English Dub Review: HANEBADO! “The Backhand Grip Is Like This”

“You can’t predict what’s going to happen in a match – all you can do is bring your best.”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Nagisa’s injured knee is causing concern among the badminton club. She and Ayano were set to face off in the upcoming finals tournament, but the team captain isn’t sure her body will be able to hold up against her more nimble opponent. Even Coach Tachibana advises Nagisa against playing. But she just can’t turn a deaf ear to Ayano’s taunting.

Meanwhile, the boys’ Inter-High preliminaries are going on, and Hayama is up against some tough competition. Yu has been acting strangely around him, and it’s time for answers. Can they mutually inspire each other to keep going with badminton?

Our Take:

Well, the ending scene of the last episode was a tease that still hasn’t really come to fruition. That’s right, Ayano’s mom is back in the house, but nother much has changed. There’s no big confrontation or emotional outbreak. Not yet, at least. Signs point to one coming eventually, perhaps, but for now, Ayano is bottling up her feelings and channeling them into mean taunting and merciless matches.

She challenges Coach Tachibana to match after match, and when he’s run out of steam, she goes after Nagisa, telling her she won’t stand a chance in the finals with her messed up knee. The injury is a pain point for Nagisa, both physically and emotionally. Ayano has become so aggressive and mean-spirited that someone needs to put her in her place, but Nagisa can’t consistently best her even in full health. What’s more, Coach Tachibana had a similar injury in his younger days. Instead of the injury keeping him from the Olympics, his caution about it cost him his place on the team. But even with this experience, he still thinks Nagisa needs to forfeit the finals match. This was a nice twist, that really helps sell both what a good coach he is, and how serious Nagisa’s knee actually is.

I’m still not sure how to feel about Ayano’s mom. On one hand, I guess it’s nice that she’s trying to be a part of her daughter’s life again, but on the other, does she have any right to after leaving her cold? What’s more, has she even changed? As she gazes after the daughter she abandoned, she wonders to herself: “Has she gotten better?” From what I can tell, Ayano’s mom hasn’t gotten better at being a good mother.

At the Boys’ Inter-High, Hayama goes up against an interesting opponent. It’s a hard-fought battle, but Yu can’t stand to watch the end. Something is going on with her, and everyone on the team can tell. It turns out that she saw Hayama working hard practicing at night in the park. Seeing him struggling so hard to become better stirred up feelings in her, but those feelings are for badminton. Hayama’s influence has taught Yu to care more about the game than her own talent for it. This pushes her to keep going after considering quitting the team.

The English dub was reliably solid as usual. Coach Tachibana had some good performances in the episode, conveying his care and concern for Nagisa after her injury. Hayam’s opponent is terrible but also hilarious. When he yells the score, a viewer comments: “We can count – he’s so annoying.” Yu’s confusion about her feelings was funny, too:  “Does that mean I like you, or what?”

The Backhand Grip Is Like This is a good episode of HANEBADO!. Ten episodes in, we’ve got a good idea of what the show is trying to say, and we know the characters that make up the cast. Still, the show continues to add little details like Coach Tachibana’s history and Ayano’s attitude towards Nagisa to keep us interested. I know I’m looking forward to seeing Nagisa take on Ayano soon, but I’m also wary about that knee!