English Dub Review: Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective “The Night When the Angels Danced [Part 2]”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Ameku gets to the bottom of the Angel case and braces for tragedy.

OUR TAKE

And that brings us to the end of this two-parter, with a sad ending that we all saw coming, but was no less sad…except for the fact that they kinda oversold it in the end so that it almost looped around into hilarious. Yeah, kids dying of illness is inherently sad, not denying that, but the fact that they focus on the kid’s last moments SO much really just makes it feel more awkward the longer it goes on. The old adage “less is more” really comes into play here. Like it could’ve been as simple as her silently reading to him as he fades off to sleep, or show it from his perspective as things around him fade and he slowly passes out. And really, this just shows how there’s a limit to how much sad and what types you can get when the focus is on a kid with minimal life experience. If this were someone even a decade older, there would be a lot more to pull from regarding how someone who is dying may feel or what they’re thinking about when they’re about to meet their end. Just something to keep in mind for you readers when you’re on your own deathbeds and want to be appropriately tragic.

Still, this story wasn’t without its upsides. The reveal that the kids doing the fake angel were actually the bullies, AND that said bullies were making themselves sick so they could make up for their bullying of the sick kid after finding out that he was sick was a nice twist. There wasn’t some sinister culprit or malicious goal in mind, just a few reformed bullies who wanted to make up for the harm they caused. I actually have a bit of a soft spot for mysteries that start out seeming threatening but are actually innocent and harmless. So, overall, this was an alright two-parter that had some wholesome ideas though overdid it in the end, but it was a good try. That just leaves us with three more episodes, and next week begins another multi-parter, though it remains to be seen if it will take us to the end of the season. Though one thing has definitely started to annoy and distract me and that’s the voice actor for Ameku’s WEIRD CUTESY VOICE AFFECT I JUST HATE IT AAAAAAAAGH MAKE IT STOP. I KNOW SHE’S SHORT BUT DAMMIT.