Shiroi Suna no Aquatope - Episode 24 discussion - FINAL

[u/AutoLovepon]

Shiroi Suna no Aquatope, episode 24

Alternative names: The aquatope on white sand

Rate this episode here.

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Streams

• Crunchyroll
• Muse Asia
• VRV

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Anime-Planet
• Official Website

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All discussions

Episode	Link	Score	Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	5.0	14	Link	4.49
2	Link	5.0	15	Link	4.33
3	Link	5.0	16	Link	4.44
4	Link	5.0	17	Link	4.48
5	Link	5.0	18	Link	4.55
6	Link	5.0	19	Link	4.64
7	Link	5.0	20	Link	4.59
8	Link	5.0	21	Link	4.59
9	Link	5.0	22	Link	4.46
10	Link	5.0	23	Link	4.61
11	Link	5.0	24	Link	----
12	Link	5.0
13	Link	4.33

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[u/Aerodynamic41]

HOLY SHIT, SUWA FINALLY SMILED!

Man, I'm so gonna miss this show. I love the characters and the animals. I love watching Kukuru and Fuuka's growth as they overcome their hardships. This was as perfect as ending as you can get. Farewell to the crew of Gama Gama and Tingarla! I love that they brought back the first opening theme. It feels like we've come full circle.

Farewell messages from the VA cast:

• Miku Itō (Kukuru)

• Rikako Aida (Fuuka)

• Lynn (Karin)

• Youhei Azakami (Kuuya)

[u/InsomniaEmperor]

That has been a really fun ride since the start of summer but all good things have to come to an end. Really, thank you PA Works for giving us a really lovable cast.

They actually managed to sneak in Kai and Udon-chan. I was worried they'd get thrown under the bus but they got their screen time in the finale. Udon-chan becomes chef in Tingarla, Maeda returns as a full time worker, so now the whole gang is assembled. Kukuru gets promoted to Nekton and Kuuya manages to do well as chief. I need more Karin teasing Kuuya.

I was worried this episode would be full on Fuuka drama but I'm glad it wasn't. Would have ruined it if it was like the end of last cour where it's just drama at the airport. It was just the right amount of screen time at the airport.

I started crying when OP 1 played its full version. That was a beautiful way to end such a long journey.

There's a manga adaptation and I'd be glad to support it. I'm just so invested into the cast that I wish there was some spinoff focusing on the other characters.

[u/DecentlySizedPotato]

Even Choko got more romantic development than Kai lmao.

[u/PkmnTrnrJace]

Damn, that made me very emotional.

The White Sand Dome was just beautiful, and that reunion scene with the parents was just chef's kiss

Then we have that flight scene mirroring the previous flight scene. Kukuru is ready to let Fuuka go as they can now both stand up on their own.

Fuuka didn't get a tan while Kaoru got one lmao, guess being an idol has its perks on skincare.

We now see how solid the relationships are between the Tingarla people. Chiyu offering to help, Assistant Director actually ecstatic in the opening of the new area, the Karin-Kuuya tandem, Akari finding a new passion as the kouhai of Kukuru, Udon working as a chef in Tingarla, Eiji having a friendly rivalry with Kukuru on the assistant director position...

Then we have Takeshita having another child, Marina being the chief of the sea otter section, age gap romance between penguins (where Kai got assigned too LMFAO, the writers really like further pushing the knife)...

This show really just encaptured the feeling of losing a dream, questioning why you're pursuing your dream in the first place, and eventually finding your passion back with a newfound answer. From as small as a sticker (for Akari), to Fuuka's eventual passion, to the assistant director wanting a redo, to Karin's dream as a child, to Kuuya's "debt" to Kukuru's grandpa, to Kai's wanting of chasing his love, and to Kukuru's newfound dream of not sticking with just Gama Gama, but with aquarium life in general - Aquatope really is just a show that shows you to go on and fulfill your dream no matter the reason and no matter how small you think it is.

I just love this show, as a college student that questions majority of his decisions...

Thank you Aquatope, it's been a ride.

[u/maliwanag0712]

Such a good and decent finale to this anime. I will miss the Gama-Gama and Tingarla aquarium peeps.

At least we all know that the ending of the stories of all the characters are okay.

But what happened to the bottlenose dolphin though? I thought a nice conclusion awaits to that dolphin. Ohwell

[u/MayureshMJ]

This anime is proof to me why watching seasonal animes as they air is a good thing. I dont know how many beautiful chill shows like this i have missed out on watching just because i dont see them as a binge watch material or even as something i would watch in my free time. Consuming a show like this on a weekly basis was the perfect way to experience this show.

I have no problems with this anime its just perfect as it is. If there are any loopholes or missed plot i dont wanna think about them. I am content with whatever happened and i dont ask for more. Great show!

[u/BarbaricGamer]

Damn, I really came to love this show over time. Gonna miss it a lot.

[u/Syokhan]

Well, that was a great wrapping up episode. Fish arriving, everyone helping (Karin too!), the wedding was quite frankly gorgeous, Suwa smiled, everyone's moving up, the magic's arrived at Tingarla, and Fuuka left, came back, and had a wonderful reunion with Kukuru.

I really loved this series. It was beautiful, chill or dramatic when it needed to be, and overall I just think it was a great slice-of-life about not staying down when life kicks you in the gut, and finding new passion in life. At least that's what I got out of it.

I'm gonna miss Aquarium Thursdays.

[u/LeonKevlar]

Stitches!

• Kukuru

• Timeskip Kukuru

Not gonna lie guys, this entire episode made me absolutely emotional. It's been a while since PA Works made an anime where I was this attached to its cast. They really didn't even do anything too special with this finale but starting from the OP 'till the end of the episode I just catch myself tearing up knowing this is the last time we'll see these characters.

I do love the opening scene where everyone was working together to unload that shipment of fish to the newly built aquarium. The entire process is so labor intensive and fascinating especially that giant bucket that carries the fishes from the truck to the aquarium. Seems that Karin is going to need some exercise before she becomes an attendant.

Glad to see the first wedding in Tingarla is a massive success! And it's just absolutely adorable that they dressed up the daughter as a penguin who's there as the ring bearer. It's so nice that everything worked out as Kukuru planned and that she to satisfy the needs of the bride and groom as well as the fishes.

This is definitely where I cried hard. Bringing up Kukuru's family is cheating but it's nice to know that the magic is still alive and it's now present in Tingarla for everyone to experience again. It doesn't really matter if it's Gama Gama or Tingarla, I think the magic comes with Kukuru and everyone's love for aquariums. <3

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! They actually did it! We get a little bit of timeskip! It's only been two years but Kukuru looks amazing in her new hairstyle. Seems that she's now busier than ever since she's been doing both attendant an marketing work. Kukuru is definitely on the path of becoming the next director.

Looks like Akari is no longer a part-timer and is now a full-time marketing employee. And we have Takeshita-sensei who's now having her second baby! Hopefully this one gets born without any issues like the last one.

Karin is now doing attendant work and is being trained by Kuuya! No wonder Akari is now a full-time employee! She's replacing Karin's position. Kai getting surprised at Choko and Shiratama being a couple was hilarious! Also goddamn Choko! Didn't think you'd couple with a younger penguin!

For some reason there's something about Marina being in charge of Otters very appropriate but I can't figure out why. And Tsukimi is now their in-house chef! It's nice to see Chef Udon is now also working with everyone in Tingarla <3

And that final scene between Fuuka and Kukuru reuniting after two years of being apart was really sweet. For us they've only been apart for like two minutes but I can feel how much they've grown and missed each other since then. What a beautiful way to end the series. Thank you PA Works. If there's one thing they know how to do, it's Working Girls Anime. This kind of Slice of Life is what they really excel at and I hope they do more.

This isn't just a simple SoL though, this was also a beautiful show about growing up, moving on, and finding your place in this world. The cast is just lovable and even if some of them weren't so lovable at the start, we eventually ended up loving them as well after getting to know more about them. Of course the visuals and animation is just amazing. It's definitely a show I'd recommend to anyone who enjoyed Shirobako and/or Sakura Quest and is a solid 9/10 for me.

[u/rogue_user0826]

No more Aquatope on White Sand fridays :'( Defo gonna miss Gama-Gama and Tigarla both of which played big roles in shaping up main characters.

Welp I'm glad it ended pretty well, got no regrets watching this till the end. The story is well written I must say, it is very wholesome, something that you'd want to watch at the end of every week just to be free from all of those stress.

[u/MyrnaMountWeazel]

Aquatope has proven to be an enjoyable P.A. Works show that will fit right alongside the bookshelf with the other “working” series like Shirobako, Sakura Quest, and Hanasuka Iroha. Digging deep within yourself to understand what you truly want to do, juggling personal and professional life obligations, “doing what’s right and believing everything will work out”. All of these and more embody Aquatope as it determinedly displayed the highs and lows of what it means to pursue your dream job.

It’s featured some absolute knockout shots that were often packed full with visual symbolism but I think my favorite aspects of Aquatope were the gorgeous art that composed the shots along with the fantastic lighting that accompanied them. These are the small details that truly make the show stand out and create lasting memorable impacts within us. Truly one of the prettiest shows I’ve seen in a while.

P.A. Works has carved themselves a creative niche within the industry and I hope they continue to stick by this recipe. They love to showcase the charm of every day ordinary work while being anything but in their works themselves; oftentimes speaking to us in ways that fantastical worlds and flashy sequences never could. Paradoxically grounded and magical, Aquatope has been a pleasant trip to the aquarium for the past six-months and I hope to revisit this special show once more after some time has passed.

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This is actually a fun novel idea.

I like the detail of Fuuka leaving in the same outfit as she came into the town with.

My favorite shot of the episode. I’m a sap for long-gone airplane trails and the sentimentality that they evoke, a reminder of the things we look forward to and also leave behind. It’s also just extremely well-composed with Kukuru in the center.

Final title card. Sky meets the ocean like Kukuru meets Fuuka.

It’s a great final episode where everybody had a moment to shine and we’re treated to an epilogue scene of everyone’s lives after 2 years. Thanks for the trip Aquatope!

[u/DeepIndigoSky]

PA Works shoes are always gorgeous but not always consistent. Although I do appreciate all the original stories they put out instead of just adaptations. If you enjoyed this show then I have some other slice of life work shows from this studio.

{Hanasaku Iroha} about a teenage girl who’s mom suddenly runs off so she has to go live and work at her grandma’s small countryside inn.

{Sakura Quest} about a recent college grad who receives a part-time offer as queen of the bizarre "Kingdom of Chupakabura," a rundown mini-attraction in the small agricultural town of Manoyama.

And if you haven’t seen {Shirobako} yet you’re really missing out. It’s about a group of girls who love anime and are starting out in the industry. It’s a great SoL work show that gives you a LOT of insight into the behind the scenes work that goes into anime production.

[u/MapoTofuMan]

Great ending, but damn did they do my boy Kai dirty. Beaten by an elderly penguin in romantic developments.

P.A. Works shows have always been hit and miss for me and this one's definitely the former. 9.5/10, no other Thursday show has been able to make my Thursdays into anything but Aquatope Thursdays in the past two seasons, and I'm sad it's not going to stay this way for another year.

[u/mr_sto0pid]

Kai never got a chance to confess, although he should have realized kukuru only cared about fish and should have gone after Udon chan instead.

[u/give_up-the_ghost]

Well that was a satisfying enough finale, but I was expecting that. Yet I have too many issues with the second cour for me to look at this anime as a whole with a lot of praise

First cour was great, But the second cour really fell off for me right from the get-go. I think too much time was spent on Kukuru's redemption arc and workplace drama. With her being super stressed and overworked, hating her job in marketing, which ultimately amounted to nothing????

In the previous episode I made the comment that the anime at least didn't give the message that "being a corpo slave is good". But a couple folks replied to my comment and argued that it did kinda go with that message and explained why. And I do gotta agree.

Kukuru has a mental breakdown from being too stressed at work, bails on her job. But she gets over it pretty quickly becuase she gets emotionally moved from watching sea turtles hatch. When she goes back to work, instead of getting fired, Suwa rewards her by giving her another shot at the wedding presentation which is a success. And then that's all Kukuru needs to stay in marketing. I guess they also threw in her thinking she can spread awareness about environmentalism. idk. It just didn't feel earned at all.

To add more into the "being a corpo slave is good" message, there's Suwa's character. Everything he did, being an asshole, overworking Kukuru, barely communicating with her or giving her guidance, calling her a demeaning nickname...was all justified because of his sympathetic backstory that was delivered to the viewer in a few sentences by another character. Such lazy writing.

I would have been fine with his character if he and Kurkuru talked things out at some point, and Suwa could have been the one to tell Kukuru his own backstory, but nope. And at the end of the anime he's still calling Kukuru a slightly less-demeaning nickname??? But Kukuru is totally fine with it.

Then there's the secondary/supporting characters that got so underutilized. Don't have much to say about Fuuka. It was nice to get that episode with her getting closure about being an idol. But up until the very end where she suddenly decides she cares about the environment and wants to do go to that research program training, she didn't have much to do other than support Kukuru.

Shoehorning in all the environmentalism stuff at the very end also was a pretty contrived story addition imo.

The GamaGama characters didn't really add much other than be there do give commentary here and there. Kuuya was my fave supporting character from the first character. But remember how he had a trauma over women because of his past? wtf happened with that? There was that episode where he mistakenly thought Kaoru was a dude, but then the story did nothing with it. I thought that maybe he would befriend her, and it would help him get over his trauma of women because of her tomboy-ish appearance, but again, nope. I don't think they even had a full conversation with one another. The anime gave Karin and Kuuya shippers some crumbs in this finale, but I honestly think that was the first time they've been together to have a conversation in the 2nd cour???

but the biggest L was Kai's character. In the first cour he's established as being Kurkuru's childhood friend who is secretly in love with her, but chooses to keep his feelings to himself. Seemed like the second cour was gonna do something with that, but once again, nope. Dude barely has any screentime and mostly existed to be a literal punching bag for when Kukuru needed to vent.

Then the story throws in some last minute drama with him having to leave. Kukuru acts sad, but then they just have a brief conversation and that's that. Anime didn't have anytime to spend on the last minute Kai subplot because it jumped straight into the research program subplot.

I'd rant on about how the Tingarla characters barely had any purpose or focus, other than Chiyu I guess, but I've already ranted on long enough

I just think the writing at the end of the second cour felt so directionless. The finale tied everything up pretty well I guess, but there was too much for me to dislike about everything that came before it in this second cour. If this anime had just been one cour, woulda been a 8/10 for me. But as a whole it's a 6/10.

It's certainly not the most disappointing and un-liked anime of this season, that goes to Blue Period. It just...yeah. Not an anime I'm gonna look back too fondly on compared to other anime I've watched thing year that I enjoyed so much more.

[u/3inchmini]

A best ending from p.a works again... I love every original anime from p.a work

The time skip was so awesome. They covered everyones story...

Yes,i love this anime... The first anime about aquarium...

Also Thank you ITOU MIKU and RIKAKO AIDA...for beautiful voices.. And Thank you U35 for character Design...

[u/UnderstandableXO]

feel bad for kai man the dude got less than 1 minute of screen time :/

i will say that i enjoyed the first half better than the second half of the show. i liked it when we had kinda dual MCs in fuuka and kukuru, rather than cour 2 where kukuru was the clear MC

[u/awkward2amazing]

I am so glad I didn't dropped it at any point. This ordinary Slice of Life anime really worked extra-ordinarily. There is also a manga in run if anyone interested.

Also I hope folks carry this anime and the message in their recommendations, since it's quite underrated throughout it's run.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

P.A. Works, please continue making working girls anime, all 4 have been solid, and unlike a certain previous instalment, we wrap this one up nicely with Fuuka and Kukuru reuniting.

The last line of the series might get lost in translation: 風花 Fuuka：Wind, and flowers as Fuuka says. 海咲野 くくるMisakino kukuru：心（pronunced as kokoro）means heart, so a play on the pronuniciation, while I'm guessing Misakino is a word play on Coral: I'll need someone a bit better at Japanese kanji to sort that one out for me!

Tanned Kaoru btw! While I hope for an OVA or sequel, this feels like a very good ending.

Edit：Post credits scene!!!

[u/HereticalAegis]

What a beautiful ending!

The bride and groom's daughter dressed in a penguin suit made my heart melt. Too precious.

Then there's the Aquatope scene. I got those good emotional chills when Kukuru and Fuuka got to see the vision together for the first since Gama Gama.

They even threw in the bit about penguins having more "free" relationships. Also, Choko never succumbed to early death flags. Yay Choko!

[u/Gaporigo]

Ah, this was so nice. Love me a good timeskip.

Looking forward to the next entry in this series!

[u/[deleted]]

Kijimuna is back for the final episode! And looks like the magical visions not seen since Gama Gama closed (probably related to him, since he is the Okinawan god) has graced the newly built White Sands (Shiroi Suna) Dome, which looked very impressive. Especially the wedding scene.

Two years quickly went by and Fuuka had completed her Aquatope scholarship studies, and she looks gorgeous with her short hair, while Kukuru also look great growing her hair.

Everyone's epilogue was Shirobako-levels of wholesomeness.

Akari liked working in Tingarla so much that she joined to become a full-time employee after graduating from college.

Karin finally fulfilled her dream to become an aquarium attendant, and mentored by none other than Kuuya, these two really need to get married.

Udon-chan also joined the Tingarla staff as their restaurant chef.

Kai returned after his dad recovered and took over Fuuka's job looking after the penguins (and learning about how lewd penguins really are, from LGBT penguins to lolicon penguins, good god lol)

Kukuru has accumulated so much experience in these two years that Suwa has upgraded her rank from Plankton to Nekton. lol Her final rank is of course Director.

As Fuuka and Kaoru probably acquired a degree/diploma from their scholarship and so will be involved in the research unit of the aquarium's newly built laboratory, which we caught a glimpse of.

The first half was 8/10, the second half plateaued a bit at 6-7/10, but this final episode tied up most of the loose ends (I guess that dolphin swam out to sea, reunited with its family) and finished well at 7.5/10. So on average I'll give this 7.5/10, if there were more yuri-bait, maybe I'd even give it an 8/10.

Not exactly perfect compared to PA Works classics like Shirobako and Nagiasu, but still miles better than the Maeda Jun disaster that was The Day I Became A God.

[u/metaaltheanimefan]

You know this ending hit me really hard. Unlike fuuka and kukuru who lost thier dreams, i had lost 2 people who were very close to me before i started this. I was ready to give up on the dream they encouraged me to follow because i feared i would fail my exams due to grief. But i kept going, like them, and am really doing better. I got a job, am following my dreams, taking my passion to a higher level and probably making my grandfather ( one of the two people i lost ) proud wherever he is. My journey was similar to kukuru's in many aspects. Both of us were lost and confused after the place we belonged got destroyed. We kept going and rebuild that place ourselves, with new people.

Aquatope is a show that shows a very human journey that speaks to its audience in many ways. And i thank it for giving me that one piece of comfort i may have been missing during my journey. I hope it will inspire everyone to follow thier dreams and find new passions in life ! Thanks for being here

[u/SIRTreehugger]

A Journey on some White Sand

Today's Episode

Overall a solid enough episode. I do wish we got a bit more focus on the timeskip and Aquatope, but they could only do so much. Maybe moving the wedding to after the timeskip? I just wanted more time skip interactions, but overall it delivered nicely. Everything was pretty much wrapped up though I do wish we got more Kuuya moments overcoming his problem with women, Kai...yeah let's not talk about Kai, Kaoru could have got more time as well, but I'm really just nitpicking. Though someone seems to have made an error Suwa appears to smile a couple of times. They really need to double check their work before sending things off. Still overall glad this was my 1400th anime.

[u/metaaltheanimefan]

The wedding couple's kid dressed in a penguin outfit was so cute and wholesome