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「悠久のオベリスク」 (Yuukyuu no Obelisk)
“The Eternal Obelisk”
I made it out of the storm! The residents of Manoyama, however, are not out of the woods just yet ever since they just got the bad news from Kadota that they could get absorbed within the next two years. For such a high stakes situation, the Tourism board and the town’s residents are taking it in stride as they aim to focus on making the Mizuchi Festival on their own terms. It’s this drive to do things their way that diffuses the obstacles that they encounter throughout the episode.
The TV station came back with a vengeance with an offer to broadcast the festival, but in a way that’ll plug an upcoming idol as both a replacement actor for the Dragon Song play and the new Queen of Manoyama. Being Amamiya is suffering since his efforts to try and keep Kume from twisting Manoyama’s image for ratings, but the warning he gave was a good last effort on his behalf to get the Tourism board to assess the situation, and determine whether they’d want exposure if it meant selling out to the same station that turned the Founding Festival broadcast into a humiliating hit piece.
Yoshino’s growth is also taken into consideration as the episode reflects on how far she’s come compared to the Yoshino from earlier in the year who wanted to head back to Tokyo as soon as possible. We saw shades of her growth in the last episode with her take on what she sees in Manoyama, but she can personally see her development as she fights to keep Manoyama staying strong with the upcoming festival. There was also a cute moment when they remembered her birthday, and gave her a birthday cake with elements of Japanese desserts to fit well with the Tourism board’s efforts to blend old and new in their projects since Yoshino came on-board.
The episode itself wasn’t too heavily eventful as it was the build-up towards what will ultimately make the festival more meaningful than a last ditch effort to avoid elimination. It’s the accumulation of the town’s treasures and uniqueness that the festival aims to pride itself on with everyone in town getting in on contributing. The most pivotal character in the developments that occurred in this episode was Sandal-san, as he discovers a stone memorial of all of the people who built Sakura Pond, including great-grandparents. His family lineage plants a seed in Kadota’s head to use the festival as a way to court Sandal’s hometown as a sister city. Rather than set the festival up as one last hurrah, it’s shaping up to be a significant method for the Tourism board to try and make a joint effort to keep the town floating now that it’s had further resolve to build onto its shopping district. I’ll be incredibly sad next week when the last episode airs because I’ve spent so much time getting to know and understand everyone in Manoyama, and it did such an effective job at making its characters endearing, sympathetic, funny, and determined. I’m really hoping for the best outcome, and cheering that they’ll be able to get everything together by the festival. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do with it, and what will happen with everyone
Preview
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No.. No, you are wrong. Next week isn’t the last episode. Nope. I refuse to believe it. Nope, no not happening. Nothing to see here folks nothing at all. Hy Brasil isn’t sinking!
Time for me to paint all these “Season 2 When???” picket signs to wave outside the PA Works studios with hopes that the kira☆kira magic from them inspires them to keep it going.
I will be first in line to hold the signs! Ahhhh I really really don’t want this to end! It’s just such a good little story! With all the troubles in the world we need to believe that a place like Manoyama existed.
Last episode next week?
……………………
I REJECT YOUR REALITY AND SUBSTITUTE MY OWN!
I need to shift to the alternate timeline where Sakura Quest is longer than just 25 eps T_T
I really love the parallels we’re already seeing from the first episode here, like an idol once again being the target of interest for the revival project and being the new queen, and the girls looking over old online posts they made for the website. I expect more parallels next week. It really hits home how not only Yoshino has changed, but Kadota as well. He’s a lot more sensible in his actions (though his actions are still impulsive 😀 Sometimes people never grow up!).
It was nice to see them look back at all their old work like the promotional material with Maki wearing the Chupakabra outfit or their company bios to reflect on how far they’ve come. I didn’t even realize the duality between the mishap Kadota made about hiring Yoshino instead of his old favorite pop star and the push to hire a currently rising pop star.
Kadota’s change is also well-documented with his impulsive nature being counterbalanced after opening his mind to the input of others. It’d be hard to imagine the Kadota from the beginning agreeing to another Mizuchi Festival or sharing the stage with Chitose, but he really shaped up and showed as positive of a change as Yoshino did just by applying his passion to a more positive direction.
Now that I think about it, I forget, but did Yoshino ever reveal that she was the queen before as a child? Or did anyone notice the old photo and figure out it was her?
In an earlier episode, I think Sanae or Maki commented that the girl in the photo looked just like Yoshino and then Shiori confirmed it. However, Shiori decided not to bring it up because it’s better to let Yoshino bring it up if she wanted to. Ririko was in the conversation too.
I was hoping they would bring that up again too. I think it would be too cute.
Why didn’t Kadota bring Sandal-san with him to Kanazawa?!?!
I cried when they did the birthday surprise for Sakura.
This anime is not even over yet, but I it still feels nostalgic to me. I think Sakura quest is one of those anime that I’ll remember this part of my life by.
I feel the same way. I do not know what it is but something about this series just sets it so far removed than any others I have seen thus far. Maybe it is the talent of the voice actors or perhaps its just that they don’t go for the “bleeping bleep bleep” over-used harem/fan-service/cliches that everyone wants anymore. This is just a good simple little story with good simple characters.
I am going to cry like a child when the week after next comes ’round and I no longer see Sakura Quest on the listings. You are so very right in that it already feels nostalgic too. We know these characters like our own families (even the background one-off people we even remember and care about!). It is going to be very difficult to find another like it. No, that is wrong isn’t it? We will never find one like it but maybe…. maybe we can find one that comes close someday. However, the Tourist gals will always have first place in our hearts no matter who we meet next!
How is that Sister City plan supposed to work exactly? Isn’t Sandal’s hometown in another country?