Pre-Order Shiroha Now!

Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”
Summer Pockets, a world where nostalgia meets serenity. This visual novel, developed by Key, is a heartfelt journey that blends the beauty of summer with the bittersweet echoes of memories. Key is well known for their emotionally resonant storytelling with hits like Kanon, Little Busters! and Clannad. Key has once again crafted a narrative that tugs at the heartstrings and has been an overwhelming success with reaching the #1 best selling game at several Japanese retailers.

The story is set on a fictional island (Torishirojima) on the Seto Inland Sea, one of the most serene and beautiful places in Japan. It is a body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, three of the four (Hokkaido) main islands of Japan. There isn't much sightseeing to do there and it isn't very accessible but if you get a chance to journey around some of the islands you will be in awe of nature's beauty, and that's part of the reason it's a great location for a Key story. For those adventurous enough, you can visit some of the real life locations used as inspiration for the story throughout the various islands!

In Summer Pockets we follow the life of Hairi Takahara, who escapes to the island after some unfortunate incidents. Once there, he gets to know the townsfolk of Torishirojima and multiple girls who are the focus of the story. It is a romance visual novel with adult themes but not overly explicit. If you don't like reading, an anime produced by studio Feel is set to premiere in April 2025.

One of your romance options is Shiroha Naruse, a shy girl who doesn’t have any friends except her  grandfather. Being a loner, she is a bit socially awkward which adds to her charm.

Now, fans of the series can bring a piece of this tranquil world into their own thanks to Bell Fine. This figure captures the essence of Shiroha’s character, blending her delicate demeanor with the vibrant yet melancholic atmosphere of Summer Pockets.

In the game, Shiroha’s route is a poignant exploration of healing and moving forward. Her quiet, introspective nature makes her an incredibly easy to like character, and her interactions with Hairi are filled with moments of tenderness and vulnerability. The figure captures Shiroha’s quiet, reserved nature, and love of watermelon ice pops perfectly.

Shiroha’s outfit is a simple yet elegant white dress. The figure has a great sense of movement with her dress and hair flowing gently, as if caught in a soft breeze. There is a lot of detail in the delicate folds of her dress. The paintwork is very good with subtle shading that highlights the texture of the fabric.

White hair is generally pretty tough to get right on a figure but Bell Fine pulled it off. Incorporating transparent parts and using a purple shading/gradient effect, they mimic the illustration quite nicely. You can feel the sun shining behind her!
The base of the figure is a bit of a let down and execution could be better. It is designed to resemble the embankment Shiroha can be seen strolling along in the VN and key visuals for the game.

It seems like not much effort was put into it and so it kind of misses the mark. Having a half rounded makes it look more like a sandy shore than an embankment. The sharp cutoff would be from the dropoff leading into the ocean but with no elevation to the actual figure, it just has an odd visual. It feels more like there should be a second figure to pair with and place next to Shiroha. With only the base lacking, it is still an excellent figure for this amazing story.

Shiroha is currently available for pre-order and should be released towards the end of October, 2025!

Have you played Summer Pockets? Have a favorite Key story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thank you for reading!