English Dub Review: Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway: “Cell Phone”

Overview: When Yoshida (Alex Hom) goes on a shopping trip with Sayu (Jill Harris), he comes to a revelation about his newest roomie in how she acts around others. 

Our Take: Rather than just stuff Sayu into the stereotypical box of being nothing more than sweet smiles and gazes, she takes a step beyond that. There is a nice air of down-to-earth wholesomeness around Yoshida confronting Sayu to be sincere about her emotions and not feel the need to put on a fake smile for others’ comfort, but also understanding that it may take time as those kinds of artificial behavioral tendencies are wired into her. Sayu, being overwhelmed and beginning to understand true kindness, vowing to make him happy that she came, makes for a sweet response.

Yoshida, himself, also gets some character mileage in how he is kinder than he lets on in staying late after work to help his accident prone, junior employee, Mashima. Mashima shows a nice maturity for her age with her appreciative of his patience even when she knows others would kick her to the curb by now. Also, she is cool in how laid back in wanting to down a brewsky during her work funnily enough. 

Yoshida continues his streak of generosity with a gesture and when it’s one as expensive as the latest smartphone, it goes a long way. Although what really shows how much he cares about her is when Yoshida is trying to pick out the perfect color case that she hopes she will like. And as his friend Hashimoto pointed out, it shows what we all knew in our heart of hearts: he is starting to have feelings for Sayu. Considering she is a beautiful girl who is sweet and considerate as well as cooks, cleans and does chores, he would either have to be crazy or secretly asexual not to be interested in her. 

All of the ladies in Yoshida’s life are distinctive in one way or another and never blend together, thankfully. Gotou continues that in how poised and in control she is yet able to cut loose when around him. However, what really sets her apart from Sayu and Mashima is how petty she can be in inviting him to dinner merely to understand why he is on the mend so quickly after she rejected him. With that being said, it allows for Yoshida to establish himself as a self-respecting MC to argue and criticize her for it, making for a gratifying response. At the very least, Yoshida got to find out her cup size so kudos for that. It will be interesting to see if a warmer side of her is ever developed in some way. Yoshida giving Sayu the phone and getting a genuine smile from her is an adorable scene, especially when he can not hide his satisfaction, making for a nice closing scene showing how he, despite what he thinks, is growing closer to her.