English Dub Review: A Couple of Cuckoos: “Would you please go out with me…?”

Overview: Nagi (Nicholas Andrew Louie) beats Hiro (Amanda Lee) at a test and reveals his true feelings. Later, Nagi and Erika (Lindsay Sheppard) believe their time together is sunsetting when new complications arise and they are stuck together once again. 

Our Take: Hiro and Nagi chemistry finally starts to come into its own, establishing their amped up competitive personalities. Nagi revealing his feelings to Hiro is a nice refreshing change-up from dragging out a reveal later down the line, especially as it seems Hiro could indeed be interested in him. Hiro, not being discouraged by her loss against Nagi and ahead with her streak of wins, is a good way of pacing out the will-they-won’t-they of their romance with Nagi having to catch up. It also continues to be an endearing part of her personality. Nagi and Hiro are adorably enjoyable in how ridiculously over-the-top and obsessed they are in beating one another with absurdly petty competitions, beyond tests, like racing to the classroom or finishing future homework early. However, with the pace in which Nagi beat Hiro and how much of a formality it seems to be, the real challenge is the surprise reveal that Hiro is also engaged, similar to Nagi, showing just how much they have in common. 

With their time together nearing its end, Nagi and Erika prepare to leave each other, with Nagi lamenting it as he had fun and Erika, doing what she does, complaining about the whole experience. Or, at least, so they believe. This is a rom-com anime so things are never quite that simple huh, folks? When a pipe bursts at Nagi’s house, he is once again whisked away back to the home with Erika kicking back, eating pizza. It also just further solidifies the whole ‘staying out of each other’s lives’ deal, that was also brought up earlier in the episode, is kaput and non-existent at this point with them undoubtedly linked together with what Erika and Nagi believed in them winning against their parents being a narrative smokescreen for this very development.  

Erika wanting to be more independent is a nice way of seeing how she is maturing and seemingly on account of her interactions and observations of Nagi’s independence. With Sachi bringing Nagi some clothes and missing her brother, she finally meets her biological sister, Erika. Suffice to say, it is awkward at first. Their relationship goes into the natural roadblocks that would occur with an estranged family like there being a disconnect because their blood related and how that plays a major factor in the issue, rather than an initial icebreaker. However, it is enjoyable as we begin to see how similar they are in their equally bad cooking skills and naivety resulting in a comically hilarious meltdown. When Nagi points out, and the realization sets in, that the girls have more in common than they thought, it makes for a cute bonding moment in which Erika and Sachi’s doting feelings for each other are revealed. It is definitely on the cliché side in terms of them misunderstanding how much they like each other, but it’s heart is in the right place and it is sweet enough. The sisterly love fest continues with Erika giving Sachi one of her dresses, with Nagi taken aback with his sibling’s new look with him getting an ass whopping he seems to be a magnet for. 

With Sachi seemingly interested in moving in with Nagi and Erika, it makes for an interesting new roommate that will undoubtedly only make their joint relationship more complicated and exciting in the shenanigans they will get up to and how their feelings will progress.