English Dub Review: Citrus “out of love”

Mei’s free-spirited father returns (and also departs) on a very solid episode of Citrus.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Mei’s father may be back home, but that doesn’t mean she has to speak to him. After such a long absence, the two of them just can’t bring themselves to reconnect. Luckily, Yuzu is turning out to be a fantastic big sister. With her guidance, Mei and her dad get to say a proper goodbye before parting yet again.

Our Take:

While the overall plot of Mei reconciling with her father may not be the most original thing in the world, this was a very well done episode. Almost everything clicked, from the impressive visuals to the narrative that blended Mei’s daddy issues with Yuzu’s sister issues. And the ending finally felt like a genuine success for Yuzu, without any loose ends. (Looks like the next episode will bring back a pink-haired menace from Yuzu’s past!) Not only did Yuzu succeed in patching up Mei and Shou’s relationship, but she got to share a kiss with Mei that felt to her unlike any before. This feels like a real turning point for them, and I hope the series can build on this positive momentum.

I mentioned the stand-out visuals, but they deserve a paragraph of their own. Some truly breathtaking shots happened this time around, like the early scene in the girls’ bedroom with light-reflected teardrops streaming down Mei’s face, or the rapid motion of Yuzu’s cycling. (Harumin deserves even more recognition than usual. Not only was she there to hear Yuzu’s troubles emotionally, but she even let her ferry Mei around on her bike… hope she found her own way home!)

The dub was in top form, with some touching moments and some hilarious ones. “Our family’s not great with feelings,” Yuzu’s new father tells her. Boy is that an understatement. Harumin has probably the best line of the episode: “Did you find the answer in my boobs?” And Momokino’s exasperated cry was perfect: “Your delinquency knows no bounds!”

As we cross the halfway mark of Citrus, I’m feeling a lot better about the show as a whole. Now that Yuzu and Mei have formed an actual connection, it seems like we may be past all of their initial troubles like the personality incompatibilities and the, um, issues with consent. Only time will tell if the series can keep up this level of visual storytelling, but I’m currently cautiously optimistic.