Sakura Quest: The Complete Series (a Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray Review) (2017)

“Sakura Quest” is a fun, slice of life, type of anime series. No magical powers, no action-driven storyline, the series focuses on a group of young women who are deciding on their own futures and what to do with their lives. But together, trying to increase tourism any which way they can, no matter the challenges that lie ahead of them. “Sakura Quest” is recommended!

TITLE: Sakura Quest: The Complete Series

YEAR OF ANIME SERIES: 2017

DURATION: Episodes 1-25 (625 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 16×9, English and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: July 30, 2018

Directed by Masui Soichi

Series Composition by Yokotani Masahiro

Script: Yokotani Masahiro , Irie Shingo

Music by [K]NoW_NAME

Original Creator: Alexandre S.D. Celibidache

Original Character Design: BUNBUN

Character Design by Sekiguchi Kanami

Art Director: Sato Ayumi

Anime Production: P.A. Works

Featuring the following voice talent:

Nanase Ayaka/Alexis Tipton as Yoshino Koharu

Ono Atsushi/Mark Stoddard as Ushimatsu Kadota

Tanaka Chiemi/Brina Palencia as Ririko Oribe

Anzai Chika/Leah Clark as Maki Midorikawa

Hamano Daiki/Aaron Roberts as Mino

Shimono Hiro/Dallas Reid as Yamada

Konishi Katsuyuki/Robert McCollum as Takamizawa

Yamaji Kazuhiro/Charlie Shima as Doku

Izawa Maki/Rachel Robinson as Chitose Oribe

Nogawa Masashi as Kindaichi

Komatsu Mikako/Elizabeth Maxwell as Sanae Kōzuki

Kobayashi Misao/Greg Dulcie as Shigaraki

Mori Nanako as Angelica

Ueda Reina as Shiori Shinomiya

Kurosawa Tomoyo/Jill Harris as Erika Suzuki

Kobayashi Yūsuke /Ricco Fajardo as Kosuke Midorikawa

After being rejected by job after job, Yoshino Koharu’s career prospects are looking dire. That is, until she gets an offer to become queen! What she thought would be a one-day gig turns into a year-long commitment to the small rural town of Manoyama. Stuck out in the country with an entire town’s expectations on her shoulders, it’s up to Yoshino to show the world what a hidden gem Manoyama is!

From April to September 2017, a “working series” from P.A. Works titled “Sakura Quest” was broadcasted on television.

Created by Alexandre C.D. Celibidache, which is a nickname for the production company within P.A. Works, “Sakura Quest” has now been released by Funimation as a complete series featuring all 25 episodes and is now available on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.

The anime series revolves around a young woman named Yoshino Koharu who is looking for a job in Tokyo, but unfortunately, she keeps getting rejected.

She receives a call from an agency for a job to work in the tourism board of the economically struggling village, Manoyama in the country and she would be their “Queen”.

Needing a job, Yoshino takes it and accepts the offer and when she travels to Manoyama, she finds out that she was hired accidentally (they were looking for a singer from long ago) and to her surprise, the job she accepted has a contract for one year and not one day, as she thought.

So, Yoshino accepts the job and what would be days, becomes weeks and the more she stays, she realizes that the bonds she creates with the local townspeople, may make her want to take her job more seriously.

VIDEO:

“Sakura Quest” is presented in 1080p High Definition. The animation is vibrant and colorful. But as expected with many animated TV shows, there is a hint of softness. For the most part, character designs are done well and background art is also well-done.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Sakura Quest” is presented with a English Dolby True HD 5.1 and a Japanese stereo soundtrack. Dialogue and music are crystal clear for the series.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Sakura Quest” comes with no special features but Funimation trailers.

EXTRAS

“Sakura Quest” comes with a Blu-ray slipcover, the Blu-ray and Funimation digital code.

Personally, there is a lot to love about “Sakura Quest” and you have to also love the fact that Funimation has been releasing these “working” anime series in the US.

The overall show is interesting as it focuses on Yoshino Koharu but the more she starts to work on project with her staff, we start to see the bonds that are created with her and her staff who want to work hard and achieve their goals and bring in tourism to the struggling village.

The show features Yoshino’s business relationship with the good-mannered Shiori Shinomiya; an amateur actress named Maki Midoriakawa who is the local celebrity in the village; Ririko Oribe as the granddaughter of the local sweets shop owner who likes very dark things; a web entrepreneur named Sanae Kozuki who moved to the village to escape Tokyo and then there is the King of the town, the grouchy Ushimatsu Kadota.

Ushimatsu doesn’t get along with Ririko’s grandmother for some unknown reason and if anything, the anime series does a good job of showing hardworking women, uniting together to hopefully bring tourism to the town and improve the village of Manoyama.

The first half of the series is no doubt character building episodes to get to know each of the primary five female characters but also to improve as individuals. If anything, with each project, we start to see these characters start to have a voice for themselves and try to make a difference and I like that a lot!

So, I do recommend this first part of “Sakura Quest” and I look forward in seeing how the second part featuring episodes 14-25 works out and whether or not Yoshino and team will succeed in saving the village.

As the second half focuses on the team and each individual trying to determine what they want to do with their lives, by the latter episodes, the focus switches full gear as the group want to revive the Mizuchi Festival to the Merchant Board, but they must obtain the consent of all of the shopkeepers in town. But the group realizes that it may be difficult than they expected.

For the most part, “Sakura Quest” is a fun, slice of life, type of anime series. No magical powers, no action-driven storyline, the series focuses on a group of young women who are deciding on their own futures and what to do with their lives. But together, trying to increase tourism any which way they can, no matter the challenges that lie ahead of them.

“Sakura Quest” is recommended!

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