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Alchemist007 · 2021-12-16, 14:06

Was alright overall, they just got happier at the new place I guess.
Somewhat of a cowards way out to mention the sexual freedom those penguins have but the MCs just get a hug at the end. Just go for it.

7/10

Infinite Zenith · 2021-12-16, 15:05

Full marks, a perfect score: a sincere and thoughtful presentation of career choices, and for keeping things completely focused on the journey through life. Bonus points for this moment:

Images

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Before discussion runs away with it, I'm looking to hear thoughts on why yuri was perceived to be such an important aspect of Aquatope on White Sand. Specifically, what would have been its contributions to the main theme, how would a more significant presence alter the story for the better (in particular, which scenes would benefit the most), and how would inclusion of this element be helpful for the characters?

SeijiSensei · 2021-12-16, 15:19

I thought the wedding was nice. I was a bit surprised that the couple had a kid who was at least three or four. No one seemed to mind that they had apparently been living together without being married for some time.

The ending was bit meh. While I expected some kind of time-skip, I thought the final sequence was rather rushed.

I'm still impressed by the level of detail in the depictions of the animals. P.A. Works seems to really care about things like that.

I know there won't be another season, but a couple of OVA episodes set after Fuuka's return would be nice. Apparently there is a spin-off manga planned, so a couple of OVAs might be possible. There are also a couple of OVAs with super-deformed characters. I didn't see them listed on a major torrent site, so I doubt they are subbed.

I think the yuri business is just fanboying. I see nothing to indicate Kukuru and Fuuka are anything more than really close friends.

Kazu-kun · 2021-12-16, 17:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite Zenith

I'm looking to hear thoughts on why yuri was perceived to be such an important aspect of Aquatope on White Sand. Specifically, what would have been its contributions to the main theme, how would a more significant presence alter the story for the better (in particular, which scenes would benefit the most), and how would inclusion of this element be helpful for the characters?

Here's a better question. Why should it need to contribute to the theme? Lots of stories have some (heterosexual) romantic subplot for no other reason than having some romance, but no one is bothered that it doesn't "contribute" to the themes or whatnot. So why should it be any different when it's yuri?

Not that I think there was any yuri in this show. I don't know about others but I personally always read Fuka and Kururu as friends. I'm only replying because your question is based on flawed logic and I felt like pointing that out.

Nachtwandler · 2021-12-16, 17:46

I know a lot of people did not like this series, but for me it was great. I feel bad that latest "work dramedy in rural setting" from P.A. Works all bombed. Because it is the thing they do the best.

I relly hope we'll see some more iof it in future still.

I was never hoped they'll play any GL here (wrong studion) ansd it is perfectly fine. Though, out of the left field hett romance would look even worse here.

Infinite Zenith · 2021-12-16, 18:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

Here's a better question. Why should it need to contribute to the theme? Lots of stories have some (heterosexual) romantic subplot for no other reason than having some romance, but no one is bothered that it doesn't "contribute" to the themes or whatnot. So why should it be any different when it's yuri?

Not that I think there was any yuri in this show. I don't know about others but I personally always read Fuka and Kururu as friends. I'm only replying because your question is based on flawed logic and I felt like pointing that out.

The insistence on yuri is bordering on asinine, and it speaks poorly to the people in this thread that you're getting so defensive when the series took a direction that you personally did not like. If anything, you're the one with flawed logic, having committed a tu quoque fallacy. If that's all you have, stay out of this. Most of the negativity here comes from ignorance and a refusal to see how the real world works, but if all you can do is complain on a forum about an anime whose messages don't align with whatever you believe in, there's nil I'm going to do about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

I know a lot of people did not like this series, but for me it was great. I feel bad that latest "work dramedy in rural setting" from P.A. Works all bombed. Because it is the thing they do the best.

This is P.A. Works greatest strength. I'm now curious: what are the sales figures for this series like?

Nachtwandler · 2021-12-16, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infinite Zenith

This is P.A. Works greatest strength. I'm now curious: what are the sales figures for this series like?

Serenade Beta posted them a few pages ago. They are atrocious, regretfully. Sakura Quest also bombed, though, not as hard (it had like 1.5k average or so).

Infinite Zenith · 2021-12-16, 18:21

Just found them, but I'll need to independently verify the numbers myself before I say anything concrete: seranade_beta has a history of falsifying claims, and there's no reason that his data is anything meaningful, since a citation wasn't even provided.

Kanon · 2021-12-16, 19:06

Fuuka: "I'll be the first penguin!"

Two minutes later Chiyu mentions penguins form gay couples. And she says this to Kai, of all people. That's as good a confirmation as we're ever going to get. My headcanon is that Kukuru and Fuuka will be the first lesbian couple to marry in the white sand dome.

The reason I wanted Kukuru and Fuuka to end up together isn't because they're two girls, but because it makes a tremendous amount of sense. They were pretty much living together before Fuuka left, and Fuuka supported Kukuru every step of the way. If one of them was a guy people wouldn't even be asking the question as to whether there was romance between them.

As for the rest, nothing much changed about Kukuru's decision from last week so I have nothing to add. The real disappointment of the episode is that the supporting characters got the shaft. Kai wanting to confess to Kukuru was dropped, Kuuya never really got that much better with women and we don't see what Udon is up to. Characters introduced in the second half like Akari and Marina got a better resolution, we saw they both moved up the ladder.

Nachtwandler · 2021-12-16, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kanon

Fuuka: "I'll be the first penguin!"

Two minutes later Chiyu mentions penguins form gay couples. And she says this to Kai, of all people. That's as good a confirmation as we're ever going to get. My headcanon is that Kukuru and Fuuka will be the first lesbian couple to marry in the white sand dome.

The reason I wanted Kukuru and Fuuka to end up together isn't because they're two girls, but because it makes a tremendous amount of sense. They were pretty much living together before Fuuka left, and Fuuka supported Kukuru every step of the way. If one of them was a guy people wouldn't even be asking the question as to whether there was romance between them.

As for the rest, nothing much changed about Kukuru's decision from last week so I have nothing to add. The real disappointment of the episode is that the supporting characters got the shaft. Kai wanting to confess to Kukuru was dropped, Kuuya never really got that much better with women and we don't see what Udon is up to. Characters introduced in the second half like Akari and Marina got a better resolution, we saw they both moved up the ladder.

Erm. They showed that Kuuya actually got better with women after becoming fish team leader. And Udon-chan is now working in Tingarla also. There is a scene with her and Umi-yan.

Master_Yoma · 2021-12-16, 21:53

Well it seems that the wedding really paid off with the opening of the new part being a big hit But both those girl really did find there own path even with those hardships

7/10 Kind of hoping for a movie later down the line to see what they will become

serenade_beta · 2021-12-16, 22:08

Spoiler for final thoughts:

stray · 2021-12-16, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kanon

The reason I wanted Kukuru and Fuuka to end up together isn't because they're two girls, but because it makes a tremendous amount of sense. They were pretty much living together before Fuuka left, and Fuuka supported Kukuru every step of the way. If one of them was a guy people wouldn't even be asking the question as to whether there was romance between them.

I'm all for surprise yuri but the bait was really sort of anemic and the pairing was just sort of boring in the grand scheme. Honestly none of the characters were all that compelling, especially in the second cour.

Maybe PA Works can do a real yuri someday... not like it will do worse than half of what they've put out recently. Sort of wonder how they're still afloat. The Shirobako movie was entertaining at least.

SeijiSensei · 2021-12-16, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kanon

The real disappointment of the episode is that the supporting characters got the shaft.

Including the dolphin.

As for the success of this show, there is the planned manga I mentioned above. Whether this comes to fruition would probably tell us a lot about how well Aquatope was accepted.

BBOvenGuy · 2021-12-17, 01:57

Sorry, but I can't recommend it.

Yes, it's gorgeous and it ends well, but the best I can say is that if you want a workplace anime about young women finding their way in the world, skip the first cour and only watch the second one. You don't need the first cour, because nothing beyond stuff that can be (and often is) explained in a sentence or two ever comes up in the second cour. And in fact, the two cours taken together send an absolutely terrible message about childhood dreams and aspirations.

And Episode 20 is easily the most painful and soul-crushing thing I've seen in anime all year. By a lot.

Dop · 2021-12-17, 04:53

So, that was that then. Your basic rite-of-passage show with Fuuka and Kukuru finding their way in the world and realising what they want to do in their lives, and that's fine.
They brought back a shade of the first cour's 'magical' aspect as we see the little local deity thing scamper around Tingaria. But that feels like they put that in at the start but couldn't really decide what to do with it so left it out all but the last bit of the series.

It was kind of OK. Nicely animated but I don't see myself ever wanting to watch it again. One of those shows you watch when it's on but have completely forgotten about before a year is out.

Kanon · 2021-12-17, 09:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nachtwandler

Erm. They showed that Kuuya actually got better with women after becoming fish team leader. And Udon-chan is now working in Tingarla also. There is a scene with her and Umi-yan.

The scene was Kuuya speaking to Karin, who he has known forever. Doesn't tell us much about his growth. And I guess I missed Udon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Including the dolphin.

As for the success of this show, there is the planned manga I mentioned above. Whether this comes to fruition would probably tell us a lot about how well Aquatope was accepted.

I thought about Ban-chan a little after I finished my post. They spent a lot of time on it and they never told us what happened to it. "You should care about marine life", they say, but they didn't care enough to show us what became of the poor dolphin who was separated from his family.

Wandering Soul · 2021-12-17, 17:53

Despite the focus on Kukuru the second half gave, I still came out of this liking Fuuka more. She's my favorite character out of this show.

Overall it was a nice series to follow. Not too attached to it, but I still enjoyed the ride for what's it worth. As for the supposed yuri undertones, I don't really care much about it. I honestly just went with the series explanation of them being sisters in all but blood.

ryllharu · 2021-12-18, 08:48

I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't even be bothered to watch the last episode. I don't know that this situation has ever really happened to me, where I get nearly to the very end, but the series has become so disengaging that that final 20 minutes is something I don't want to waste my time on. I don't need any closure, because the series' 2nd cour never provided a purpose to need one.

I'm honestly a little surprised that people continue to insist that "working series" are what P.A. Works does best, because aside from Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, they've been average at best, dreadful at worst. Aquatope ends up being staunchly mediocre. They really excel at coming of age stories, like Hanasaku Iroha and Nagi no Asukara. But above all, they're inconsistent.

I had high expectations for this series, really enjoyed the first cour and the potential it had even going into the 2nd cour, but then it just stalled and ultimately went nowhere. Like they had completely run out of ideas. Aquatope's second cour specifically seemed to go out of its way to immediately deflate and resolve its own tension at the swiftest opportunity. It wasn't the characters, it wasn't the way Kukuru was acting or the way her boss was treating her, it was the series composition relentlessly creating and resolving every conflict (personal or professional) almost as quickly as it arose.

It just coasted from Chiyu's backstory all the way to the end, which itself was resolved far too quickly and easily. I enjoy slice of life series, and those are often devoid of much tension and conflict, but they still have their own highs and lows, set up, anticipation, and finally that cathartic release of it, often in the form of a gag, an epiphany, or even just delight. Aquatope's 2nd cour trained viewers to expect a low-effort resolution to any problem created in that episode.

Aquatope ultimately feels like two completely unrelated series concepts poorly grafted together. It's all just continual missed opportunities, set ups with no payoff, and all-too-easy resolutions.

stray · 2021-12-18, 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryllharu

I'm honestly a little surprised that people continue to insist that "working series" are what P.A. Works does best, because aside from Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, they've been average at best, dreadful at worst. Aquatope ends up being staunchly mediocre. They really excel at coming of age stories, like Hanasaku Iroha and Nagi no Asukara. But above all, they're inconsistent.

I actually really liked Sakura Quest and thought it was way better than Hanasaku Iroha, but I also can't stand Mari Okada, so there's that. Speaking of, isn't she kind of overdue to do something for PA Works?

2021-12-16, 14:06	Link #261
Alchemist007 Senior Member Author Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA	Was alright overall, they just got happier at the new place I guess. Somewhat of a cowards way out to mention the sexual freedom those penguins have but the MCs just get a hug at the end. Just go for it. 7/10 __________________ Fanfics Art MyAnimeList

2021-12-16, 15:05	Link #262
Infinite Zenith Operation sneaky sneaks IT Support Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Hic et ubique	Full marks, a perfect score: a sincere and thoughtful presentation of career choices, and for keeping things completely focused on the journey through life. Bonus points for this moment: Images Sorry; dynamic content not loaded. Reload? Before discussion runs away with it, I'm looking to hear thoughts on why yuri was perceived to be such an important aspect of Aquatope on White Sand. Specifically, what would have been its contributions to the main theme, how would a more significant presence alter the story for the better (in particular, which scenes would benefit the most), and how would inclusion of this element be helpful for the characters? __________________

2021-12-16, 15:19	Link #263
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	I thought the wedding was nice. I was a bit surprised that the couple had a kid who was at least three or four. No one seemed to mind that they had apparently been living together without being married for some time. The ending was bit meh. While I expected some kind of time-skip, I thought the final sequence was rather rushed. I'm still impressed by the level of detail in the depictions of the animals. P.A. Works seems to really care about things like that. I know there won't be another season, but a couple of OVA episodes set after Fuuka's return would be nice. Apparently there is a spin-off manga planned, so a couple of OVAs might be possible. There are also a couple of OVAs with super-deformed characters. I didn't see them listed on a major torrent site, so I doubt they are subbed. I think the yuri business is just fanboying. I see nothing to indicate Kukuru and Fuuka are anything more than really close friends. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2021-12-16, 17:46	Link #265
Nachtwandler Yurifag Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Kharkiv, Ukraine / Barcelona, Spain Age: 35	I know a lot of people did not like this series, but for me it was great. I feel bad that latest "work dramedy in rural setting" from P.A. Works all bombed. Because it is the thing they do the best. I relly hope we'll see some more iof it in future still. I was never hoped they'll play any GL here (wrong studion) ansd it is perfectly fine. Though, out of the left field hett romance would look even worse here. __________________ F/GO: 828 004 124 My Anime list My VN list

2021-12-16, 18:21	Link #268
Infinite Zenith Operation sneaky sneaks IT Support Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Hic et ubique	Just found them, but I'll need to independently verify the numbers myself before I say anything concrete: seranade_beta has a history of falsifying claims, and there's no reason that his data is anything meaningful, since a citation wasn't even provided. __________________ Last edited by Infinite Zenith; 2021-12-17 at 12:51.

2021-12-16, 19:06	Link #269
Kanon Kana Hanazawa ♥ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: France Age: 37	Fuuka: "I'll be the first penguin!" Two minutes later Chiyu mentions penguins form gay couples. And she says this to Kai, of all people. That's as good a confirmation as we're ever going to get. My headcanon is that Kukuru and Fuuka will be the first lesbian couple to marry in the white sand dome. The reason I wanted Kukuru and Fuuka to end up together isn't because they're two girls, but because it makes a tremendous amount of sense. They were pretty much living together before Fuuka left, and Fuuka supported Kukuru every step of the way. If one of them was a guy people wouldn't even be asking the question as to whether there was romance between them. As for the rest, nothing much changed about Kukuru's decision from last week so I have nothing to add. The real disappointment of the episode is that the supporting characters got the shaft. Kai wanting to confess to Kukuru was dropped, Kuuya never really got that much better with women and we don't see what Udon is up to. Characters introduced in the second half like Akari and Marina got a better resolution, we saw they both moved up the ladder. __________________

2021-12-16, 21:53	Link #271
Master_Yoma Nekokota Festival Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Lost in the Fairy Forest	Well it seems that the wedding really paid off with the opening of the new part being a big hit But both those girl really did find there own path even with those hardships 7/10 Kind of hoping for a movie later down the line to see what they will become __________________

2021-12-16, 22:08	Link #272
serenade_beta そのおっぱいで13才 Join Date: Dec 2006	Spoiler for final thoughts: PA Works needs to stop with these "work series" things. Sure, make an anime about work, but don't turn it into some factory production line. It gets worse and worse, and now you got this trash, which was born from a mixture of laziness and probably a bad workplace. Sakura Quest was worse than Shirabako, This was worse than Sakura Quest Next time, let's make a work anime only if "I have a good idea and it happens to just be about work!" instead of "Okay, that time of year to make an anime about work again" So while there are plenty of problems with this anime, when I was looking on the web (JP community), I saw mainly two problems. 1. That nothing really is happening 2. The harassing manager (actually a bigger deal in the JP community than I personally would find it) Now for 2, there isn't really much to say. The problem is clearer than day. What makes it worse though is that some people at PA Works looked at this and went, hmm, yeah, this is perfectly fine! And of course wasting the time of other companies so you can embarrass your employee. Boy does that make me worry about the employees at PA. There isn't a problem itself to write bad people. But that is only if the show treats the bad person as a bad person. Now for 1... I think the biggest reason this anime felt like nothing was happening was because the 2nd half of the anime was just... something happens and the characters react. There is no goal layed down and the characters are completely reactive towards what goes on each episode. I mean, it even turns out that the "lesson" learned from this anime turns out to be some old men grooming the protagonist to work on this role they want her to work. Yeah, what they wanted! And let's see... Other problems I saw with the show... which mainly happens in the 2nd cour! 1. Way too many characters Very little time for most of them, and how about Gay, But Glasses? He doesn't even have time to develop his character. The characters from the 1st half at least had a bit of screentime in the 1st half, even if the had almost no time in the 2nd, but the 2nd half-only characters? Yeah... Boy was it funny when they just randomly decided to give the audience the harassing manager's backstory. Hasn't Kamisama ni Natta Hi teach you that you can't just say "My dad died!" randomly and expect the audience to burst into tears? 2. I couldn't help but notice the treatment of guys in this anime The only normal guy who can have romance with a heroine but doesn't so he is worthless Gay guy who only exists to make I'm scared of girls jokes Gay, But Glasses, who... is nothing. Probably not even gay, but its not like he has enough screentime to give second thoughts on his character And then a bunch of bumbling old men who were as just there as Glasses 3. Random delusions of water mystery spirits................................. which never really gets covered, and honestly could have not existed 4. Frankly, the 1st cour probably didn't need to exist either... Or actually, the 2nd cour didn't 5. The heroine is not likeable. She's aggressive, stupid, and her only redeeming quality is "hard working"... Mainly doing what Mr. Grandpa wants her to do. The perfect target indeed 6. I look down on Kirara anime, but even Kirara anime have more respect for the "Cute girls do cute things" than whatever this anime did for the ocean and its inhabitants This was primarily work, ocean takes a backseat. ...So don't you dare waste time giving a lecture about ocean pollution. 7. I'm not opposed to a few people joining a company due to connections. That happens. Sure. But when Grandpa, the super plot device, causes almost the ENTIRE crew to join the place... and even more acquaintances joining in the last episode, holy crap does that raise an eyebrow. Also kinda makes the whole "Gama gama is destroyed and now we are all going our own ways" things kinda moot. 8. My friend has told me how one problem PA Works has is that they add stuff that can be spicy, can leave an impact, but always coward away from actually going the full mile. And again, this is true. Gay guy? Yuri bait? Yeah, that is allllllllllllllllllllllllll it is. Are any of the characters gonna tackle anything about these topics? No. Bu-bu-but, penguins have sexual freedom! ...facepalm Also, BTW, this isn't a realistic anime. If it was realistic, part-timers couldn't just randomly decide to do overtime. If it was realistic, calling your employees names in public is bad PR. If it was realistic, Fuuka would not not worry about being found out by the public until that onnnnnnnee episode that focuses on her. If it was realistic, there would be consequences for running away from work for so many days. Yes, perhaps the anime is trying to say "Life is not always the way you want it, give up on your dreams, and face reality", like this show's sales, but this is not a realistic anime. Now, I'm not saying good sales means good anime. But despite what should have been an extremely normal, factory-mass-produced cute girls working anime, no one wants it. So something is wrong. No, even with this anime's "realistic" lesson, it could have been better received if it was done better. Heck, from the top of my head, get the manager to stop calling Kukuru names. That does nothing for the story. I'll give it a 5/10... maybe? Although there are a lot of problems with this anime, I think it is still fine to watch it if you turn off your brain and just not think. Just stare at the cute girls, ignore anything of content like the manager calling Kukuru names, and don't think hard about how anything happens. And the visuals itself aren't that bad. Cute girls. Guys being made fun of. Great! __________________ -Blog --> http://tdnshumi.blogspot.com/ (Mainly about video games) -R.I.P. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Gaming wouldn't have been the same without you (9/19/13)

2021-12-17, 01:57	Link #275
BBOvenGuy Math Ninja Author Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ventura County CA Age: 59	Sorry, but I can't recommend it. Yes, it's gorgeous and it ends well, but the best I can say is that if you want a workplace anime about young women finding their way in the world, skip the first cour and only watch the second one. You don't need the first cour, because nothing beyond stuff that can be (and often is) explained in a sentence or two ever comes up in the second cour. And in fact, the two cours taken together send an absolutely terrible message about childhood dreams and aspirations. And Episode 20 is easily the most painful and soul-crushing thing I've seen in anime all year. By a lot.

2021-12-17, 04:53	Link #276
Dop Mmmm.... Join Date: Sep 2006	So, that was that then. Your basic rite-of-passage show with Fuuka and Kukuru finding their way in the world and realising what they want to do in their lives, and that's fine. They brought back a shade of the first cour's 'magical' aspect as we see the little local deity thing scamper around Tingaria. But that feels like they put that in at the start but couldn't really decide what to do with it so left it out all but the last bit of the series. It was kind of OK. Nicely animated but I don't see myself ever wanting to watch it again. One of those shows you watch when it's on but have completely forgotten about before a year is out.

2021-12-17, 17:53	Link #278
Wandering Soul Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: America	Despite the focus on Kukuru the second half gave, I still came out of this liking Fuuka more. She's my favorite character out of this show. Overall it was a nice series to follow. Not too attached to it, but I still enjoyed the ride for what's it worth. As for the supposed yuri undertones, I don't really care much about it. I honestly just went with the series explanation of them being sisters in all but blood. __________________

2021-12-18, 08:48	Link #279
ryllharu Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007	I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't even be bothered to watch the last episode. I don't know that this situation has ever really happened to me, where I get nearly to the very end, but the series has become so disengaging that that final 20 minutes is something I don't want to waste my time on. I don't need any closure, because the series' 2nd cour never provided a purpose to need one. I'm honestly a little surprised that people continue to insist that "working series" are what P.A. Works does best, because aside from Shirobako and Hanasaku Iroha, they've been average at best, dreadful at worst. Aquatope ends up being staunchly mediocre. They really excel at coming of age stories, like Hanasaku Iroha and Nagi no Asukara. But above all, they're inconsistent. I had high expectations for this series, really enjoyed the first cour and the potential it had even going into the 2nd cour, but then it just stalled and ultimately went nowhere. Like they had completely run out of ideas. Aquatope's second cour specifically seemed to go out of its way to immediately deflate and resolve its own tension at the swiftest opportunity. It wasn't the characters, it wasn't the way Kukuru was acting or the way her boss was treating her, it was the series composition relentlessly creating and resolving every conflict (personal or professional) almost as quickly as it arose. It just coasted from Chiyu's backstory all the way to the end, which itself was resolved far too quickly and easily. I enjoy slice of life series, and those are often devoid of much tension and conflict, but they still have their own highs and lows, set up, anticipation, and finally that cathartic release of it, often in the form of a gag, an epiphany, or even just delight. Aquatope's 2nd cour trained viewers to expect a low-effort resolution to any problem created in that episode. Aquatope ultimately feels like two completely unrelated series concepts poorly grafted together. It's all just continual missed opportunities, set ups with no payoff, and all-too-easy resolutions.