English Dub Review: Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus “I Don’t Get The Circus”

Overview:

Mizuka, determined to challenge Mitscher, returns to the group members, who all look very serious.

Our Take(Spoilers):

We’ve started to learn a little bit about why Mizuka doesn’t want to perform in the circus. While it makes sense, I can’t help but feel a little weird about it because she technically has performed with the Sunflower Circus. The reason she’s so apprehensive about performing is that she promised the people of Black Lotus that she would perform with them. When that troupe disbanded, it left her feeling lost, and if she performs with someone else, it would feel like a betrayal.

I would be more on board with this if she didn’t fold like a wet napkin anytime money has been involved. Every time she has refused to perform, but the second Maria offers to pay her double or something, she jumps right in. It makes some of the revelations in this episode fall a little flat. At this point, I imagine that when/if we meet Mizuka’s dad, he’s going to be a huge jerk. Instead of becoming a coach or something when he could no longer perform, he decides to shut down the Black Lotus circus instead.

While typing this out, I began to think of a theory concerning Mizuka’s father. I have a feeling that he has some sort of sickness that is going to be killing him. That’s why no one has seen him in forever, and the reason he quit the circus altogether as opposed to taking on a coach’s role or something. I have no basis for that other than the fact that it’s a trope that lines up well here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this show pulls some emotional twists near the end.

Mitscher challenges Mizuka to a showdown. If Mizuka and Ouka can do better than he can, then he will pay off her debt. Instead, he gets Svetlana and Shizuku to perform in his place. What confused me about the challenge is that I couldn’t notice any differences between the two performances other than Mizuka’s creepy smile. I think Svetlana did an extra twirl or something, but that’s about it. With the way everyone reacted, you’d think they just witnessed a Michael Jordan dunk or something.

We’re seven episodes into what I can assume will be a twelve-episode series. This show feels like it has an identity crisis. It wants to be funny, and it wants to have heart, which are two things that can coexist, but the way it’s handled feels sloppy so far. It’s still beautiful to look at, and the voice talent is amazing, but the story is losing my interest.