Unfortunately, with fun, there must be drab. With happiness, there will always be sadness somewhere underneath. The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 wasn’t the sunshine and rainbow affair like it usually is, focusing on the serious issue of Kukuru dealing with the supposed loss of the Gama-Gama aquarium instead. Let’s see how it did in this review!
The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 Overview
The Aquatope on White Sand is the latest anime by the Anime Studio P.A. Works, previously known for producing critically and commercially acclaimed anime like Angel Beats and Another. Toshiya Shinohara directs the series, a director whose career so far has been intrinsically linked with P.A. works, having previously directed Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara and Nagi no Asu kara for the studio before. It is an original series by P.A. works, which means it is not based on a previously existing property, such as a Manga or a Light Novel.
If you want to know how I felt about the ninth episode of the season, or if you want to catch up on it, check out my review of it here. This episode is also known in original Japanese as Shiroi Suna no Aquatope Episode 10.
– The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 Review does not contain spoilers –
The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 Review- Art and Music
Nights have a special magic to them. The silence, the breeze, the loneliness, and the lights form a special aesthetic that is unmatched by any other feeling in this world. To people who don’t enjoy the nighttime, it is a difficult feeling to explain. It is something that you accidentally experience one day and fall in love with. I say this all because no anime does nights better than The Aquatope on White Sand.
The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 perfectly captures the feeling of roaming a world that is dead silent with a beautiful soundtrack playing in your ears. This feat is made doubly impressive if you notice that all of this was achieved in almost near darkness, just like the real thing. I have never experienced something so realistic from an anime before, and for that, The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 gets major kudos.
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That nighttime environment was incomplete without the fantastic OST that this anime has. The tracks were able to encapsulate the perfectly sombre and serene nature of nights like nothing has ever done. If you have ever been afraid to go out in the dark, you can substitute that experience by watching The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10. The feeling has been replicated almost perfectly.
The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 Review- Plot and Characters
The plot development at the end of the last episode, where Kukuru goes to see the new aquarium, has been put on ice for now in favour of the elephant in the room. This episode sees Kukuru trying and failing miserably to deal with the closure of her beloved Gama-Gama. Her ties with the place are explored, and we gain a deeper understanding of her psyche and what makes her, her.
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This makes for a rather depressing episode where everything goes wrong for Kukuru, even the one move she was saving for such an eventuality. You see, Gama-Gama is not just a normal aquarium. It is an aquarium with the power to take people in the past and show them their deepest desires, think the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter. In a last-ditch desperation move, Kukuru tries to lure people in by advertising this quality. Obviously, it doesn’t work because you can’t control magic.
Kai, her childhood best friend, helps Kukuru recover using friendship magic and some childhood tricks. Their dynamic is one of best friends that could easily be a couple if they weren’t both dumb, which is always a great relationship to witness. Meanwhile, Fuuka and Kukuru have their own issues that they need to resolve. The show is moving at just the right pace for a 2 cour slice of life, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
Verdict
The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10 was a breathtaking watch with a lot of great character moments and plot progression. Slice of life is amazing when done well, and I believe this is one of those instances.
If you liked this review of The Aquatope on White Sand Episode 10, you will also enjoy our review of the next episode in the series, available right here!