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.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 21 “Footprints Between the Waves” Details
- Available On: Crunchyroll
- Public Release Date: August 25, 2025
- Director(s): Shinichi Tatsuta, Taichi Yoshizawa
- Writer(s): Takashi Aoshima
- Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.
Storylines/ Recap
- Things play out as expected with Umi being on the boat and Shiroha thinking she’ll drown in the process of rescuing her. However, Takahara saves them both.
- From that point, however, things get murky slowly but surely; it seems everyone but Shiroha begins to forget Umi existed.
- It isn’t clear why, but with the summer coming to an end, Takahara plans one last hoorah with his little family – one in which he and Shiroha are now officially dating.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Shiroha and Takahara Dating [82/100]
While Takahara is generically good with nearly any pairing he was put in, Shiroha, being one of the first we saw him have chemistry with, puts her in a special place. So to see beyond her arc, getting to see those two be together, I wouldn’t say it redeems this arc, but it does provide a silver lining.
Low Points
Umi Being The Worst Part Of Her Own Arc [68/100]
Maybe saying the worst part is taking it a bit far, but I do feel like there is a level of disappointment here that hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. Between her being in that boat, this feeling that she is a third wheel more than the star of this arc, and not getting an answer to what she was doing when Takahara was pursuing the other girls, a lot of what we were hoping to see just isn’t happening.
In many ways, it feels like the one time Summer Pockets strayed from its formula might be the proof that what wasn’t broken didn’t need fixing.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [75/100]
Though seeing Shiroha and Takahara officially become a couple is satisfying—and watching them date rather than just a montage is a nice touch—Umi feels like a third wheel that doesn’t balance the dynamic but throws it off. She’s like a training wheel that should have been removed long ago, lingering not because she’s needed, but simply because everyone’s gotten used to her.
Other Noteworthy Information
- Torishirojima Fireworks Festival: An annual event on the island signaling the end of summer
Video Recap/ Review Text
- Intro Slide
- Recap: As we saw in the Shiroha arc, her vision only partly comes true as Shiroha dives in to save Umi, as does Takahara.
- Recap: But, unlike in Shiroha’s arc, Takahara saves them both, and after that happens, there is a shift in which Takahara focuses more on his relationship with Shiroha than Umi.
- Recap: Part of the reason is that he has truly fallen for her, but also, many on the island are forgetting Umi exists, sans Shiroha.
- Recap: But, with the end of summer on the horizon, Takahara plans to have one last big moment with Umi and Shiroha as a family, at the island’s annual fireworks.
- Review: Sadly, while this episode was better than the last, by no means was is because of the star of this arc – Umi.
- Review: If anything, her literally fading from memory improved the episode, as Takahara started to focus more and more on Shiroha and their relationship.
- Review: But, as Umi fades from everyone’s memory, there is a need to ask if this may shift from how Shiroha’s story ended to Kamome?
- Review: If so, while still not as bad as Tsumigi’s arc, Umi’s definitely will be firmly in the bottom two.
- Overall (75/100): At this point, Umi is an undeniable disappointment, but at least with focusing more on Shiroha and Takahara’s romance, it seems Summer Pockets is leaning on what worked to redeem itself.
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