English Dub Review: Tank Chair “Episode 4”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The Kurosaka siblings track down Nagi and Shizuka, leaving them cornered.  Determined to use even this situation as part of Nagi’s rehabilitation, Shizuku provokes Touka, triggering a fierce battle between Nagi and her.  Nagi fights in his Tank Chair Mark III: “Iron Fists” but is soon forced into a tough battle when Naozumi joins the fray.

Our Take:
I guess Nagi’s latest targets take a bit longer to kill than I thought.  Since they’re both former students at an assassin academy, it makes sense this assignment takes more than one episode to finish.  The previous one left us on a cliffhanger following a “thrilling” chase through the city on Guicheng Island.  Now, we see Nagi testing out his new, tricked-out wheelchair against Touko’s formidable strength and endurance.  Unfortunately, that battle is short-lived when Naozumi joins the party with a formidable ability of his own: a mollusk that gives him squid-like powers, but also gives its host migraines.
This episode is anticipated as Nagi’s most personal fight yet, as Naozumi is driven by his grudge against him from the Academy.  Fortunately, Shizuka’s quick thinking helped Nagi survive the fight…at least for now.  This should’ve been the episode that finally found the edge it was looking for, especially with Polygon Pictures’ attempt to highlight the action through 3D animation.  Sadly, I was disappointed again by the result, especially its direction.  Do you remember watching an action scene that looks cool at first glance, but leaves you feeling underwhelming and distraught?  That’s how I felt watching the fourth episode of Tank Chair: a full-length action sequence that should’ve been awesome on paper, but the dub and sound mixing failed to match that potential.
I’m not joking when I say the show’s sound mixing sounded really off, especially the impact of the characters’ punches and kicks.  There’s one scene toward the end where Shizuku dropkicks Nagi, and the impact sound is nonexistent.  It’s one thing for the dub performances to sound flat in the actors’ emotional range, but when the sound mixing lacks oomph in its violence or is unbalanced, that’s where I draw the line on Prime Video’s lack of care in its anime lineup.  Despite the real threat ahead in later episodes, the fourth episode further highlights the anime’s mediocre execution amid its seemingly badass concept.