To help manage his recently deceased grandmother’s effects, the protagonist Takahara Hairi travels to Torishirojima during his summer vacation.
As he gets off the ferry boat, he spots a lone girl standing on the pier.
A girl who simply gazes into the distance as her long hair flutters in the wind.
He looks at the girl in utter bewilderment, but before he realizes it, she can no longer be found anywhere.Hairi finds himself starting to adjust to the life on this island, surrounded by nature far lusher than anything he has ever come across back in the city. Time seems to flow by casually on this island, and as it does, memories of something nostalgic keep coming back to him…
Summer Pockets, Synopsis from VisualArts
Memories of something he had long forgotten.
Technicalities
Summer Pockets is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key, a studio known for writing dramatic and sad stories, and published by VisualArts with English and Chinese subtitles. The structure of this visual novel features branching routes with certain routes unlocking after reaching certain points in the game. This visual novel does not feature explicit sexual content but features light fanservice.
An expanded edition, Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE, adds new characters, routes, and improvements to the mini games. This review will only cover the original game. Summer Pockets has also been adapted into an anime format which covers all the routes, albeit with some content altered and some removed to best fit the medium.
What are Summer Vacations?
For Hairi Takahara, the idea of summer vacations is something he has lost understanding of. Under the pretense of helping his aunt organize his late grandmother’s belongings, he travels to the quiet island of Torishirojima. For a city-dweller like him, setting foot on a remote island he’s visiting for the first time feels oddly nostalgic.
Amid new friendships in a quiet island setting, pursue romance with four wonderful heroines, discover the mysteries of Torishirojima, and confront the destiny of the weavers of time. And through it all, remember to rediscover what it means to have a summer vacation worth cherishing.
Characters
Set on a remote island, Torishirojima is not as developed as the mainland, but the islanders’ great sense of community gives the setting warmth and character.
Shiroha Naruse, the main heroine, has kept her distance from others because of the rumors surrounding her. She was initially snobbish and unapproachable, but she gradually opens up to Hairi, which allows her to reconnect with her childhood friends. Shiroha is one of the major routes in the game.
Ao Sorakado is an extroverted girl with a habit of dozing off just about anywhere. She works part time at the island’s candy store, a shop that seems to sell a bit of everything. She often insists on her innocence, but her imagination tends to dive into the gutter, exposing the perverted side she often tries to deny. Despite that, she will still ask you to be gentle. Like Shiroha, she is also one of the main routes in the game.
Kamome Kushima is a mysterious girl on an adventure to search for a treasure. Her eccentric personality makes her instantly likeable, and she delights in pulling others into her playful antics. She always roams around pulling an oversized suitcase and even sometimes uses it like it’s a skateboard, though its contents remain a mystery. Kamome is also one of the routes.
Coming from a faraway land, Wenders Tsumugi is a girl in search of herself and of what she wants to do. She can be a little airheaded at times, but the “mugyu’s” and “mugi’s” in her speech paired with her beautiful blond twin tails make her utterly adorable. She often hangs out far at the unused lighthouse, keeping her somewhat apart from the rest of the islanders. Tsumugi is another main route.
Katou Umi, Hairi’s younger relative, also arrives on the island at their aunt’s invitation. Despite her young age, she often acts surprisingly mature, creating a contrast that makes her stand out among the others. She loves fried rice, but that’s the limit of her culinary skills.
Beyond the main heroines, Miki Nomura, Shizuku Mizuori, and Umi Katou serve as strong supporting characters in this game, though their routes are exclusive to the expanded edition, Summer Pockets REFLECTION BLUE. This edition also features Shiki Kamiyama, a brand-new heroine who does not appear in the original release.
Ryouichi Mitani and Tenzen Kanou serve as Hairi’s sidekick duo. Ryouichi is a shameless nudist who inevitably gets punished whenever he strips in public. Meanwhile, Tenzen is obsessed with table tennis to the point that it dominates his every thought. Together with Hairi, the trio create plenty of lively and comedic moments.
Art and Music
Summer Pockets features a beautiful anime-style character design paired with breathtaking background art that captures the serenity of island life, making it feel like a true escape from the bustle of the city. This visual novel features a wealth of amazing CG illustrations, highlighting not only the heroines’ charms but also the beauty of the summer setting itself.
This visual novel is also fully voiced except for the main protagonist. Composed by seasoned veterans, its soundtrack is carefully crafted to heighten the emotional weight of each scene. Every heroine is given her own theme. And some of the soundtracks are exclusive to their own routes, adding charm and personality to their stories.
Summer Vacations at Torishirojima
Summer Pockets reminded me of what summer vacations can truly feel like: carefree days of running around, sharing moments with friends and family, and enjoying freedom from the worries of school. It’s a visual novel that invites you to look back on childhood and appreciate the freedom and wonder of those long summer days.
Reminiscing aside, the story is satisfying overall, though some of its mysteries feel underexplained. Certain characters remain mysterious even after the conclusion of the game, while others never receive a proper sense of closure. Readers may find themselves left with questions unanswered.
Story aside, this visual novel also includes mini-games: table tennis and Islamon Battles. In table tennis, you face off against the resident table tennis fanatic, Tenzen Kanou. Meanwhile, Islamon Battles lets you capture creatures and challenge other islanders in hopes of climbing to the top rank.
This visual novel follows a branching-plot structure that encourages discovery across multiple playthroughs. Augmented with plenty of dialogue choices that shape Hairi’s reputation on the island, it makes it worthwhile to replay from the very beginning as each playthrough offers differences ranging from subtle to major. Pursuing a heroine is straightforward: spend time with her whenever possible, but keep in mind that a wrong dialogue choice can lock you out of her story. Once their stories are complete, the two-route finale ultimately concludes the unforgettable summer vacation at Torishirojima.
As for the route order, there is no mandatory sequence to follow, but the experience can vary depending on when you choose to play each one. Dialogue may differ between a first and fourth playthrough of the same route, though this doesn’t alter the overall flow of the story. Personally, I recommend starting from Shiroha’s route as an introduction to the island’s mystery and saving Ao’s route for last since it reveals much of the lore.
Conclusion
Key is known for writing extremely sad stories, and Summer Pockets is no exception. The wonderful cast breathes life into the tearjerking narrative balanced with lighthearted comedic moments that serve as breathers between emotional scenes. Each heroine’s route offers a distinct story, ensuring the experience never feels like rereading the same tale with different characters. Together, the four main heroine routes and the two final routes are written to move players to tears.
This game runs for about 38 hours, but the length may vary depending on your reading style, whether you’re skipping already-read lines or not. Overall, Summer Pockets is an excellent visual novel worth reading whether you’re new to the media or a veteran.
We’re giving Summer Pockets the Green Mochi Stamp.
Laugh, cry, and rediscover summer vacations in this dramatic visual novel of charming characters, supernatural mysteries, and emotional tales featuring four wonderful heroines.
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