Shiroi Suna no Aquatope | Episode 10 and 11 Review

I will admit, episodes ten and eleven were actually very well done episodes. Each episode felt extremely emotional and you could feel the pain Kukuru was experiencing knowing that the place she had called home for so many years was at its end. All the memories she’s shared and being that the Gama Gama was the last place where she felt connected with her parents was on the verge of being taken away from her was very sad.

The suspense I felt watching both episodes as intense, especially when the typhoon was hitting. As the Gama Gama fell apart infront of Kukuru’s eyes, the desperation and pain in her voice knowing that the place she loved so much was on the verge of being ripped from her was heartbreaking.

In a way, Kukuru experience all the five stages of grief.

Denial: Kukuru refusing to believe that the Gama Gama would be closing down.
Anger: Whenever someone mentioned the Gama Gama closing, Kukuru would get frustrated with the individual because she did not want to believe that the place she loved with all her heart was going to close.
Bargaining: Kukuru always sought out ways to prevent Gama Gama’s closure. Always thinking “If I do this, this and that then the Gama Gama won’t have to close”. She had planned all these events to attract more people to the aquarium, in the hopes that if her grandfather saw that the Gama Gama was thriving that he would go back on his intention to close it down.
Depression: During the typhoon, Kukuru watched on helplessly as pipes began to break and as the windows began to blow out. In short, she watched as the place she called home, the “only thing she had left”, began to be ripped from her.
Acceptance: Coming to terms that the facility was too far gone and that it’ll cost more to maintain the aquarium. Kukuru understands and accepts that she did everything she could possible do to prevent the Gama Gama’s closure. While she will be losing the place that she holds dear to her heart, the memories made will stay with her together. While all the animals kept there will all be separated, she accepts and understands that they’ll all be going to better and larger living conditions. Kukuru crying as she looks back on the place she’s loved for so long, close its doors forever, while bittersweet, she understands that it’s probably for the best.

Without a doubt watching her cry her heart out almost brought me to tears. It definitely was a powerful and emotional moment. Episodes eleven and twelve were definitely the best episodes of the anime so far. It’ll be interesting to see what takes the place of the Gama Gama over the next thirteen episodes, they’ve got to fill it with something, but what? Only time will tell. For sure, I am looking forward to what happens next.