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The parts about Kobayashi and Tohru are fantastic, the parts about Takiya and Fafnir are exceptional, and once Elma shows up, we get to learn a lot more about the genuinely interesting facets of the dragons and their world. So much of the slow work life and interpersonal relationships is top-tier work. The art is adorable and expressive, and when it cranks up the budget the action can get INCREDIBLE, enough to rival even top-tier shounen works.

It's a practically perfect show that I would happily rate as 11/10, but it VERY unfortunately gets brought down by the weird/creepy way the camera frames its child characters, ... and also Lucoa.

Sakura Quest is a show about two major themes, which it manages to balance incredibly well: firstly, the slow death-spiral of small towns and their way of life as massive urban sprawl sucks away both resources and people. Second, that growing up and becoming an adult and dealing with the issues of self-image and worth that come with entering the workplace can be both a difficult rite of passage and something to be enjoyed.

When this show aired, I was still in college. Having left school and looked for a job since then, I relate more than ever to Yoshino's struggles: her difficulty in spreading her ... wings and striking out on her own is something that I think most adults can relate to, even those who've found success. Moreover, it's an important step in growing as a person, something that I think the show really excels at.

While I've never lived in a small town and primarily experienced them as passing blips on the highway, I can say that the message about the decline of smaller towns resonates less with me, but I think it's still important to consider. The great, interconnected globalised world is not the only way of living, and there's a certain humble charm about the unique issues that small towns face that can use a lot of attention. Things like the accessibility of senior citizens or issues of rural internet connection (something that's become a contentious issue in the US as well) can often go overlooked in the short-attention-span world we find ourselves in.

This is a show that puts a lot of earnestness and thought into it characters and setting, and for that, I truly do think it's a masterpiece. It's not perfect--no show is--but I really do think it has some essential themes, and I'd recommend this to just about anyone who's ever struggled with trying to figure out just...how they're supposed to be an adult.