Story: 12/30
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is a breath of fresh air since it is an anime that is geared around working out and exercising, eating right, and taking care of your body and mind. It is an anime that takes the exercises it promotes seriously, but takes the non-exercising aspects not overly seriously, which improve its overall enjoyability.
A "supposedly" flabby girl in Hibiki Sakura is looking to shed some of her extra chunk in which I found it difficult to locate, unless of course you are expecting a stick figure for all you 2D waifu lovers out there. If that is the case, then yeah, she's a fatty; a whale out of water. We see her weighing herself and she comes in at 56 kgs, which translates to roughly 123.5 pounds. In reality that is not being fat at all, unless you are almost no muscle and come in at an astounding height of 122 cm, or 48 inches, or if you have anime's exclusive Huge Breasts. That is not the case here.
On her first day of checking out an international gym chain that just opened in her neighborhood, she runs into fellow school classmate, Akemi Souryuuin, the picture perfect, model student. Together the two of them embark on a journey of getting fit!
Sounds like a fun anime, right? Well, it is but there are some things that significantly hinder the storyline experience. The educational portion about health is very accurate, but not 100%. Things often change in the world of fitness and health. Anyone who watches this and decides to take all its advice at face-value could find themselves doing more harm than good.
Secondly, the non-exercising portion of the plot, albeit often LOL funny, can be sometimes redundant and without enough additional plot to support the educational aspect of it. Plus, there are some many random occurrences that happen throughout and with some of them hinting towards new sub-plot arcs. However, they either get started and left unresolved, or they are merely suggested without anything becoming of them at all. The story could have been so much better than what it is if the writing is more precise and tighter.
Animation: 8/10
The art and animation are not top-notch, but it serves this particular anime very well. The art is colorful and bright, and mister Machio’s muscles are drawn with precision! The animation is relatively consistent and the added aura effects of Barnold Shortsinator is a nice touch. The female Ecchi is minimally drawn beyond tasteful proportion, while the male muscular fanservice is drawn well beyond proportion.
Sound: 7/10
The OP and ED are decent and can be a little catchy. The main reason why the sound is so good are because of the ripping of clothes, the muscle-headed male groans, and the "special" Hibiki moments that are priceless.
Characters: 18/30
I am going to sum this part up with a few character highlights (but no spoilers).
The English dubbed VA's did a solid job bringing life to the characters. Hibiki's mouth, personality, and select behaviors make her a LOL riot! The few unexpected surprises she brings to the series make some of those moments of insanity even funnier. Akemi's ogling, drooling obsession over man muscles is funny. The level-headed and straight-shooting Ayaka's abs make mine look like flabs. Gina's Otaku side is a nice surprise and Alexis Tipton's Russian accent is charming. Miss Tachibana's character is a mixed bag of behaviors that make it difficult to truly pinpoint her personality, although she is not a bad character by any means. Lastly, mister Machio is a sincere trainer who flexes WAY TOO MUCH! My eyes started to hurt around episode three and thereafter from seeing his tiny head perched upon his mountainous figure.
Overall: 61/100
Some of the running jokes can feel overdone and tiring after a while. The multiple problems in the plot take away from the potential gem this could have been. BUT, and that is a big "butt" 😉, I still recommend watching How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? if you want some good laughs with some good characters, flexes, grunts, and groans!
Entertainment Score: 7/10 (2x)
Achievement Score: +3 Overall
My expectations were Low, and it delivered Slightly Above those expectations.
Age Rating: TV-10+ (the ecchi is very modest and on the lighter side; some uber muscle fanservice)
Additional Information:
Video Format: FHD Streaming (1080p)
Audio Format: English dubbed
Publisher: FUNimation
Equipment Used: Acer AN515-53-55G9 Nitro 5 Laptop