English Dub Review: Actors: Songs Connection “Adagio”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Saku Otonomiya is starting his first day as a transfer student at a brand new school that has a big focus on clubs. Luckily, he has a childhood friend Hinata to guide him around the campus. Hinata is a member of the singing club and is eager to get Saku to signup. Hinata has just discovered a new song called Cloudy Days composed by a fellow student at the school named Sosuke! However, Saku has troubles of his own. His older sister Nozomi only has a few months to live and is bedridden at the local hospital.

When Sosuke finds Saku eating lunch alone on a rooftop, he’s quick to share some food with him. Later on, he comes across him singing his heart out along with Cloudy Days. Sosuke may have had reservations about the singing club using his VOCALOID song before, but if Saku becomes a member, he’s sure it’ll be a big success.

Our Take:

Actors: Songs Connection is a bit of an odd bird. It’s a collaboration between VOCALOID and voice actors, featuring songs from a band called EXIT TUNES. The anime originally premiered in Japan on October 6, nearly two months ago. And on top of the delayed English dub release date, Funimation is contracting with Sound Cadence Studios to produce the dub, instead of doing it in-house. Does this affect the dub in any way? Read on a find out!

The show’s premiere episode titled Adagio starts off in the typically iconic fashion:  with the main character reaching over to silence their alarm clock, that happens to have a little cactus perched next to it. Everything starts off simply enough. Saku is going to a new school. Hinata is his childhood friend who wants him to join his club. There are a plethora of side characters with wild hair and varying degrees of weird personalities. The overall setup seems basic enough: Saku has a great voice but is a bit of a loner going through a tough time. He’ll join the singing club and make friends, eventually learning to express himself. Which would be fine, I guess, if that’s where the show is heading.

But not everything is quite so straightforward. Saku has been introduced to this concept called White Shadows by his sister Nozomi, and apparently he’s finally beginning to see them. They’re spirits who have the power to grant wishes and heal sickness, which may come in handy for him considering the doctor has informed him Nozomi only has about half a year to live. That side of the story is probably the most intriguing to me. Saku really lights up when he’s visiting Nozomi, and I’d love to see more of their relationship. It might be hard with her confined to the hospital, though. We’ll see how her treatment plays out.

Also, there seems to be some kind of funny business going on with the singing club. There’s a remote member who apparently has access to hidden cameras and monitors the surrounding areas for potential members? And the club president, Mitsuki, had a clandestine meeting with a faculty member talking about finding the perfect conduit for something.

Let’s talk about the dub. Even though it’s not directly produced by Funimation, Amber Lee Connors is directing it. The voice work itself is fairly solid, although Hinata’s dad really sounded off. And what’s more, it seems like we’re actually going to hear the songs dubbed, which is a musical show like this is a huge benefit that doesn’t often happen. (Perhaps dubbing the songs is what’s caused the longer than usual delay?) Amanda Lee is adapting the songs into English, and Dawn M Bennett is directing the singing. “It came out super fluffy and the rich flavor is nothing to sneeze at either!” Hinata seems like your generic happy side character, but his appreciation for good omelets is real. “While the words may be nice, the tone and context show I’m displeased by your presence!” Satsuma and Ryo have some chemistry going on. In a show filled with so many dudes, they better stand out! “There are beings in this world called White Shadows. They hide in the nooks and crannies of pale-washed walls, trees, plants, and the twisting alleys around every corner.” Nozomi wasn’t being serious about this, right? Or is she connected to the white wall in some way?

Adagio is a solid start for the show. It opens up with a mix of expected genre cliches and a few out of the ordinary elements as well. The characters are fairly forgettable as of now, and I don’t think it was a good choice to introduce so many so quickly. But at least Saku is a memorable main character. I’m curious to know more about him and Nozomi in particular in the coming weeks.