WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 11 of SAKUGAN, "SOUND OF DREAM," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Memempu has always been a person with big dreams and every ability to make those dreams a reality. She’s innovative, creative, driven, highly intelligent and carries her age-appropriate curiosity. Gagumber may not be the best father, but he seemingly never puts restrictions on how Memempu lives her life unless it may put her in physical harm.
Not everyone has the same luxury of all that freedom, and Memempu realizes this when she gets to know the people of Dream Colony; a Colony that looks and functions like its real-life counterpart of New York City.
In Episode 11, the team gets treated to a special performance by Dream Colony’s Princess Sina. She’s evidently the Colony’s pride and joy, but today. she decides she doesn’t want to sing. Memempu and Gagumber help her fulfill her dreams of seemingly simple tasks or touristy things: eating street cart hot dogs, going shopping, taking the subway, going down a slide.
Along the way, her Colony’s societal pressure on her as a performer is revealed. She has always wanted to become an artist but had to be a singer. She continues to do so because she provides joy and hope to the people of the Colony. In much the same way, kids in the same Colony are content with taking over their family businesses, whether they actually aspire to this or not.
This lack of freedom was something Memempu couldn’t understand. Why would someone continue doing something that they didn’t love to do? Why would someone box in their dreams by becoming part of a family business they had no personal interest in? Why wouldn’t someone dream big or quit the thing they didn't love and do the thing that they do? To her, it seems like a problem that could be easily solved.
She doesn't understand this because her upbringing is built around freedom. She embodies the freedom of choice in all aspects of her life. Gagumber has always been proud of her and trusts that she’ll make the right decisions, even if he isn't emotionally ready for it. The only thing he was strict about was her desire to become a Marker and go on a journey to discover the place in her dreams. Even now, he supports that dream and accompanies her to ensure her safety.
Memempu can't imagine the contentment of being boxed into conventional society because she will always find ways past those boundaries. Sina and the kids may not be doing a glamorous job or one that they love, but they’re all necessary jobs. Their jobs help other people feel happy and allow the Colony to function the best it can. By the end of the episode, Memempu sees that she's been taking Gagumber’s parenting style and freedom for granted. This should steel her resolve in her encounters with the terrorist who just kidnapped her.
