English Dub Review: Aharen-san wa Hakarenai “It Snowed, Huh?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Ambiguity and snow are in the air as Raido and Aharen enjoy an igloo cafe while their friends speculate about whether or not the taciturn duo’s relationship status has changed.

Our Take:
Following our little camping trip, the show wastes no time cooling us off with its snowy vibes. Having a snow day episode in the middle of summer seems pretty odd now that I thought about it. Thankfully, it’s not as bizarre as this potential young couple.
The season’s second-to-last episode sees Raido and Aharen having a snow day of their own, with Aharen creating a nifty igloo cafe. After the igloo collapsed, they rebuilt it together. Then, Raido helps Aharen stretch herself out when she wakes up feeling stiff. Next, Ishikawa and Sato hang out with Aharen and Raido to study their relationship, leading the two to flirt with each other unintentionally. Finally, Raido and Aharen spend the day together at the mall, where they encounter Futaba and Akkun, who challenges Raido to a Blade Spinner tournament.
As usual, the episode delivered plenty of chuckles and heartfelt moments in these scenarios. The main highlights of its comedy come from the mall sequence, with Raido and Akkun losing in the tournament’s first round. By the way, the Blade Spinner tournament is a subtle callback to the popular Beyblade toys, similar to the other modern trends from the previous episodes. I also enjoyed the brief segment of Raido and Aharen stretching themselves out, mainly due to the nurse arriving just as Aharen was about to kiss the sleeping Raido.
While the episode does focus on those awkward moments, the entire plot mostly centers on the developing relationship between Aharen and Raido that started in last week’s episode. Throughout the episode, we see Aharen feeling embarrassed on certain occasions, including Raido warming her cold hands and Futaba pointing out that her mall activities with Raido resemble a date. These moments reflect Aharen’s developing feelings towards Raido while maintaining the charismatic cuteness she’s known for. I also enjoyed the scene involving Ishikawa talking to Sato about different people being couples. It nicely reflects that a relationship between people with differences can be more interesting than those who are ordinary. It just makes life more enjoyable.
Overall, this episode is a lovely snow day that continues to represent the charm and cuteness of Raido and Aharen’s relationship. More importantly, it gives us an interesting tease of what’s to come in next week’s finale. This is partly because of Oshiro, who has been absent throughout the entire episode. It’s later revealed that she’s undertaking swordsman training to challenge someone. Maybe someone has harmed her while Raido and Aharen are busy hanging out? Hopefully, we’ll know the answer when the finale arrives next week.