English Dub Review: Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus “I Don’t Want To Show My Scars”

Overview:

Determined to surpass “Shiny Lavender”, the “Sunflower Circus” prepares for its upcoming show.

Our Take:

This episode opens up with some backstory on Shizuku, who up till now has been the one working with Ouka. You would think that she would be upset that it seems like Mizuka is trying to usurp her position. We know by now that Mizua would rather not perform if possible, but something that happens to Shizuku might not give her a choice.

Let’s talk about Shizuku a bit here. I looked up her VA, and it’s Katiana Sarkissian, and I was excited when I saw that. So excited that I went back and rewatched the episode with more attentive ears. You see, I’m a huge Fire Emblem fan, and today it was announced that Katiana would be voicing a main character in the upcoming game. I hadn’t personally heard her in much that I knew of, but with such a focus on her character in this episode, I got to hear her a lot. Consider me a new fan, and not only has my excitement for the new Fire Emblem grown, but for the remaining episodes of this as well.

Shizuku previously worked for the Sumeragai Shiny Lavender circus until she tore her rotator cuff. She is fairly reckless with how she trains, and the leader of Shiny Lavender, Nanami Sumeragai, didn’t want to risk and cut her loose. Now we know why she ended up with the Sunflower Circus. Unfortunately, injuries like hers make re-injury fairly common. With Mizuku getting offered a hefty sum to put on a show that would beat Sumeragi, she puts together a pretty complicated routine for Shizuku and Ouka. As you might have guessed, Shizuku gets hurt during the performance, and Mizuka takes over.

I don’t know if the change will be a permanent one, but I think we’ve learned that Mizuka will do just about anything so long as the pay is right. Don’t be surprised if this injury is the reason that Mizuka has to take on a bigger role in future performances. This was one of the first times we got to see a full performance put on by Sunflower, and for the “underdog” group, it was well done. Honestly, at this point, Mizuka might have more worth as a performance planner than an actual performer because they were able to put up a fight at least. This show has been a surprise so far, and I hope it keeps trending up.