Sakura Quest introduces us to five main girls in the rural setting of Manoyama, three of whom left Tokyo to chase their dreams outside the city. It’s a great story about the distance between people and coming to terms with your place in the world. However, by no means is the coming-of-age story it tells smooth sailing. Sakura Quest largely focuses on characters who are lost in life with no semblance of destination in sight. They allow themselves to get carried by the unsteady tide of life and at times it’s painful to watch.

Yoshino lies at the heart of Sakura Quest and it’s her ignorance about the world and its inner workings that make the show’s themes feel true to life. She rejects the proposal to become Manoyama’s Queen, which she later reconsiders without understanding the duty the role entails. It’s this very ambition that leads Yoshino to make countless mistakes, which she’s constantly criticized for. But the show is never unforgiving with its portrayal of her flaws, acknowledging that people are always growing—always in search of the answers they don’t have.

Take, for example, Yoshino’s first speech as Queen. She understands her inability to empathize with a culture out of her reach, but acknowledges that it just means she needs to gain that empathy. It makes for an touching realization of her own imperfection and grounds Sakura Quest in the atmosphere of uncertainty it needs. People can hope for the best without knowing what lies ahead of them, and that’s okay. It’s part of growing up, and Sakura Quest always challenges its main cast as they navigate a setting they’re completely unfamiliar with.

Another great moment of the show’s compelling uncertainty comes from Yoshino’s consolation of Sanae, the two of whom felt out-of-place in their former urban settings. One of Sanae’s complaints is that her work was rarely praised in Tokyo. Consequently, she drowns herself in self-deprecation and the general cynicism associated with failure. However, Yoshino retorts that there are some people who will be happy with her work, and some who won’t. Yoshino isn’t wrong per se, in fact, the ethos of her words are so close to being eloquent that it hurts.

Unfortunately, Yoshino isn’t able to perfectly articulate her thoughts and the two are left with their problems unsolved. Ultimately, Sakura Quest’s philosophical ideas aren’t particularly deep nor fully-realized, but as we grow up, we’re always on the verge of being right, even though we’re never quite there. All in all, this is a story about kids with deeply personal ideas about the world, and the fact that Sakura Quest allows its characters to have these profound moments of introspection while still acknowledging the imperfection of their worldviews is a joy to watch.

That being said, the show isn’t always invested in the story of our main cast, and that’s where the problems arise. The conflicts between Yoshino and the residents of Manoyama are, while interesting, burdened by the artifice of the supporting cast and the town’s lack of ambience. Luckily, one of the residents, Shiori, imbues the setting with her strong individual presence. Unlike the other residents of Manoyama, Shiori’s emotional attachment to the town ties directly into the show’s themes of growing up.

When the house she once grew up in is scheduled to be burnt down, Shiori does everything in her power to protect it, even going as far as to lie about having not received the owner’s permission to do so. Yoshino, desperately wanting to fulfill her role as Queen tries to convince her otherwise. In the end, the two disagree and the conversation ends abruptly, and yet it brings them closer than ever to a mutual understanding.

In a way, Shiori works as a foil to Yoshino. Yoshino feels disillusioned with her life in Tokyo and wanders aimlessly for a place of belonging, whereas Shiori has settled into Manoyama’s culture, allowing herself to be shaped by memories she grew up with. Hence, the discomfort the two feel from the interaction stems not from a clash of ideologies, but a desire to understand each other. Although Shori’s old home may no longer have any intrinsic value, both Shiori and Yoshino understand that it’s hard to let go of the old keepsakes that bind us to our faded emotions.

There’s a tangibility of growing up shared by people on a universal level, and although Yoshino is unable to understand the nuances of Shiori’s emotions, she’ll keep trying. She’s the Queen after all. And that’s all Sakura Quest really is: the aimless quest we embark on and the struggles we’ll face, as we gently reach out to the dreams we never knew we had.