English Dub Review: Space Battleship Tiramisu “My Cute Puppy/Do Not Disturb”

It’s becoming obvious why Subaru loves his cockpit so much.

This week’s Space Battleship Tiramisu is far more subdued than its hilarious premiere, instead of packing an impressive amount of worldbuilding into a brief runtime. I previously suggested that a greater focus on life aboard the Tiramisu itself would be useful given Subaru’s obvious distaste for it, and ‘Do Not Disturb’ in particular provides this context brilliantly. Shigako’s introduction at first suggests that she will be cast as an overbearing authority figure, yet Space Battleship Tiramisu subverted my expectations by merely using this as the build-up to a laugh out loud moment; she may be a genius mechanic, but Shigako is also a doting mother. The quick cuts between all the features of her ‘helpful’ cockpit redecoration evoke an absurd melodrama that already feels synonymous with this show to me.

However, it’s unfortunate that ‘Do Not Disturb’ is forced to carry the episode since ‘My Cute Puppy’ largely falls flat. While the premise is solid enough (Subaru smuggles a dog onboard), it never develops into anything substantial; the pair’s heartfelt goodbye once the dog grows too large (except for a giant floating cardboard box in space) almost redeems the sequence, but by this conclusion not much has ultimately happened. At least the audience gets to hear the narrator describe Subaru “[forgetting] that he was in a war zone”, although, the former is criminally underutilized this week.

Meanwhile, perhaps the episode’s most significant revelation is that Subaru seems to feel trapped aboard the Tiramisu. If his mother was indeed killed during the attack on Earth as he says, it’s plausible that his initial motivation for enlisting was simply feeling as though he had nowhere else to turn. I’m intrigued as to how the show will explore its protagonist’s loneliness moving forward, although, for a single installment it was addressed just the right amount. After all, hints at a larger story aren’t always guaranteed in comedies.

Space Battleship Tiramisu’s second episode was more inconsistent yet still impressive.  The blend of typically absurd humor with story suggests that the writers are aware of how to develop the world over time, and I’m keen to see the next approach they take.