English Dub Review: Citrus “love affair!?”

Pulpy lesbian drama – anime style.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

When Yuzu, an aspiring gyaru, transfer schools and moves into a new home due to her mother’s remarriage, her first day doesn’t go as expected. Her new school doesn’t allow boys. It’s strict about cell phones and dress codes. And the school council president is already her enemy.

But that last one might be due for a change because it turns out that the president is also Yuzu’s new step-sister! (She is as surprised as us viewers.) And a cell phone isn’t the only thing Mei steals from Yuzu…

Our Take:

So far, opinions seem to be divided about Citrus. While more LGBT representation is welcome (Citrus is based on a yuri manga), this depiction certainly isn’t the most nuanced or healthy look at romance. The characters introduced in this first episode are easy to root for, though. Yuzu being an ‘imposter’ gyaru who admits to never having fallen in love before is an interesting angle. Harumin was a fun side character who clearly has plenty of personalities to spare. Mei seems to be the least fleshed out, but this is probably because she spends most of the episode shrouded in mystery.

For what may shape up to be a steamy romance, there was a decent amount of humor – from the girl claiming to have ‘natural’ hair curls, to Mei’s silverware death glare, Citrus made me grin quite a few times. I also appreciate how it doesn’t take itself too seriously – I’ve got a soft spot for anime that embraces its ridiculousness, like Yuzu’s new dad leaving the country indefinitely without even meeting his new daughter.

This premiere episode boasted solid visuals, with interesting shot compositions and well-handled direction. (Even if the backgrounds often looked flat and lifeless.) Eagle-eyed viewers will be tickled by the contrasting color palettes in the room Yuzu shares with her stepsister. While her side is colorful and preppy, Mei’s is filled with dark grays. Even the books on her bookshelf are all gray.

The dub gave me a good first impression. Megan Shipman is very well cast as Yuzu, bringing out her insecurities behind her enthusiastic tone. I was a little put off at first by Amber Lee Connors voicing Mei. Though her character is supposed to be a bit younger than Yuzu, she sounds older. This isn’t a big deal, and I got used to it fairly quickly.

I’ll be honest: the future is unclear for Citrus. As someone who hasn’t read the original manga, I fear that things may get uncomfortably sexual. We’ve already had three potential cases of sexual assault in the first episode. (Yuzu’s groping is shown as being a way to confiscate her phone, Mei’s kiss with a teacher is left somewhat ambiguous, but Yuzu’s forced the first kiss is very clearly portrayed as being unwelcome.) Time will tell how the show decides to handle and deal with these things going forward. For now, Citrus is off to an entertainingly ridiculous, if somewhat problematic, start.