English Dub Review: The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl “The Gorilla Land of Oceans and Swimsuits”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

The kids have a contest!

OUR TAKE

Just when I thought that last week was some sort of calm before the storm and we were headed into more interesting times for the final third of the show…nope, it’s right back to spinning our wheels. Like, yeah, there’s technically more action in this episode than last week’s, and we do meet more characters that will likely be important at some point later, AND there is the TEENSIEST bit of plot progression as Sophia is clearly being scouted by multiple groups because of her strength. I would be lying if I said that NOTHING of significance happens in this episode. But it would not be an exaggeration to say that VIRTUALLY nothing of significance, or consequence, or even importance happens. This is where Sophia keeping her relationship to Louie a secret and the show trying to have its cake and eat it too with the romantic drama is ultimately hurting things, as it seems she’s getting more admirers by the day but still refuses to outright say that she is off the market. And for some reason Louie just doesn’t seem to mind this. Oh, and she’s also still doing that thing where people think the worst of her at every opportunity. Just in case you thought that she had developed her character in any way at all across three quarters of this series.

What is there to even do for the remaining three episodes? Seems unlikely that the students are going to end up facing any real threat, and even if they did, it would be over in an instant, Sophia would somehow do most of the work, and if the rest of them cheered and clapped and lifted her up in the air to celebrate her, she would just as soon be convinced that she had somehow crossed a moral line and they were about to disembowel her right there on the spot! This is not cute or endearing, it’s tedious and frustrating. Oh yeah, and we’ve also still got Isaac and Eddie hanging around as they fight against blending into the background. God damn, man, just let this this girl have even the smallest ounce of self-confidence and agency! I am BEGGING you to show me why this character is meant to be compelling or inspiring to those around her! And if she’s not, then let her be a girl-failure! It’s the riding of the line that bugs me! Ugh, whatever, three more left to go.