English Dub Review: Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breeze “A Father’s Teachings”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The three sisters grow closer after the festival…and then their father comes home.

Our Take:
Yu’s plan to help the sisters bond outside their prodigy statuses was proven to be a success.  It may not have worked out as intended, but a success is a success regardless.  Although the girls have grown a bit closer than ever, this doesn’t bode well for their father, who makes an unexpected visit upon hearing what happened.  When we were first introduced to Mr. Mikadono, he seemed to be a caring father who entrusted Yu to support his daughters, even outside their careers.  However, this week’s episode showcased that he only cares about maintaining his daughters’ success, disregarding Yu as “talentless”.  While the sisters are slowly starting to defend Yu as if he were their young “brother,” this moment highlights that their father should be aware of the consequences of pushing them too far in their pursuit of prodigy status.
This turned out to be the case later on, as each sister started to feel the pressure in their respective careers.  Niko has to impress her master in her forthcoming match, Miwa faces a decision for her next championship, and Kazuki is playing her first female role, as she’s renowned for playing male characters.  The latter played a crucial role in this episode, as Kazuki struggles to provide versatility in roles outside her usual norm.  However, an accidental encounter with Yu prompted Kazuki to make the ultimate choice, in hopes of perfecting her new role as her father had requested.
Amid its harem rom-com tropes, the episode further showcases that being a prodigy is not without the stress of maintaining that status, which requires appeasing others at the cost of losing socialization and everyday living.  With the brief appearance of Mr. Mikadono, the conflict between Yu’s desire for a happy family and the father’s own pursuit of impeccable talent is expanded in a compelling yet frustrating manner.  More importantly, it further showcases the values of being average as opposed to being perfect all the time.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Mikadono’s father would be such a jerk who cares about perfection and nothing else.  Though I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a dose of karma later on.