Akebi’s Sailor Uniform First Impressions

“I chose Roubai Academy because I’ve always wanted to wear a sailor uniform!”

I hemmed and hawed over whether to write this review or even whether to finish watching this first episode. Akebi’s Sailor Uniform is a visually striking and tightly constructed show that leaves me asking, “Who is this show for?” Normally, when I encounter a premiere where I feel I’m not the target audience and can’t effectively compensate for that fact, I’ll be upfront about the divide between myself and the show’s subject matter and try to judge it based on the technicals of its visuals and storytelling, but that doesn’t work here. I don’t know what this show is trying to convey. Plenty of programs don’t succeed in developing their own identity to a sufficient degree to recommend. Just this season, I criticized In the Land of Leadale for lacking a distinctive style or narrative hook, but Akebi’s Sailor Uniform appears to have the exact opposite problem where it has a unique narrative, but I can’t figure out who it is even meant to hook. As an adult male who never attended a Japanese school, I find the show’s central concept inaccessible, but I simultaneously struggle to envision how it could be accessible to anyone else. Despite impressive production values, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform proves to be a tedious head scratcher of a title that somehow manages to be completely original while also featuring nothing that could serve to draw in a wider audience. I’m confused.

The bulk of this first episode is fixated on the titular object. Akebi is preparing to go to her new junior high, and specifically picked it because her mother once attended school there, and the uniforms were of the sailor-fuku variety. The episode never hints at the reasons for Akebi’s fixation on this particular fashion of uniform, but it does spend the first half examining the degrees of Akebi’s obsession and the process by which her mother constructs the uniform. The 3rd quarter of the premiere deals with the blatantly foreshadowed plot-point where it is revealed that the school has actually switched over to blazers as its uniform, and the final section is about… meeting a new friend and a light discussion of foot fetishes… Do you see what I mean? Who is this for? I have a rule that I usually abide by where I only look up reviews of an episode after I’ve finished writing my own review so that my perspective isn’t skewed by the consensus, but I barely made it to the midway point before I had to check and see what other people were saying about this particular installment. I genuinely needed the assurance that others were just as confused as I was by this premiere.

The production is dazzling with vibrant colors, fluid animation, and striking composition. This all draws me back into the earlier confusion, because I can’t fathom why these resources and talent ended up on this project. In my review of My Dress-Up Darling, I had stated that the only reason I had reviewed two titles by CloverWorks in a row was because it had been decided by a coin flip, but it turns out I was wrong since the title that My Dress-Up Darling beat out was Akebi’s Sailor Uniform. Thus, this is actually the third CloverWorks anime that I’ve watched in a row. They evidently front loaded this season. This first episode didn’t include an opening. The ending was fine, but nothing special… What is this show? I was initially confused when I noticed people mentioning foot fetishes in relation to this series as I hadn’t watched past the halfway mark. At the time, I reflected back on what I’d viewed and remembered a handful of shots that lingered on feet, but it still seemed like reaching to me. It turns out I was wrong, though it’s less off putting and more perplexing. Again who is this for? Men? Women? Children, teenagers, adults? The sailor-fuku doesn’t seem fetishized, but the feet fixation certainly feels odd, so is it meant to appeal to that fandom? Nothing about this show coalesces into a unified vision, and it just doesn’t work.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• While I try not to hold fetishes against shows as long as the characters are consenting and there is nothing untoward about their relationship, I can’t deny that I find feet unappealing. I’m not going to deduct significantly from my rating due to the inclusion of those elements, but it isn’t doing the show any favors either.
• What is this show?
• I’m not sure if the sailor uniform holds this position of significance for many in Japan. I know uniforms are often considered when picking a school, but the emphasis here seems unnatural.
• I’ve bounced around a lot on my rating, but the problem is, the more I think about this show the more frustrated and aggravated I get. It if seems like my rating is low, please understand that I’ve been stewing on this for hours trying to figure out what this show even is, and I’m just done with it.