#makoritsu

Makoto’s line 「ポンコツなところとか！」was originally translated as “Like how we’re both so worn out!”  ポンコツ usually refers to something old, worn out, broken, obsolete, useless—i.e., a piece of junk. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen Dokis in 300 years, but Makoto calling herself a piece of junk was ???-inducing so I opted for “worn out” instead. 

What I didn’t know, however, was that ポンコツ could mean something completely different when referring to a character. In this context, it can describe someone who looks calm, cool, and collected but has an unexpected weak side or is totally useless when it counts. The example given on that page is Midorikawa Nao of Smile Precure; she may seem like she has it all together, but she’s also deathly scared of bugs. My first impression of promo art!Riko vs magic-failing, falling-out-of-skies Riko sure fits into this. “Surprisingly unreliable” doesn’t really fit this, but I don’t know if there’s an all-encompassing term in English.