English Dub Review: A Sister’s All You Need “All You Need is Love and Friendship”

Who doesn’t love a free dirty novel for their birthday?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

We start off with Haruto asking Itsuki if Miyako has a boyfriend. Being the guy that he is, Itsuki asks her directly over text if Miyako is taken. Naturally, Miyako thinks this means Itsuki is into her, which confuses her since she thinks Itsuki is into Nayuta.

Her response is that she’s not taken, and this emboldens Haruto to declare that he’s going to ask her out, and Itsuki stumbles into being his wingman for the occasion, which he has no idea how to do. But in a turn of fortune, Nayuta presents an opportunity for Haruto to ask Miyako out; she’s planning a birthday party for Miyako and wants Itsuki to help. The two spend time figuring out what kind of birthday present she would like.

The party is a swell time, and Nayuta tops off the occasion by giving Miyako her present: a story she wrote with Miyako as the main character. Miyako is touched by the gesture, and this prompts a somewhat solemn discussion with everyone, where she confesses that she’s not such a mature, experienced woman after all, and has actually never been on a date. Miyako thinks this will ruin her friendship with Nayuta, but she immediately forgives her and says that she still thinks she’s a great person and that she’s like a big sister in her life. Warm fuzzy feeling abound.

Miyako goes home to read her present, which turns out to not just be a story about her, but also a smutty novel. Nonetheless, she’s completely enthralled by it and spends the whole night lost in its fantasy. Later, Haruto brings up that Itsuki didn’t do a very good job being his wingman, and Itsuki laments that “he forgot”, but both of them admit that neither of them did a really good job.

Inspired by a story Itsuki is writing, he suggests that the two of them go to an amusement park and invite the girls. They take the trip and Nayuta is totally thrilled by the experience. They have a pleasant day together, with Nayuta pressuring Itsuki to go on scary rides and wearing everyone out with her exuberance.

Finally, Miyako and Haruto finally get some time alone together. Conversation flows easily, and the two start getting along quite well. Miyako confesses she’s worried that she’s holding Nayuta back, something Haruto understands as well since he works with smarter people than him all the time. It seems as if things are going to go well until Haruto realizes that is not him Miyako likes, but Itsuki, after a touching moment with them reveals a flash of longing for Itsuki in Miyako’s eye. Things end on a somewhat bittersweet note, with Haruto not telling Itsuki his newfound understanding.

Our Take:

This an episode that felt pretty sparse. We get some cute moments, some heartwarming ones and the episode is overall pretty comfy and pleasant, but that’s when its actually taking the time to give us some actual character development. While perhaps the show is just trying to be subtle, it feels like its many montages and meandering conversations without real impact are just the storytelling equivalent of stalling for time.