Yozakura Quartet - Episode 5

After its last episode focused on what can undoubtedly be called the main story arc of Yozakura Quartet, this fifth instalment of the series allows it to take something of a back seat once again, instead deciding to focus its central theme around one of the main "quartet" of the show's title.

This means that we get an episode filled with Ao's sweetness, as she faces the rather obvious dilemma surrounding the use and abuse of her mind reading powers - An ability she uses to win over a bunch of kids at a school that she and the gang volunteer to supervise for a while, but misjudges the use of her powers badly in the case of one boy to make things better not worse.


So, what follows is some pretty predictable soul-searching on Ao's part, but of course it all comes good in the end and everyone lives happily ever after... Until we flit back to the main story courtesy of a revealing cliffhanger that is.

Amazingly, despite its continuing predictability, Yozakura Quartet continues to be a pretty entertaining little series, largely on the strengths of its main characters above anything else. Sure, it may not be particularly exciting even at its most action-packed, but you can't help but feel a certain connection to the stars of the series, revelling in their chat and banter and genuinely feeling a little sad when they're upset. That feeling of empathy towards the series' inhabitants make it worthy of enjoyment, and it certainly deserves some kudos for managing to engender that kind of feeling in such a simple and almost relaxed manner.