English Dub Review: Love Live Sunshine “Don’t Be So Formal with Me”

That is one sassy dolphin.

Overview:

After seeing how Mari and Kanan are friendly with the rest of the girls, Dia realizes that she wants to be called ‘Dia-chan’ by one of the underclassmen. All her efforts go poorly, but perhaps she’ll find a chance when they all work a shift at the local aquarium.

Our Take:

The focus this time is on Dia, and how she comes off to the underclassmen. While she is very close to Mari and Kanan, she is less so with the rest of the girls. The others all look up to her but do so as a senpai and as a mentor figure, and not necessarily as a close friend. They view her as the responsible serious one and address her with respect, but deep down she wants more.

Dia is the type that wants to get closer to people, but view her responsibility as something stronger. However, it accumulates to the point that she wouldn’t mind getting closer to people and letting down her barrier for a little bit– but she lacks the ability to communicate that. Her attempts at being friendly are forced, and her sudden shift in attitude makes the other girls mistakenly think she’s upset with them. It’s hard to let go of your persona once you’ve built on it for so long, after all. She makes the effort, but somehow there’s a bit of a disconnect. Despite her feelings, it’s her serious personality that ends up saving the day, in calming down a group of excitable kindergarteners. She isn’t able to change who she is, but the girls remind her that she doesn’t need to- that her serious personality keeps them all in line, and they all care for her regardless.

It’s a much more concrete episode this time around, and I grew very fond of Dia. Her serious, responsible nature clashing with her desire to have fun and play around is one I feel a lot of people can empathize with. There’s always the mature one in a group, the one who keeps things orderly and keeps a logical head, but those same people need to unwind sometimes too.