English Dub Review: A Centaur’s Life “Why Are We So Bewildered When We Receive a Love Letter? | You Can Tell What Type a Person Is by Whether They Believe in UMAs and UFOs or Not.”

Body image problems.

Spoilers Below:

“Why Are We So Bewildered When We Receive a Love Letter?”

On the train, a boy tries to hand over a love letter to Himeno. He claims that he’s fallen in love with her at first sight. Himeno runs away, scared. Nozomi asks what’s wrong the entire day, and only once she’s at her house does she admit to Nozomi and Kyoko that she’s uncomfortable with her dating. Following being teased as a child, Himeno is uncomfortable with her genitals, especially because she can’t see them because of her body. She worries that they’re ugly to look at, and so fears to get into a relationship because it could become sexual. Nozomi offers to show Himeno hers to ease her fear, much to Kyoko’s surprise. After everyone has their turn, Himeno admits that she feels a little bit better.

The next day, she accepts the boy’s letter but becomes upset after reading it. When she sees him again on the train, she runs away once again. When Nozomi asks what’s wrong, she admits that he was only interested in her for her body, and Kyoko says that boys are shallow like that.

“You Can Tell What Type a Person Is by Whether They Believe in UMAs and UFOs or Not.”

The trio tries studying together, but Nozomi keeps getting distracted. Himeno says that it’ll be lonely if Nozomi’s not in the same grade as them because then they can’t hang out anymore. Hearing that, Nozomi’s desire to study is renewed. As Nozomi finishes studying, she sees a UFO fly by.

Kyoko summarizes a couple of hypotheses about UFOs, including that they may be ships used by Antarcticans. They don’t know much about the Antarcticans, except that they’re fused with reptiles and live far up north. They discuss a bit of Antarctican history, especially about their former leader Quetzalcoatl.

The next day, they notice that the military is more present than usual, and they wonder what’s going on. When they try asking, they aren’t given any answers. When they go into the class, the teacher reveals that there’s a transfer student: an Antarctican named Quetzalcoatl. The teacher instructs Quetzalcoatl to sit next to Himeno, much to her surprise. 

Overview:

The first segment was definitely stronger than the second, although it was a bit strange to watch. It’s largely about body image, and how certain traumas stayed with Himeno, even once she’s older. Thanks to being teased when she was young, she’s uncomfortable with her body and is thus hesitant to get into relationships. To ease her discomfort, her friends (Nozomi) offer to show their bodies in response. Kyoko is pretty reluctant to do so and remains grumpy after it’s over, but doing so does cheer Himeno up. In the end, it’s Himeno’s friends that show more consideration for her, since it turns out the boy only wanted to date Himeno because she’s physically attractive. While it was definitely a weird episode to watch, it’s nice that Himeno has friends that are looking out for her.

The second, while under the guise of a study break, is more world building, and setup for next episode. Perhaps more information on the Antarcticans incoming.

Score
7.5/10