This episode of Sakurako-san, ‘Grandmother’s Pudding’, gives us old ladies and pudding. But the episode itself..? Meh, it had some good points, many bad ones.
Review of Sakurako-san Episode 9 ‘Grandmother’s Pudding’
I’m going to try to stay positive throughout this review. This show has garnered a lot of perhaps unearned hate from me, and this review will try to rectify that. In order to achieve that kind of mood let’s get a lot of the negative things out-of-the-way first.
Yuriko is kind of annoying this episode.
The line”But isn’t that too simplistic of a choice?” would insinuate that Yuri’s grandmother is trying to make it hard to find, even though if things had gone according to plan that wouldn’t be necessary. I mean, why would Shoutaro even say this? What do you think you live in… a mystery show?
The painting references go as such: reference to Yuri’s name, nice hidden meaning to their relationship has girl and grandmother, and… is kind related to some random poem.
The music choices are oddly suspenseful at times, the whole scene was really.
“You didn’t want the doll did you?”
*Yuriko clenches her fists*
“Sakurako-san! Don’t accuse people of such things!”
Sakurako rants about love for about two minutes and concludes with “And that’s why I can’t help you.” Wait… why? Because you don’t know anything about love? I’m confused.
Shoutaro’s line”There are things you value because they are pointless.” Makes literally no sense.
Why is Yuri even trying to find this painting in the first place? I thought her Grandmother would have given it to her for her wedding… so why look now? Doesn’t that seem a bit mean-spirited to search for it now? With not regard for the original plan for it?
“I thought I’d visit my grandmother’s grave.”
“You are so simple-minded, boy.”
WHAT!? That is so offensive! How could Sakurako say such a thing! Seriously! Just because Shoutaro is feeling sentimental about his own grandmother he’s simple-minded?
Whew, ok, with that out-of-the-way I can focus on the positive!
Um… well… I like the visuals of the story Sakurako was telling, that was nice.
Gran is a way better detective than Sakurako-san, so the detective work is actually pretty nifty this episode.
Finally, the episode seems to promise that the actual storylines (hinted at in either Episode 2 or Episode 4) are actually going to come. This being Sakurako’s little brother ‘Soutaro’ or the thing with her uncle.
There aren’t many episodes yet, and it’s clear the show is treating this as the ‘meat’ of the show. So either the Uncle storyline will be saved for a later season, or they’ll be connected. Unless they try to squeeze both in, which I do expect better from Sakurako-san than that.
The only worrisome thing is that at the very end we have a clear suicide, probably related to the teacher guy. It makes sense, he has a big spot in the OP, but really the focus should be on the Uncle and Soutaro.
Overall episode nine of Sakurako-san ‘Grandmother’s Pudding’ is just an okay episode. There have been worse, there have been better.
