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Auxilism · 2014-03-28, 23:03

Free gifs:

To conclude my 'make a gif from every episode' campaign:

YouTube

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The Green One · 2014-03-29, 01:11

A cute end to a cute series. I'll miss this as my weekly unwind Anime.

Sol Falling · 2014-03-29, 01:13

Great last episode. I think a lot of people, particularly those familiar with the manga, might be a bit too pessimistic about the 'not real lovers' thing. Really, as much as it even matters, Yuu and Haruka have already said they love each other (with this episode). If Yuu and Haruka's current "love" is enough for them to hold hands, go out with each other, sleep over together, and kiss, isn't that enough? The only thing I can think of which might separate Yuu and Haruka's relationship from the conventional concept of "lovers" would be having sex.

Well, aside from that, I suppose you could get down into the specifics of the difference between the Japanese words "suki" and "ai". But really, what it comes down to the same maturity angle which is what I believe this whole "love" issue the show has brought up is really dealing with. If you consider what that last (freakin' intense, btw) kiss scene was trying to communicate, I think that was the entire point: (sexual) awareness/maturity. By saying "suki" while kissing each other Yuu and Haruka were bringing their passion to a level unlike ever before. However, rather than allowing that passion to be brought to its natural (mature) climax, Yuu and Haruka backed off out of 'embarrassment'. What that 'embarrassment' said to me was very simply discomfort with allowing their bodies to go out of control in a wildly unfamiliar way.

Accordingly, the point where Yuu and Haruka become "real lovers" might simply be the point where they finally have sex. However, as (at this point, 15-16 yr olds), I think it is totally reasonable that they are still too immature to even approach the subject. But similarly to how Yuu and Haruka have been shown not to have a ready or conscious awareness of 'sexuality', it is also natural that they neither understand the concept of 'sexual orientation'. Basically, from this perspective I think it is perfectly natural that Yuu/Haruka do not demonstrate any conscious attention to things like (formal) "dating" or "being lesbian".

The current 'shying away from' of sexuality in Yuu and Haruka's relationship has been further underlined in prior episodes with stuff like Haruka's discomfort with having her breasts touched. Really, I think a somewhat curious sense of a lack of 'real' sexuality had been subtly present throughout the whole show. To one extent I had somewhat dismissed it as simply complying with magazine and television content guidelines/laws. However I now see that it was a deliberate theme. And in that light, it's a theme I consider particularly interesting and believable in the context of Yuu and Haruka's relationship. In fact, assuming that Tachi at some point actually goes through with it, I consider it very bold that she has set her story up to be dealing with the delicate process/idea of sexual awakening.

Anyway, as for the show itself: main idea is, I really loved it. Although the execution could've been better in a lot of places, I would dearly enjoy a second season. The BDs will mark my first imported anime series with the only exception of the Madoka movie adaptations. I'm also pretty sure I will follow through with the rest of the manga; my shaky Japanese is enough for my own comprehension, so at this rate I might even move into scanlation if I have to.

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-29, 02:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Great last episode. I think a lot of people, particularly those familiar with the manga, might be a bit too pessimistic about the 'not real lovers' thing. Really, as much as it even matters, Yuu and Haruka have already said they love each other (with this episode). If Yuu and Haruka's current "love" is enough for them to hold hands, go out with each other, sleep over together, and kiss, isn't that enough?

If what they have is enough for them, that's okay. But I'm not sure that's the case. To begin with, Haruka's interest in figure things out seemed a bit deeper than mere curiosity, at least for a moment. More importantly, unlike Haruka, Yuu already gets this stuff. She knows what love is. She knows their relationship isn't just friendship but not lovers either. And the thing is, I'm not sure she's fine with this. I think she's letting things move at their pace because she's a bit scared of taking the next step. She's basically alone on this after all, since Haruka's clueless about it. There's an emotional gap between them, and it's probably going to effect their relationship at some point, I think.

~~mangatron~~ · 2014-03-29, 06:02

She's just checking her temperature, yup. Cheek to cheek, you know, the whole forehead thing is so old-fashioned.... While they are on the grassy plains.... some creepy crawly bugs crawling up their necks...

*runs for his life*

Benigmatica · 2014-03-29, 06:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Green One

A cute end to a cute series. I'll miss this as my weekly unwind Anime.

Same here, and I'm glad that Mitsuki-kaichou mustered all of her courage to confess to TAKAYAMA HARUKA! Then again, Haruka has Yuu-chan so sorry Mitsuki...

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-29, 06:40

^ Mitsuki has Rina so there's nothing to be sorry about.

Benigmatica · 2014-03-29, 06:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazu-kun

^ Mitsuki has Rina so there's nothing to be sorry about.

Then again, Mitsuki has no idea that Rina has a crush on her. So, they're just friends!

Kanon · 2014-03-29, 08:13

I didn't expect Mitsuki to outright try to NTR Yuu. As an older sister, she should be more considerate of her younger sister's feelings. She was being pretty selfish. Even so, I can't really blame her for following her heart. She needed to confess to Haruka first in order to later be able to give up on her. In the end, it all turned out for the best, but this could have been pretty messy (it's not that kind of series though, and I like it for that)

I figured Haruka was a bit clueless about love, but I didn't think it was that bad. She really has no idea what it is. There's no doubt in my mind she loves Yuu (she's always thinking about her and wants to kiss her all the time) but it seems like she doesn't understand her own feelings. Surprisingly, Yuu is the most mature of the two when it comes to romance. I think she really meant it when she declared her love for Haruka. In my view, the two of them are already lovers, they (especially Haruka) just don't know it yet.

Although I liked Mitsuki, I'm glad she's out of the way. Sakura Trick doesn't need love triangles. I loved this show precisely because it doesn't have the usual melodrama that plagues yuri, and romance in general. It's just cute lesbians doing cute lesbians things, with good comedy to boot. It's a real breath of fresh air compared to slice-of-life shows with yuri undertones that never, ever cross the line. As a fan of slice-of-life/comedy and yuri, I've always wanted to see an anime that mixed the two, and Sakura Trick is that anime. A solid 9/10. I need another season!!

Biohazardous · 2014-03-29, 08:16

Mitsuki might not know at this second but based on what she has learned she will. I'd hope that us seeing Mitsuki in the future doesn't evolve jus us seeing her with Yuu and Haruka. I'd like to see Mitsuki think back on what she said and what happened with Haruka. We always get a little peak back to that kind of stuff. Mitsuki can think about that then the things Rina said. This will probably have her think wait a minute does she like me? We can then get a side story of the two of them. Hopefully she wont mess around and will just ask Rina.

I cant wait for another season if we are lucky and some OVA's I also cant wait for more Sakura manga translated.

*edit*
Kanon Mitsuki knew and admitted she was going to be selfish. While it does suck to consider doing that kind of thing to someone you love (sister) it was best for everyone. Even Rina saw that and basically made her own little confession. This story needs to continue. I'd love to have a few chapters even let us know what's going on with everyone after graduation too at the end.

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-29, 11:21

Mitsuki had to confess, so I don't blame her for that. What I did not like is that she didn't even spared a thought about her sisters' feelings. That, more than the confession, makes her come across as selfish imo.

Chiaki_chan · 2014-03-29, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benigmatica

Then again, Mitsuki has no idea that Rina has a crush on her. So, they're just friends!

It is such a common thing, not seeing someone close is in love with you.

But one day Mitsuki will report to Rina

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-29, 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benigmatica

Then again, Mitsuki has no idea that Rina has a crush on her. So, they're just friends!

That's going to change soon enough.

Master_Yoma · 2014-03-29, 21:04

Well they kick off the yuri way to soon and Yuu became annoying

5/10 It just stays with kissing

ZodiacBeast · 2014-03-29, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master_Yoma

Well they kick off the yuri way to soon and Yuu became annoying

5/10 It just stays with kissing

Yeah, it's cute, but that's about it. I also find Yuu to be really annoying, and it doesn't really have a more mature counterpart in the relationship to balance it since Haruka is pretty childish herself.

I'm glad that the yuri fans (me included) got their anime, but it seems to not be selling that well.

...is it weird that I enjoy "yuri" anime like MariMite when it's not even really a yuri anime (uh...except for those two girls) over Sakura Trick?

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-29, 21:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZodiacBeast

is it weird that I enjoy "yuri" anime like MariMite when it's not even really a yuri anime (uh...except for those two girls) over Sakura Trick?

I guess. Personally, I did like MariMite but I enjoyed this a lot more. Well, except for the Mitsuki moments. She was just too annoying.

teja208 · 2014-03-30, 02:14

Ahh well, it’s finally over, so here goes my final impression of Sakura Trick.

I do really appreciate that the author of this series is bold enough to go far as introducing a few official couples with them kissing each other. This is what makes this series stands out from the rest of “cute girls” genre. However, this series also comes with admitingly many obvious flaws that are very hard to dismiss. The flaws came from an unexpected angle, something I had rarely seen in other “cute girls” series, and I’m a big fan of those kinds of genre.

Now let me start by comparing my impression of before and after the final episode. This one episode had quite a massive impact on my overall impression of the whole series, and not in a positive light, and it concerns Mitsuki and Haruka.

Mitsuki

Impression before the Final Episode

Spoiler for length:

Impression after the Final Episode

Spoiler for length:

Haruka

Impression before the Final Episode

Spoiler for length:

Now let’s talk about Haruka. If Mitsuki is my major source of comedy, HarukaxYuu provides the main fuel for the yurimance in this series.

There was one time a forum poster Sol Falling said something along the line of how kissing is only the beginning and that HarukaxYuu started out as just friend with kissing but subtly progress into something deeper without them having to confess. I did noticed a bit, but didn’t take his word seriously until I watched ep 8 where Yuu asked Haruka whether she was seriously consider marrying her? Then Haruka accepted it! It was indeed more subtle than regular confession/proposal, but I can’t imagine Yuu would be able to say something like that to Haruka on their first day when they started kissing. This is a reaffirmation that there was indeed progress in their romance despite starting out as something akin to kissing friend.

Then I went back and rewatched the whole series from the beginning and then I began to notice more of what Sol Falling was talking about. Yuu not only started taking initiative in the kissing in ep 3, she slowly grew more attached to Haruka and sometime got jealous when later wasn’t paying enough attention to the former. They became more passionate about each other and they were getting bolder with their make out spot with each passing episodes. Of course there were small bumps along the road with some minor misunderstandings, but those also push their relationship forward. I admit that the act of kissing for its own sake can get old very fast, but with subtle progression in their relationship, kissing matters almost every episode, each time they kissed is a mark of how their relationship has level up. Do you know how rare it is to have a cute girls doing whatever series where the girls’ relationship do actually progress at a steady pace instead of occasional yuri goggle ship teasing which may or may not progress anywhere? This is where Sakura Trick truly shines above other “cute girls” series.

Of course, I would like to see a series where yuri couples starts out with a confession, but not this one. Without the confession, we audience had to exert quite a bit of imagination to be able to guess where they are on the kissing friends >>>>>>>>> actual couple relationship which is actually fun really as long as there is progress, and YES, I dare say the progress is there abet harder to notice and pinpoint.

Impression after the Final Episode

Spoiler for length:

Kotone and Shizuku

Spoiler for length:

Now that we have come this far, let’s also talk Kotone and Shizuku’s lack of screentime.

Aside from badly written characters, the author also seems to have some problem with managing screentime distribution. Not the kind of problem I usually had with other “cute girls” series.

KotonexShizuku was rarely given any romantic moments since their introduction. I question whether this is intentional, and that the author could be planning on making side story focusing on them latter, but for whatever reason, the damage has already been done. It’s surprising that this turns out to be one of the series’ main flaw. There is one episode where they weren’t shown up at all and several episodes where they barely have any lines. Rarely, have I seen this kind of problem present in a 4-koma anime adaptation, at least not to this extent.

There is also Kotone drama subplot. While appropriate amount of melodrama isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a comedy even in a 4-koma, Love Lab and Mikakunin are good examples of how it’s done, but this one feels out of place. Kotone being engaged is one of those things I felt the author could left it hanging for a long time until the main cast enter their third year. Moreover, when consider the overall lighthearted tone of this series, I doubt any drama ticking time bomb will not be causing a major disruption on the flow of the comedy. It’s very hard to not envision Kotone’s parents and/or faience as anything else other than The Knights of Cerberus trope.

Drama itself isn’t a problem as long as it doesn’t disrupt the flow of the comedy and the transition is well handled. It could be just me, but I felt that the sudden shift in tone in episode 7 was a bit unsetting. Not only that, there was also the character POV that is another big issue. See, most of Kotone’s situation were seen discussing from third person POV. I think it would be easier to sympathize with what Kotone and Shizuku are going through if the story were told directly from their perspectives. I would prefer having Shizuku share the role of main narrator with Haruka half the time especially when the story focuses on her relationship with Kotone.

If I were to give my ideal distribution of characters’ POV and interior monologue it would be like this:

Haurka 40%, Shizuku 40%, Others 20%

Here, both Haruka and Shizuku serve as dualtagonist of this series.

Instead we got this:

Haruka 70%, Mitsuki 20%, Others 10%

That’s right. Mitsuki, a side character, has been given more interior monologue moments than half the cast, but given that she will soon graduate I figured that the author is making the most out of her character for better or worse. On side note, she has an awesome replacement for SCP role. SumiSumi is currently my newest source of comedic gold. I felt that she has potential to even surpass Mitsuki on that regard.

Well, I’ve covered most of the stuffs I want to say. Now it’s time for my final verdict.

Overall Impression

Without taking into account of the final episode, I do say for most part, I find Sakura Trick enjoyable despite its shortcomings. Normally, this series could’ve easily scored a 10 from me with well established official yuri couples, and HarukaxYuu has such great chemistry together. However, the author could use a better screentime distribution and some characters behaviors aren’t consistent especially coming from Mitsuki and Haruka in the final episode. Overall, the author is good at creating interesting and entertaining characters with good chemistry but aren’t as skilled at managing them. The flaws are very difficult to overlook and the final episode has a negative impact on my impression of some characters. In the end, the highest score I can give this is a 7/10.

So do I want a 2nd season? Like most “cute girls” series, I will definitely be watching when it comes around, but if you asked me whether I’m looking forward to it, I could only answer, “not so much compared to new season of K-on or Hidamari Sketch.” For me, all the unique good points and unusual bad points of this series offsets each other completely that it result in +/- 0 so I feel quite neutral about it despite this series being anything but average in almost every aspect. The flaws aren’t easy to ignore, but not something I can’t tolerate.

Kazu-kun · 2014-03-30, 03:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by teja208

Spoiler for length:

That was my impression as well. The manga is exactly the same so my guess is that this change in Haruka's characterization was forced by Tachi's editor to drag things out and that's why it comes across as inconsistent. Although, the way Tachi handled Mitsuki was awful so maybe she's just a crappy writer.

shigeru212 · 2014-03-30, 03:32

@teja208

Your comments are very well thought-out and for the most part I agree. Sakura Trick is a very fun show but it definitely could have been even better. As you mentioned, I think there was too much focus on Yuu and Haruka and not nearly enough focus Kotone and Shizuku.

In the end, Studio Deen should have been more proactive here, if they had the flexibility to do so of course. From what I heard, they adapted the manga faithfully but they should have added in more Kotone and Shizuku, even if the original author didn't. Not adapting the manga "faithfully" is always a risky proposition, something that shouldn't be done haphazardly, but I think the source material needed some minor alterations, basically more Kotone and Shizuku, to make the anime as appealing as possible.

There was just too much focus on Haruka and Yuu. Their relationship was interesting but this show would have better if they spotlighted another couple as well. Other slice of life shows do a much better job of balancing out screen time. Additionally, this manga has a lot more yuri than other similar manga (like Kinmoza and Yuyushiki), so I think it would have been better to hold everything else fairly constant and see how fans would have responded to the additional yuri, instead of the additional yuri plus other alterations to the genre.

That being said, it was still an enjoyable series. I hope to see more yuri adaptions in the future and I hope another production committee takes a chance on another yuri light novel or manga.

Biohazardous · 2014-03-30, 05:55

I think Mitsuki and Ruri would start after Mutsuki has her reflection of the things that happened. Especially if Ruri got her to reflect by sharing it all with her. This would leave her able to tell her feeling or jus be bold and possibly steal a kiss. I want to see what happens with them along with the others.

2014-03-29, 01:13	Link #703
Sol Falling Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Age: 35	Great last episode. I think a lot of people, particularly those familiar with the manga, might be a bit too pessimistic about the 'not real lovers' thing. Really, as much as it even matters, Yuu and Haruka have already said they love each other (with this episode). If Yuu and Haruka's current "love" is enough for them to hold hands, go out with each other, sleep over together, and kiss, isn't that enough? The only thing I can think of which might separate Yuu and Haruka's relationship from the conventional concept of "lovers" would be having sex. Well, aside from that, I suppose you could get down into the specifics of the difference between the Japanese words "suki" and "ai". But really, what it comes down to the same maturity angle which is what I believe this whole "love" issue the show has brought up is really dealing with. If you consider what that last (freakin' intense, btw) kiss scene was trying to communicate, I think that was the entire point: (sexual) awareness/maturity. By saying "suki" while kissing each other Yuu and Haruka were bringing their passion to a level unlike ever before. However, rather than allowing that passion to be brought to its natural (mature) climax, Yuu and Haruka backed off out of 'embarrassment'. What that 'embarrassment' said to me was very simply discomfort with allowing their bodies to go out of control in a wildly unfamiliar way. Accordingly, the point where Yuu and Haruka become "real lovers" might simply be the point where they finally have sex. However, as (at this point, 15-16 yr olds), I think it is totally reasonable that they are still too immature to even approach the subject. But similarly to how Yuu and Haruka have been shown not to have a ready or conscious awareness of 'sexuality', it is also natural that they neither understand the concept of 'sexual orientation'. Basically, from this perspective I think it is perfectly natural that Yuu/Haruka do not demonstrate any conscious attention to things like (formal) "dating" or "being lesbian". The current 'shying away from' of sexuality in Yuu and Haruka's relationship has been further underlined in prior episodes with stuff like Haruka's discomfort with having her breasts touched. Really, I think a somewhat curious sense of a lack of 'real' sexuality had been subtly present throughout the whole show. To one extent I had somewhat dismissed it as simply complying with magazine and television content guidelines/laws. However I now see that it was a deliberate theme. And in that light, it's a theme I consider particularly interesting and believable in the context of Yuu and Haruka's relationship. In fact, assuming that Tachi at some point actually goes through with it, I consider it very bold that she has set her story up to be dealing with the delicate process/idea of sexual awakening. Anyway, as for the show itself: main idea is, I really loved it. Although the execution could've been better in a lot of places, I would dearly enjoy a second season. The BDs will mark my first imported anime series with the only exception of the Madoka movie adaptations. I'm also pretty sure I will follow through with the rest of the manga; my shaky Japanese is enough for my own comprehension, so at this rate I might even move into scanlation if I have to. Last edited by Sol Falling; 2014-03-29 at 03:29.

2014-03-29, 06:40	Link #707
Kazu-kun Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006	^ Mitsuki has Rina so there's nothing to be sorry about. __________________

2014-03-29, 08:13	Link #709
Kanon Kana Hanazawa ♥ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: France Age: 37	I didn't expect Mitsuki to outright try to NTR Yuu. As an older sister, she should be more considerate of her younger sister's feelings. She was being pretty selfish. Even so, I can't really blame her for following her heart. She needed to confess to Haruka first in order to later be able to give up on her. In the end, it all turned out for the best, but this could have been pretty messy (it's not that kind of series though, and I like it for that) I figured Haruka was a bit clueless about love, but I didn't think it was that bad. She really has no idea what it is. There's no doubt in my mind she loves Yuu (she's always thinking about her and wants to kiss her all the time) but it seems like she doesn't understand her own feelings. Surprisingly, Yuu is the most mature of the two when it comes to romance. I think she really meant it when she declared her love for Haruka. In my view, the two of them are already lovers, they (especially Haruka) just don't know it yet. Although I liked Mitsuki, I'm glad she's out of the way. Sakura Trick doesn't need love triangles. I loved this show precisely because it doesn't have the usual melodrama that plagues yuri, and romance in general. It's just cute lesbians doing cute lesbians things, with good comedy to boot. It's a real breath of fresh air compared to slice-of-life shows with yuri undertones that never, ever cross the line. As a fan of slice-of-life/comedy and yuri, I've always wanted to see an anime that mixed the two, and Sakura Trick is that anime. A solid 9/10. I need another season!! __________________

2014-03-29, 11:21	Link #711
Kazu-kun Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006	Mitsuki had to confess, so I don't blame her for that. What I did not like is that she didn't even spared a thought about her sisters' feelings. That, more than the confession, makes her come across as selfish imo. __________________

2014-03-29, 21:04	Link #714
Master_Yoma Nekokota Festival Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Lost in the Fairy Forest	Well they kick off the yuri way to soon and Yuu became annoying 5/10 It just stays with kissing __________________

2014-03-29, 01:11	Link #702
The Green One Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010	A cute end to a cute series. I'll miss this as my weekly unwind Anime.

2014-03-29, 06:02	Link #705
~~mangatron~~ worshipping the pantyhose Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manila, Philippines	She's just checking her temperature, yup. Cheek to cheek, you know, the whole forehead thing is so old-fashioned.... While they are on the grassy plains.... some creepy crawly bugs crawling up their necks... runs for his life

2014-03-29, 08:16	Link #710
Biohazardous Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: VA	Mitsuki might not know at this second but based on what she has learned she will. I'd hope that us seeing Mitsuki in the future doesn't evolve jus us seeing her with Yuu and Haruka. I'd like to see Mitsuki think back on what she said and what happened with Haruka. We always get a little peak back to that kind of stuff. Mitsuki can think about that then the things Rina said. This will probably have her think wait a minute does she like me? We can then get a side story of the two of them. Hopefully she wont mess around and will just ask Rina. I cant wait for another season if we are lucky and some OVA's I also cant wait for more Sakura manga translated. edit Kanon Mitsuki knew and admitted she was going to be selfish. While it does suck to consider doing that kind of thing to someone you love (sister) it was best for everyone. Even Rina saw that and basically made her own little confession. This story needs to continue. I'd love to have a few chapters even let us know what's going on with everyone after graduation too at the end.

2014-03-30, 02:14	Link #717
teja208 Critical fanboy Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Anywhere with anime and anime discussion is fine	Episode 12 and Final Impression Ahh well, it’s finally over, so here goes my final impression of Sakura Trick. I do really appreciate that the author of this series is bold enough to go far as introducing a few official couples with them kissing each other. This is what makes this series stands out from the rest of “cute girls” genre. However, this series also comes with admitingly many obvious flaws that are very hard to dismiss. The flaws came from an unexpected angle, something I had rarely seen in other “cute girls” series, and I’m a big fan of those kinds of genre. Now let me start by comparing my impression of before and after the final episode. This one episode had quite a massive impact on my overall impression of the whole series, and not in a positive light, and it concerns Mitsuki and Haruka. Mitsuki Impression before the Final Episode Spoiler for length: From episode 3 to 10, Mitsuki had been my greatest of comic relief character. Her one sided crush on Haruka was so hilarious to watch: seeing how much she kept denying it despite how obvious it appeared to us viewers. The way she sometime slipped into her fantasies of various situations with Haruka and flustered, how she tried to stalk Haruka and fail while also tried to made up excuses along the way, and how Kaede kept messing around with her head. I do love every moment of it. I know that how she fell in love doesn’t make much sense, and some haters see her as a thorn on HarukaxYuu. Personally, the fact that she’s in love with Haruka is the main reason why I find her funny. Taking that away would mean she would’ve come off as just a plain boring ordinary big sister, and I would lose my greatest source of comedy. After fter watching ep. 11, I was hoping Mitsuki would finally come clean regarding her feelings for Haruka in the final episode. With her feeling now cleared up, and she’s on the verge graduating, I don’t think it is right for Mitsuki to keep hiding it form Haruka and Yuu, not after what she did last episode. She needs to make amend for her past mistake. As such, I was hoping in ep. 12 that she would first apologize to Yuu and Haruka for trying to break them up which then follow by a love confession NOT for the sake of winning over Haruka, but a confession as an expression of honestly and goodwill, and admittance of the cause behind her mistake in the previous episode. This is her final chance to do it, so that she can part ways with the main cast and move on without any guilt and regret she may have had. A clean exit so to speak. Impression after the Final Episode Spoiler for length: However, the way she goes about to do it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Ep. 12 part A was titled “Mitsuki’s Decision” so I thought she would’ve made the “right” decision, but I was too optimistic. It was just as Kazu-kun said last episode, Mitsuki is a horrible big sister who chose to place her own feelings above Yuu and Haruka’s. She really did confess in an attempt of taking Haruka away from Yuu. In the previous episode, the way she forbid Haruka and Yuu from kissing could be justified with Mitsuki not understanding her own feelings combined with her responsibility as a student council president, and there was also Rina with her as co-witness so she can’t possibly turn a blind eye on them. So Mitsuki’s action at that time could be pass off as due to emotional impulse in the heat of the moment, not that she really meant it. However, there are no excuses for her action this episode now that she already had her feeling sorted out. In the end, not only she disregarded Yuu and Haruka’s feelings, but also taking advantage of the fact that those two haven’t confessed to give her the reason to steal Haruka. That is just plain wrong and it’s not funny. For most of the series, I enjoyed watching Mitsuki’s one-sided crush on Haruka out of amusement, but last two episodes left a bad after taste for me. Really, it doesn’t matter to me if she’s good or bad sister toward Yuu as long as she remains funny. If she had been acting the way she did last two episodes right from the start of her introduction in ep. 3, I would’ve had a completely negative opinion of her. Haruka Impression before the Final Episode Spoiler for length: Now let’s talk about Haruka. If Mitsuki is my major source of comedy, HarukaxYuu provides the main fuel for the yurimance in this series. There was one time a forum poster Sol Falling said something along the line of how kissing is only the beginning and that HarukaxYuu started out as just friend with kissing but subtly progress into something deeper without them having to confess. I did noticed a bit, but didn’t take his word seriously until I watched ep 8 where Yuu asked Haruka whether she was seriously consider marrying her? Then Haruka accepted it! It was indeed more subtle than regular confession/proposal, but I can’t imagine Yuu would be able to say something like that to Haruka on their first day when they started kissing. This is a reaffirmation that there was indeed progress in their romance despite starting out as something akin to kissing friend. Then I went back and rewatched the whole series from the beginning and then I began to notice more of what Sol Falling was talking about. Yuu not only started taking initiative in the kissing in ep 3, she slowly grew more attached to Haruka and sometime got jealous when later wasn’t paying enough attention to the former. They became more passionate about each other and they were getting bolder with their make out spot with each passing episodes. Of course there were small bumps along the road with some minor misunderstandings, but those also push their relationship forward. I admit that the act of kissing for its own sake can get old very fast, but with subtle progression in their relationship, kissing matters almost every episode, each time they kissed is a mark of how their relationship has level up. Do you know how rare it is to have a cute girls doing whatever series where the girls’ relationship do actually progress at a steady pace instead of occasional yuri goggle ship teasing which may or may not progress anywhere? This is where Sakura Trick truly shines above other “cute girls” series. Of course, I would like to see a series where yuri couples starts out with a confession, but not this one. Without the confession, we audience had to exert quite a bit of imagination to be able to guess where they are on the kissing friends >>>>>>>>> actual couple relationship which is actually fun really as long as there is progress, and YES, I dare say the progress is there abet harder to notice and pinpoint. Impression after the Final Episode Spoiler for length: Then came the final episode where we learned that Haruka don’t have the slightest idea of what a “confession” and “going out” means. My guess is that the author probably intended to antagonize Mitsuki as a trigger for both Haruka and Yuu to reconsider their feelings whether they both are currently “just kissing friends” or “actual couple” and finally end with both of them openly confessed their feelings at long last. I would find it acceptable if only it’s merely the case of Haruka never realize that she was dating Yuu and nothing more, but problem here is how it goes so far to the point that Haruka and Yuu hadn’t even grasp the concept of “going out” which left me dumbfold. What about all of Haruka's fantasies she had with Yuu, especially the part where they live together and have baby? Those definitely go way beyond going out. And what about the subtle marriage proposal they had in ep. 8? Did Haruka even understand the meaning behind it? This revelation delivered quite a major blow on my foundation mentioned previously. I was unable understand the author’s intention behind it. All I can conclude is that Haruka characterization in this last episode came off as inconstant, and doesn’t add up to how she was written prior to this episode. Kotone and Shizuku Spoiler for length: Now that we have come this far, let’s also talk Kotone and Shizuku’s lack of screentime. Aside from badly written characters, the author also seems to have some problem with managing screentime distribution. Not the kind of problem I usually had with other “cute girls” series. KotonexShizuku was rarely given any romantic moments since their introduction. I question whether this is intentional, and that the author could be planning on making side story focusing on them latter, but for whatever reason, the damage has already been done. It’s surprising that this turns out to be one of the series’ main flaw. There is one episode where they weren’t shown up at all and several episodes where they barely have any lines. Rarely, have I seen this kind of problem present in a 4-koma anime adaptation, at least not to this extent. There is also Kotone drama subplot. While appropriate amount of melodrama isn’t necessarily a bad thing in a comedy even in a 4-koma, Love Lab and Mikakunin are good examples of how it’s done, but this one feels out of place. Kotone being engaged is one of those things I felt the author could left it hanging for a long time until the main cast enter their third year. Moreover, when consider the overall lighthearted tone of this series, I doubt any drama ticking time bomb will not be causing a major disruption on the flow of the comedy. It’s very hard to not envision Kotone’s parents and/or faience as anything else other than The Knights of Cerberus trope. Drama itself isn’t a problem as long as it doesn’t disrupt the flow of the comedy and the transition is well handled. It could be just me, but I felt that the sudden shift in tone in episode 7 was a bit unsetting. Not only that, there was also the character POV that is another big issue. See, most of Kotone’s situation were seen discussing from third person POV. I think it would be easier to sympathize with what Kotone and Shizuku are going through if the story were told directly from their perspectives. I would prefer having Shizuku share the role of main narrator with Haruka half the time especially when the story focuses on her relationship with Kotone. If I were to give my ideal distribution of characters’ POV and interior monologue it would be like this: Haurka 40%, Shizuku 40%, Others 20% Here, both Haruka and Shizuku serve as dualtagonist of this series. Instead we got this: Haruka 70%, Mitsuki 20%, Others 10% That’s right. Mitsuki, a side character, has been given more interior monologue moments than half the cast, but given that she will soon graduate I figured that the author is making the most out of her character for better or worse. On side note, she has an awesome replacement for SCP role. SumiSumi is currently my newest source of comedic gold. I felt that she has potential to even surpass Mitsuki on that regard. Well, I’ve covered most of the stuffs I want to say. Now it’s time for my final verdict. Overall Impression Without taking into account of the final episode, I do say for most part, I find Sakura Trick enjoyable despite its shortcomings. Normally, this series could’ve easily scored a 10 from me with well established official yuri couples, and HarukaxYuu has such great chemistry together. However, the author could use a better screentime distribution and some characters behaviors aren’t consistent especially coming from Mitsuki and Haruka in the final episode. Overall, the author is good at creating interesting and entertaining characters with good chemistry but aren’t as skilled at managing them. The flaws are very difficult to overlook and the final episode has a negative impact on my impression of some characters. In the end, the highest score I can give this is a 7/10. So do I want a 2nd season? Like most “cute girls” series, I will definitely be watching when it comes around, but if you asked me whether I’m looking forward to it, I could only answer, “not so much compared to new season of K-on or Hidamari Sketch.” For me, all the unique good points and unusual bad points of this series offsets each other completely that it result in +/- 0 so I feel quite neutral about it despite this series being anything but average in almost every aspect. The flaws aren’t easy to ignore, but not something I can’t tolerate.

2014-03-30, 03:32	Link #719
shigeru212 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2014	@teja208 Your comments are very well thought-out and for the most part I agree. Sakura Trick is a very fun show but it definitely could have been even better. As you mentioned, I think there was too much focus on Yuu and Haruka and not nearly enough focus Kotone and Shizuku. In the end, Studio Deen should have been more proactive here, if they had the flexibility to do so of course. From what I heard, they adapted the manga faithfully but they should have added in more Kotone and Shizuku, even if the original author didn't. Not adapting the manga "faithfully" is always a risky proposition, something that shouldn't be done haphazardly, but I think the source material needed some minor alterations, basically more Kotone and Shizuku, to make the anime as appealing as possible. There was just too much focus on Haruka and Yuu. Their relationship was interesting but this show would have better if they spotlighted another couple as well. Other slice of life shows do a much better job of balancing out screen time. Additionally, this manga has a lot more yuri than other similar manga (like Kinmoza and Yuyushiki), so I think it would have been better to hold everything else fairly constant and see how fans would have responded to the additional yuri, instead of the additional yuri plus other alterations to the genre. That being said, it was still an enjoyable series. I hope to see more yuri adaptions in the future and I hope another production committee takes a chance on another yuri light novel or manga.

2014-03-30, 05:55	Link #720
Biohazardous Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: VA	I think Mitsuki and Ruri would start after Mutsuki has her reflection of the things that happened. Especially if Ruri got her to reflect by sharing it all with her. This would leave her able to tell her feeling or jus be bold and possibly steal a kiss. I want to see what happens with them along with the others.