English Dub Review: A Couple of Cuckoos: “We have to tell her… about our secret!”
Overview: Erika (Lindsay Sheppard) and Nagi (Nicholas Andrew Louie) spend more time together when the true nature of their relationship is revealed to Hiro (Amanda Lee).
Our Take: Erika’s first summer festival with Nagi is exactly the kind of eye opening experience that highlights her greatest aspect. Her childlike wonderment at new experiences that she has been sheltered from are always a delight such as her trying to catch fish, or trying new street vendor foods. When they eventually catch up with Hiro, it gets their long kept secret out in the open but also highlights the growing uncertainty in how that will affect her relationship with her, especially Nagi.
When they reveal the truth, it creates a relatable situation in how they relate to their difficult family circumstances and controlling parents with Hiro revealing her own arranged marriage to Erika. It makes for a corny albeit endearing bonding moment for them in how they grow closer over their shared predicament. When walking home alone though, we get a look at how hurt Hiro was that Nagi did not tell her beforehand. It further confirms how head over heels she is for him but is also tender in Nagi more fully committing to being honest and open with her from now on in promising to not keep any more secrets.
Erika and Hiro got their moments but thankfully Sachi has not been left out of the mix either. Her sibling angst is endearing in how she is not comfortable with anyone, but her to make fun of Nagi, including her friends. It’s also cute how well they know her in making fun of him because of how much they know her true feelings for him. However, her relationship with him would be better developed if she actually got the formality of actual romantic excursions and dates, similar to Hiro and Erika. The moments she gets are nice but they are not as deep as the others making it feel half baked comparatively and relying too heavily on their relationships as step siblings. With her jealousy of Hiro continuing to rise to the surface, hopefully that will spur one on sooner rather than later.
