English Dub Review: Akebi’s Sailor Uniform “Have You Decided on a Club?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
After Komichi completes the fifty-meter dash with the fastest time in her class, several athletic clubs try to recruit her. However, Komichi can’t decide which club she wants to join because there are too many things she wants to try.

Our Take:
The first day has come and gone, and Komichi Akebi has already gotten used to being the only student with a sailor uniform. The next episode sees her taking on another challenge at Roubai Academy: joining a club. If you think slaying monsters is difficult, then you haven’t seen the struggle of deciding which club fits your needs.
Okay, maybe I’m over exaggerating it just a tiny bit, but it is still a suitable depiction of the scenario. The episode’s main plot centers solely on Akebi figuring out which club to join. However, it also takes a brief left turn and focuses on one of the other students that Akebi befriends. As much as I enjoy watching the main character’s quest to find the perfect club, I appreciate that the show is giving the spotlight on a supporting character, even if it’s only for a while.
The supporting character I’m talking about is Kei Tanigawa, a shy teen who’s easily embarrassed by her self-image. The episode briefly showcased Tanigawa’s complex struggle with her sexuality when Akebi admires her legs. She eventually sent a picture of herself to Akebi despite her embarrassment, which led her to join the photography club. This is a nice little distraction that respectively (and humorously) captures a teen’s adolescence, especially when taking one’s own image into consideration.
Overall, “Have You Decided on a Club” is another solid slice-of-life episode that subtly depicts one of life’s biggest challenges at school. While it may not be as exciting as fighting bad guys or demons, it still provides a sense of relaxation and joy in the show’s school drama. Speaking of drama, the episode ends with Akebi officially joining the drama club. What intriguing things will await young Akebi in her chosen club? We’ll just have to wait and find out.