Summer Pockets: Season 1 Episode 18 – Recap and Review
Umi gets featured, and the way things start out may make you wonder the truth about her and Takahara’s origins.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 18 “One More Summer Vacation” Details
- Available On: Crunchyroll
- Public Release Date: August 4, 2025
- Director(s): Taichi Yoshizawa, Tomoki Kobayashi, Satoshi Shimazaki
- Writer(s): Keiichiro Daichi
Episode 18 “One More Summer Vacation” Recap (With Spoilers)
A Different Origin Story?: Kyouko, Hitomi
Thus far, Kyouko hosting her niece and nephew has been the foundation of the story, with Umi coming for a short summer vacation and Takahara getting away from his life, and also helping move his grandmother’s things. However, with how this arc starts off, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume that maybe we’ve been misled.
For one, Kyouko, talking to a shichieichou, a butterfly spirit, is told that a girl and a boy will come to her door, and the way the spirit, named Hitomi, presents this, it sounds like they will be strangers to Kyouko. But, like a devoutly religious person, there aren’t many questions, and when Takahara and Umi show up, they are welcomed, and Kyouko mainly monitors more than guides.
Umi’s Turn: Umi, Takahara
As with all the past arcs, Takahara, while running away from his own life, tries to occupy himself. His aunt doesn’t need him, or rather, delays him from helping with his grandmother’s things, but this time around, he decides to spend time with Umi.
Note, Umi doesn’t know Takahara, so she needs some time to warm up to him, but once she does, the two are inseparable.
Playing House: Umi, Takahara, Shiroha
Which leads into how Takahara can deep dive into Umi’s personal life while ignoring his own. For Umi, it is the opportunity to play house and have the kind of family she wanted. Her dad is distant, mom not around, and in Takahara’s short time being consistent with her, even if only 17, not old enough to truly be her father, she calls him dad.
At first, this is awkward and rejected, but in time, Takahara goes along with this, and so the question becomes: Who will play mom? Note, all the girls from past episodes, including the ghostly Kushima and Tsumigi, are around, but Takahara ultimately hones in on Shiroha, who, even with a few interactions with Umi and Takahara, isn’t for the idea – at first.
But, with bonding over not having their mom around, and Shiroha making a deal with Takahara where he brings her a treat in exchange for playing Umi’s mom, the three become a trio playing games and bonding like a real family. Leaving you to wonder, considering what we saw in the arcs of the girls from Kushima to Shiroha, what will, or will anything change, with Takahara focused on Umi?
New Cast and Characters
Hitomi (To Be Determined)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Hitomi is a shichieichou, a butterfly spirit, that speaks to Kyouko and guides her regarding taking care of Umi and Takahara.
Links
- Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.
- Visit our main page TV Shows we’ve covered.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
A Better Understanding of Why Takahara Goes All Out [82/100]
With one line, it all began to make sense regarding why Takahara goes all out for these girls. You may think it is to show his value to a crush, but with Umi being too young and possibly related, that path can’t be taken. So instead, it is introduced that he lives vicariously through these young women, for they are facing their worries, their fears, and with him not feeling strong enough to do that, he joins their journey to learn that it is possible to overcome.
Whether it is the treasure hunt, helping Ao save her sister, or keeping Shiroha from drowning, we saw each girl working on their own, and through Takahara, the process got sped up or completed just in the nick of time. So, with Umi, who presents her issue as feeling disconnected from her dad, it should be interesting to see how Takahara is going to help her, considering that changing an adult male’s mind or attitude isn’t as easy as finding a butterfly, sets of keys, or the other past adventures he has had.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [82/100]
Umi, being the main girl, shakes things up and breaks the routine. But, while there is a lot of hope and undeniable potential, it is hard to say where things may go from here. However, considering this could be the last arc, and only one thus far has flopped, it doesn’t seem like betting against Summer Pockets is a good idea.
Check Out Our Past Coverage Of This Series
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Summer Pockets: Season 1 Episode 21 – Recap and Review
As we get past Shiroha’s arc being remixed, the end of the summer approaches, and something might be wrong with Takahara or Umi.
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Summer Pockets: Season 1 Episode 20 – Recap and Review
Umi’s arc continues to be a bit of a struggle to watch, especially as it rehashes parts of Shiroha’s storyline, which we just saw.
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Summer Pockets: Season 1 Episode 19 – Recap and Review
Big reveals come from Umi that shift her dynamic with Shiroha and Takahara.
TV Shows We’re Covering This Season
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