English Dub Review: Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway: “Mother”

Overview: Yoshida (Alex Hom) and Issa (Bradley Gareth) support Sayu (Jill Harris) as she endures terrible vitriol from her mother (Lindsay Seidel) and they try their darndest to find a path forward together. 

Our Take: At long last, the ill-fated and begrudging confrontation with Sayu’s mother is upon us. And it goes about as smoothly as would one expect. Which, in translation, means not at all. But therein lies the beauty of it. The actual confronting part of it. 

Sayu and her mother lay everything out on the table emotionally. The former in her rage in never having a mother who cares, or at least tries to, and the latter in someone who only ever wanted a child as a bargaining chip to keep a poor excuse of a husband. Yoshida’s anger, on account of Sayu, nicely addresses the validity behind both parties’ lack of choice in the matter. 

Sayu’s mother acts as a character builder for both Yoshida and Sayu. For him, in allowing him the clarity to recognize what his position is in their family drama. It also just solidifies how much of a humble and mature adult he is in not only showing restraint but remaining civil and calm through heart-wrenching treatment of Sayu by her mom, even going so far as to bow and beg her to take her in. The lesson in even someone as spiteful as Sayu’s mom can be touched by an act of pure kindness is an uplifting and compassionate one that struck a chord. Although, as a side note, I do not blame him for how close he was to going over the edge as Sayu’s mom is completely to blame and absolutely terrible in the way she treated her own daughter, even wishing she were dead. Her outrage was an ironically euphoric moment in how angrily confused she was in a kind stranger and her own son sticking up for someone she villainized, demonstrating her own pathetic bitterness. 

Most important of all though, understanding Sayu’s upbringing allows Yoshida a firsthand, emotionally wrenching experience to truly empathize with the totality of hardship that she has endured. With Sayu properly letting the pain wash over her, it allows for genuine emotional understanding between them that is cathartic as it is saddening. With all that Sayu has learned in facing her demons and finally having someone to rely on in Yoshida, her strength and resilience in attempting to mend her relationship with her mom is an awe-inspiring representation of her well-founded growth. There is some more mumbo jumbo about ‘fate’ and ‘stars aligning’ like something straight out of a 12-year-old’s diary that continues to make me groan at how grandiose it is. However, that is a small infraction against such a solidly built ending. 

I did not walk away from this dramatic exchange liking or condoning Sayu’s mother anymore but that was not the point. She was a vicious hurdle to better cultivate our two main leads, serving as the peak of their journey together. With Sayu making an effort to build bridges with her mother, I am intrigued in where that leaves Yoshida and her moving forward.