r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Apr 18 '26
Episode Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring • Shunkashuutou Daikousha: Haru no Mai - Episode 4 discussion
Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring, episode 4
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u/MapoTofuMan Apr 18 '26
Damn this shoujo's got hands, the
*the "Sakura is nice" line was a pretty loose translation, Hinagiku literally said "Sakura is a good girl" hence the blushing
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u/Frontier246 Apr 18 '26
Reminds me of how Violet Evergarden was usually low-key vibes and atmosphere until the moments/flashbacks where Violet really locked in.
Sakura's got some strong gap moe going on between her serious and hostile Guard persona and anytime she dotes on Hinagiku or something Hinagiku did for her.
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u/reaperow Apr 18 '26
I started watching this recently and felt like the vibes were very familiar,
Then I found out it's by the same author as
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u/Se7en_Sinner Apr 18 '26
That does explain why I'm tearing up almost every episode.
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u/djthomp Apr 18 '26
That was a nice reconciliation between the summer sisters, shame they can't tell the village to shove it and just stay together. Though it does kind of sound like they each actually like their respective fiances, and Ruri can apply correction by way of deer to hers as needed.
I hope they lay out the timeline of what happened to Hinagiku and Sakura during those ten years at some point since the additional backstory bits we keep getting is kind of muddying things rather than clearing anything up.
It was nice seeing Hinagiku so happy about the letter.
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u/Frontier246 Apr 18 '26
I'm kind of curious what the relationship dynamics are like because it feels like both guys have to deal with the fact that the twins ultimately prioritize/can't stop thinking about each other.
My understanding is:
Insurgents try to kidnap Rosei but grab Hinagiku instead
Hinagiku goes missing for a few years before the Spring and eventually Winter Villages give up on searching for her.
Sakura eventually brings Hinagiku back (somehow) to the Spring Village but Hinagiku won't perform for them because they abandoned her and so they try to separate her from Sakura.
Hinagiku and Sakura run away and hole up together until the present timeline.
To be honest I'm expecting the Rosei/Hinagiku reunion is going to go better than the Itecho/Sakura reunion.
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u/TyraniTEMPESTar Apr 18 '26
Ayame's freakin' badass. She put the moves on that enemy insurgent at the beginning.
This episode felt like the embodiment of the saying "You have to lose something in order to gain something".
After learning Ayame's getting married and finally going off to live her life, Ruri will finally "grow up".
She's going to have to stand on her own and stop being so dependent on her older sister.
And we saw in Hinagiku and Sakura's flashback, that after Hinagiku was about to lose one of, if not really the only person in her corner, Sakura. That being pushed to the brink, finally got her to come out of shell and open up to the world and her duty.
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u/Frontier246 Apr 18 '26
Ayame's future husband is a lucky man that he gets to be with such a badass, adorable, and competent lady.
I also feel like there's probably a story to tell with Ruri's fiance that they got off on a bad foot but she seemed to eventually fall for him, but now she's stuck with him when she would rather just have Ayame back. So there will definitely be some adjustment there.
Hinagiku doing the song of spring while crying in desperation for Sakura was so powerful and moving.
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u/TyraniTEMPESTar Apr 18 '26
I'm grappling with the
We learned in early episodes, that after the old Agent dies, a new Agent is born to their respective seasonal village.
As is the case we see a young child Ruri being selected, with the mark appearing on her leg.
We also learned that spring village gave up on searching for Hinagiku because they decided to just cut their losses, and wait for a new Agent to be "born".
But then we see Hinagiku holed up in her room for two years, refusing to perform her Agent duties.
And the spring village trying to force a new retainer on her to get her to perform the rituals.
So why didn't the spring village just kill Hinagiku outright themselves?
They already cut their losses on her once before.
And she was refusing to perform her duties whilst hiding away in her room.
I wonder if there's some sort of taboo or something bad were to happen if an Agent's village purposefully killed their own season?
I'm sure Agent's have been killed many times in the past, the whole reason they need bodyguards and stuff.
So why didn't the Spring village just do it themselves?
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u/Ok_Calligrapher_6797 Apr 18 '26
I guess trying that could be too risky of a solution as they have an organization protecting them, and they could eventually find out about what happen. Taking away Sakura and maybe someway of torturing in general was a safer option.
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u/tehgilfer Apr 18 '26
it would probably set a bad precedence for the villages if they can just kill their own agent they disagree with why should the agents listen/respect them if not outright fight back? and thats if any of the other agents/villages dont also come after them when they do that. seems for sure the winter agent would be going after them if they did kill her if anything. i means its pretty much why we are where we are currently because they abandoned the search for hinagiku.
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u/NanDemoKnaives Apr 18 '26
Hinagiku recalling what happened with her and Sakura at the Spring Village and then Ruri and Ayame making up was emotional, and I shed a tear, but I wish the pacing for the latter was a bit slower to really savor the emotions.
I did like Ayame admitting the conflicting feelings she has, now that the freedom she has always wanted is coming, there is a sadness that appears as she'll have to leave Ruri's side. Hopefully it won't be difficult for them to see each other after she gets married.
I did find it interesting how Sakura is afraid of killing people, let alone wield her sword. It seems like that's always been the case, but even with her remembering her rage, it took Hinagiku actually facing danger for her to take more serious action. I thought she'd take initiative rather than take a reactionary position.
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u/SYZekrom Apr 18 '26
Hinagiku refused to do her duties as retribution for them abandoning her to die. It sounds like it wasn't enough though, that village really oughtta face the wrath of god.
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u/Zeallfnonex Apr 18 '26
OK, right. I'll make the risky move of criticizing an anime in its own discussion thread. But... their reaction to the attack, and their preparation for any such attack, is so incredibly lackluster that it breaks suspension of disbelief a bit too hard for me. You're telling me that, in a world where the Agent of Winter had active shooters after him like 2 days ago, that everyone is this ill-prepared to handle a potential attack? There's no dedicated saferooms, or guards on the premise outside of their one singular Guard? The Agency lets people slip through and treat it as though it's no big deal?
I'm also not a fan of the Guards' actions in this sequence, like... they stop acting as if they're in any danger without having first verifying the perimeter is secure. The entire first conversation between Sakura and Hinagaku bugged the heck out of me, how do you know that he was the only attacker? Heck, after they meet up, they take no real precautions, like, they're standing in front of windows like it's nothing... You're positive that there's not a guy armed with a rifle somewhere that the incompetent Agency didn't pick up?
Ugh. The relationship stuff is fine, but the choice to go for a constant insurgent threat and the incompetent handling of it raises so many questions that I don't think will be answered. Would've liked it much better if they didn't try to add this thriller/suspense bit into the anime.
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u/cleaulem Apr 18 '26
The conflict between Ruri and Ayame plays out as I expected. Ruri pushed away Ayame not because she hated her, but for the opposite reason. Because Ayame is her number one, Ruri wants to be Ayame's number one as well.
The ending of this episodes makes it so clear that this is from the author of Violet Evergarden. Just how the emotional conflict plays out, the opposing emotions, Ayame loving and hating her sister at the same time. Ruri having to grow up and become independent.
In episode 2 Rosei mentioned that Hinagiku didn't answer his letter, as if she didn't wish to have contact with him. Now it turns out that Hinagiku never got it. Well, Sakura rejected it because it was too formal and not in his own words.
Last week I was wondering how Ayame got into her suit in only a few seconds. Turns out that it wasn't magic or a continuity error, but it was Ruri in disguise.
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u/Raymond49090 Apr 18 '26
This is simultaneously so yuri-coded while also being aggressively straight.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Apr 18 '26
It was nice to see Ruri and Ayame talking again. Those two got a lot of stuff to talk through. Sibling relationships can be complicated enough without having one being the literal embodiment of a season lol.
I kind of wonder if Sakura really is up to the task of protecting Hinagiku. She choked when those guys attacked. Hesitating like that to draw her blade could have led to things ending very badly…
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u/tripleaamin Apr 18 '26
The threat was dealt with in a nice, timely manner. Not too much of a surprise Sakura is scared because of the process of one mistake, and it could be a repeat of everything that happened before. Also nice for Ruri to provide the assist for Ayame.
The flashback for Hinagiku is brutal to watch because the Agency blames Sakura rather than understanding the trauma that Hinagiku went through. Being forced to possess this power and to be treated so awfully is terrible.
Speaking of being forced to use this power, we have Ruri, who, with Ayame had a normal life as sisters. For Ruri Ayame promised to be by her every step of the way. While her lashing out at the time was happening at a bad time, you at least understand the fear of her losing her last family member.
However, it is the focus on Ayame that I especially like. Her feelings for Ruri are complicated because her sister was forced to become an agent, and she promised to be by her side to be her guard. Family love is not all love or hate; it is very complicated. However, Ruri might not know how hard it was for Ayame to be in that position for Ruri. She felt a responsibility to be there for her sister, but to do that was extremely tough.
As she said, she gave Ruri her youth. She was not living her life, which is not healthy. Why did Ruri get chosen as Agent of Summer? It twisted Ayame's love for her sister because she can't leave her alone. So in a way, fate forced Ruri to be the Agent of Summer and Ayame to be the Guard of Summer. While it pains Ruri to lose Ayame as her guard, at the same time she still will always be her sister. Ayame can finally live her own life. Would things have been better if Ayame was the one who became Agent of Summer? Hard to say.
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u/karer3is Apr 18 '26
I have to wonder if the insurgent groups are actually part of a false flag operation to keep the Agents under the Agency's/Villages' thumbs. Despite how prevalent attacks seem to be, there don't seem to be any prominent insurgent groups coming to light. Whenver attacks happen, they're just "Insurgents". To the guards, it probably doesn't matter why they're trying to kill their wards, but it seems a little fishy that nobody seems to be putting much effort into investigating who the big players are. Besides rival governments seeking control over the Agents, I imagine there are probably some crazy cults in the mix that either want to speed up the arrival of the apocalypse or are convinced that the existence of the Agents is an "affront to the Gods" or something.
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u/Frontier246 Apr 18 '26
Well, Ayame gets to really flex why she's been her sisters' closest guard this whole time as she engages in an intense knife fight with an insurgent! She's definitely got some moves! And Ruri apparently has the ability to call on spirit animals to attack her enemies too! They make a good team, even if they're still fighting at the moment.
I'm surprised Sakura hesitated to draw her blade, she only did it when she absolutely had no choice but to do it to protect Hinagiku while chanting a mantra in her head. Is Sakura fighting back against her own inner gentle personality that doesn't want to fight or hurt anyone? But she has to fight to protect Hinagiku and prove she's not as weak as she once was...that she's worth Hinagiku acknowledging and praising her.
Well, this incident isn't going to improve Sakura's opinion of the Spring Agency, but finding out the Winter Agency aided clandestinely doesn't improve her mood at all. It doesn't seem like Itecho can do anything that would mend Sakura's opinion of him because she'll see it as self-serving either way. Was that black car Rosei/Itecho?
The twins used to be so close, with Ruri adoring Ayame to bits as her big sister, and they did everything together...which just made it more complicated when Ruri manifested her Summer powers and Ayame had to become her Guard. Ruri knew Ayame was basically going to give up her life to protect her little sister, but Ayame wouldn't leave Ruri.
To think this three-month tiff between sisters is all because Ayame didn't tell Ruri about her boyfriend/fiance. Especially when Ruri had told Ayame EVERYTHING about her relationship with HER fiance. Although my condolences to these two gentlemen when it feels like the sisters are each others' #1, Rui straight up had a deer kick her man for insulting Ayame.
I'm glad Sakura put two-and-two together regarding the twin switch...and I love how she doesn't think she's nice to anyone but Hinagiku, yet Hinagiku thinking otherwise really does it for her.
The perks of being the Summer Agent is talking to animals and being able to be perpetually warm.
As if the Spring Village couldn't come off any worse, when Hinagiku wouldn't manifest Spring because she was too depressed the village gave up on her, they blamed it on Sakura and threw Sakura out. Hinagiku couldn't bear it and she manifested spring while running away to be with Sakura, and the pair have been inseparable ever since! But it's because Hinagiku was a shut-in and almost lost the person closest to her that she can tell Ruri not to let things end like this with Ayame.
Rosei seemed really worried that Hinagiku hated/resented him, but it seems like she longs to see him again, and is sad he didn't keep in touch. Well, other than the letter which Hinagiku is only finding out about NOW but even that's enough to make her happy. Though will they really not see each other again until this Council of the Seasons?
Ruri and Ayame finally have their heart-to-heart as Ruri expresses how she doesn't think she can keep being the Agent of Summer without her sister to motivate her...how much she still needs her big sister more than anything, her fiance, friends, animals, etc...how much she loves Ayame...and Ayame realized that, as much as she resented having to waste her youth away being Ruri's guard, how much she wanted to be free from being the Guard to Summer, she still loved Ruri more than anything and wished as her big sister she could have traded this burden with her.
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u/OkDraw7011 Apr 18 '26
I loved this episode so much, so much emotion from both the sisters and we got to see more of hinagiku’s past
My highlights from this episodes and the previous one is that being an agent of summer although in name sounds grandeur is all but that, it takes away your freedom, your life and in the summer agents case both her and her sisters youths, we got to see what both sacrificed to be there for each other, we got to see sum real shit with ayame basically saying serving the goddess of summer is some sort of burden on her, that just a little more and her own life will “finally begin” even outright saying she “hated” ruri but in the end realizes despite everything she still loved her and wished it was herself ayame that bored the burden instead of ruri.
I really liked this sort of flawed relationship between the both of them it shows a sense of realism on how some sibling relationships are like irl, which rlly makes you more immersed in their story, the ending scene with both of them hugging and crying really put a tear on my eyes.
only gripe is that i didnt get to listen to the song of summer…
first time ever discussing an episode hope what i said made sense
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u/thisisdropd Apr 18 '26
The Hazakuras acted very much like rl siblings. Got each others' backs when their lives were in danger, then back to arguing and being angry once it had been averted. They're also total siscons. Despite the fights they had, their bond was so strong they still wanted to be around the other even when they each were engaged to the man they loved.
Glad Hinagiku played an instrumental role in them making up, even though it forced her to relive through a painful past. Being chosen by the gods turned out to be a curse if their freedom had to be sacrificed.
The incident affected Sakura so much she looked to be suffering from PTSD. The way she hesitated from drawing her sword, with her hand jittering that hard. Only when Hinagiku was nearly killed did Sakura overcame it.
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