English Dub Review: Watari-kun’s XX Is About to Collapse “The Fireworks”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Naoto and Ishihara make plans to watch the fireworks, but Satsuki and Umezawa naturally get in the way.

OUR TAKE

Fireworks are often used to imply a thing that is happening is exciting or at the very least interesting. This episode was, sadly, not any of those things. Unfortunately, it was more of this show going through the motions of the expected risque high school anime tropes that are so predictable that you could set your watch to them. Going to a fireworks festival is part of that, but it’s just a setting, so it could be played with. But we also have Umezawa finally catching up with the audience and realizing she has proper feelings for Naoto, which, as we have discussed in previous episodes that she has appeared in, are going to amount to zipadee doo dah considering she is not even in the running, no matter what the OP or ED tell you. So, that’s one more chore to pick up later, but then we have the ongoing travesty that is Satsuki coming to terms with her own feelings about Naoto, which Ishihara instantly identifies as a ticking time bomb, and would probably think that even more so if she knew what she and Naoto were up to last episode. For now, it seems that Satsuki is content being able to be in Naoto’s life at all as his childhood friend, buuuuuut that’s probably not going to be the case for very long, especially as we get closer and closer to the end of the season.

But for once, I’m going to give this show credit for something. Yes, shocking, I know. After the fireworks festival ends early due to horrible rain, Naoto and Ishihara head back to his place, where they find Satsuki, apparently tending to Suzu’s plants (Suzu is at a friend’s house, hence why she is not there). Satsuki and Ishihara discuss their respective standing with Naoto here, but what I want to discuss is what happens after. Naoto decides to sleep in a separate room from the two girls, but Ishihara decides to sneak in to try and have her first time with Naoto so that she can decisively take the lead from Satsuki, though Naoto, in a surprising example of restraint, tells her that they don’t have to rush things. Commendable on his part, but he probably could have worded it better, as now Ishihara thinks he thought she was being too forward. Sigh, typical drama, but hopefully it gets cleared up soon. Anyway, four episodes left, I very much look forward to this conclusion.