Shiroi Suna no Aquatope | Episode 9 Review

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To sum up episode nine and the events that transpired, I would say it was two sides of the same coin. For sure, I believe that this episode helped advance Kukuru as the main character. This is because they introduced Chiyu, who seems to be one of those one-off characters whose sole purpose is to, like I said, advance the main character.

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How did Chiyu advance Kukuru? Well, for starters, being a disruptor definitely does help. Chiyu is the exact opposite of Kukuru. Chiyu is so focused on the practical side of the job that she failed to understand that interacting with the guests and creating a relaxed atmosphere makes Gama Gama special. Chiyu may have only seen people walking around not paying attention to the fish; however, little did she know (if she would have had one-to-one conversations with the guests) that they had all already seen and learned about each fish at the aquarium.

The reason why they continue to come to the Gama Gama isn’t that they want to see the fish. It’s because the environment of the Gama Gama is warm and welcoming. It’s a calm and peaceful environment, where people come to relax, and Chiyu being only focused on the practical side of things, overlooked that.

Kukuru, this episode showed the personality of someone who is stuck in her own ways, which is weird because she’s a teenager. Because of this stubbornness, she isn’t welcoming of Chiyu, who was there to train and gain experience on how to properly be an aquarium caretaker for another rival competitor. Now, why is this important? This is important because it shows that Kukuru, despite her good intentions of wanting to keep the Gama Gama open, has only ever known one way of doing things. When you only know how to do things one way, you’re hellbent on reinforcing the fact that this is the only way of doing things. You’re limiting yourself.

In a way, Kukuru inability to accept something new negatively affects the Gama Gama because if she believes that the Gama Gama doesn’t need to change. This is hurting the aquarium because it cannot keep up with newer aquariums, all of which have evolved and have found new innovative ways to attract people. As we all know, if you’re unable to adapt and evolve, you will eventually fail. So Chiyu’s appearance during episode nine may have forced Kukuru’s hand. I think it caused her to broaden her view, and hopefully, if she genuinely wants to see the Gama Gama thrive, maybe her visiting other aquariums will spark new ideas that could be used to benefit the Gama Gama.

Episode nine was good. Finally, Kukuru had someone who actually challenged her on a professional level. While it’s nice to have people who will continue to support you unconditionally, it’s also essential to have people who will question things you do and whether or not what you’re doing is truly good. When you’re stuck in your ways, having someone upend things like a Chiyu is good. I’m sure Kukuru will learn something valuable in the coming episodes, and I’m looking forward to that.