SPOILER-FREE!

▶ Video 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.
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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.
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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.

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