English Dub Review: The Ones Within “GLIMPSE OF ADULTHOOD”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After that business with the Curse Sisters, everyone deserves a good rest. Paca kindly suggests that they take a load off in the fancy bath upstairs, and most everyone decides to take him up on the offer. The boys go in first, but once they’re inside, Paca switches the signs so that the girls enter the same bath. Shenanigans follow as the boys attempt to come up with the best scenario for escaping Karin and Yuzu that doesn’t cost them their lives.

Our Take:

Following an episode I disliked as much as last weeks, I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the solid return to form that I was expecting. Rather than an exciting challenge or a spooky adventure, GLIMPSE OF ADULTHOOD is really just about pitting the girls and the boys against each other in the same bath. If this sounds like a recipe for disaster, it definitely is… but it didn’t turn out quite as bad as it could have? So I guess that’s something to be thankful for?

Let’s start with the positives: this episode had some good jokes. And they weren’t necessarily your average, expected kind of bathroom humor jokes, either. Paca wearing his entire suit and tie outfit in the pool is hilarious, as are everybody’s reactions to him. Paca changing the sign around definitely alters my opinion of him to be slightly less enthusiastic. Not only does he kidnap kids, but he puts them in a situation that is potentially very embarrassing for everyone involved? Yeah, Paca is on my bad side after this week. The entire joke about Anya being a secret fan of the girly shoujo manga about the apple who becomes a Parisian fashion model is my favorite kind of silly fun. The imaginative fantasies that Akatsuki has in the bath like the one about Karin turning the place into a bloodbath and his plan to call the girls perverts for walking in on them had me chuckling. Also, Himi’s explosive reaction to walking in on the chaotic scene is to detonate them all to kingdom come? Perfection!

On the negative side… Yuzu. I’d say she definitely seems to cross a line here and physically assaults Karin. It’s inexcusable, even as a so-called ‘joke’, and any love I had for Yuzu at the start of the show is long gone. The scene between them is completely uncomfortable, unnecessary, and had me squirming in my seat. The whole ‘girls walk in on boys’ thing wasn’t the best kind of plot device, either. I can see how it could possibly be used to explore some potentially interesting things when it comes to gender and romantic feelings, but in this case, it was pretty much all for gags and awkwardness.

There were some interesting plot points that occurred. Kaikoku going through their files and uncovering that they have one for everyone except Akatsuki and Yuzu is really fascinating. I’m beginning to think Yuzu is definitely some kind of villain who doesn’t belong with the rest. This revelation ends on Kaikoku discovering his grandfather is in critical condition, causing him to confront Paca, which results in him being placed in the legendary white room! Yikes!

The dub this week had some nice performances and great lines. Anya’s reaction to Akatsuki’s plea to go to the bath is so nicely and mildly delivered: “Mmm, the shower’s fine.” And Akatsuki’s response is just as good: “It’s a great way to bond with people! Just letting it all hang out.” Akatsuki’s ideas of bonding are just as strange as he always is. Mr. Paca’s line about the broth is gross but also funny? “Think of it as a hearty alpaca broth.” Poor Himi didn’t have much time to shine aside from her funny observation about hair washing: “Don’t you think washing your hair can be kind of scary?”… but considering what this episode entailed, maybe she got off easy.

GLIMPSE OF ADULTHOOD is a weird episode. It’s very sexually-charged in a naive, adolescent-viewpoint kind of way that made it equal parts innocent and gross. Yuzu assaulting Karin didn’t help the episode’s grade at all, and after this week’s events, I like her and Paca much less. Honestly, no one really stood out to me this episode who I enjoyed. Pretty much everyone was acting either evil or gross. I’m looking forward to a more normal (if you can call any episode of this show normal) episode next week.