English Dub Review: Recovery of an MMO Junkie “I Call That Feeling Marble”

Koiwai for best wingman.

Overview:

Sakurai confesses that he’s Lily’s player, and Moriko freezes up. They part on good terms, but they find that neither of them knows what to do next.

Our Take:

Sakurai lets it out that he’s, in fact, Lily’s player, and Moriko isn’t sure how to take it. She doesn’t outright reject him, but she is stunned. As I’ve said before, the probability of this happening is astronomically low, and Moriko is stunned. In fact, she doesn’t know how to deal with it, so she does what most people on the internet do: avoids the problem.

It’s kind of painfully accurate how this show understands internet friendships and relationships that don’t necessarily face to face. Does Moriko dislike Sakurai? No, not at all- she, in fact, likes him a lot. However, the revelation was a little too stunning for her, and she doesn’t know how to approach the topic. Likewise, Sakurai is embarrassed, and can’t find it in himself to bring it up. They both care for each other, but they’re too nervous to really discuss what this means. Once they get to communicate, they’re still nervous but are humorously comfortable around each other.

Koiwai is the best wingman. He recognized the pining, that it was the result of miscommunication, and makes to do something about it. Without him, I imagine this series would have been a lot longer, and a lot more frustrating. A lot of slice of life romance depends on mutual pining and miscommunication, which both ramps up the drama and extends the runtime. At the same time, it can also be extremely frustrating if it goes on for too long. By Koiwai being extremely nosy, he is able to hurry the plot along and keep misunderstandings from piling up. It’s a relief to see a character that could easily be a rival instead set up to support the main couple. While love triangles are intriguing, they can get a little tiring if they’re not done correctly.

Overall, the show is wrapping up and seems to be paced very well for the finale. Here’s to cheering Sakurai and Moriko on!