English Dub Review: Aharen-san wa Hakarenai “Isn’t This Too Close?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Raido spent middle school isolated due to his unintentionally unfriendly appearance and hopes that high school will be different. He decides the first step to being more social will be to get to know Aharen Reina, the girl who sits next to him. She seems distant at first, then a little too close, and before long, Raido understands that Aharen has more than a bit of trouble gauging the distance between herself and others in more ways than one.

Our Take:
I already went through two anime shows involving school, so I might as well add another one to my list. The first episode wastes no time introducing its concept, as Raido immediately starts to form an unlikely friendship with Reina Aharen. It immediately follows that with a series of strange events involving Raido’s attempts to understand Aharen, who appears to have distant issues.
The storyline in this episode does sound awkward at first, considering its concept and the size difference between the two characters. In addition, the entirety of it only centers on Aharen being way too close to Raido after he picks up her eraser for her. I might even say that this direction might run the risk of being an uncomfortable watch for viewers. However, as I continued to watch the episode, I found myself surprised to see that it wound up being the opposite. While a bit repetitive in its structure, the episode has enough delightful moments to make a first impression on its first day.
Sure, it also has some awkward moments that left me scratching my head, but they appear to be intentional for several reasons. One of them is the relatable nature of the phase. Both Raido and Aharen struggle to fit in due to their different personalities. Raido’s unusual face makes it difficult for him to gain a friend. Meanwhile, Aharen has trouble with distance, in which she seems clingy when she stands too close and appears antisocial when she’s far away. Their personalities make these characters a charming pair that relies on comedy and sweetness. I appreciate the episode for displaying this phase because it helps viewers who are in this phase themselves understand they’re not alone.
Much of the humor in the episode centers on Aharen being clingy to Raido and Raido using different methods to talk to Aharen, including lip-reading and passing notes. The comedy provides the awkwardness of making friends and the struggles of making friendships stick without making the elements too uncomfortable. The communications methods montage gets the most laughs out of me, mainly the bone conduction scene where Aharen butts heads with Raido. I always find it hilarious when two characters bump each other comically.
Overall, “Isn’t This Too Close?” is admittedly awkward, but it embraces this scenario to provide a delightful beginning to the latest high school comedy series. The plot has a slight hint of repetitiveness in the events shown in the episode. Despite that, the episode has a suitable balance of discomfort and comedy to start the season on the right foot. Now the real test is to see if it can keep up with this formula in the remaining episodes.