English Dub Review: Twilight Out of Focus “Like the Movies”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Wanting Mao to keep watching him after the film club wraps their shoot, Hisashi considers the drama club.  Mao and Hisashi sneak out of their dorms one night.  Earlier in spring, Ichikawa Giichi feels an intense rivalry with the third-year president…

Our Take:  

The movie is finished, but there are still some loose ends to tie up for Mao and Hisashi before we move on to the next set of lovebirds.  One of them is Hisashi, who was chosen by his co-star to join the drama club for his impeccable acting.  Of course, this didn’t bode well for Mao, but Ichikawa seemed to have reacted to this decision far worse than the young cinematographer.  However, this small drama is short-lived, as Mao supports Hisashi’s decision to participate in the drama club, but not before Mao confesses his love to him.

Afterward, the rest of the episode focuses on them hanging out at night outside their dorms while getting closer than ever.  It certainly isn’t without some heartfelt moments between the two, but since the filming is already completed, this is more of a victory lap for the protagonists before their story is finished.  Think of it as a cross between an epilogue and a filler episode.  It had some enjoyable moments outside the show’s plot progression, and its closure was mildly rewarding.  But besides that, it’s just a relaxing yet prolonged side quest outside the main storyline.  The episode also includes another brief epilogue, “Take 4.5,” in which Ichikawa was bothered by the third-year president before they started filming, which could be a tease for next week’s episode.

Overall, the first romantic tale in Twilight Out of Focus is about as romantic and intimate as any romance anime could get.  While it fumbled near the end with its stakes and this episode, it’s a suitably old-fashioned love story of two guys whose love is more profound than a promise.  It’s enough to continue with a new romance tale in which the club president and a junior student clash in the film club.