English Dub Review: Meiji Tokyo Renka “Escaping at 3 O’Clock in the Afternoon”

Ougae overcomes writer’s block in order to face his feelings.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Ougae is still working on that book of his, but there’s a problem. Elise refuses to let him finish it. Elise isn’t really a ghost, but a specter of his imagination. She is a lover he once had, and the book tells the story of their relationship. Ougae wants to write it out so he can move on and focus solely on the present, but the ghosts of his part are difficult to overcome without help from Mei.

Our Take:

The tenth episode of Meiji Tokyo Renka opens with a familiar sight: a ghostly apparition. What’s new is that the blonde-haired specter is haunting Ougae, preventing him from completing his writing. I was a little excited at the prospect of a supernatural mystery involving Ougae, as it would mean he and Mei would get another chance to play off each other, and maybe help convince me that they deserve to stay together.

The so-called ‘twist’ turns out to be that it’s not an actual ghost at all. Rather, it’s a figment of Ougae’s imagination. Elise has haunted his thoughts for so long that she seems real to him, and he can’t seem to overcome the pain that her memory brings to him. This makes writing hard, as it resurfaces the very trauma that he’s tried to ignore for the past however many years of his life. Mei coming into his world has changed his outlook, and now he wants to try and write this story for her. That’s what Shunzo says, at least, although it does strike me as being a bit odd that Ougae is writing a romantic tale about his ex while Mei is in danger of leaving.

Ougae and Mei’s relationship definitely solidified a bit for me in this episode. While I still don’t think there’s a whole lot of chemistry between them, it was nice to see how they take comfort in each other in times of need. When Elise has Ougae terrified of the very thought of writing another word, he asks Mei out for sweets, and she readily agrees. (Shunzo declines, which I’ll bring up in a second.) At lunch, Mei can’t help but bring up writing. Even though Ougae has tried to put writing in the back of his mind for the outing, Mei tells him that it isn’t like him to give in so easily. She has seen what he’s capable of, apparently, and pushes him to keep going. She challenges him to write one more story before giving up on writing – a final tale. Her encouragement was a nice step forward in their bond, and I like that this added some tension between the two of them. But Mei is so good – if he can’t bring himself to finish the story, she says she’ll escape with him and they’ll go visit a hot spring or something. Couple goals!

Mei also influences Shunzo for the better in this episode. In the past, it’s been fairly obvious that he has some kind of hidden feelings for Mei, and I think that becomes even more clear here. While I’m not exactly positive about the feelings being romantic, I’m inclined to say they are. This is a romance show, after all. Shunzo would normally love to spend time with his friends, but he chooses not to go with Mei and Ougae, perhaps realizing how awkward it might be and how it would make him feel? “You seem so happy, and yet it’s always when you’re around Ougae,” he says to himself as they leave. But even when she’s not with him, Mei is a good influence on Shunzo. Seeing her cheering on Ougae encourages him to finish his own work of art – that painting.

The dub this week did a good job of expressing Mei’s feelings of guilt over her inability to help Ougae. “I don’t know much about writing – or anything, really.” Never change, Mei. Shunzo’s line about Ougae’s story struck me as particularly poetic: “The story traces the path of Ouegae’s broken heart. And that’s why he can’t finish it.” Even though this was a fairly emotional episode, there was still time for a bit of humor with Mei trying to meow to a tabby: “I’m just asking him if he knows a black cat!”

Escaping at 3 O’Clock in the Afternoon does an okay job at making me feel more invested in Ougae and Mei’s relationship. Though I still wish they did a better job at actually talking to each other (Mei still hasn’t told him she’s staying?!), it’s nice she’s able to encourage him when he needs it. Her effect even extends to Shunzo, who may or may not be nursing a little jealousy of Ougae. It looks like we might get to explore this more next week, as we’re finally going to find that black cat!