English Dub Review: Aharen-san wa Hakarenai “I’m Sick, Huh?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Raido gets sick, with surprising results. After recovering, he has a surprise encounter with the intimidating, sword-wielding… Aharen?

Our Take:
Do you remember that Raido can only express one emotion? Well, that’s about to change in this week’s episode, which sees Raido getting a facial makeover due to a fever. To his surprise, everyone is flattered to see his handsome appearance, including Aharen and Raido’s sister. Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long, with Raido returning to his normal state after recovering the next day.
The episode’s brief segment finally pokes fun at Raido’s blank appearance by having him become incredibly handsome due to his sickness. Most people have blank and sappy expressions whenever they feel under the weather. However, the episode flips the scenario on its head by having the opposite happen to Raido, leading to hilarious reactions from Ms. Tobaru and even his own sister. The sickness later becomes one of the episode’s running gags, with Aharen catching Raido’s cold and then her young sister at the end.
Speaking of which, the episode introduces viewers to Aharen’s younger sister, Eru, who’s pretty imitating but also soft-spoken like Aharen. Despite being the family’s youngest member, Eru seems taller than Aharen and even her brother Ren, which must mean she has one heck of a growth spurt. She’s also the only one taking care of her siblings, which begs the question of where their parents are. While cold-hearted, Eru is also seen as someone who cares very deeply for Aharen, so after meeting with Raido, she questions whether he’s worthy enough to be friends with her older sister.
The last segment of the episode features Raido helping Ren with his grocery shopping but runs into some issues when Ren loses his wallet. At first, it seemed like a one-off that was separate from the main plot, but it turns out it wasn’t. In addition to its gags, the segment connects with the main story by having Ren asking Raido if he’s dating Aharen and Aharen becoming embarrassed when Raido calls her by her first name.
Overall, “I’m Sick, Huh?” offers the best medicine for sick viewers, both physically and mentally, and that’s laughter. Raido’s sickness and Ren’s shopping helped provide some hilarious levity in a plot that sees Raido encountering another member of Aharen’s family. Eru is another solid addition to the cast with her strict yet caring personality, which means Raido will have to do what he can to impress her as well.