English Dub Review: SUPER HxEROS “H-energy Monster”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Monsters abound in this episode of SUPER HxEROS as ghosts haunt our main couple. Kirara’s started hallucinating a younger version of herself, while Retto goes beast mode again, only to be offered more power by a dream version Chacha. Also, a mysterious sample of an “H-energy drink” causes havoc with its MDMA-like effects. But ultimately “H-energy Monster” is about the quickly developing rivalry between Kirara and Shiko, the former who (still?) has conflicted feelings about Retto, and the latter who straight up says that she wants to be this dude’s fuckbuddy, sorry, “H-friend”. Shiko’s pulling out all stops to make Retto hers, after his “beast mode” episode proved to be the only person who’s been able to make her feel anything, much less provide her with a huge release of H-energy. She shows up at his school, provides him with an impressive homemade bento box, and even sends some nudes his way for good measure. Kirara, spurred on by her hallucination, attempted to encounter Retto in the bath, to disastrous results. Ultimately, the two compete for Retto’s affections during an H-energy drink fueled karaoke showdown, but of course the results are unclear. The episode wraps with Kirara’s hallucination revealing that it’s manifested with the hopes of fulfilling some promise that Kirara made when she was younger, but wHaT cOuLd iT pOsSiBLy Be!?

Our take

Despite my general feelings about this dumbass show, I was willing to begrudgingly acknowledge it’s fairly wholesome for almost-hentai. But this episode brings back the whole “horny child Kirara” thing which is just…so uncomfortable to watch in any context. That said, the hallucination teasing Kirara about the outfit that her subconcious has manifested has “Squidward’s butt next to Spongebob’s face” vibes, so it’s a wash, in my opinion.

What’s most impressive about this episode, besides the art, which remains top-notch (such a waste of good visuals!) is Michelle Roja’s voice performance as Shiko. Switching effortlessly between a sweet, giggling trill when she’s trying to impress Retto to a low growl when she’s telling Kirara to back off, it’s a delight to listen to, and I’m looking forward to hearing how things get resolved in upcoming episodes.

Not to be shown up (although I doubt the two voice actors have as antagonistic of a relationship off-screen as their animated personas), Brittany Lauda also shows off her range, playing up the youthful exuberance of Kirara’s hallucination, then leaning into the aged-up, stressed out current Kirara’s shrieks that somehow manage to not hit the ear too aggressively.

The downside of this episode is the storyline. There’s zero action, so it’s just Kirara and Shiko’s new rivalry moving things forward. At this point in the anime, it’s clear that Retto and Kirara are going to end up together, so why, as her hallucination asks, can’t she just be honest about her feelings? I know it would cut the story short, uh, immediately, but maybe there could be an increased focus on defeating the Kiseichuu. There’s still plenty of nudity to be had, considering the method of fighting, so it just seems contrived to have Kirara be SO awkward about her feelings toward Retto. Also Shiko is clearly the better pick from a practical standpoint. Sorry WAP devotees, but there’s a grain of truth to the old saying, “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” (and if we’re being honest Shiko’s also going for the sexual prowess route as well.) Retto, for his part, apparently isn’t going to get any less bland. I know that, as the main character in a harem anime, he’s mostly supposed to be a blank slate for viewers to project their own desires onto while envisioning that THEY’RE the ones getting bombarded with a constant smorgasbord of attractive women, but damn, can you give this dude even a hint of a personality? Even when presented with the prospect of seeking power, he responds with a disinterested “yeah, I guess”. What do you want out of life? Just Kirara? There’s no “we have to save the world”, it’s just protecting one girl? That’s noble and all, and comes through as genuine occasionally, but yeesh. Also we only see the rest of the main crew for two exceptionally brief scenes, so I guess there’s some downtime when it comes to fighting an alien menace.

Only somewhat related, but are we going to ever see the HxEROS in their gear from the title sequence? It seems like we’ve seen them in about every other get up (including, as of this episode, a maido cosplay for Shiko and seifuku for Kirara) but is Retto ever going to don his crop top while Momoka sports what appear to be super low cut shorts over a one piece? I suppose only time will tell.