English Dub Review: Karakai Jozu No Takagi-san “Cell Phone / Horror / Picture”

Technology adds a new twist to Takagi’s teasing.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Nishikata finally has his own cell phone, and he’s super excited. He thinks he can use it to tease Takagi when they’re not at school. Little does he suspect that he will be the one getting teased more often now. From late night phone calls to funny photos, Takagi uses his new phone to her advantage when it comes to messing with Nishikata.

Our Take:

Adding a new tool into the mix made for a more interesting episode this week. Getting his first phone is a big milestone for Nishikata, and it allows him to take part in lots of fun activities, from sharing scary videos to snapping spur-of-the-moment photos. Watching his excitement over his new device and how it impacted his relationships with the people around him really brought me back to my own experiences. Who can forget the nervous thrill of being able to request your crush’s contact info?

My favorite scene in this episode was probably the late night phone chat between Nishikata and Takagi. Neither one of them wants to be the one to hang up first, and it’s very cute. (I wonder how late they stayed up on the line together?) The picture segment is a close second favorite, due to Takagi’s quick transformation from open-mouthed laughter into the perfect photo pose.  I guess it’s a running gag at this point that we hear about how great her funny face is, while never being able to see it ourselves. It’d be neat if we saw it in the final episode or something.

The dub’s casting remains impeccable, with Aaron Dismuke really selling Nishikata’s internal monologues. There was a bit of translation that distracted me from the actual episode. The script chooses to have Mina abbreviate ‘forever’ as ‘forevs’, which just sounded strange. I’m guessing this change was made to match the mouth flaps more precisely, but it still took me out of the moment.

Episode 9 delivered some fun moments, along with that feeling of nostalgia that comes from remembering when you finally got your first cell phone. Takagi and Nishikata’s night time conversation is definitely teasing us viewers who can’t wait for them to actually admit their romantic feelings to each other. While this wasn’t the greatest episode of the series, it’s definitely a solid one that adds a fresh wrinkle to the formula while also strengthening the bond between Takagi and her victim Nishikata.