English Dub Review: Hinamatsuri “Three Heads Are Better Than One”

Anzu enlists Hina to help her search the streets for a new TV set in the first half of this week’s new episode. In the second half, Hitomi’s classmates begin to suspect she’s hiding something sinister from them when they see their homeroom teacher and Hitomi in the red light district together and embark on a hunt for the truth to make sure she’s doing okay.

This wasn’t a bad episode of Hinamatsuri, per se. But it was further confirmation that the show seems to be losing steam as it progresses past the initial freshness of the plot and characters. Sure, Anzu is great, and her homeless antics are entertaining and all, but we’ve spent a lot of screen time in the last couple episodes exploring this aspect of her new life on the streets. Teaming up with Hina adds a little fun, but really, even Hina and her oblivious humor are in danger of becoming too predictable.

Speaking of predictable, we’ve got an entire segment dedicated to Hitomi’s secret life as an underage bartender! The show has made jokes about this since the first time the concept was introduced, and they’re honestly getting to feel a bit worn out. While the comedy itself hasn’t really been altered, I am grateful that a few new characters get to partake in the action. Hitomi’s classmates aren’t quite as unique as the show’s main cast of characters, but they’re still plenty of fun to watch. (Especially Aizawa, who totally has a crush on Hitomi.) The bartender thing may be dragging on, but it was interesting to watch the investigators trying to puzzle out the solution to their mystery. I’m not sure how I feel about the show hinging the joke on the class thinking Hitomi is a child prostitute, but I suppose it’s a believable conclusion for three middle-schoolers to jump to. The facial expressions in this episode are on point, too. I especially love Hitomi’s ‘I’ve-been-found-out‘ facial expression. Hitomi is quickly becoming my favorite character.

Hinamatsuri’s dub is still strong, with each of the main characters given their own unique types of comedy through the acting alone. Tabitha Ray is still rocking it as Hitomi, and Hina and Nitta’s actors are also continually solid. Despite her storyline not being too exciting, even Anzu’s VA managed to create an engaging performance. As for the English script, there were a few places where dialogue felt more out-of-place than natural, like in some of Kengo and Takashi’s conversations.

I don’t think I could ever dislike an episode of Hinamatsuri, but Three Heads Are Better Than One is certainly one of my least favorite episodes so far. I still think these characters have plenty of potential for creative comedy, but I wish the show wouldn’t lean on the same old jokes so much. (We get it, middle-school bartenders are funny.) I am looking forward to seeing how Hinamatsuri’s staff can expand the comedic range and scope of the interesting characters they’ve created. All in all, this episode had a few positive steps, like introducing Hitomi’s classmates with a mystery investigation vibe-type story, but it also relied too heavily on situations and jokes that it’s utilized in the past. Here’s hoping the future holds better things for this show!