English Dub Review: How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? “Want a New Rival?”

A better shonen than some shonen out there.

Overview:

Silverman Gym is holding an arm-wrestling tournament, and they need more signups on the girl’s side.

Our Take:

I laughed so hard at this episode, having grown up on shonen. The cut to the different buff athletes across the world looking fairly ominous, only for them to all very cheerfully show up and happily help each other sign in- the change in art style- Machio’s inner dialogue about having to use his true strength- these are all classic shonen stereotypes. The show even lampshades it, saying exactly when the tournament would start, and at which point. The appearance of a new rival, Zina, that has never been seen before and is shown from a fairly intimidating angle is also peak shonen. This was honestly a better shonen than some shonen I’ve seen, and that’s pretty great on its own. This entire episode was just one giant parody, and I was here for it. Give me more of this kind of comedy, I will not get tired of it at all.

Hibiki has been shown to have some form of inner untapped strength before, and it’s never been more clear here. However, this is pretty fueled by external desires motivating her vs any want for personal improvement. This time, she wants the prize money to buy a home stereo system, and by god, she is getting that prize money. Of course, that isn’t to say this isn’t valid; what works, works. You go, Hibiki.

Zina is kind of a mixed bag for me; on one hand, she is genuinely funny. She is fairly dedicated to her hobby of wrestling and provides a different perspective of what to use a gym for. She’s also pretty aware of Russian stereotypes and is determined to break them. This is both true and untrue; she is very much the determined rival, but she is also pretty goofy in her own right. At the same time, she can also be seen as somewhat of a stalker in being that determined. I also guess Hibiki’s parents just… do not tell their daughter anything, with how Hibiki seems surprised that Zina will be home staying with her. It’s kind of nice that they took her in but guys, you have to tell your daughter that there will be another human being in the house. I guess Hibiki won’t be able to escape exercise now.