August 3rd, 2020 
Charles Solomon 
The 2019 broadcast series How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Danberu Nan-Kiro Moteru?, literally “How Many Kilograms of Dumbbell Can You Lift?”) could have been animated with ultra body-conscious Southern California in mind.
Koyo Women’s Academy student Hibiki Sakura (Madeleine Morris) loves to eat. As she walks home with her friend Ayaka, she consumes one snack after another (on-screen type announces the calories in each item). Ayaka points out she’s gained weight and suggests she go on a diet. Hibiki realizes her school uniforms have gotten tight, and checking the scale confirms Ayaka’s observation. Hibiki briefly considers dieting, but refuses to quit eating.
She stumbles into a nearby branch of Silverman Gym (a play on the famous Gold’s). As a receptionist gives her a tour of the facilities, Hibiki meets two people who will change her lifestyle. Classmate Akemi Soryuin (Sarah Wiedenheft) is rich, pretty, an A-student and president of the student council. She’s joining Silverman to improve her physical condition—and to ogle the musclemen who work out there. Trainer Naruzo Michio (Stephen Fu) looks like a standard-issue cute-guy anime hero. But when he flexes, his warm-up suit rips open, revealing a body that would make Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson feel like the proverbial 98-pound weakling. Smitten, Hibiki and Akemi sign up.
Other girls and a teacher from the Koyo Academy follow them to the gym, resulting in familiar high school hijinks. But a chunk of each episode is dedicated to “Machio’s Muscle Lesson,” where he explains various exercises—lat pulls, bench press, planks, etc., which the girls demonstrate. At the climax of the series, Machio is visited by his former coach and hero: bodybuilder and action movie hero “Barnold Shortsinator” (Cris George).
The tone of the series remains silly, even farcical, and the original Japanese dialogue is laden with what are supposed to be English catchphrases, including “muscle pressure” and “Nice Bulk!” But despite the silliness, Machio’s lessons—which are collected as programs in the Special Features–provide an introduction to basic human anatomy and valid tips on how to perform a variety of exercises. (However, they occasionally get things wrong: Arching your back while doing bench press is dangerous, and beef is not a necessary part of a bodybuilding regimen.) The characters also explain the risks of fad diets and the importance of warming up before working out. The mixture of science and story may remind some viewers of the recent Cells at Work.
How Heavy follows the trend of making fan service scenes more ecumenical: They’re no longer just the equivalent of centerfolds for hormonal adolescent boys. The female characters may change clothes, appear in bathing suits and shower, but Machio spends most of his time clad only in skimpy posers: Akemi all but swoons over his enormous muscles that are “as hard as diamonds.”
It’s unfortunate How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? is being released when gyms across the country are closed due to the COVID pandemic. Of course, its lessons are no substitute for a good trainer. But at a time when increasing numbers of young Americans are overweight, obese and/or suffering from Type II diabetes, it could encourage them to exercise regularly and sensibly.
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?: Complete Collection
Funimation: $49.99, 2 discs, Blu-ray
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