English Dub Review: How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? “Sensei’s on a Diet, Too?”

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Overview:

The girls’ teacher realizes that she needs to slim down a little.

Our Take:

We have a new member of the cast this time, one of the girls’ teachers.

It turns out that their sensei is a cosplayer and a very popular one at that. She may have joined the gym because Machio is attractive, but what she really wants to do is slim down a little so she can fit into her old costume. And honestly? I can respect that. I also kind of half-expected the show to shame the teacher for being a cosplayer, but it was surprisingly not the case. She is flustered at having her students find out about her hobby, but she is quite proud of it– she just doesn’t want it getting out. She’s dedicated enough to her craft to join a gym for it, and that’s commitment. Even when she’s posing at Comiket, she is obviously very proud. The show could have easily gone for a low blow about her being a cosplayer, and still a working adult with a respectable job, but no, it turns out other members of the cast do so as well.

Machio cosplaying a retro anime bodybuilder with superpowers that looks suspiciously like Kenshiro from Hokuto no Ken was something I didn’t expect and was pretty hilarious. It makes sense that Machio would like the rugged, muscle-bound types, wouldn’t he? Him managing to outshine the teacher is pretty hilarious because it wasn’t even intentional– he’s just passionate about his muscles (and this universe’s version of Hokuto no Ken).

I like how this show covers many different reasons why people would want to exercise; for personal appearance, for the dating scene, for sports, for hobbies. It doesn’t shame any of them as being silly, only that everyone is working towards their goals, little by little. I’m really glad it does that, because there at times seems to be a culture of shame around working out– what you have to look your best right away, or else it’s worthless. Except that’s impossible because nobody starts out with their ideal form. Comparing yourself to people who are doing a different regimen than you or are aiming for something different isn’t the way to go. That ultimately, the cast is all supportive of each other is aiming for a more healthy lifestyle is good. I’m really enjoying this show.