It’s Just My Summer Uniform
Komi is a high school student who has to wear a summer uniform because it’s required by law. She gets a lot of attention from her classmates for her bright and colorful uniforms, but she can’t seem to get the message across that she wants them to stop looking at her so strangely.
Makeru is always trying to outdo her Komi friends, but this time she gets a chance to compete against them in a sprint test. She loses every round, but Komi impresses her during the test. Makeru starts to think that maybe she’s better than her friends and starts to feel proud of herself.
That afternoon, Najimi and Tadano visit Komi’s home. Upon arrival, they are greeted enthusiastically by Komi’s mother, who is excited that Komi has finally brought friends home. She introduces herself as an eternal 17-year-old at heart. Tadano and Najimi are surprised to learn that this is not the first time Komi has visited her home; in fact, she has been coming here for years. Tadano and Najimi are then introduced to her father and sister who are also 17 years old. This revelation shocks both Najimi and Tadano as they had no idea that Komi was so close with her family. ..
Komi shows Tadano and Najimi to her room. The three of them sit in silence until Komi’s mother delivers afternoon tea. ..
Najimi decides to try and stir up trouble, pretending to need the bathroom so they can observe Tadano and Komi when left alone in Tadano’s room. Much to Najimi’s dismay, 15 minutes pass between Tadano and Komi in comfortable silence until Najimi can’t stand it any longer. ..
Tadano and Najimi end up staying well into the evening, though Komi is still disappointed when they leave. She laments until receiving a message from Najimi with the secret photo they took to commemorate the afternoon. Komi is still disappointed when Tadano and Najimi leave, but she’s glad that they took a secret photo together to remember the time spent together. ..
Komi and Najimi want to go to a ramen shop after school. Himiko overhears and displays the extreme confidence she gains when discussing food. She leads Komi, Najimi, and Tadano to her preferred ramen shop. While the excursion has some ups and downs, they make it a habit.
Komi is taken aback by the sudden change in conversation and asks Omoharu what he’s talking about. Omoharu tells her that he is a spirit who has been visiting her for years, and that she must make a blood contract with him in order to keep him safe. Komi is hesitant, but Omoharu insists that it is the only way to protect herself and her people from the evil spirits who are plaguing the world. Komi agrees to make the contract, but warns omoharu not to hurt her or anyone else in return.
Komi asks Omoharu to explain her fantastical claims. Omoharu is shy and avoids the question, asking Komi to make a blood contract again. When Komi doesn’t say anything, Omoharu takes off with an imaginary excuse. ..
Tadano speculates that the blood contract was Omoharu’s way of asking to be friends, while Najimi laughs and says it reminds them of Tadano in middle school - a chuunibyou. ..
Tadano, a middle schooler in Japan, parades around with an inflated sense of self-importance. He enlists Najimi to help him confess to the cutest girl in his class by writing LOVE in huge letters across the school’s oval. Tadano believes that confessing to the cutest girl will make him look good in her eyes and increase his chances of being friends with her. ..
Najimi watches from the bushes as the girl rejects Tadano for being a chuunibyou. Tadano’s self-esteem is completely crushed, and he decides right then and there to live a normal life, transforming into the Tadano we know today. ..
In the present, it is time for P.E. class. Everyone wants to be Komi’s partner while Omoharu is left all alone. She uses her delusions to fake indifference but secretly despairs until Komi offers to be her partner.
Omoharu thanks Komi after their partner stretches. She can’t find the words to properly express herself, so she transitions back into chuunibyou mode.
Najimi steals Tadano’s umbrella, leaving behind a cheeky note. Komi shares her own with him and they walk home together. When they make a convenience store pit stop, Tadano asks if Komi saw Najimi’s note and waited for him. She blushes, not denying it.
The Episode Review
This episode was a welcome return to the more sincere tone we enjoyed in some of the earlier episodes. The return to this tone was a welcomed change from the more cynical episodes that have come before it. ..
Omoharu is a quirky and endearing character who is essential to the show’s plot. She is as outlandish as the others, but when her mask slips we also get to see the vulnerability that she’s using her chuunibyou tendencies to protect. It was particularly heartbreaking when she curled into herself to hide those feelings during P.E., and this helped make her friendship with Komi feel like a mutual victory.
While Tadano is discussing his chuunibyou tendencies, we can see a flashback of him in which he was a wild and out-of-control young boy. This contrast makes his cringe phase great comedy fodder, as it shows how different Tadano has become since then.
It would be wonderful if we saw him reconcile his more tamer side with some of that old confidence.
The rain scene in the story was perfect and added a lot of warmth to the story. Tadano’s gestures, like waiting for Komi while pretending to have lost track of time at the library, and Komi holding the umbrella so that Tadano was fully sheltered even as his shoulder got wet, were small but powerful.
The episode wasn’t without flaws. Yamai and Himiko are still annoying, and the ramen segment was, honestly, boring. However, the good outweighed the bad this time.
