The anime adaptation of Key/Visual Arts’ visual novel Summer Pockets aired on April 7, much to the anticipation of longtime fans of Key works. Jun Maeda (Clannad, Angel Beats!) is responsible for the concept and composition of Summer Pockets and is also working on the anime.

Jun Maeda’s projects in the 2000s have been adored and cherished by anime fans worldwide, but after his release of The Day I Became A God anime in 2020, Maeda was harshly criticized and harassed online for the poor reception of the work. Maeda said he considered never writing anime stories again, and he contemplated suicide as he deactivated his social media accounts.

It was devastating to see such a talented writer get harassed to this point. His work Clannad truly was the most impactful anime I had ever watched back in 2007, and his works continued to mean a lot to me, even through the ups and downs. Jun Maeda persevered through physical and mental health problems and is now working on the Summer Pockets anime adaptation.

While I haven’t played the original visual novel, I strongly felt that the first two episodes of the anime captured what I always loved about Jun Maeda’s works. Some anime fans may feel uninterested in his works after Charlotte or The Day I Became a Godand there’s nothing wrong with that, given you don’t take to harassing human beings on social media.

But Summer Pocketsso far, is very promising, and there are several elements to the adaptation that might bring back old fans to Maeda’s projects. Here are my thoughts as someone who is a longtime Jun Maeda fan but hasn’t yet read the visual novel for Summer Pockets before diving into the anime. I did the same with Clannad and AIRso it feels appropriate.

Escapism in Torishirojima

The story follows Hairi Takahara as he makes his way to Torishirojima in the Seto Inland Sea (a real location in the southwest of Japan). He is to manage his late grandmother’s estate, but almost uses the situation as a means to escape some trauma back at home. Escapist stories are always intriguing to me, especially in a time where many of us need some form of escapism. Jun Maeda has often introduced characters with dark, yet relatable pasts. Hairi does seem like a generic visual novel main character (okay… he is one, to be fair), but his witty comments and dry sense of humor have their merits.

Throughout his first days on the island, he encounters different residents that are all too strange. In familiar visual novel fashion, one by one he interacts with these mysterious characters. In the first two episodes, we don’t get much background information on these characters; hell, I can’t even remember their names, to be honest. But that’s something I appreciate about Key and Jun Maeda’s works: the slow burn.

Two episodes in, not a single watcher can even begin to determine where the story will go or what the point of this story is (not unless you read the visual novel, cheater!). The anime is focusing on establishing its setting and world-building, despite the “world” only being a tiny island with no more than a few thousand residents. Very on par with visual novels.

The scene where Hairi gets dinner at a small local Japanese restaurant is a great example of the show’s world-building. I almost guarantee this location will pop up again and again throughout the anime, and we’ll probably get some kind of side story on the restaurant owner, although he’s a seemingly minor character. We saw this in 2007 with Clannad. Minor characters such as teachers, city workers, and siblings of main characters all got their tiny arcs, so I feel that Summer Pockets will follow.

The Summer Pockets anime adaptation features music composed by Keiichiro Ochi, reusing tracks from the visual novel. The opening theme, “Alkatale,” and the ending theme, “Lasting Moment,” both performed by Konomi Suzuki, were also originally featured as the main theme songs in the visual novel. The soundtrack is anything but generic, with powerful guitar riffs when there’s action and solemn piano music during slower scenes. Music has always been a vital element of Jun Maeda’s works, from AIR to Angel Beats!and Summer Pockets doesn’t miss this.

The character designs stand out more to me in Summer Pockets than in any previous Key work. I remember when the visual novel was released in Japan in 2018, the streets of Akihabara in Tokyo were decorated in Summer Pockets‘ advertising, and I was intrigued by the characters before I even realized it was a Key project.

Mai Otsuka brings the original designs by Na-Ga, the chief character designer for the visual novel, to life in the anime adaptation. Even though we know so little about the characters in the anime right now, I’m mostly interested in the lifeguard girl with the water gun as pictured above, Miki Nomura, voiced by Saku Ichimiya. She seems super fun, but I’m sure that tragedy awaits in true Jun Maeda style.

Maeda even told his associates at Key/Visual Arts that the company would be finished if their projects can’t make people cry. I have no idea what is in store for Summer Pocketsbut I have my tissues ready, as you can’t count on your favorite characters surviving a Maeda story.

One of my favorite elements of Summer Pockets is that the setting is based on a real set of islands in Japan. I decided to do some Google mapping in the Seto Inland Sea, part of Kagawa Prefecture, and found that a bike rental shop displayed artwork from Summer Pocketsas pictured above on Naoshima Island. When an anime or visual novel can accurately replicate real-life locations, it gets me excited enough to want to check out these places for myself.

I’m sure the Summer Pockets anime adaptation will stir tourism to the Seto Inland Sea during its run. While this part of the anime might not be exciting for some, for me, it’s going to be a blast every week looking out for actual locations to mark on my map for whenever I’m able to go to these islands.

It may be too early to say, but I’m optimistic about Summer Pockets bringing back fans who may have fallen off Maeda or Key works since Rewrite or The Day I Became a God. There is no confirmation at the time of writing this review on how many episodes Summer Pockets will be, but I’m hoping for a long series airing through the summer! You can watch Summer Pockets on Crunchyroll.

©VISUAL ARTS/Key/Torishirojima Tourist Association