English Dub Review: Hina Logic from Luck & Logic “Sleep Brings Up A Hina Well”

Ignore that title. It has nothing to do with the episode.

Overview (with a side of Spoilers)

Now that finals are over, it’s time for summer vacation! Of course, Liones’ father manages to wrangle her into coming home by bribing all of her friends to come too. Unfortunately, the AC is busted, so he spends the day outside building them a pool. By himself. He isn’t human. Speaking of not human, Liones and Mahiro beat the heat by searching for Foreigners in the forest. Once the pool is built, they all jump in their swimsuits and cool off, followed with a barbecue. They finish the night by camping out under the stars during a meteor shower.

I know. Gripping television, isn’t it? This is a character and universe building episode, so what it lacks in direct plot, it makes up for by giving us information even the original series didn’t bring to light. The trip with Liones and Mahiro not only delves into Mahiro’s home life, but touches on the show’s cosmology and Foreigners. We already know that there are five other universes than the prime material plane known as Septpia. The physics of these universes are significantly different from ours. Using their supernatural powers, Foreigners alter the physics of their bodies to match our physics. Unfortunately, humans don’t have supernatural powers, and are unable as of yet to perform this trick. That means that they are unable to enter other universes, and rely on information from Foreigners to study those worlds. Of course, some things just don’t fit in words, so there are massive gaps in our knowledge.

We also learn a bit more about Liones mother, who used to be a Logicalist. Belle, who we’ve always known is a Foreigner, was her covenanter. While Belle is close to Liones, she refuses to covenant with her and doesn’t seem to want to reveal anything about her world or even what she looks like there. Given her animal-like appearance, it is possible she comes from Monolium, same as Rosa. We also discover that the mother is acquainted with Rosa, as she and Liones both know a song that Rosa supposedly sings all the time. Given the strong vibe of the wilds in the country of Liones, it may have a natural connection with Monolium. That world is all about plants, beasts, and nature, and has a tendency to value strength over anything else. In the card game, both of Liones’ covenanters are from Monolium, while other logicalists have them from a blend of worlds. As much as Liones’ father brags about building the country himself, it seems that Monolium may have played a role as well.

Other than the cosmological revelations, the episode was kept lighter by bouncing between these discussions and showing the other girls trying to beat the heat. Of course, if it’s a summer break episode, there’s going to be swimsuits. This show seems to focus much more on the innocent, cute side of these girls, and it doesn’t get too risque or try to sexualize the girls all that much. Other than a comment about Karen’s bust size, it’s pretty tame.

Our Take

Writing-wise, the episode was fine. Not much happened, but that’s kinda the norm in this show. There were a couple odd silences, where characters (even in the animation) just went silent, staring into nothing, until the next character talked. One thing I do like about this series, however, is that it is very subtle in its universe-building. It weaves this information in with characters talking about themselves, so it doesn’t feel like talking head syndrome. They also spread these revelations thin across multiple episodes, so you have to piece some of these chunks together yourself. After all, the characters already understand most of this information, and wouldn’t be talking about it with each other. I do wish more went on in this series, though. The original series didn’t really get into its plot until about this point but kept you tided over with plenty of action in the meantime. We don’t get that here because the show is more of a slice of life than an action show. Give us action or give us the plot. I don’t care which. Without either, the show just ends up being saccharine and vapid. This is based on a competitive card game, something should be happening!

The environments we see from the countryside of Liones are beautiful. The clearing at the end, with its colossal, mossed-over log is designed as if it has a significant backstory to it, and I hope we get to revisit it later on. Character designs were good, though Liones’ mother looked more like an overdressed nurse than a queen. The animation got its due diligence, and everything moved smoothly. No errors. There was a good amount of style and emotion in the art during the stinger. If you haven’t been watching those stingers, by the way, you should. They’re funny and are totally canon.

Voice acting was better than usual. Brittany Lauda (Liones) and Madeleine Morris (Mahiro) got a great chance to just chew the cud as their characters, and they brought out the girls’ inner feelings well. In one scene, Mahiro screams out her wish to go to another world. It wasn’t a bad job by a long shot, but I would have liked to hear a bit more strain in her voice to suggest that she’s screaming out repressed wishes from the bottom of the soul, rather than just yelling to make a point. Mikaela Krantz (Yayoi) is one I’ve had a constant issue with throughout the series, but this time around, she dropped the pretentious airs and just let the character be. It sounded much better.

So, though the plot and action are non-existent, the technicals were on the stronger side. The amount we learn about the characters and the world almost makes up for the slow turn. I give this episode seven meteor shower wishes out of ten. Also, wondering what would happen if someone tranced with the Demogorgon out of Stranger Things. It’s technically a Foreigner… I love crossovers like that. If you’re good little boys and girls and comment your thoughts about it below, I might just do some art of it for you on the next review.