SingleH

This show is some creepy, grimey, fetishy shit, and I’m not gonna lie. I’m a big fan. Nowhere else will you find such lovingly crafted artwork and animation of a cute moe girl clipping her toenails and smelling the clippers like a complete fucking degenerate. I think it would be grievously disrespectful to the artistic merit this series has to offer to simply say the whole point of it is to show hebe lolis striking extremely suggestive poses while zooming in on them in a blatantly sexualized fashion, but if someone watched it and walked away with that impression, I couldn’t really blame them. If somethinglike Non Non Biyori was an appreciation of countryside middle school girls’ innocent ways of life, then Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku is an appreciation of countryside middle school girls’ innocent…umm…bodies? I honestly don’t really know what to make of it sometimes. It feels like it was made by that one guy from Night Is Short, Walk on Girl. That old sleazeball from the beginning who was in crippling debt with Rihaku. I always thought it was such a hilarious gag to have him desperately trying to convince everyone his collection of old erotic paintings was more than just masturbatory fetish-fuel, because everyone was just like, “Yeah, sure. Whatever, man. You’re totally not just a perverted old geezer. Totally.” And his pathetic grandstanding was actually kinda compelling. I mean, yes, that guy was obviously just a pervert, but defending his collection of erotica as some from of “high-art” actually had a layer of credibility when they were all genuinely old and preserved paintings from past eras. If his argument was simply that a certain level of discipline and culture is required to collect and preserve historical, hand-painted erotica that isn’t required to download hentai off gelbooru, then he honestly wasn’t wrong. I have similar feelings regarding this show. By no means am I oblivious to the sexual pandering on such flagrant display, but there’s a genuine elegance and artistry to it, I feel like there’s something more going on here. Or, hey, maybe there isn’t, and all cute girl shows are made exclusively to promote pedophilia, am I right? Either way, what you walk away with is a charming, endearing, gorgeously animated slice of life show which just happens to have an extreme foot fetish, tons of armpit shots, lipservice, and a cast of cute girls whose clothing hugs their bodies as tightly as it possibly can whenever they stretch or move even slightly. Our angelic protagonist, Akebi, is an adorable middle school freshman who studied as hard as she could to get into the prestigious academy her Mother went to when she was a girl, not because she had any particular academic aspirations, but simply because she fell in love with her Mother’s old sailor uniform and wanted to wear one herself. However, went she arrives, she learns the school has since changed their uniforms to more modern blazer jackets and black skirts. She’s devastated, but luckily, the nostalgic principal empathizes with her feelings and decides Akebi should be allowed to wear the sailor uniform if she so wishes. And thus we have our gimmick: Akebi is an eccentric, lovable, headstrong young girl who stands out, who is usually the center of attention, and who everyone becomes inspired by and/or enamored with. As her best friend, Kizaki, so aptly puts it, “It’s fun just watching her.” And the show capitalizes on this appeal 100%. It’s no coincidence, if you ask me, that Akebi enjoys doing yoga, dance, and gymnastics wearing short-shorts and skirts for all to see. If there’s anything I have to really complain about, it’s that the show doesn’t go far enough. For example, in episode two, there’s a scene where Akebi bends over backwards and flips over in front of the class. There’s no pantyshot or anything—or at least not as far as you can see—but all her classmates are freaking out and blushing, and later in the episode they poke fun at her for showing her panties to the class. This obviously confused me, so I went to investigate the same scene in the manga, and I shouldn’t have been surprised by what I found. In the manga, you do, indeed, see a pantyshot, but it was censored from the anime by having her skirt not hike up as far. This is why I brought up that old sleazeball from Night is Short, Walk on Girl. I feel like the normal reaction people would have to reading a review which complains about an anime adaptation toning down more sexualized imagery from the manga would be to say, “Aren’t you just saying that because you want to see more perverted fanservice?” And the answer is no, not really. I mean, from a utilitarian perspective, what is even the point in bitching out like that as a studio? Anyone who was going to be mad about the show for including things like that would've already been mad about it regardless. It shows hebe lolis in the bath, and a myriad other things which had probably already pissed off communities like Twitter whether there was a pantyshot or not. Either cut it all to garner the acceptance of general audiences who hate anime and lose viewers who care, or include it all for the sake of viewers who care and lose the acceptance of general audiences who hate anime. Taking a middle ground which pleases nobody makes no sense to me. This is a fetishy show. Much of its intended appeal is looking at twelve year old anime girls and indulging in the culture of extreme fetishization surrounding them and their iconography, like sailor uniforms, school swimsuits, and so on. Bastardizing the manga’s fanservice for the adaptation defiles the artistic integrity of the work, and I’m not just saying this because I’m particularly desperate to see up some two-dimensional cartoon character’s skirt. Indeed, if that old pervert from Night is Short, Walk on Girl was as much of a degenerate as the other characters made him out to be, he wouldn’t have wasted years of his life collecting and preserving high-class paintings. He would’ve just stayed home, watched porn, and not have given a single shit about the creative longevity of a classic medium. This, of course, leads into my thesis: if a studio as unreliable as Cloverworks could produce something this beautiful, clearly more was on their minds than tossing out some cynical fanservice for a quick paycheck. Seriously, I expected all their effort to go toward Sono Kisekaeningyō wa Koi wo suru, but in some episodes that show is a Powerpoint presentation with almost no actual animation and endless panning shots, and meanwhile this show looks fantastic almost consistently. At its best, the art direction looks quite nice, but unfortunately some of the outdoor backgrounds can sometimes look really, really, really bad. But, again, I expected a great deal of inconsistency from Cloverworks anyway, and while this show doesn’t have the jaw-dropping highlights of something like Wonder Egg Priority, it’s honestly their soundest production since they spearheaded the second half of Darling in the FranXX nearly four years ago. Aside from its excellent visuals and striking presentation, Akebi-chan no Sailor-fuku is a solid, if fairly unexceptional CGDCT show. The unique character designs and their odd moe qualities are certainly memorable, but the characters are less so. Akebi is an absolute delight, but is she a terribly interesting character? No, not really. Everyone and everything are just kind of “what they need to be,” for lack of a better phrase, but even then there are still undoubtedly some unexpectedly touching moments of characterization. For example, there was an amazing side story in episode seven where the character Hebimori is caught listening to rock music and decides to make the excuse that she’s actually a rocker herself. This is obviously untrue, so she then spends the rest of the episode desperately trying to become proficient with a guitar to reify her excuse, all the while undergoing a cathartic character arc and learning healthy lessons about the importance of humility and dedication. Personally, this is so something I would do: lie about having something done or being able to do something well, only to then task myself with quickly and secretly making that lie become true before the time comes to actually deliver results with the readiness and skill I originally purported to have before the person I lied to ever learns I was a total hack all along? If that doesn’t scream SingleH, I don’t know what does. It was just a nice, relatable moment of empathetic character writing that confirmed—while generic—this show is by no means incompetently written. It doesn’t really break any molds or innovate any genres, but it looks splendid, its characters are lovable, its themes are sweet, and of course, its fetishization is quite singular. Thank you for reading.

Stark700

Watching Akebi's Sailor Uniform gave me a nostalgic feeling, for it embraces the school life style in the simplest of ways. During my elementary years, I felt like life was about as simple as it gets. There was no need for me to look for a job, manage finances, pay taxes, or dealing with all the responsibilities of adult life. All that awaited me during my elementary years was making friends and enjoying life as a kid. That same can be said for Komichi Akebi, who starts her middle school years. Just as the English title is worded, the show is about Akebi who puts ona sailor uniform. That uniform represents youth as she attends middle school. Coming from a country background, she didn't have many friends but that doesn't mean she's an introvert. In fact, she is a very outgoing person who despite lacking social experiences, easily opens up to others. This attracts her to new friends and allowing her to experience life in a positive way. From the very first episodes, it's shown that Akebi seeks not attention but friendship with other students. She's an eager person to prove herself to others while also being a role model student. Taking place in a school setting, the show depicts a coming of age story filled with realism. It jumps back to my reference to a nostalgic feeling when you see how our characters interact everyday. Akebi's experiences at school reminds me of the joy of being a kid. She makes friends with many students regardless of her background. The setting has a very blissful feeling because it takes place in the countryside. It's away from the dense cities or noisy streets of industrial revolutions. The middle school years is also a time for kids to be themselves and not worry so much about their futures. And finally, Akebi attends an all-girl school so this isn't a show about romantic relationships either. This show really doesn't take much risks when it comes to storytelling. Now, I do want to make it clear that the show has a somewhat evolving cast. What you see on the promotional poster features the most prominent characters. However, every episode introduces more as the show progresses. Some of the more featured characters such as Tomono and Erika get more screen time than others. However, the show doesn't necessarily put them into every spotlight. The character that gets the most prominence is Akebi because the show is about her. During these times, she learns the very nature of school life whether it's in the classroom or outdoors. Activities such as physical education, cultural festival events, or exploring various art mediums are just a few examples. The key to enjoying the show is to put your shoes into the main character and feel like you're there with them. It's the best way to experience school life just as they do. With a simple setting on the countryside, the show takes us across some breathtaking landmarks. The countryside invokes a feeling of nostalgia of a simple yet lush background of life. Cloverworks captures every moment of the outdoor nature and the countryside feeling at very chance possible. In essence, the setting takes on a life of its own because it's so realistic yet also simple to understand. Watch and see for yourself, and I promise that you won't doubt their talent again. Akebi's Sailor Uniform is a shining example of what a slice of life should be. It's so simple and nostalgic yet delivers in every aspect of a slice of life. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell your dog. This anime is what we need more in our lives.