English Dub Review: Citrus “love me do!”

Yuzu and Mei reunite, but Mei’s childhood friend Momokino is determined to keep them apart.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After an awkward meeting with Student Council Vice President Himeko Momokino, Yuzu reunites with Mei. Unfortunately, Momokino suspects that Yuzu has feelings for Mei – and as her childhood best friend, she thinks she has first claimed over the President.

Our Take:

Well, the love triangle has officially been introduced… Despite the initial meeting between Yuzu and Momokino seeming a bit forced (why didn’t Yuzu just immediately give a benign excuse for meeting with Mei in her office?), the resulting drama is set-up nicely with continued flashbacks to Mei and Momokino’s childhood friendship. Momokino has been there for Mei for “over a decade”, and her jealousy of Yuzu’s close relationship to the President makes sense, considering Yuzu has only been in Mei’s life for a short time. That said, I’m not sure how interesting a combatant for Mei’s affections is going to be, considering this kind of trope has been done in many, many romance stories. At least it seems like things are progressing quickly, with Momokino and Yuzu already aware of each other’s feelings towards Mei. (Now if only Mei would speak up about her own desires!)

Poor Harumin. Living with her Grandma gets boring, and she’s obviously loving having Yuzu sleep over night after night. But once Mei uses Yuzu’s first name, Yuzu realizes she’s not mad at her, and leaves Harumin’s house behind for her shared sister bed. (Harumin is hilariously just outside of the drama taking place around her. She even made a joke about Momokino making a love confession! If we can a single episode from Harumin’s point of view, I will not complain.)

From a technical standpoint, I enjoyed this episode a lot. There were some really great shots and camera angles, like how the size of the trees was emphasized during Momokino’s flashback walk with Mei, or the overhead shots of the school building. The background music with the dramatic string plucks made a return, which I appreciated. The dub was good. (I won’t complain about Mei’s voice, since she only had a few lines here.)

All things considered, this is probably my favorite episode since the premiere. Nothing stood out as being overly soap opera-ish, the visuals were good, and the plot moved forward without leaving us behind. And seeing Yuzu and Mei’s first semi-consensual kiss was very welcome! I’m just worried about what the future will hold, now that Momokino is in the picture.

Score
8/10