English Dub Review: Nekopara “Cacao Repays Her Debts”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Cacao is disappointed when her friend Chiyo can’t come over to play. But then Chiyo invites Cacao over to her house for a sleepover! The young kitten is very excited to go, although Chocola and Vanilla seem a little frantic about it, packing everything she needs and then some.

The visit goes splendidly, but Chocola and Vanilla got pretty lonely at home without Cacao around to play with. When she arrives home, they eagerly greet her, but she shuns them to spend all day in a box in her room. They think she must be starting her rebellious phase, but nope, she’s just trying to make them a cute card with a drawing.

Our Take:

Cacao Repays Her Debts is a cute episode, that’s for sure. After several episodes focused mainly on the older cats in the show, we finally get a storyline where Cacao takes the lead – or at least half of it. It’s a pretty universal experience, and while there’s not much in the way of humor, it was still heartwarming to watch for the most part.

The plot is basically ‘child goes away and older siblings miss them’. Cacao is usually a fun character in bits and spurts, but because she doesn’t do a whole lot of emoting through speech, it can be difficult to give her the spotlight. Luckily, Chiyo and her mom are amazing characters themselves, and take up the slack when the scenes take place at their home. Chiyo’s mother in particular is a very good person: warm and inviting and kind. Chiyo herself is a good friend and very patient of Cacao and her ways. All things considered, spending the night at their house is probably the best first sleepover one could hope for.

For Chocola and Vanilla, though, it’s anything but pleasant. The two of them might be older than Cacao, but as one of their older sister’s says, they’re basically still kittens themselves. Thus, they can’t really handle being away from their sibling, even if it’s only for one night. Their attempts to take baths and go to sleep without her around are vaguely funny, but mostly just sad. Anyone who is close to their siblings can relate to the feeling of not being needed anymore, and it definitely applies to these two.

Of course, in the end it’s revealed Cacao was just copying her friend Chiyo, who made a special drawing for her mother to show how much she appreciates her. I really loved the last scene where Cacao is finally ready to present her gift, watching Chocola and Vanilla’s eyes get misty as their little sister told them she loved them. Regardless of how entertaining or funny it was (or wasn’t), you’ve gotta admit this was a very sweet episode.