(I played the Blue Reflection version off-Steam, so don’t mind the hours — I’ve spent around 200 hours in reality.)


This VN is something truly special to me. I picked it up on a whim, since I like island settings and knew that Key is a big name in the VN/Anime world. I decided to read it entirely in Japanese — marking the first time I ever engaged with a full-length Japanese VN in its native glory.

This was a huge step for me. Learning Japanese has long been one of my biggest dreams, but I’d hit a wall — stuck in a phase of stagnation, unsure of what to do next.

At first, I didn’t expect much. I just wanted to test the waters — see how plausible it really felt to learn through a VN. I won’t lie: it was rough in the beginning. But very quickly, I realized that I didn’t even care how hard it was. I was naturally drawn to the characters, who they really were, and what the story might hold.

The fun I had while “studying” honestly felt illegal. And beyond the incredible story, this VN accelerated my Japanese ability and cured my anti-reading mindset entirely.

I laughed out loud. I teared up. Even now, hearing a track like Sea, You & Me can hit me like a truck.

Many of the themes hit close to home — especially the bittersweet ache of realizing that a certain time in your life is over, but feeling grateful you experienced it at all.

The voice acting, the music, the art, the atmosphere — it’s all close to flawless. Of course, no story is without issues, but they’re so small in my eyes that they aren’t even worth mentioning. As always, your mileage may vary. But if you like emotional stories that can make you laugh, cry, and feel something real — give this one a chance.

What I never expected was this:


Summer Pockets didn’t just become a VN I liked. It somehow found it's way into my real life too.

Later, I learned that it’s faithfully modeled after Ogijima and Megijima, two small islands near Takamatsu in Kagawa, Japan.

And by sheer coincidence — or fate — I’m going to Takamatsu in a year and a half for my university exchange for a minimum of 6 months.

That realization was crazy.
It felt like this VN had chosen me… before I even knew it existed. I will be visiting those exact locations I saw depicted in the game.

And so, beyond just the story itself, Summer Pockets helped me break through in my Japanese journey. It opened up not just a new language — but a new way of seeing things, I feel like. A whole new world of media and stories I couldn't have accessed before, especially with localization quality deteriorating nowadays.

Overall, this is a 9.5/10 to me.

DON'T WATCH THE ANIME. PLAY THE GAME. THE ANIME SPOILS THE TRUE ROUTES IN EPISODE 6 LIKE ACTUALLY FOR NO REASON. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ALSO THE ANIME SKIPS SO MUCH IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE. JUST PLAY THE GAME FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

the game is good :) definitely play the game, key cooked with this one as well. If you liked angel beats or clannad, this is from the same guys, so you can expect at least something from this game. also DON'T WATCH THE ANIME, IT SPOILS AND RUSHES TOO MUCH.

XD