Now that the festival is underway, will it be a success as the girls hoped?
From last time Kadota rushed to meet the mayor who is visiting Japan so Manoyama can have a sister city. While it’s funny how the police took him into custody, he eventually found him. Of course, Murphy’s law caught up to him. With that, his car breaks down. Thankfully, someone from the tourism board picks him and arriving on time before the play started.
As for the play, it was a success. After the performance ended, the girls and the staff celebrated. Yes, even Ririko decides to drink, which is surprising. It’s because she doesn’t usually drink. Either way, the girls share their own plans on what they are doing after Yoshino’s contract ends. As expected, Ririko plans on leaving Manoyama to travel around the world. She will eventually return.
With that, Yoshino does her closing ceremony with everyone attending or watching online. Kadota decides to permanently disband his kingdom while maintaining the travel board. Either way, the disbandment is definitely emotional. Still, Manoyama has a bright future ahead even if their town gets absorbed. Their culture will survive no matter what.
With that, it’s nice that the girls plant a tree dedicated to them before Yoshino leaves. As what she does next, she plans on helping reviving a different town. Hopefully with the experience Yoshino gained by helping Manoyama, maybe she will do things better.
Final Impressions
While the first half started rough, I have to admit Sakura Quest became interesting in the second half. As expected, 5 girls trying to revive a town is not an easy task. I have to admit that it’s interesting how the show focuses on the issues rural towns face with their decline. This is something that is happening not just in Japan, but also in other countries. Some towns in the United States is experiencing this, especially in the “rust belt” with the decline in manufacturing.
Despite Sakura Quest not reaching the level of greatness compared to Shirobako, I still think it’s a very enjoyable show for what it is.
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