundo carinho, muito por ter vindo em um período de dificuldades que vivi. Voltando a Yoshino, após 25 episódios é bastante nítido a mudança brutal que a jovem teve. Nossa Rainha conseguiu encontrar nas adversidades um novo caminho para seguir, e aquilo que parecia o fim tornou-se um novo começo. Assim é a vida. Falhamos, fracassamos, nos perdemos. Não importa o quanto planejemos, a vida continuará sendo repleta de incertezas. E só existe algo capaz de vencer a incerteza: o tempo. O tempo é como um rio. As vezes ele é lento, mas a sua margem tudo transforma. O tempo constrói tudo, tijolo por tijolo. Resta-nos aprender a seguir seu curso.