English Dub Review: Aharen-san wa Hakarenai “Are We Too Good?”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
A trip to the school pool during P.E. sets off a string of competitions between Aharen and Raido. Can the quiet giant finally score a victory against the tiny enigma?

Our Take:
There’s no harm in providing a little bit of competition. However, when you have two people who don’t have plenty of sports skills, the competition feels more awkward than exciting. This week’s episode sees Aharen and Raido getting into some friendly competition again. This time, they’re trying out different types of sports to see who’s better at one than the other. Unsurprisingly, none of them are good at anything, especially when attempting to go pro.
The episode is basically what happens when you take a segment involving Aharen and Raido competing from the previous ones and expand it into a 23-minute plot. First, the storyline has the two competing in swimming, table tennis, bowling, and basketball, the latter in which Raido finally won at. Then, Raido is introduced to Aharen’s young brother Ren, who enjoys dressing up like a girl, mainly Aharen.
The competition scenes with Aharen and Raido are admittedly humorous because Aharen constantly beats him at almost everything despite her height and poor skills, or they wind up in a draw due to their lack of them. Those scenes showcase something the two have in common, aside from being different from the rest of the students. “Are We Too Good?” is a solid treat that honors the viewers who enjoy these segments, especially me. While having them back-to-back can lead to some repetition in its narrative, it managed to maintain the awkward comedy that made these scenes in the previous episodes a joyful delight.
The repetition of its sports segments ended right before it got tiring, thanks to the appearance of Aharen’s brother Ren. Unfortunately, that last segment wasn’t as hilarious as the friendly match-ups. However, it serves as a good change of pace for its sports-focused plot, with Ren being another suitable addition to the show’s cast.
Overall, “Are We Too Good?” is an entertaining series of friendly competitions that sees Aharen and Raido attempting to go pro with embarrassing results. It does get a bit repetitive after a while, but it didn’t reach the point where it became a senseless chore. Regardless of how many sports or games they try, I would never get bored of these two characters bonding despite their terrible skills.