English Dub Review: Citrus “under lover”

Yuzu and Momokino compete for Mei’s attention while she deals with daddy issues.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Yuzu takes Mei to visit her father’s grave and realizes that Mei has a troubled relationship with her own father. Meanwhile, Momokino follows them around and Harumin invites everyone to an amusement park.

Our Take:

Momokino is so extra. I love it. Whether she’s chasing Yuzu down the school corridors or stopping her limo in the middle of the road, she clearly has an obsession with Mei that’s probably not healthy. I’m not sure how healthy Momokino is for Citrus as a show, either. It feels like Yuzu is rushing into a competition for Mei’s affections when she’s barely begun to even process her romantic attraction to Mei. (Momokino’s got guts, facing off against a rival who already shares a bed every night with her crush!) Momokino doesn’t have much of a personality besides being the childhood friend, which makes the rivalry seem even flatter. Luckily, it seems like Yuzu may have moved past it already.

Yuzu herself remains a refreshingly good main character, talking to Mei about her feelings and the Momokino misunderstanding rather than letting it simmer unresolved. Even though she’s new to this whole ‘romance’ thing, Yuzu is smart enough to realize Mei needs familial support more than a love-struck sister at the moment. This is a big sacrifice, considering that becoming more like a sister to Mei will probably lessen her chances for a romantic attachment. Yuzu loves her enough to not love her in that way.

Sadly, Mei is still confusing. In under lover, she reprimands Yuzu for not having any self-control when she was the one who kissed her without consent in the very first episode. It doesn’t help that Mei has had little character development so far. (Hopefully, we’ll get further insight into her as a person as she reconciles with her father next week.) Another thing that feels off: She says that she has never opened any of her father’s letters because she’s afraid he may never return, but what if he keeps writing her to ask if she wants him to come back? This strikes me as a tired cliche added in to manufacture more drama like his unexpected return.

When it comes to the visuals, Citrus is… trying its best. Occasional shots come across as interesting in composition, but the show is mostly flat textures and bland backgrounds. The dub was good this time around, with Mei showing a little more personality in her voice. The highlight of the episode comes from Mei talking about Yuzu: “You’re always running your mouth, but once in a while you make a legitimate point.”

Though I didn’t enjoy some parts of episode five as much as I would have liked, I think Citrus is still doing a good job of portraying Yuzu and Mei’s blossoming relationship. And I love the personal growth from Yuzu as she chooses to put aside her romantic feelings in favor of supporting Mei as a sister. What will this mean for their future together? And will the return of Mei’s father spell trouble?