Aug 8

Three Episode Ruling: Twilight Out of Focus English Dub

I have a confession to make: I didn’t start watching Twilight Out of Focus until Crunchyroll started releasing the English dubbed episodes. As an anime watcher, I tend to watch anime in English, if possible, because I am an aspiring voice actor who wants to lend his voice in future English dubs. I love the English dub actors who work so hard on these dubs. Having met plenty at conventions, they are some of the nicest people I ever met.

Historically, BL anime never gets dubbed in English. In recent years, thanks to the impact of Yuri on Ice, more anime distributers and localization companies have been producing English dubs because queer fans want to see themselves reflected in their favorite medium. Often, BL gets dubbed long after the season aired. Given didn’t get dubbed in English until 2022. Three years after it first aired on Crunchyroll! And this year, Cherry Magic released a dub six months after it aired (note to self, write a review of that dub later). But now we can rejoice! Twilight Out of Focus joins Sasaki and Miyano as one of the few BL anime to be given a simuldub!

This review is solely based on the first three episodes of the dubbed episodes of Twilight Out of Focus, and this review is my impression of the dub so far. TL;DR I’m absolutely loving what I’m seeing and hearing! Spoilers ahead for the first three episodes!

The Characters

I am a film buff, and the cast of characters that make up the film club are among my favorites. I just love how enthusiastic the characters are with the art of filmmaking and how our main couple grapple with their sexualities and growing feelings. There are three actors that stand out for me in the entire cast.

Hisashi Otomo

Perhaps the one actor who impressed me the most was Hisashi’s English actor: Joshua Waters. A nonbinary voice actor, Joshua surprised me and amazed me with their range and versatility. Joshua is best known for being the voice of Miyano in Sasaki and Miyano and has voiced Yagi Shizusumi in Given.

Hisashi is a big contrast from Miyano in terms of voice. Miyano is the shy first year who nerds out about BL gradually begins to realize his romantic feelings with the older Sasaki. To portray this character, Joshua uses a soft, gentle voice that highlights his youth and growth. But in Twilight Out of Focus, Hisashi’s voice is deeper and shows a hint of his personal struggles as a closeted gay man who had to escape a toxic family environment and a toxic relationship with his ex-boyfriend.

Joshua makes Hisashi so cool. I love it when they sound silly when Hisashi teases Mao. But the highlight in Joshua’s performance is when Hisashi breaks up with his abusive boyfriend in a profane (yet bleeped out) rant. Even though he got hurt, to hear Joshua voice Hisashi’s relief following the breakup just made me feel proud to see Hisashi end his inappropriate relationship on his own.

Mao Tsuchiya

Mao Tsuchiya is the primary protagonist voiced by Eduardo Vildasol (who has voiced characters in The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent, Psycho-Pass Providence, Aoashi, and Requiem of the Rose King). Mao serves as the director of photography for the film club and is tasked with filming the BL short. Eduardo’s performance is incredible from the beginning. Mao juggles multiple responsibilities and feelings, such as preventing Hisashi from being outed and capturing the perfect shots for the film club’s BL short. But the line between fiction and reality gets thinner as his feelings for Hisashi grow with each episode. Eduardo Vildasol does an amazing job with exploring Mao’s feelings through his performance. From developing a crush to confessing his love, he brilliantly recreates the feeling of our first gay love.

The third episode, where Mao is taken to the nurse’s office after collapsing during the film shoot, is where Eduardo’s performance is at its finest. With Hisashi by his side, Mao develops the courage to let out his feelings for Hisashi and how he wants to be there for him. It’s a beautiful scene! I personally hope there won’t be too much drama and angst (please don’t spoil the manga for me), but it really makes me root for the couple.

Giichi Ichikawa

The most enjoyable character in the anime is the Film Club’s second year director, Giichi Ichikawa, voiced by the talented Ben Stegmair (who is best known for voicing Iharu in Kaiju No. 8). I love how he’s introduced in the first episode. During one of the film club’s meetings, Ichikawa reveals his idea for their next film: a BL. When asked why he wanted to do a gay love story, his answer is priceless. He read a volume of a BL story and was moved by the story. I mean, who wouldn’t be moved by a beautiful gay love story?

He's a nerd and a film buff! I love this dork so much!

There’s one particular line in the dub Ichikawa says that stood out to me.

“In the future, maybe same-sex marriage will be so common, we’ll have dropped the modifier.”

Japan still lags when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, though there have been court cases challenging the country’s constitution regarding marriage equality. To hear a high school student in an anime (BL or otherwise) bringing up same-sex marriage in this manner shows us how accepting Japanese culture is becoming of queer identity, slow as it is. The quote also echoes James Obergefell’s response when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that same-sex marriage was legal.

As a dub watcher, I am fully aware that Ichikawa is one half of the anime’s second couple. I’ve seen the pictures online and I’m excited to see how his gay awakening plays out.

My overall opinion

I’m so happy to see a new BL anime that’s art-centered. As Given explored BL through music, Twilight Out of Focus explores the queer experience through the lens of cinema. I admit that Mao and Hisashi’s relationship progress happened so fast, but I’m not complaining! There’s so much raw emotion between the two when they confess their feelings to each other and experiencing their first time being intimate. Joshua and Eduardo go all out in exploring their emotions during the recording. Anime voice actors tend to record separately, but Joshua and Eduardo share great chemistry with each other. I applaud them for tackling the mature themes of the story. I cannot wait to hear more! Plus, Mao and Hisashi are an adorable couple!

I love the opening and its Easter Eggs! The song is beautiful to listen to, and I love seeing the characters recreate scenes and posters for films like Back to the Future, Rain Man, Forrest Gump, Ghostbusters, and more. This makes the anime more appealing to film buffs within the anime fandom/BL fandom.

I’m not sure how this anime will play out, plot-wise, but I eagerly wait for more episodes to get dubbed. Thank you, Crunchyroll, for giving us queer fans more anime to see ourselves in. I hope we get more in the future!

Be sure to watch Twilight Out of Focus on Crunchyroll

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