Summer Pockets

Summer Pockets is a frustrating watch. The anime only starts to feel worthwhile after slogging through the first 17 episodes. The early episodes are loaded with tired clichés, outdated humour, and flat, 2-dimensional characters that feel like they belong to a less refined era of anime storytelling. Worse, the story feels like it was never truly adapted for an anime audience. The pacing is rushed due to only having four episodes in an arc, which kills most of the emotional payoff. The “routes” transition with zero explanation: one episode ends, the next begins, and suddenly everything has "reset", leaving the anime-only viewers confused. In earlier episodes, Isaw many online comments stating that the anime doesn't make sense. These comments exist because the anime never signals that a new route is starting, sticking too closely to its visual novel format. Most of the time it feels like they just slapped animation on top of the VN script and called it a day. And yet, despite all of this, Summer Pockets eventually finds its footing. Episodes 18 and onwards are a MASSIVE improvement. Once the island's mystery starts coming together, the anime suddenly feels like it has purpose. The final stretch is compelling and emotional; the kind of storytelling I was hoping for from the start. The true ending delivers some much-needed payoff to those who stuck around. ///Route-by-Route Breakdown/// - Kamome's route: Painfully average. It felt like I was watching a bootleg Anohana with its undeveloped "fulfilling a childhood promise" storyline. The last episode felt especially rushed, then, of course, they tried to squeeze in a last-minute tearjerker to force some emotion out of the audience. - Tsugumi route: Easily the worst. Her constant "mugyu" catchphrase was unbearable; was it supposed to be cute? Catchphrases can work (e.g. Mayuri's "tuturu" from Steins;Gate), but this one was just annoying. Combine that with Tsugumi acting like a literal child, and it becomes exhausting. She's easily one of the most irritating characters I've seen in anime in a long time. - Ao's route: This one actually had an interesting premise and was enjoyable for the most part, but it still gets dragged down by the same outdated tropes as the others. At least they didn't go for the cheap "let's make the audience cry" ending. But the open-ended conclusion they went with somehow felt even worse. It was like they just gave up on delivering any kind of emotional payoff. - Shiroha's Route + True Ending: The Shiroha route was decent, but still rushed. The romance never felt earned; the characters didn't have enough time to actually develop feelings for each other. That said, from episode 18 onward, when the island's mystery finally starts coming together, the anime actually becomes very interesting. The emotional weight lands better, the pacing improves, and the payoff is satisfying. ///Final Thoughts/// Summer Pockets is a hard anime to rate. I want to give this a higher score than 5, but I just can't justify doing so with how painful all the routes outside of the true ending were. The first 17 episodes feel outdated, rushed, and poorly adapted. But episodes 18-26 somewhat redeem the experience. Though not perfect, it manages to tie the story together, deliver on the mystery, and leave you with a fairly strong emotional conclusion. I can't recommend this because I think most viewers will struggle to make it through the first two-thirds of the series. But if you can endure the extremely weak setup, you’ll be rewarded with a final act that’s pretty good. The only time I'd ever recommend Summer Pockets is if you're a die-hard fan of bittersweet endings (e.g Anohana, Angel Beats, but not quite on the same level), or if you’re curious about the island's “big mystery” and are willing to slog through 17 episodes to get there.

So this is an adaptation of a Key Visual Novel, Key of which are known for mostly Jun Maeda's works - Kanon, AIR, Clannad, Little Busters!, Angel Beats!, Charlotte, The Day I Became A God, Heaven Burns Red. This is not one of those, it is primarily written by Nijima Yu known for the VN Hatsuyuki Sakura and Kai who is a long time writer at Key and did routes in works like AIR and Clannad etc. First off this is a VN with a lot of mystery elements don't expect things to be explained to you before they happen, everything makes sense eventually (Ao's routespecifically explains a lot). You're also not chucked into some insane story right off the bat, Key always wants you to care about the characters normal daily lives before that stuff happens so when it does it hurts, although a fair bit of that is cut down from the VN to fit with the 4 episodes an arc format. The anime follows most of the VN however my biggest criticism is the first 2 arcs especially get small cuts to extremely emotional scenes that take away a fair bit of the gut punch the VN delivers during those scenes. The pacing gets a lot better in the second half as a lot of major plot points and themes that couldn't be cut out start appearing. I also advise not being thrown off by the sudden changes from arc to arc as it is a necessary thing for this adaptation to work and it gets us fully complete routes instead of random fragments like a couple of Clannads arcs But really even the 10/10 routes in the VN don't even come close to Alka and Pocket (the VN true routes), do not drop this until you finish those final 2 routes/arcs. While again the VN holds more emotion they are still the best set of episode any anime has delivered this year, probably decade even for me (and there's been some great anime coming out). Although it uses the original games ending which isn't exactly satisfying, I hope we get a Reflection Blue OVA or season for the ending that was added to that version of the game as it wraps everything up nicely - there are some things pointing to that like a certain red hair girl in the background. As an adaption Summer Pockets does a good job of adapting a masterpiece and not whatever was going on with 9 Nine's awful anime, while it never reaches Clannads heights in it's anime it manages to retell these routes in a satisfying enough way that despite it's flaws it's still Summer Pockets - it's still that nostalgic summer that I repeated at the start of this year and cried my heart out too, and while the memories of the VN will remain strong in my heart this adaptation is still something that I will find in my pockets and for that it's still a masterpiece in my eyes even if the anime isn't as masterful. Oh yeah visual are really nice, nothing amazing but it looks good and the OST (which is just the VNs) is perfection Highly advise you read Reflection Blue to truly see how great this story is.

First of all, this anime is basically a visual novel with 4 ways in the first half, and then some weird and supposed to be sad timetravel story in the second half. So if you are thinking about watching this, you should only start if you love these 2 genres. As for my opinion, I don't recommend this one. Mild spoilers here: The romantic parts are just too rushed, plain, and cliched. There are some good moments, but overall not worth it. The timetravel part I don't even get it, what was the point there. They basically timetravelled and then big surprise, timetravel is bad. But the herotimetravelled again, so they can't timetravel anymore, which means he saved the day. Why, or how you might ask. I have no idea. They were just crying and suddenly everything was fine. Honestly the most annoying part is that there was a bunch of mistery, and misterious characters, and in the end almost none of them were explained. So there might be a clever story underneath, but they just kept it for themselves...

The Nostalgic Embrace of a Key Summer: The story takes place on Torishirojima, a rural, isolated, and peaceful island in the Seto Inland Sea, with a small population. The protagonist is Hairi Takahara, a young man who grew up in an urban environment but decides to travel to the island during summer vacation. The official excuse is to help care for his recently deceased grandmother's belongings, but in reality, Hairi is trying to escape his problems and an unpleasant incident in his life. On the island, he soon encounters a mystery and meets a group of peculiar girls, each with their own secrets and ties to theisland: Shiroha Naruse: A girl who seems to have forgotten about summer vacation and is seen swimming. Ao Sorakado: A girl who pursues the island's legends and the mysterious "butterflies" (a key plot element). Kamome Kushima: An eccentric, upper-class girl who is searching for a pirate ship linked to a childhood promise. Tsumugi Wenders: A younger girl who is on a journey to find herself. As he interacts with these girls and immerses himself in the island's routine, Hairi begins to feel a strange sense of déjà vu, and lost memories and the island's deep secrets resurface, making him question what he truly came here for. Analysis and Strengths 1. The Unforgettable Summer Atmosphere Summer Pockets' greatest triumph is its atmosphere. The work shines by portraying the nostalgic feeling of an isolated summer, even if the viewer has never experienced anything like it. The vibrant art, spectacular sound design, and the depiction of the island's starry sky create an incredibly immersive and emotionally resonant setting. It's a love letter to the summer vacations of youth. 2. Exceptional Soundtrack Following Key's tradition, the soundtrack is a highlight, setting the perfect tone for moments of comedy, drama, and melancholy. Songs like "Alka Tale" and "Lasting Moment" are striking and amplify the emotional charge of each scene. Get your tissues ready, because these songs are made to accompany tears. 3. The "Key Mix" of Drama, Romance, and Supernatural The story is a visual novel (and its anime adaptation) that follows a route format, where each character arc (such as Kamome, Tsumugi, and Ao) offers a bittersweet mix of adventure, romance, and tragedy, culminating in an emotional resolution, often with supernatural elements (the "butterflies," memory manipulation, etc.). Kamome's route (Search for the Pirate Ship) carries a strong melancholic flavor and unfulfilled promises. Tsumugi's route (Search for Purpose) is pure innocence and tenderness, dealing with the ephemerality of things and emotional goodbyes. Ao's route (Legends and Cycles) delves into the mysteries of the island and the butterflies that hold memories, connecting the characters' bonds over time. 4. The Theme of Nostalgia and Memory The work deeply explores the themes of nostalgia, lost memories, and cycles of repetition. Hairi isn't just organizing his grandmother's house; he's reconstructing forgotten parts of himself and the island's history. The title "Pockets" refers to the idea of ​​a small treasure chest where we store the most important memories of our childhood. Verdict Summer Pockets is a must-read for fans of the Key genre. If you enjoy stories that blend slice-of-life with romance, heavy drama, and fantasy/supernatural elements, and that explore the power of memories and the fleeting nature of happiness, you'll love this summer adventure. It's a long game (or anime), but it rewards the time invested with deeply emotional narratives. Get ready for: An unforgettable summer (and plenty of tears).