GGs, that Akihiko was out for blood. I hate falling back on meteor spamming but whatever. "Fuck Chie" and whatnot.
I wouldn't worry about the next game too much. It's not coming out for awhile plus learning combos that you find difficult may improve your overall execution. Definitely go at your own pace though, once stuff starts feeling like a chore you are doing it wrong, haha. I actually have a friend who plays an insanely good Naoto that can kick my ass, he also refuses to use SMP loops. Really odd choice, but hey, works for him.