Admittedly, I was at least tangentially inspired by the current Strong Women of Sci-Fi & Fantasy giveaway I’m involved in—
—though it’s definitely a tangent, given that How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is very much a Slice of Life series set in pretty much the mundane real world with the odd exaggeration for the sake of comedy.
But, like, “strong female characters.”
That can only mean female bodybuilders, right?
[Yes, I’m aware that’s not what it means. Please don’t yell at me.]
Oddly enough, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is established to be set in the same fictional universe as the much more self-serious, darker, and especially much more violent series Kengan Ashura, which is basically a cross between Fight Club and Mortal Kombat.
It’s a bit like finding out one episode that something like Slayers is happening in the same world as Berserk…
That being said, Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is only vaguely connected to Kegan Ashura and at basically the complete opposite end of the thematic and stylistic spectrum.
Though, for reference, I have not read the original manga, so I don’t know how much more the manga ties into Kengan Ashura.
Circling back to the “strong female characters” angle, as much as I did really want to make that ‘female bodybuilders’ joke, the anime does revolve around a cast a predominantly female cast of characters who are interesting, entertaining, and relatable — and, yeah, as someone who’s been trying to get into an established exercise routine for a year and a bit, I find the series immensely relatable.
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?: Doga Kobo, Inc. Image via Crunchyroll.
Our story begins with high-schooler Hibiki Sakura’s best friend Ayaka off-handedly calls her thick — or possibly “thicc” (I’ve been an old man since I was 12, so I’m not entirely clear what “thicc” means). Hibiki takes this personally, goes on a bit of a spiral about her body image, then joins a gym on a whim, resolves to get into better shape, and then struggles to actually hold to that resolution.
And, like, we’ve all been there, right?
Well, maybe not so much the “teenage girl” part…
As she gets more into fitness, she grows her circle of gym buddies. Ayaka’s family owns a boxing gym, student council president Akemi is a member of the same gym as Hibiki, Gina is a foreign exchange student who becomes sort of a friend-slash-rival. Notably, Akemi and Gina are both related to fairly prominent Kengran Ashura characters, solidifying the shared universe between the two series.
Hibiki’s teacher Satomi is also a member of the gym, trying to keep in shape for her hobby moonlighting as a cosplayer – something she desperately tries to keep hidden from her students. Hilarity ensues.
Basically the one male character in the series is one the gym’s trainers, Machio (I have no reason to believe that’s not a real Japanese name, but I’d still like to believe it’s a Karate Kid reference), who is simultaneously an all-around nice guy, legitimately helpful instructor, and complete lunatic.
If he can find an excuse to flex, he will take it. Whereupon, the fact that he’s so swole will cause his clothes to literally explode. Hilarity ensues.
As we see here:
Again, old man since I was 12. Did I use “swole” right?
There’s also the narrator, who, although not really being a character, nevertheless has a lot of character as he comments on the events of the series. Most of said commentary is pretty sarcastic and amusing us at the expense of the characters. He’s like a toned-down version of the narrator from Kaguya-sama.
Fittingly, in English, he’s also voiced by Ian Sinclair.
Now, I have seen How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? take some criticism for being a fanservice-centric series. For reference, on Crunchyroll, it’s rated 14+. So, like, suggestive but not explicit, and probably even less of a fanservice focus than plenty of other 14+ rated series out there.
I’m a little conflicted about that assessment. On the one hand, I see it: primarily female cast, gym clothes, lots of close-ups on the characters’ chests and stomachs and, um… glutes. On the other hand, most of those close-ups come as part of the series’ explanations of how the exercises being depicted work and what they actually do.
The focus is less on “let’s look at these hot female characters” and more “here is what’s happening to your muscles when you do these exercises.”
And it just happens that those exercises train the, um… glutes.
And, for what it’s worth, the one who probably spends the most time in the least clothing is actually Machio.
Good news for the ladies, I guess.
Again, I have not read the manga, so I don’t know how much more or less fanservice it contains.
But, also, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is a shockingly informative series.
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?: Doga Kobo, Inc. image via Crunchyroll.
If you don’t spend much time in the gym, you will learn something about fitness. Hibiki is basically an exercise noob, so the explanations she’s getting from the other characters (usually Akemi or Machio) are for her benefit as much as the audience’s, which is probably the right way to deliver an Infodump.
In addition to the aforementioned explanations about what muscles the exercises being depicted are engaging — necessitating the aforementioned close-ups of the characters’, um… glutes — there are also detailed explanations of the proper form (and the importance thereof) of the exercises in questions, and other health and fitness-related topics like diet and sleep.
Like, I’m genuinely considering re-watching the series specifically to take notes on the exercises it’s explaining…
And it’s a pretty good depiction of female camaraderie. Plus, it’s really funny.
The script is great, the English dub makes the right kinds of adjustments to help the writing and dialogue work across languages. And the animation is great.
As we see here:
So, I guess the real question is: Do you even watch How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?, bro?
Wait. You don’t? Good news: How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is streaming on Crunchyroll. The original manga series is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.
I promise I’ll have more recommendations coming up about Strong Female Characters more in line with the spirit of the Strong Women of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway.
I just really wanted to make that “female bodybuilders” joke…
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