English Dub Review: SING “YESTERDAY” FOR ME: “The Long Way”

Overview: Uozumi (Aaron Campbell) is open and honest about his true feelings that shifts the relationship between him, Shinako (Michelle Rojas) and Haru (Jill Harris). 

Our Take: It is no secret that Rou has not been the easiest guy to connect with. He has been a constant annoyance in his unyielding childishness over not being Morinome’s truly beloved. Shinako’s intimacy around Uozumi is an impactful means for him to come to that realization. Rou has made considerable strides, maturing in finally facing the painful truth that Shinako just isn’t that into him with it acting as strong closure for one sided love. It is one of the few redeeming qualities he has had this season that made me appreciate him in his coming of age. 

Rikuo and Shinako have been on uncertain terms ever since they rekindled their connection. There is valid emotional reasoning in maintaining a friendship rather than a romance in how closely similar they are with one another and how much unnecessary pressure their relationship piles on. How Shinako factors in Rou comparatively with him also adds credence to that. Uozumi getting into the nitty gritty of all their tangled feelings is a refreshingly honest and bittersweet breakup that is cathartic but hopeful in continuing with a solid friendship that is already well built. 

With how much they understand and empathize with each other, they could have easily been the endgame. Especially as being too closely related to your significant other, the strong point of disconnect in their split, could conversely be a powerful catalyst that connects a couple together. However, their uplifting turning point in coming to terms with the true nature of their relationship, no matter how roundabout the road may have been to get there, beautifully drives home the theme of moving forward in one’s life and each’s own progression towards that goal. It acts as a sensible closing to their romance with their dynamic as friends being a sweet mainstay in its place.

With all that in mind, how Haru truly makes Rikuo feel serves as the strongest foundation for why they are equally perfect together. In anticipation of meeting her once again, it dredges up all the doubt and insecurities that has eaten away at him that he has worked hard to push past from, showing how quickly one can regress and how progress is a windy road. It also digs at the root of our own deeply personal fears regarding how others will respond to our feelings.

Uozumi persisting through his natural awkwardness, stumbling on his words in his love confession is endearing beyond belief. However, it is his realization of how kind she has been throughout their time together, that she is what he has been looking for all along that makes for a heartwarming reveal in his bursting feelings. It is made all the more tender in her slow and steady understanding of the situation transitioning into an explosion of radiance that allows them their genuine happy ending together.

SING’s finale pays off each character’s own personal growth in dividends. It connects you with each person in the moments of their own respective cultivation and introspection the scenic route has afforded them for a wholesome end. However you fall on the side of the shipping war with the main leads, there is heart, hope and intent at the core of every narrative decision made that shines through.