English Dub Review: Akebi’s Sailor Uniform “I Want to Win Next Time”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Midterm exams are finally over, and now it’s time to decide who will participate in the upcoming athletic festival. Riri and Komichi are both nominated to be the anchor for the swimming event, so the girls must compete for the position.

Our Take:
Thanks to this episode, the light-hearted and happy-go-lucky series is starting to heat up. So I hope you got your swimming trunks ready for this one. One reason is that Roubai Academy is competing in the upcoming athletic festival, which could be an integral part of the story arc for the remaining episodes. Another reason is that Komichi competes against the school’s swimming team member, Minakami Riri, for the anchor spot.
But, of course, it isn’t without a small wager between the two, with Riri telling Komichi that they’ll have to trade their uniforms if she wins the race. It was interesting to see the show providing something as stakes-driven as a bet, given how important Komichi’s sailor uniform meant to her. There’s also the fact that both Riri and Komichi are excellent swimmers. On the plus side, it was enough to deliver some solid tension into the competition sequence. On the other hand, it does run the risk of following the formula from the other shows’ episodes, such as Riri being the competitive stereotype.
Fortunately, the episode went in a different direction, with Riri using the wager to help Akebi take the race seriously. The storyline does show Riri as a competitor at first, but later on, we see her as a motivator for Akebi to do the best she can in the competition. This trait helps Riri transcend beyond her formulaic personality and maintain the show’s heartfelt quality.
Overall, “I Want to Win Next Time” offers a challenging competition for Komichi but still retains the show’s delightful innocence. The storyline successfully subverts its competition formula with Riri as an inspiring motivator for Komichi and the race between the two characters. Because of this, it becomes my favorite episode of the show that’s still getting stellar recognition for its direction. I also enjoyed the post-credit scene involving Komichi’s sister Kao trying out her uniforms. It’s an adorable scene that further shows the incredibly irresistible bond between the two sisters outside of school.