Akebi-chan no Sailor Fuku

Mcsuper

Saturdays are what I call the “Cloverworks Flex Day”, with two of their shows airing thirty minutes apart from each other. This show was definitely overshadowed by the massively popular show My Dress Up Darling (which by the way I have just released the review for), the aforementioned show that airs just thirty minutes earlier, but in my opinion, both shows have their charms, but Akebi’s Sailor Uniform shines as the comfy, slice of life show that we can enjoy, and boy is the animation stunning! My episodic grading scale: Story: /10 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /25 Enjoyment: /15 Thematic Execution: /30 STORY: 6.4/10 As we usually see with slice of life shows, there isn’t much of a general direction with the story. The gist of what goes on is that Akebi Komichi, our main character has loved sailor uniforms since she was little, and wears one her mother makes for her to her new school, even though the new school no longer uses sailor uniforms as their dress code. Despite that, she dons said uniform, and makes lots of friends using the bubbly personality she has. It’s honestly a lot of fun. ART: 9.6/10 This show is what I call a “wallpaper feast”. So many beautiful shots can be seen with the wonderful attention to detail in its animation. This kind of reminds me of the animation we saw in Violet Evergarden, with the bright and vibrant colours on display here. MUSIC: 7.8/10 Pretty solid soundtrack, but nothing out of the ordinary. Opening and endings are fun to listen to. CHARACTERS: 16.5/25 The characters are pleasant and fun to watch. I don’t think anyone would dislike Akebi, with her vibrant and cheerful personality that could bring a smile to anyone’s face. Unfortunately, she’s probably the only memorable character here. The other characters are good friends, and each have their little quirks, but aren’t all that interesting to me. Well, one other character does actually stand out to me, and that would Akebi’s little sister, Kao. She’s definitely a fan favourite for her cuteness, and no one is refuting that fact. ENJOYMENT: 10.3/15 Decently enjoyable, though I do wish there was a little more to the story. THEMATIC EXECUTION: 21.5/30 The slice of life elements are generally done well, but there are some distractions to the comfiness that could honestly be toned down a bit, especially the shots of the characters’ feet, the author of this really was showing a bit of perverseness there, and I found that a bit out of place, but it’s nothing egregious so I can still enjoy the simple slice of life themes. OVERALL: 72.1/100 A decent slice of life show that proved to be one of my top shows of the season that I would recommend if you enjoy slice of life, because it’s pretty comfy, and a nice start to the weekend. The animation is to be admired, and that’s probably the number one selling point of the show. Well done Cloverworks, these twelve weeks have been enjoyable!

ZNote

__SPOILER-FREE!__ ~~~webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/b403a66f839fdb4435cef9ac8d4ba30f.mp4)~~~ As much as I may love watching anime that deliberately challenges me as a viewer, whether thematically or intellectually, there occasionally comes a point where you want to leave that behind and focus your attention on something that just doesn’t do that. Challenging media is, for me at least, genuinely fun most of the time, but there is also something genuinely fun about allowing oneself to relax in the soothing placidness of something that strives to be warm in its tone and affect rather than brutish. Warmth, of course, is not synonymous with quality – goodness knows that one can still find a series trying to be fun incredibly dull instead. _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform_ was one series that aimed for that warm tone. The show caught my attention for several reasons, such as the simplicity of its plot and that studio CloverWorks was involved. It also reeled me in because it was, just like Winter 2021, one of three shows that were being produced by the studio. I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of that. After all, hadn’t we already been through the rigmarole of this before, of not enough time being given to CloverWorks projects? We already knew of one series airing this season, _Tokyo 24th Ward,_ that had this problem. So, even trying to maintain the sense that I should give the series the benefit of the doubt, I couldn’t help but beg that history not repeat itself. _________ New middle school student Komichi Akebi is excited to begin life at her new school, particularly because she gets to wear the school’s classic sailor uniform like her mother used to many years ago. After arriving and realizing that the school’s dress code has changed from sailor uniforms to blazers, the board decides to allow Akebi to keep her uniform, which makes the already-odd girl stand out even more. As the weeks roll by, Akebi will get to know all the various members of her class and try to make friends with them, as her personality will bring energy and life to virtually everything that she does. The series itself is beautiful to look at, both from the perspective of animation and overall aesthetic. With a glistening sun and lush greenery to paint Akebi’s cozy little corner of the world, _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform_ manages to already establish the warmth of its overall tone and setting before the first episode really gets going. It likewise serves as a solid introduction to Akebi herself, giving a visual indication of the personality and thirst for life and newness that she possesses. And Akebi’s personality is an infectious one; like many shows about starting life in a new place (whether that involves moving homes or simply moving from one stage of life to the next), her situation is one that is immediately identifiable. While the framework of her wanting to go to this specific school just to wear the sailor uniform is rather silly, it’s also a good window into Akebi’s way of being. She tends to be fueled more by almost-childlike enthusiasm towards the most ordinary things, taking each day as an opportunity to do or learn something new. For a character taking her baby steps into a new world, it makes her stand out as an endearing presence that, thankfully, does not cross into aggravating. The soundtrack was another feature that stuck out, though not for the reasons one would normally expect; there is no bombast here, no larger-than-life tracks that produce grand, sweeping musical gestures. Most of the music, if anything, is rather inane or simplistic, opting for piano with a ragtime-esque feel. Given _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform’s_ tone, this kind of laid-back, free and easy musical styling helps keep that comforting warmth alive and well. It wisely chooses only select moments when the soundtrack’s wings can stretch and take off, usually coming just before or during an episode or vignette’s most-tender moments. Since the series is largely made of smaller vignettes that may or may not tie into a larger episodic theme, the ability to enjoy the series is heavily dependent on its consistency. _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform_ has a roster of characters where, even if one of their defining traits is not necessarily unique or inventive, the general tone of friendliness and camaraderie was apparent. From the perspective of drama, there is virtually nothing among the students that would or could lead to longstanding arguments or broken friendships. Rather, the problems the students have are, for the most part, surprisingly realistic because of their mundaneness. Even if television storytelling convention dictates that the problems will largely be solvable within twenty-four minutes at most, the series is less about solving the problems directly and more about setting the students either on a new path, or back on a path that they left behind. Akebi as the ball of energy serves both as the one who both puts the student’s perspective in focus and gives them the push to start. Though it’s also true that the path the show pushes the characters to take can be a bit, to use a word, interesting. The series gained notoriety early in its run because of the prevalence of bare feet featured throughout the show. Having watched the series myself, I think the prevalence of feet has been comedically exaggerated to a fault, both in terms of appearances and the amount of time the show focuses on it. That does not mean that there aren’t a few moments where I wondered if a shot needed to linger on them for as long as they did or put as much detail into them as possible. But having said that, the number of times I got that impression was not even enough to call “a handful,” and the overarching warmth in the show was always enough to bring it back to its less off-putting territory. In this regard however, I do acknowledge that your mileage will vary on whether this is the case. I’ve used the word “warm,” or some declension of it, throughout the course of this review, and that’s because it’s a series that always managed to be that way. It is not a series that promises any earth-shaking claims about the human condition, nor one that has darker undercurrents within. Even Akebi’s family life is free of this, as we come home nearly every episode to an adorable little sister and mother that, lovely as they are, are also not afraid to playfully rib or make fun of Akebi if the situation calls for it. _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform_ sits comfortably in that starry, twinkling time where friends are made seemingly in an instant and there is no greater joy than being able to bask in the sunshine with them. Akebi and her friends cavorting around a mall was so pleasant to see, as well just enjoying the taste of one’s freshly-baked cookies. _____________ _Akebi’s Sailor Uniform_ is a series where the wholesome warmth always shines through, even in some of its more head-tilting moments. Gorgeously animated and acoustically easy, the series adopts its more relaxed style and low stakes with charm. Not every student featured in the cast was particularly interesting, so the vignettes themselves can be a little inconsistent quality-wise. But even when it missed, it was still delightful. Every series that exists doesn’t need to be a lofty, turn-your-brain-inside-out venture that challenges our perceptions of the human experience, because experiencing something calm and sweet is just as important. As a detox for the pessimistic side of things, it happily did its job. ~~~webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/3de48d6680e65eaa36fb944f5b8195fc.mp4)~~~

Anto10

Baleygr

A surprise hit amongst many in a season filled with sequels and much more populous forms of entertainment. Unexpected gem that came gushing forth with such passion, character progression and daily interactions becoming a delight. What Akebi-chan has done differently from the norm is inflect a wide range of personalities in a singular classroom and dive deep into personal worries and frustrations that become relatable and precious to view through reminiscent gazes of days gone by. The show's episodic nature might become a letdown, but it's actually the series' greatest strength as every one of Akebi's classmates are treated with their own focus. All converging with connected togetherness as a group of friends finding happiness in one another's influence. Their own insecurities laid bare, connecting with them. Mundane or serious concerns and worldviews, as well as complexes owing to the throes of middle school becoming their daily life. Helping them ease to satisfying conclusions, thanks to Akebi's energetic and rambunctious charisma. Beautiful backgrounds, character movements animated with such affection, due diligence for realistic depictions, and pretty visuals alongside strikingly gorgeous color intonations. Cloverworks truly surpassed themselves in cinematography, every single frame shot with perfection. Sound design giving the scenes more of an impact, with symphonic music accompanying the proceedings. Physical activities, emotional outbursts heard, engagingly immersive alongside forcefully adept scenes filled with brevity, as well as a sense of calming stillness. Character designs are eye-catching as their alluring presence becomes the highlight of the scenes themselves that you can't just look away. They demand your utmost gaze, expending a great deal of invested interest in their qualities and progression as a well-developed individual. Any episode and you can spot a certain degree of dedication, detailed layouts and specifications. A complete representation of what expansion to already great material can become with talented staff that understands how to imbue the scenes with breathtaking precision. Even as the duration of the series' length reaches its end, there's a sense of closure within that makes for a completely relaxing experience. Exaltation, fulfilled with contentedness after taking on a journey with these girls, future endeavors on the horizon and so forth. All in all, this is one of the best slice of life series to ingratiate us with a genuine care for in-depth examinations of relationships and the positive influences it carries for characters converging ever closer to adolescence, friendships blooming with relative closeness.

SgtBateMan

~~~Slice-of-Life is my favourite genre. However, it requires quite the effort to create something extraordinary in both world building and meaningful symbolisms, thus I have got to settle with the mass-produced Cute Girls Doing Cute Things, which would often age pretty poorly (looking at you, K-On!, season 1). Still, as a rare occasion, it seems that I finally found gold in this forsaken world, and I might never be able to learn as much as as I did with ‘Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku’. __The Plot__ It was Komichi Akebi’s first year of junior high and she had her heart set on one thing: Robai Private Academy’s sailor uniform. As the next chapter of her life got closer, she dreamed of all the exciting new experiences she’d get—school lunches, classes, club activities, and of course, making lots of friends! With her favorite outfit on, Komichi felt ready for anything. However, it turned out that the school had a new dress code. What could be learned here, then? Maybe it’s important for parents, or legal guardians, to confirm the school regulations before the entrance ceremony? No, since the school allowed her to go to school in that attire, in favour of tradition, something greater presents here. As a country proudly having its very own unique culture like Japan, the lesson here is that appreciating tradition must be top priority, even in the case of breaking the current regulation, without a single doubt. You kids had better take it into account. __The Characters__ Life is kind of stressful, even for the kids, not to mention the aforementioned institution is a prestigious private all-girl school. Therefore, the children must have been through unimaginable pressure, in order to pass the entrance exam, and as a result, there were quite many lifeless souls, who were in lack of either confidence at themselves, or motivation to fit in the new environment, or questioning their current place in life. As such, ever since the encounter with the energetic, friendly, prominent girl in the unique sailor uniform, who was capable of doing mostly anything, they had gradually grown attracted to the young Kenobi...I mean Akebi. The more (skin) contacts they made, the closer the characters came to each other, and the more new things they learned, the further they reflected upon themselves, and hence, found more room to grow. A girl gradually grew proudly of her feet, as well as her body, and got interested in photography, in order to capture the beauty of human. Some felt confident at befriending, since Akebi had shown them the way. A musically talented kid got the courage to perform in public. Another began learning the basis of guitar, in order to play it to her precious friend. Hope she would become a self-taught bassist as big as Paul McCartney... Hell, even Akebi wanted to get used to the spotlight, so she had joined the Drama Club. Their interaction had gently become the driving force of their self-improvement, and the consequent growth is definitely a symbol for the beauty of friendship. More characters developments ~!img220(https://i.imgur.com/VfSmrme.png) img220(https://i.imgur.com/AXF0WGC.png)!~ __Other Symbolisms__ + We all know the infamous meme regarding to anime, even though Hayao Miyazaki never explicitly said so. >You see, whether you can draw like this or not, being able to think up this kind of design, it depends on whether or not you can say to yourself, ‘Oh, yeah, girls like this exist in real life.' If you don’t spend time watching real people, you can’t do this, because you’ve never seen it. Some people spend their lives interested only in themselves. Almost all Japanese animation is produced with hardly any basis taken from observing real people, you know. It’s produced by humans who can’t stand looking at other humans. And that’s why the industry is full of otaku!. As a form of rebuttal against the criticism, the anime dedicated an entire episode for the characters to observe the surrounding, and more importantly, human behaviours, since ‘objective observation and record’ is such an efficient way to learn about unfamiliar things. As a result, we have learned that a short girl in middle school couldn’t reach to the top of the vending machine, which was nearly 3m tall, because Japanese female at that age have an average height of 1,52m. Certainly, it was Mission: Impossible, so such knowing is common sense. Then we were given the knowledge that, in order not to interfere in the research object’s activities, and to avoid any failure in putting the slightest details of its behaviours in the record, the observer must be expert in hiding his existence and blending in the environment. As such, the girls had collected quite the amount of information regarding to their classmates (without gathering much attention?), and befriending, socialising, as well as drawing animals and people had then never been easier. Now, do you have any objection, Hayao Miyazaki? img220(https://i.imgur.com/tzl6l9G.png) + Friendship is indeed, pretty important to one’s life, and on the perspective of a person ‘seeking for something genuine’, it has to go through the challenge called ‘hardship’. When a member lost her cherished childhood memento, the group decided to search for it together. Ironically, when they thought they had found it, as if the God of Chance’s joke, it got further away, right in front of the poor girl’s eyes. It seemed all hope had lost, as the owner reached out into midair, aimlessly, eyes devoid of expectation, but other girls didn’t let it be. They determined to be the launcher closing the gap between the thing and their friend, and when the girl got a hold of her memento, her profile was once again lit with joy. The audiences got a plentiful spoon of happiness, to the point of suspension from the fact that the bookmark was placed inside a closed book, so even if it had been dragged outside by getting hooked to the notebook, such tugging sensation would have immediately drawn attention. Nevertheless, the power of friendship is so broken, that we have to adjust how the world functions, in order to obtain it. __Final Thoughts__ In a perfect world, the artist, and the accompanist, successfully finished their long awaited performance. Such performance was welcomed with a thunderous round of applause, and my mind went exploded. I had never seen such beautiful crossover between L Chitanda and April is Your Lie. Tears dropped from my eyes, and it has gotten into my mind, that regardless of complaints about fetishes, sexual objectification, et cetera, as long as they aren’t addressed in my review, ignorance is totally acceptable. Therefore, I will halt my pen here and cut into the conclusion. Akebi-chan’s Sailor Uniform is Komi-san 2.0. A masterpiece by default. Must watch.~~~

RRPsychonaut

~~~~~~~~~For me, this is a strange show. ~~~ Focusing on the titular Akebi Komichi, we join her through her first experience of school and onwards to their equivalent of a sports day. If we're being completely honest, Akebi is a boring character. You can love her for her charismatic nature, tendencies to make new friends easily, and generally be the centre of attention when she's in the room, but she has very few flaws. What I would posit is that the show isn't really solely about Akebi (despite her being our POV into the world). The sailor uniform after two episodes is almost a non-factor in the 'overarching narrative' (what little there is). It's not the uniform itself, or the trials and tribulations of making it and wearing it for her first day, but what the uniform represents. The uniform is more of a representation of Akebi's differences to the other characters. She dresses differently, she acts differently, she's nowhere near as apprehensive or emotionally repressed than the majority of the cast. The uniform itself is white; symbolic of purity. In a school of a relatively black dress code save for their colorful (but uniformly so) neckties, she stands out as unique. The show then channels the status of Akebi as approachable and likable and uses it to tell small stories about its characters. The focus is often shifted away from Akebi and toward her classmates who can confide in her or let their hair down around her. Where I think the show falls a bit flat is that these stories, while interesting, don't really give enough time or focus enough energy on a core cast of characters to really make it hit home or make you completely invested in their growth as people. It does feel a little bit artificial. For how much the animation, music and atmosphere of the show flows beautifully, the story and writing fall by the wayside. That's not to say that it doesn't throw in tons of charm and memorable moments. The slightly lacklustre character writing isn't the be-all and end-all. Akebi herself is set up to be a catalyst for fun and entertainment. The other characters can enjoy themselves and play off one another around her. There's not as much of it as I'd like as say, K-On! but it does set up some interesting scenarios where the girls can express themselves in fun and interesting ways. There's not really an overarching narrative or story to follow, it's pure day-to-day slice of life, and I think that lends itself best to a show with a main character who's fun and engaging enough to find the little things of life enjoyable, even though Akebi herself is a bit boring. What accompanies all of this is some of the best animation of the season, coupled with a a smooth, inoffensive soundtrack designed to tug at your emotional heartstrings. The animation is probably the best thing about this show; it elevates something fun but a bit average to something visually engaging and unique. Overall, this is probably the best fetish show I've seen. ~~~~~~

4noki

I'll preface this by saying that I mostly watch anime with girls. LOTS OF GIRLS. By that I mean, cute girls doing cute things. Cute girls doing not so cute things. Cute girls doing cute things while also suffering through not so cute things. Basically, girls. In other words, I've definitely watched my fair share of slice of life anime. If I say anything about this show at all, it is ____the best slice of life anime I have watched____. Rather, it really feels like a slice of life. The characters are realistic. The world is realistic. They're shining with the sparkle of youth that probably everyone can relate to and feel nostalgic toward while beautifully building friendships and living their lives. They're not just moeblobs talking about chocolate coronets and inane topics all day (not that I dislike that type of SoL show completely). They're breathing living girls and their breathing living families and teachers. Except it lacks the depression and gritty darkness that a lot of "realistic" anime tries to do. In a way, Akebi-chan's world is a little idealized. A wholesome beautiful youth. But what's wrong with that? With little blunders along the way. Worrying about things like "will I fit in if I have a different uniform?" and "I feel weird because I'm bigger than the other girls because I started puberty earlier...," even despite it, the girls find a way to overcome their hurdles and end it off with a smile. Teasing classmates, bickering classmates, slightly strange classmates. They're silly, earnest girls who can overcome their troubles with their friends by their side. This is a slice of their lives for us to partake in. And that's the charm of the show. You don't need to worry about some bullshit angst drama coming out of the left field. You just get to live a wonderful youth through the antics of Akebi-chan and friends (and also girlfriend... coughcough... if you're a yuri fan, this show is kind of gay, not going to lie. It made me believe that the yuri gods existed again in this world. Or are my goggles on too strong? Don't mind it too much, haha.) In the world of slice of life anime, there exist... Moeblob shows where nothing ever happens. Pretty shows that are all looks and no content where nothing ever happens. And Akebi-chan. A beautiful anime with wonderful characters and a wonderful world. I recommend it wholly. Whether you like girls or just want to have some joy in your life again. Please do watch Akebi-chan no Sailor Fuku. A side note. Out of what I've watched, the show with the closest energy to this I can think of is Tari Tari, which is still quite a bit different from Akebi-chan. If you're looking for some hot-blooded fantasy filled plot, this show is not for you. If you're looking for hot steamy lesbians, this show is not for you either. In fact, if you're even looking for an explicit confession or kiss because some gays pointed you this way, you're not really going to get that. But if you like yuri, I would definitely recommend this show to you. The framing of the shots and the relationships between the characters can really get your goggles going. Is it really goggles if they're acting this gay on screen? ...At this point I'm just trying to reach the character minimum for this website... Good show! 10/10. Quite a lot of still shots and pans, but I kind of like it. The opening and endings are also really cute. Please watch it!

fedefede99

Voy a serles sincero y directo: nunca en mi vida detesté tanto un animé como éste. Hay una serie de sensaciones contradictorias que me generan fuerte rechazo. En primer lugar, es fácilmente apreciable un gran potencial que veía su estudio, Cloverworks, en este proyecto. Que la serie haya sido hecha por el mismo estudio a cargo del animé más popular de esa temporada, Sono Bisque Doll, y que, aun así, le hayan dado más mimo en animación, no es un detalle menor. Voy a explicar en este caso por qué considero que esta serie es mala y cuáles son las contradicciones que la vuelven algo nefasto aun con el gran despliegue técnico. Antes de empezar mi tiradera debería mencionar un par de cosas que si me parecieron positivas de la experiencia. Como acabo de mencionar, la animación es superlativa a punto tal que es difícil imaginar su calidad si nunca viste un poquito de ésta. Con un par de frames de algunos capítulos basta para apreciar el detalle, la dedicación y el aprecio que Cloverworks desplegó al hacer esta obra. También destaca fuertemente la parte musical, especialmente con su último capítulo. Por otro lado, a pesar de que considero aburrida a la serie –y, como verán a futuro, es el mejor cumplido que le tengo reservado- debo destacar algunos capítulos que sí me parecieron buenos: el de la chica que le quiere tocar una canción a la protagonista y los dos últimos capítulos. Éstos no cometen los errores que iré mencionando a continuación. Ahora vayamos a lo peor de la serie: el infame fetiche de patas. Akebi chan está lleno de fetiches extraños y escenas bastante sugerentes a pesar de ser para toda la familia si nos guiamos por el contenido general de la obra. La mayor parte del tiempo es incómoda de ver: __es muy infantil para que le guste a un adulto y muy turbia para que la mire un niño__; simplemente nefasto. En el capítulo 3 se llega al pico más bajo en este aspecto: Akebi tiene una extraña fijación con las piernas de la presidenta del salón y la presiona para que se saque fotos y se las mande (¿?). La muchacha después de mucho deliberar en su casa decide hacerlo y enviárselas, dando lugar a uno de los momentos más fuera de lugar que he visto en una serie cuando se nos muestra la foto en cuestión. No me malentiendan. Mi postura no es moralista: no me molesta que las series tengan fanservice, lo que me molesta es que ésta en particular lo tenga por estar tan fuera de la esencia “pura” que se nos quiere vender. Incluso llegó un punto en que pensé que sería una buena idea un giro yuri, porque al menos eso le daría sentido a las todo ese trasfondo sexualmente sugerente; pero está claro que no hay una intención artística de reflejar el autodescubrimiento de las chicas, puesto que si así fuera lo haría de otras maneras; sino que es simplemente un fetiche infame para calentar otakus loliconeros y, por tanto, carece de cualquier justificación posible. Siendo justos, también debo recalcar que a partir del capítulo 4 la serie baja mucho los decibeles, pero aún así siempre te trae alguna que otra sorpresita –y pensemos que el animé suavizó mucho de lo hay en el manga. Los personajes son extremadamente monótonos. Diría que son instrumentos de una sola nota. Son simples incluso para los estándares de los slice of life. Akebi solo se caracteriza por ser feliz todo el tiempo y no mucho más. Me hubiese gustado que hubiera algún personaje que le tuviera algún rechazo al principio o que desarrollara una rivalidad con alguien para que podamos ver a la protagonista en otras facetas. Por otra parte, que sea un personaje con un déficit de atención tremendo tampoco hace que pueda simpatizar con ella. Su rol como sol no me termina de convencer- Koharu de Slow Loop, sin ser la gran cosa, tiene muchas más facetas y cumple su mismo rol superlativamente-. Las amigas tampoco se quedan atrás. Con decir que la primera vez que vemos a su mejor amiga, Erika, la encontramos cortándose las uñas de los pies y luego oliendo el cortaúñas, ya digo todo. No hay un conflicto o algo que le dé forma a los capítulos. Todo es muy contemplativo, estático. Por supuesto, en este sentido Cloverworks puso toda la carne al asador y le vendió la serie por los ojos a la mayor parte de los espectadores; pero que un slice of life tenga personajes poco carismáticos vuelve a la serie poco digerible, incluso teniendo la producción que tiene. En conclusión, Akebi Chan es una serie bastante mala pero con una animación que disimula todo muy bien. Flojea en personajes y __en muchos momentos decirle “aburrida” es hasta un cumplido teniendo momentos tan infámes y fuera de lugar. __

KM32

 This is just some general impressions on this  show. I have watched a fair amount of slice-of-life anime over the years, but I have not watched much of the sub genre pertaining to "cute girls doing cute things" in the most inconsequential-sense in recent years (really the last 10 years). I watched Azumanga Daioh and Aria: The Animation back in the day. Watched a few episodes of Lucky Star, but found the Seinfeldian comedy too boring for my taste. As a result, I have mostly missed the newest generation of these specific type of low-stakes sol shows (for example the DIY-themed shows like Laid-Back Camp or Sound Euphonium and it's music variety). Akebi's Sailor Uniform is part of this contemporary CGDCT slice-of-life anime. When I first heard of it, I dismissed it because the premise seemed to not have enough of a hook to keep me watching, but I watched it now and will give my thoughts on it.

So let's get the more salacious-stuff out the way. It is an extremely well-animated foot fetish show. I know the fans  of the series might get mad at me saying this, but it is true. This show likes "gazing" at feet more than anything else when it comes to these girls, but it does tone-down in the second-half of the season. Water is also very highly animated in as well, like all the time. These are really the most "out-there" uses of fanservice in the show. Compared to 90% of all other anime out there, this one is on the more tame side―even when it has perfect opportunities to sexualize these girls, it avoids doing that (it has all the ecchi-ness of My Neighbor Totoro). So if you can deal with the feet focus for the first 6 episodes, then you will not have anything to really offend your sensibilities here. The character-designs very intentionally harken back to the 2000s moe aesthetic so that might be another point of contention to some. Also, as this has not turned up in most conversations about this show, but what noticeable to me is the yuri-baiting. The show takes place at a rural all-girls school and the girls "innocently" flirt with each other in nearly every episode, But if there are any lesbians in this show they are under tight-wraps as no hint of real romance is to be found on this show (few shows in this day and age keep the yuri-subtext as subtext as this series). This show is also really well-animated for a 12-episode tv anime, will come back to my theory on that later.

So the whole gist of the show is Akebi is a middle school girl who lives in rural Japan (in an oddly -out-of-place Bavarian-style house) and decides to go to the same middle school as her mom in order to wear the sailor uniform her mom use to wear. Over the course of the show she makes friends with other girls. This all-girl school is in the country-side, but just close-enough to Tokyo to have a lot of Tokyo girls living on-campus. Though the demographic-category is seinien, it is such a low-stakes type of show that you can expect virtually no drama to speak of as it abides strictly by the Mary J. Blige anti-drama protocol . This show is a solid continuation of the Iyashikei tradition of anime like Aria. 

Ok, I do have a hypothesis for why this show is as well-animated as it is...and it may not be for a good reason. The studio behind this show is CloverWorks and the show premiered during the Winter 2022 season. Many may have forgotten, but this was around the same time the animation studio had just been in the news for less than stellar reasons after the chief animation director of another CloverWorks show, Tokyo 24th Ward, went to Twitter about the working conditions/practices at the studio. Of course, I am not saying that this definitively had anything to do with the animation quality of this show being so high, but it could have contributed. We can hope that the animators were not being severely pressured to make the show look this good on their limited-pay.

All in all, this is a pretty in-offensive show about a girl making friends in middle school. The most plot you will find is in the second-half of the show when they are getting ready for the sports festival, and even that is low-stakes. The most angst-driven drama you're getting here is a girl learning to play the guitar and another girl almost losing her favorite bookmark. So if you have an overly-stressed life and want an anime with almost zero percent stress, have I got a feet-loving show about middle school girls for you.