English Dub Review: Adachi and Shimamura “The Briar That Weaves the Past: Old Rose”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Adachi worries about what kind of chocolate to get Shimamura. Just as she thinks to herself about not wanting to screw this up, a love horoscope comes on TV. The psychic program, Shaman Taoka’s Romance Horoscopes, promises to reveal Adachi’s “love future”.

Meanwhile, Shimamura is washing up. When she returns to her desk, she notices she missed a call from Tarumi, her grade school friend who’d promised to call.

Back at Adachi’s house, Shaman Taoka has dire warnings for Libras, and declares the lucky letter of the day to be D.

At school Shimamura notices Adachi staring at her and confronts her about it. She offers bread or milk tea. Adachi asks Shimamura what her star sign is, and despairs when the object of her affections reveals she’s an Aries. As they’re leaving school, she asks what kind of chocolate is Shimamura’s favorite.

Shimamura ponders the question for a moment, but eventually settles on milk chocolate. The next day, she happens upon a pony-tailed Adachi (the new hairstyle per recommendation of Shaman Taoka) sampling a variety of milk chocolates in the school yard.

On February 13, Shimamura thinks to herself that she has to buy chocolates in gym class. She wonders if Adachi ever wants to go back “to where this all started” and reflects on how the seasons are always changing.

Adachi gets called into work last minute, and worries about what to do, since that was when she’d planned to buy chocolates.

Meanwhile, Shimamura gets a call from Tarumi, and the two meet up at the mall.

Our Take:

This episode takes a break from the short titles for long enough to be a Fall Out Boy song. And the content is just about as emo, so it works.

This week provides some decadent suspense during the build up to Valentine’s Day. Adachi is stressing and striving to make it a special event, while Shimamura remains fairly oblivious. She may also be distracted by the recent reintroduction to her grade school friend, Tarumi (who’s voiced by Alexis Tipton, aka Ker in Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.)

I didn’t peg Adachi for the astrological type, but it’s always interesting to learn characters’ zodiac signs. Even if, as in this show, they don’t match up to the more “stereotypical” personality traits. But the overly dramatic TV psychic bits definitely provide a comedic bent to Adachi’s latest pursuits at attempting to progress her relationship with Shimamura.

She admittedly looks pretty cute with her hair in a ponytail, and it DOES catch Shimamura’s eye. So I suppose there’s a slight chance Shaman Taoka isn’t a complete fraud.

The scene where both girls are in gym class also proves highly relatable. Volleyball was the worst, and I’d usually spend the time spacing out as well (at least, until I got hit in the head or something.)

I was expecting to hear considerably more from Tarumi, but it looks like that will have to wait until next week. Despite the apparent progress, it certainly seems like Adachi will have some competition for Shimamura’s affections from here on out.