Anime Column] 100 Anime to Watch by Keyword! 100 Anime to Watch No.18 "Sakura Quest" and others

Drinking parties among anime fans tend to be a game of association. When someone says, "XXX has XXX scene," someone else replies, "Speaking of XXX scene, don't forget XXX. Anime and animation are connected by invisible threads like this. Let's follow the "anime to watch" using the keywords as clues.

Following "Hanasaku Iroha" and "Shirobako," P.A. WORKS started "Sakura Quest" as the third "work series. The work depicts the struggles of five women with the revitalization of the rural town of "Manoyama" as its vertical axis.

The main character is a junior college student, Yuno Kiharu. Yuno was having trouble finding a job when she was contacted by a temp agency that had offered her a job in the past, and she accepts it as a one-time job. It was a job as the second king (tourism ambassador) of the "Chupacabra Kingdom" in Mt.

When Yuno arrives at Mt. Mano, she is informed that she has been asked by the wrong person and that the term of office of the second king is one year. Yuno once said she was going back to Tokyo, but eventually made up her mind and decided to take on the role of "King. Yuno is surrounded by Shiori Shinomiya, who works for a tourist association; Maki Midorikawa, a former actress; Ririko Oribe, the granddaughter of the shopping association president; and Sanae Kazuki, a web designer.

As was the case with "Shirobako," the balance between "the problems and troubles that appear in the story are realistic" and "the resolution of the problems and troubles generally has a happy ending" is exquisite entertainment. Take, for example, the episode in episodes 4 and 5 about how to promote the local craft, Manoyama Sculpture. Although the problem was not solved to a great extent, a small step was still made in the end. The subsequent episodes 8 and 9, about the development of a menu that would give a new impression of Mt. Manoyama, also concluded with a similar drop-off point.

The theme of "regional revitalization" is deeply connected to reality, so it is difficult to find a way to make the theme fall into place. However, the production company P.A. WORKS has a track record of actually holding the "Bonbori Festival," a festival that appears in the film, as a result of "Hanasaku Iroha. The "Bonbori Festival" has been held even after the anime ended, with seven such events held in October, attracting 15,000 people last year.

This experience will probably be reflected in "Sakura Quest," and that is why there is a "final scene" that can be depicted. I look forward to the future development of this project.

So, for this issue, we have selected a work that takes place in the "countryside.

Higurashi When They Cry" is an anime based on the hit doujinshi game of the same name. The story takes place in Hinamizawa Village, a desolate village with a population of less than 2,000. The story revolves around a mysterious incident that occurs every year on the day of the village's traditional summer festival, "Cotton Flushing," in which one person dies and another disappears.

What is striking about the setting of the film is the ongoing conflict among the villagers over the construction of a dam in the past. The simmering human relationships that exist in this depopulated village give the mysterious incident a unique shadowy quality. In "Sakura Quest," too, the conflict between the shopping association and the tourist association (albeit with a comical flavor) is one axis of the story. The smaller the population, the greater the significance of the conflict.

Higurashi When They Cry" begins with Keiichi Maehara's move to Hinamizawa, and "Barakamon " begins with a visit to the island by a young calligrapher, Seishu Handa.

Handa punches the director of the calligraphy exhibition hall who criticized his work, and is ordered by his father, also a calligrapher, to live on the "island" in order to reevaluate what is lacking in him as a human being. While living on the island, Handa becomes friends with the unique islanders, including the free-spirited first grader Kotoishi Naru, and begins to rethink his own "calligraphy". The story is a classic small-town tale of an urban elite trying to "redeem himself" in a rural town, and the quick and easy gags in between are a lot of fun. The animation is voiced by Ryoko Hara, a child actress, and its realistic atmosphere is also worth listening to.

The last song is "Hoshizora e Kakeru Hashi" (Bridge to the Starry Sky). The main character is Kazuma Hoshino, who moved to Yamahiko Town to accompany his younger brother on his medical treatment. The anime version is based on the bishojo game of the same name, but the setting is reversed, with the relationship between Kazuma and the heroine Hatsu as the vertical axis, creating a work with the flavor of a "Showa-era coming-of-age drama. The rural setting matched well with the "Showa-era atmosphere" of the work.

There are a surprisingly large number of works set in country towns. Just to name a few, "Carefree," "Kumamiko," and "Yosuga no Sora" are just a few that come to mind. There are also movies such as "Wolf Children", "Omohide Poroporo", and "Dawn Teller Lou's Song". Why are country towns chosen as the subject matter for stories? Is it a reflection of the reality of depopulation, or is it a longing held by metropolitan areas that are becoming increasingly overcrowded?

Either way, as long as the countryside is there, animated cartoons about rural towns will continue to be produced.

(Text by Ryota Fujitsu)

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