English Dub Review: Tribe Nine: “What I Wanted To See”

Overview: Haru (Casey Mongillo), Taiga (Phillip Sacramento) and the rest of the Minato Tribe continue their XB match against the Adachi Tribe armed with a few tricks up their sleeve, thanks to Aoyama (John Van Doren), that leaves them conflicted about how they are choosing to proceed. 

Our Take: The Minato tribe, with the aid of the mysterious Aoyama, is able to claw their way back and make a stellar comeback against the Adachi Tribe. It’s clear from the offset that Aoyama tackles games more strategically than Shun, even if it is not the most honorable. It is how that transpires where some fun hijinks ensue that keep it a goofy good time but also lead into some internal conflict for Haru and the gang, the best of both worlds. Their lead began with knowledge of the underground tunnels but soon transitions to tripping up the Adachi Tribe with oil slicks and distracting them with dirty magazines like something straight out of Metal Gear Solid, that is comically enjoyable 

Besides Looney Tunes gags, what Aoyama’s schemes also bring is the shared shame amongst the group. Another way that Aoyama is shown to be different is how brutally cold he is with the group, eviscerating them for their incompetence, and chooses to add salt to the wound by addressing Shun as the capable XB player. Saori has always been a great voice for the team and steps up in a scene solidifying how critical she is to the morale of the team, acting as a great inspiration for the Minato Tribe. Brittany Karbowski absolutely kills the scene with her empowering attitude, not to mention her pure grit when she steps up to bat against Hyakutaro and hits a home run, showing just how much of a badass she is. 

Saori inspiring Haru to believe in himself combined with Shun’s past advice to trust his eyes, makes for some good progression for Haru in hitting the ball. After Saori’s roaring display inspiring her team and on the field, it is revealed it was actually just a plan between her and Hyakutaro all along to motivate the team after they are still reeling from losing Shun. While it may be a bit deceitful, it does show how much of a good leader Saori is in giving the gang a good kick in the pants. With Saori having been named the new leader, the Adachi Tribe is poised to take on the Ojori tribe in a XB game that will be very interesting in seeing how they perform without their home field advantage and against a team that bested Shun and the team *sort of.*