English Dub Review: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life “Their Time”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

As the day of the school festival arrives, the koto club is being torn apart by a terrible enemy: their own feelings. Hiro and Satowa are still freaking out about their crushes on Takezo and Chika. The entire club can feel the tension, making it impossible to practice. But everything’s not terrible! Mashiro, the former club president who has graduated, returns to pay them a visit, and her cheery praise brightens everyone’s spirits.

While she chats with Takezo about how much of a leader he’s become, Mr. Takinami gives Hiro some good advice about putting her feelings to good use. Chika tries to apologize to Satowa again, but they’re interrupted by Mr. Takinami and the other club members. He tells everyone that this upcoming qualifier will be Takezo and Hiro’s final chance at the Nationals due to the way they’re scheduled. This gives everyone in the club renewed energy to press forward despite their feelings.

Our Take:

Whew, am I glad that I ended up enjoying this episode. During the first half, I was feeling pretty down on it. Not much happens at the beginning of the episode aside from Hiro and Satowa freaking out. It’s basically a repeat of last week’s episode, and I was bracing for having a harsh review to write. But then the second half came along, and the show redeemed itself thanks in large part to Mr. Takinami and club grand-president Mashiro. Mr. Takinami helps Hiro begin to deal with her feelings for Takezo, and Mashiro’s sweet demeanor and joyful mood put the rest of the club at ease and remind Takezo how far he’s come. Yes, I actually ended up having fun during the time I spent with Their Time.

Mashiro really helped this episode open up and breath. Her delight at seeing what Takezo has managed to do with the club was great to see, and the fact that she’s voiced by my all-time favorite anime actor Felecia Angelle doesn’t hurt either. The way she confesses to being surprised at how far the club has come, and how she thought it might be selfish of her to have put the pressure on Takezo was a wonderful scene to see unfolding. Her and Takezo have such a nice relationship, I can totally see how Hiro might become jealous. And that scene was beautiful as well – Hiro realizing she’s jealous, and then immediately apologizing to Takezo for her harsh behavior and promising to give it her all during the performance was just what I – and the episode – needed: an end to the silly tension.

Mr. Takinami and Hiro have a great conversation as well. He’s so blunt that his advice is always hilariously to the point, and even when romance is involved, he’s no different. I loved how confused he was by Hiro’s need to ignore/repress/destroy her feelings for Takezo. He’s such a chill dude that it makes perfect sense, and it’s exactly what she needed to hear. I’m kind of excited by the prospect of an inner-club romance going on. Also, when he almost walked in on Satowa and Chika’s conversation, but then closed the door abruptly, that was amazing comedic timing.

The dub is pretty good for the most part this week, save for a few minor lines. There were several oddly-worded choices, like Hiro saying ‘prez’ out loud instead of president. “Your head wants things to be normal, but the heart’s more tricky.” Tetsuki is so wise, I wish he were in the club so we’d get to see him more. “Shut up before I hurt you!” It’s funny to see Hiro’s former bullying self take over when she’s stressed about her feelings for Takeya. “I’m a Virgo born on September 2nd and my blood type is O.” Chika saving Hozuki from the weirdos was a sweet moment. “So she was the president to the president? That makes her like our grand-president!” These guys have the best ideas.

The first half of Their Time was not a great time for viewers. But by the second half, Kono Oto Tomare! is back to being its brilliant self. Mr. Takinami, Mashiro, and Hiro all really stood out this week, and they reveal that it’s potentially Takezo and Hiro’s final chance at making it to Nationals really ups the ante for this season.