English Dub Review: My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 “Are You In Love with Yamada?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Akane joins the offline meetup of the Chocolate Rabbit Guild being held at the FOS collab cafe. Though she’s able to recognize who Yamada and this Rurihime-like girl are, she struggles to figure out who the two others in attendance, Eita and Mr. Kamota, are. Seeing this, Yamada suggests they start with self-introductions, where Akane finds out that Mr. Kamota is a player with the username “takezo”, and he is a strawberry farmer whom she’s never come across in FOS. The other unknown figure, Eita, was the player of a character that Akane would never have guessed…

Our Take:

This is an awkward way to make a first impression. After Akane embarrasses herself by assuming the young girl is Rurihime, more truths emerge for the members of the Chocolate Rabbit Guild. We learn that Rurihime’s true identity is Eita Sasaki, a college student who helped Akane find the offline guild meeting location in the previous episode. He’s also an old friend of Yamada who created the guild for his little sister, Runa, who resembles Rurihime in the game, even though she doesn’t play Forest of Savior. There’s also Takezo Kamota, a middle-aged man who runs a strawberry farm and specializes in dungeon raids, explaining why he and Akane never met in Forest of Savior.

While having the players meet face-to-face is a delightful treat in the episode, the plot focuses solely on the predicaments involving two characters: Runa and Yamada. As one can tell from her mean-looking expression, Runa isn’t keen on meeting new people, with Akane being another example. Not only that, but she’s also jealous of Akane for making friends with Yamada and Eita. As a result, Runa secretly plans to get Akane expelled from the guild.

The episode also briefly involves Yamada, where we learn more about his past. After an incident with Akane’s water glass, Yamada thinks that Akane is upset with him, resulting in him telling Eita that he doesn’t understand girls. This then leads to a vague flashback involving a crying girl, presumedly his childhood friend. It further emphasizes that despite his emotionless personality, Yamada may have an internal fear of upsetting people. If that’s the case, then Yamada might have shared the same feeling as Akane. We also learn that Yamada has an unusual diet, as he usually buys food from convenience stores. This led Akane to bring him her home-cooked meals.

Overall, the episode offers a delightful meetup between the guild members, with some new supporting characters hoping to play crucial roles in later episodes. Eita is a kind yet overly chatty college student who’ll hopefully grow less annoying as the series progresses, while Takezo Kamota might be the most likable character I’ve encountered so far. As for Runa, she’s a typical young, jealous girl striving to remove the main character from the equation. Of course, that means inviting Akane to hang out on Saturday, even though she already has plans. Long story short, I don’t like her as much as she hates Akane based on my first impression, mainly due to her attitude and calling Akane a “bitch”. So let’s hope this young brat can clean up her act (and her mouth) before I have to send her on time-out.