English Dub Review: AYAKA: A Story of Bonds and Wounds “This Is No Laughing Matter”

Overview (Spoilers Ahead):

The fire dragon has awakened and Yukito learns the truth about his identity.

Our Take:

History is repeating itself as the fire dragon has awakened. Everyone is working together to evacuate the islands. Jingi disappears out of the blue and he’s not present for just about the entire episode. Haruaki tells Yukito that he is actually the embodiment of the water dragon and it will be his duty to restore harmony to the islands. Haruaki and Aka both tell their disciples to evacuate and they plan to take on the fire dragon alone.

I wish this episode felt a bit more impactful, but that seems to be a problem with this show in general. Yukito’s identity reveal is pretty obvious. That’s not automatically a problem, but even the delivery and Yukito’s response downplay a little in my opinion. I will say that i like seeing Yukito and his friends defy their masters and stay to fight.

We don’t see much of the fight against the fire dragon here, but this is a solid lead up to what should be an intense battle. I’m curious to see how Yukito will fare in this fight, especially since we know who he truly is. Plus, I want to see how Jingi will be involved in this battle. I can’t imagine him not showing up for this climactic confrontation.