English Dub Review: Love Tyrant “I Can Handle This Myself! x Wassup”

It’s the episode detailing the love between brother, sister and a demonic penguin.

Just when I think I’ve pegged this anime down and feel it won’t surprise me anymore it throws a curve ball to make me laugh and giggle and its absurdity and I’m loving it for that. Love Tyrant is becoming one of the light-hearted romantic comedy animes that give me a warm and fuzzy feeling when I see the characters act sweetly romantic and chivalrous. I think this feeling really focuses in on what Love Tyrant does really well and makes it stand out from the other anime this season. It’s nature to frame abnormal love as normal.

The loving devotion that Akane shows Seiji shows a tender care for him despite the realities of the situation like that she’s a deranged psychopath. The determination for love that Yuzu props up and defends is strangely noble for a half-sister who fawns over and riffles through the garbage of her older sister. Today’s episode even debuts the love of Seiji’s sister, Aqua, for Seiji himself and although making it clear it is not natural for her to be in love with him, in the most cartoonish over the top way possible, we get demonstrated as to why the girls are falling for Seiji, in spite of the influence of the Kiss Note.

The episode today was more jam-packed than usual and could best be described as two episodes squished into one. Unfortunately, this leaves the establishment of Aqua’s infatuation and the introduction of the 2nd angel/cupid Tiara feeling a tad rushed. But regardless, story one focuses on Guri getting closer to Aqua to discover why she has been so distant with Seiji. The answer is made clear that she is in love with Seiji when a demonic penguin named Stolas attacks her, which comes completely out of nowhere and all the characters talk as if this is a fully established component in the narrative. In any other show, I would honestly have been more upset at the random inclusion of the demon bird but it’s played so tongue and cheek as the penguin communicate its threats through evil glares that it’s hard to muster anger over something so unashamedly silly.

Plot number two in the episode starts with Guri asking Seiji on a date so that she can examine more romantic couples to find out more about the complexities of love. Tragedy strikes after a run in with an asshat playboy and his several cheated on girlfriends who pummel the crud out of him and Seiji, as the Kiss Note is destroyed. This spirals the episode into questioning what is the actual purpose of the Kiss Note? Is it the cement that holds the relationships inside together and will those relationships fall apart now that the notebook is destroyed?

The answer to this narrative question had me honestly impressed in where it took the episode. Initially, the show was making a farce of itself (and in a sense, it still is) as Guri would write in a bunch of gay couples for her own amusement. However, given how a lot of Japaneculturesure is not known for its open idea of LGBT relationships, even in the show currently any gay kiss not between two girls is censored, having a montage of gay couples sticking together being just happy being themselves felt very nice to see. It’s irksome that it’s a bit framed like an uncomfortable “yay… I guess” feeling but with the changing tide towards LGBT in media I ain’t gonna complain.

The second biggest contingency in this episode that made me really enjoy it was Akane in plot two. Her story thread through the episode became the perfect combination of rom-com cliché and Love Tyrant’s own brand of nonsensical humour and it’s both very cute and funny. Love Tyrant is now hitting a real stride for my taste with its writing and characters and I’d recommend the show to anyone who loves slice of life romantic comedies but who are looking for a weird taste to them.