English Dub Review: More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers.: “A Male Virgin, but No Female Virgin.”

Overview: With Akari’s (Lindsay Sheppard) odd behavior regarding his name, Jiro (Ben Balmaceda) reasons together what she wants most from him and has been for quite a while while him and Shiori (Macy Anne Johnson) get a bit closer. 

Our Take: With Akari using Jiro’s last name, he is finally starting to show some brains and initiative, something he has been sorely lacking in, with deducing how she wants to be addressed. With how clueless and hesitant he has been, he makes it difficult to even feel bad for him sometimes, but thankfully he is finally starting to learn how to talk to girls, slowly but surely, making for some good progress in his connection with Watanabe as they savor and indulge their relationship while they have it. Or inevitably admit they have feelings for each other until the last possible moment.

Speaking of fun indulgences, the amount of goofy slang used by the characters whether it be Jiro, Sachi or Akari. Some may find it irritating or cringey, but it is beyond charming in cultivating their personality based on how they use it and in what wacky situations. 

 Shiori takes the next step with Jiro in wanting to make a move with Mei pushing her on. For all the crap Jiro deserves in being a wuss, when he does rise to the occasion, like following through in wanting to kiss her, it is a step in the right direction in giving him a little backbone. Shiori’s shyness really eats away at her and hopefully she will meaningfully build upon that to be more proactive asking for him in choosing to go through with her feelings and intentions herself, rather than let the old accident prone energy within the universe initiate their kiss. 

Akari confronting her own insecurities, in how she worries about Shiori taking Jiro’s first time, is always a treat in exploring the vulnerabilities of her usually confident and outgoing self. How Watanabe devalues herself, compared to Shiori, is a heartbreaking sentiment in how she deals with someone she loves in Yakuin and his feelings for another woman without realizing the ones he is concealing for her. With all of their feelings bubbling up, there needs to be a proper moment of acceptance and/or confession without any misunderstandings, as romcoms love to do for padding out a series, from both parties, that will hopefully surface before we are all old and gray.