English Dub Review: Akebi’s Sailor Uniform “Sharing This Time… With Everyone…”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

One day, in the midst of practices for the athletic festival, Erika finds out that Komichi is going to dance at the festival’s after-party. She imagines what would happen if she played the piano accompaniment for Komichi’s dance, but she keeps it to herself. Meanwhile, Komichi is practicing hard at volleyball, but despite the fact that it’s a major team event, their teamwork is somewhat lacking. When Touko comments that it’d be nice if they could find a place where everyone could practice together, Komichi remembers her previous school, Futaba Elementary.

Our Take:

The main event is almost here, along with the season finale of this charming, light-hearted series. It almost felt like this season’s gone by too quickly, but I’m still having a splendid time hanging out with the students from Roubai Academy. Unfortunately, the second-to-last episode shows that all good things must come to an end, with Komichi facing another big task for the festival.

As seen in last week’s episode, Komichi was shocked to know that she’s assigned to perform in front of everybody during the after-party. As if participating in the athletic festival was challenging enough for our favorite sailor-uniform-wearing teen. But, of course, she’s not the only one who’s up to this task, with Erika practicing for her piano accompaniment for Komichi. The scenes with Erika are pretty brief, but they appropriately show her determination to make Komichi proud. The dream-like sequence with Erika playing the piano for the dancing Komichi is also suitably divine regarding the show’s vibrant animation.

The episode’s main plot is regarded as a blast from the past for the main character, as Komichi revisits her old elementary school while practicing volleyball with her friends. This visit brought back some fond memories for Komichi, showing how far she’s gotten to achieving her dream of making friends. We’ve seen Komichi grow attached to her new friends during her time at Roubai despite making a couple of missteps along the way. So seeing it come full circle with this episode is enough to bring a huge smile to my face regarding the direction and plot. It further showcases the show’s ability to deliver genuine heart in its messages about friendship without any intense school drama weighing us down.  

Overall, the 11th episode of Akebi’s Sailor Uniform is a deserving celebration of Komichi’s quest for friendship and serves as another solid piece of character development for the character. It also represents Erika’s scenario in a tender-hearted and vibrantly astounding manner. The stage is already set for the athletic festival and, more importantly, the conclusion of Komichi’s first year at Roubai Academy. So let’s hope that the series and Komichi herself can finish off strong.