English Dub Review: Masamune-kun’s Revenge “The Tsunade Island Incident”

Where Masamune makes up for his stupidity from last episode and actually does something right.

Spoilers Below

Well, folks, it’s most definitely summertime, if you couldn’t tell from last episode. School is out and it’s time to hit the beaches! Masamune may not care that he’s losing time in class, but he’s definitely not going to lose time with Adagaki. He invites her out to the beach, hoping to show off his hard-earned physique. She returns his invitation, telling him that she is going to her own private island getaway. Not only is he not invited, but instead, she is inviting his best friend Shuri. The effeminate young lad is intimidated by Aki, and says that if she wants him to come, Masamune has to go. Then, Neko joins in. And Futaba, if only because she hopes to see more of Shuri hugging Masamune. She’s got a thing for boy love. In the face of the entire crew posed together like a chummy sentai, Aki caves and invites them all.

The island paradise isn’t going to be a cake walk for our protagonist, however. First, Koiwai gives him an ultimatum: win Aki’s heart on this trip, or the whole plan goes public. Second, the man-hating secretary to Aki’s father, Yuisake, is going to be chaperoning. Inspired by her own issues with womanizing men, she personally trained Aki in the ways of the ice princess. Meeting the gang at the door, she sees all of Adagaki’s friends… Including a boy? She freaks out for a while, not even hearing Shuri’s protest that he’s a boy as well, and puts Aki in a pickle that Masamune can exploit. She may hate men, but she still craves the acceptance of women. He boldly declares that he is Aki’s boyfriend. On the surface, Yuisake commends her charge. It’s one thing if she hated boys in elementary school, but to hate men in high school is a bit petty. It’s a good thing she has a handsome boyfriend. Aki takes this praise and runs off, her “boyfriend” in tow for a tongue lashing. And not the kind she was asking for at the start of the last episode. Oh, I thought I had run out of kissing jokes. There’s one. After she calls him out, he explains his reasoning. She wanted Yuisake’s approval, and he got it for her. She protests, but he convinces her of the truth. Fine, they will be a couple for this trip.

Time for the beach! Masamune reveals his sculpted body, hoping to inspire wanton lust in his prey. He only really inspires my hatred. Seriously, I wish I could look like that. On the other hand, Shuri is covering up with a shirt. You know, to save himself from sunburn, and not because Futaba tried to put him in a bikini. Neko, ever trying to hurt Masa’s chances with Aki, rubs her bikini body up against his arm, begging for him to put sunscreen all over her. He protests and… is rescued… by Aki? She karate chops Neko off him and talks her away. Weaseling in on her “boyfriend” would only make the Fujinomiya name look bad. Neko cedes the point, and Aki takes him off for some alone time.

Aaaaaaand couple time is over. Now that they are alone and away from the range of Yuisake’s binoculars, they don’t have to put up appearances. She bosses him around, demanding he goes to get her lunch for that black hole in her stomach. He dutifully runs back to the house for a bento from the secretary. He asks her for some advice as to something entertaining to do as a group.

Haunted house. Oh, this will be fun. As we saw from her time watching the horror movie, she can’t stand scary stuff. He rigs the order so that he will be there to help her when she collapses from fear. Yuisake has a different plan in mind, to scare the wits out of Masamune. That way, Aki will break up with him, and one more man will be ruined! She stalks the boy in a Scream mask on. What she wasn’t counting on, however, was Koiwai running in with a hockey mask and chainsaw. She runs, scaring Aki to the floor, then outside. Neko appears in the stormy night sky, pale as a ghost and bleeding from the mouth. Yuisake runs from this apparition, knocking herself out cold against a light pole. She finds herself in the care of Masamune, carried on his back to the mansion. She realizes that he isn’t a bad man and that her own man-hating ways may just be wrong. This all gets him points with Aki, and Koiwai rescinds her ultimatum. Phew. Out of the woods.

So, this episode wasn’t bad at all. Really, the humor was mostly in the hands of the side characters. I liked that, because it develops them a little bit, and gives their voice actors much needed time to shine. This episode also makes it clear, if it wasn’t already, that it was Masamune leaving her that made her hate men, only made worse by the heinous and vengeful Yuisake. I say she’s heinous only because of the damage she did to Aki in the pursuit of her own revenge. Men really were treating her terribly, and I can understand hating them, just don’t push that onto children. Though there was the obligatory T&A in this episode, it didn’t entirely drive the episode, and I appreciate that. Animation was fine, and art may have actually stepped up during the beach scenes. The only point that really hurt things was that Yuisake’s actress was not very well synced in this episode, especially while she was yelling at the beginning. Otherwise, I give this episode seven bikini-clad Shuris out of ten.