English Dub Review: Hand Shakers “Meet Yet”

Let’s meet this review.

Hand Shakers episode “Meet Yet” improves in several areas. The stellar soundtrack is more subdued, Tazuna (Justin Briner) is less whiny, and a returning cast of characters bolsters the story.

“Meet Yet” opens with Riri “Lily” Hojo (Natalie Hoover) and Koyori (Lara Woodhull) playing Osaka cards. There’s then a flashback to the beginning of the episode. Tazuna and Koyori are enjoying a trip around the city. This includes a visit to a high-end eatery that Hayate (Aaron Roberts) and Chizuru (Sara Wiedenheft) manage.

However while wandering through the city, Koyori and Tazuna get separated. Koyori doesn’t have a phone, and Tazuna panics. Tazuna’s friend and romantic interest Lily and her younger brother Masaru find the lost Koyori. The siblings take Koyori to an Osaka card tournament. Meanwhile, Tazuna engages in conversation with a mysterious man. A mysterious man who happens to know quite a bit about hand shakers and Dr. Makihara (Anthony Bowling).

Eventually Tazuna does locate Koyori, but there’s a twist: when Lily grabs Masaru’s hand, the two pairs of hand shakers are transferred into the Ziggurat. Masaru and Lily brandish neat Nimrods: decks of shuffling cards.

While I’ve enjoyed the Hand Shakers overarching narrative, “Meet Yet” might be my favorite series entry so far. Although the soundtrack from Kadokawa and Goon Trax shines, it’s almost constant. “Meet Yet” features several scenes where the score remains absent or subdued. Additionally, Tazuna’s dialogue feels whiny at times. That’s lessened in this episode.

Where Hand Shakers continues to excel is in crafting unique characters. Once introduced, these personas persistently appear throughout the series. I appreciate the recurring roles Hayate and Chizuru share. At its onset Hand Shakers sustained a steady intrigue particularly regarding the Ziggurat and hand shakers. “Meet Yet” sees a return to this intrigue with the introduction of a strange man that knows quite a lot about Makihara and hand shakers.

Animation is continuously spectacular. Although I’m partial to hand drawn animation, there’s a mix of CGI in Hand Shakers that I rather enjoy. Lily and Masaru’s weapons in their cards while only briefly seen are gorgeously rendered. The self-shuffling decks are pink and blue and blown up to a larger than normal size. There’s even a sequence while wandering about the city that appears as if shot through a camera with a fish-eye lens. It’s totally unnecessary but lends a cinematic vibe.

Ultimately Hand Shakers episode “Meet Yet” advances the hand shaker battle, intrigue, and subdues a few of the characteristics I found slightly grating.