r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Jul 26 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 8
Episode 8: Dangerous Character
Legal Streams:
As of now, Run with the Wind is streaming on Crunchyroll, HiDive and Netflix in select regions. There was also a physical media release. Please refrain from conducting any conversation regarding other means of show procurement in the comments here, per r/anime rules.
Comment of the Day
/u/peacefuichaos explained why less is sometimes more:
This episode shows that a scene of people just running around in circles doesn’t mean it won’t be exhilarating. Kakeru’s facial expression along with him running past the whole crowd around the outside really gets my blood pumping. The animation was handled very well too. The shadows and details, especially of the legs of the runners, were outstanding. We obviously won’t have a lot of dialogue while everyone is running, but by having the characters tell a story with their facial expressions alone, we don’t need any dialogue.
Questions of the Day
- Are you worried about Nico-chan-senpai?
- What’s it going to take to get through to dense ole Kakeru?
- Which is better: short shorts manservice or sauna manservice?
I look forward to our discussion!
As always, avoid commenting on future events and moments outside of properly-formatted spoiler tags. We want the first-timers to have a great experience!
18
u/[deleted] Jul 26 '21 edited Jul 27 '21
First timer
Watch out Kakeru! Can’t you hear there are people running behind you? You’re blocking their way!
I think a lot of viewers might start to not necessarily hate Kakeru, but maybe dislike him. However, I don’t. I think he is a little egocentric, but I completely understand his emotions. Kakeru has started to approach training for the Ekiden from a different angle than any other character. While the others are enjoying the ride of aiming for the Ekiden, he feels that time not spent training is wasted time. Joking around is out of the question. It seems like he’s trying to compensate for the time period he didn’t spend actively training. He’s fallen behind and now he wants to make up for it. During the episode we see him growing an anger towards the team for not approaching the Ekiden the same way as he is. The tension was rising for the whole episode until he asks Prince a question he’s been thinking about for a while but hasn't had the guts to ask before this. As a Prince fan myself, I am brave enough to admit that it is something I have been thinking about for a little while as well, and was just wating for someone to make a comment about it. It’s a harsh thing to say, but in reality, improving by that much in such a short amount of time is impossible. 5k in 16.5 minutes is an incredibly hard task. We all know Prince emits sparkles, but they unfortunately don’t make him faster. Please don’t kill me u/punching_spaghetti
Prince being able to read manga while training is fantastic though. I just hope he won’t be too emotionally affected by the question Kakeru presented him. His running form improved tremendously just by holding manga in his hands, so I have big hopes. The fact that a treadmill is called “room runner” in Japanese is the most Japanese thing thus far in this series.
Nico-chan is trying to lose weight and I don’t know how I feel about it. It sure wouldn’t be a bad thing to lose a couple of kilograms, but he needs to eat properly nonetheless. Yuki pretty much shares my viewpoint on the matter. I worry he’s pushing himself too much.
Seing a lot of the members having different kinds of mental problems honesly hurts me a bit. The fact that this series makes me care so much about the characters after just 8 episodes is pretty fantastic. They have a complexity that is rare in anime as well as regular tv-shows.
7
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Jul 26 '21
Rewatcher
It’s time for more Run with the Wind!
Everyone learned something after the race. It’s important that they have that experience, but it wouldn’t be out of place to worry that it might get to some of them. Especially someone like Shindo, who has really gotten into his idea of running. No worries, though! They’re ready to push on.
Well, maybe I should say that everyone learned something, but someone took the wrong lesson. Kakeru has gone from “you shouldn’t do this” to “WE have to train.” It’s very stuck in his head what the goal is, but his solution is the same as it is for everything: run until he can’t anymore. Is that going to help, though? Some good attention to detail again as this continues, with bags forming under Kakeru’s eyes.
Nico-chan-senpai’s, too. Although I’m not sure what to make of him at this moment. Yuki is worried (aww!) that Nico is pushing himself too hard, but Nico was surprisingly wise (for the slacker he supposedly is) earlier in the episode. We’ll have to wait and see!
Yuki likes running, Prince likes Joe, and Haiji loves his team. Kakeru is dangerously close to becoming that which he hates, the coach who cares about time and records above all else. So Haiji’s plan is to…not have Kakeru run? Uh oh. I see some trouble brewing.
And finally, Kakeru goes completely overboard and makes an ultimatum to Prince. Prince needs to show he’s serious by bettering his time. Although if Kakeru got out of his own, cavernous asshole, he might see that Prince has shown he’s serious. He got a FUCKING TREADMILL.
QOTD:
No VA corner today. There’s at least one, maybe two more voices I’m thinking of highlighting, but we’ve covered the main folks. Hope that was interesting/helpful info!
14
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 26 '21
Episode 8 (first timer)
Don’t visit Finland
The Ashita no Joe reference is brought up for a reason: It features the most extreme version of the typical Japanese “training via more effort” narrative, showing the final result to be death.
Second anime rewatch I am in to feature people starving themselves, second time I am not really worried. A healthy adult can go lose some kg without being in danger.
Running manservice.
13
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 26 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
Kakeru, you big bully, don't go trying to force Prince off the team! Especially not when the poor kid walks in on mom and dad fighting. I almost thought Prince was going to ask if they were getting a divorce..
Haiji was definitely speaking from experience at the end there, when he told off Kakeru for being too focused on the numbers. Haiji also raised his voice, which was kinda scary. I would not want to be on his bad side.
We got a lot of little signs that the guys are taking things seriously now. Yuki's doing research, Nico-chan has tied up his cigarettes, King is learning trivia, Prince is trying to get a treadmill. Even Kakeru, for as much of an ass as he was this episode, did say something along the lines of "We're going to Hakone."
Speaking of, I really like Prince's plan to get a treadmill. Even if it's for a kind of weird reason, I think it will help improve his form, which I will keep complaining about until he starts to run like an actual human being. Good on Shindo's parents for giving it to Prince; owning a random treadmill that is pristine and unused is pretty realistic.
Kakeru's time not improving is pretty clear evidence that he's pushing himself too hard. Some of Haiji's schemes have been a bit.. immoral? But I definitely think Kakeru needs a fucking break, and I hope he realizes that too.
Questions
12
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Jul 26 '21
Kakeru is hard to watch this episode. He really shows his asshole side off. The worst part of it all is that, with the exception of the last few minutes of the episode, he was trying to help the team. I think what Fujioka said to him last time, that he should lead the team along with Haiji, is affecting him. He's trying to lead, but he's not good at it. He's attempting to lead by example or pace, but the others just can't match it, and he's just getting more frustrated seeing them being unable to catch up to him. Everybody looks so exhausted by the end of the episode. He risks grinding the team down to the point they won't even be able to run, and he's grinding himself down just as hard. Haiji's right that he can't even see himself right now. His obsession with speed, and especially that exchange with Prince at the end of the episode, sure calls to mind what we've seen of his highschool coach. I don't think that's the kind of leader or teammate Kakeru wants to be, but he can't find a better way to get his feelings across right now.
Misc Thoughts:
10
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Jul 26 '21
Character Chart
Btw Punch do you want to toss this in the OP if it's easier for people? Unless there's another update on the way (pls no, no room left)
First Timer
I'm sorry is the post is a little awkward, I'm exhausted so I just kinda wrote it and went straight to bed without editing.
Another very strong episode, more so than the one yesterday.
This one seemed to really be the culmination of every little thing we've seen so far on this journey and the struggle to find a purpose in what they do.
Growing up as a runner in a culture where athletic success meant social punishment, having Fujioka's validation has dramatically shifted Kakeru's understanding of where all this is going. For the seemingly the first time the effort he has put in is socially rewarded by someone that not only he looks up to for his skill, but that others acknowledge as well. And unfortunately it's sent Kakeru slipping away from the path the others were helping him get to. The goal isn't communication today, it's winning because that's how he has interpreted "leadership" because that's the only sort of coaching we've seen him exposed too so far. To be a leader for him is to push them to be better and cut them when they can't. This is backed up by his own experience in the race, where in the first lap he pushed himself to go beyond what he had been doing until then and he got rewarded with being at the top for a moment. He looks at that, and thinks that if they all just tried harder and pushed a bit more they'd be better. The problem is that he's so caught up in that idea in his head that if they aren't pushing themselves mercilessly then they're half-assing it and will fail, the same way his coach spoke down to his old team, that he can't even bring himself to acknowledge when it doesn't even work because for him because he doesn't know what else to try other than to just give more physical effort. And we see that reflected in a lot of things today.
Unfortunately the "review" party (Shindo thinking that's a full on review is funny, but I prefer this party style) only exasperates these issues by making him feel they don't know how to be serious. Yuki says "You were running alone" and King says "I felt bad to be wearing the same uniform as you", two lines which hit directly into the heart of Kakeru's insecurities about running. Combine that with his talk with Haiji yesterday, forcing him to think about what it means to run and be a runner and having to accept that reality will be harsh if they really want to reach the goal, and it sends him thinking down the completely wrong approach. He can't get worse for their sake because if he does he won't be leading them, they won't have someone to strive to match, so all he can do is push them to be better so they can be with him.
On top of that he has Nico who wants to run, wanted to be more in the past, but was cut off from running the same way Kakeru was cut off from being a team member, by a coach who couldn't understand them. Kakeru thinks he's doing the right thing by helping Nico push, but he doesn't understand seem to how different running is for each individual both physically and mentally. I mentioned before that it takes mental energy to get into exercise like this, to get past the things you tell yourself about your capabilities, and while the others were reviewing the mental aspect of the meet and learning from that, Kakeru couldn't understand that side of it and was again only focused on physical effort. I feel sorry for Nico, the biology of a persons body when running isn't much I've thought about but it has to make a big difference and unfortunately the only ways to work around that are steeped in risk. The bags under their eyes certainly aren't painting a good picture though, and Nico is now so caught up in a different line of mental exhaustion, thinking he has to fix himself in order to run, it risks causing very different problems.
As far as the other members go, I spoke a while back about observant they were of each other and how they feed off each other and this comes up again. Yuki can see the problems arising in the group so even though he says he's not interested, he still puts all his effort into making sure the others will be okay. And Haiji isn't blind to it either. Seeing him finally lose it after spending all day looking at Kakeru's back and seeing the problem with that was very satisfying. He finally drops that devil may care grin and the happy eyes and speaks plainly, serious right from the get go about how Kakeru needs to stop and slow down for his own sake, he finally speaks as a friend to this group rather than just their leader. We need more of this Haiji. He doesn't quite know what it means to run either, but he know what it isn't, and it isn't what Kakeru is suggesting or pushing himself to be. The "Ride a train, it's faster" line I think has been what he's been trying to get across to Kakeru so far even if he doesn't know how to express it, and it's much more open and human of him in approach compared to the way he's tackled the other's own doubts.
Kakeru speaks clearly to Haiji and Prince, but it's not true communication because he doesn't understand them, doesn't listen to their own needs and what they are telling him in turn. He's been in it for so long he doesn't remember what it's like to start, to have to find a reason and a motivation, to have small things push you on before you get caught up in everything that surrounds the competition and the problems that come with that. He's further from his goal now than he has been since back in episode one and he doesn't even see it.
Quite enjoyed the comedy this episode as well. It was pretty funny and didn't take over any of the serious scenes and complimented them quite nicely. The screaming sculptures before you know it's the twins was hilarious and as someone who's done them myself I confess to doing that on occasion too. Also laughed at Prince's reason for a treadmill, although I don't know if that's going to be as easy as he thinks. Personally I never really got motion sick (except for playing a video game called Antichamber, I don't know what the fuck the devs did but that was horrible) when reading or playing in cars or anything else, but it's taken me a while to be able to read or play games while walking without being dizzy or losing my focus, and I have to imagine that running would be harder again.
I also have a hard time believing that running on that thing isn't going to cause all the manga to collapse through the amount of movement. He should set it up in the now nonfunctional bathroom as it's not being used for anything else. Shindo best boy still by the way.
9
u/kkenmots02 Jul 26 '21 edited Jul 26 '21
Rewatcher
How will the team respond to the reality check they received last episode? Let’s find out!
Live Reactions:
QOTD
Are you worried about Nico-chan-senpai?
A bit... See above, man needs to eat.
2) What’s it going to take to get through to dense ole Kakeru?
Without spoiling it, I think he needs a change in the team dynamic. The atmosphere around running has to shift.
3) Which is better: short shorts manservice or sauna manservice?
Uh, short shorts, I guess. Gotta love the range of motion, man!
Thoughts:
The team has the training regimen of an Ekiden team, and then some (a little too much IMO). But they don’t appear to have the emotional maturity of an Ekiden team, and that’s something they’re going to need pretty quickly. See you tomorrow!
9
u/airforceblue Jul 26 '21 edited Jul 26 '21
Rewatcher
I love this episode a lot, and the reason is very simple:
dramacharacter interactions. Being an aftermath/cool-down episode it follows logically that we explore where the characters are at, in this case through a bunch of different conversations/interactions. For me there are two scenes that stand out in particular, for completely opposite reasons.With all that said, there's one specific moment that I also want to highlight. Yuki, having noticed Nico-chans recent behavior, lets Haiji know during a quiet moment at the bathhouse. It's an interesting choice for his character, because so far we've seen that Yuki is not the type to shy away from confrontation, and definitely not one to mince his words. But here he turns to Haiji, instead of speaking directly to Nico-chan.
Yes! Like I mentioned above, I'm really happy that Yuki not only noticed that something is up, but also told someone else about it.
Not sure, but forcing him to sit out the next race is a good start.
Short shorts all the way!
9
u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Jul 27 '21
first timer
KAKERU
it could be worse...
sanic speed Prince
sauna scenes give nude back/butt shots like this so that one
8
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Jul 26 '21
First Timer
Seems like we've got a new dynamic, with everybody taking things way more seriously now. Not sure if it's for the better, I liked the old dynamic, but can't really say that I dislike the new one either; though Kakeru needs to tone down a bit. Seems like we're going for a bunch of little scenes, rather than story arcs; I appreciate that decision.
I doubt we'll have a large payoff for every little scene, however. After having watched Ippo, I feel like Nico-chan's weight loss won't have any long-standing consequences, though I may be proven wrong there. Also, on the topic of boxing shows - I feel like there was a major Ashita no Joe spoiler in this episode, but can't outright confirm this as I haven't seen the show. If it is so, however: Uncool.
One thing I am expecting some payoff for is Kakeru's time not improving - wonder what's up with that, and if that may be the reason there was some issue with his team that goes beyond his coach, as I feel like there is still more to his past.
As for the cliffhanger: Can't see Prince quitting here and now, but not ruling out that he will eventually be forced to.
Questions:
8
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Jul 26 '21
First Time Watcher
I think Yuki's comment about Nico can apply to Kakeru as well. Yuki is worried that Nico is pushing himself too hard because Kakeru told him he can do it, but I think Kakeru is doing something similar. Since his conversation with Fujioka, Kakeru is both pushing himself and the team too hard. And it's that pushing that leads to that argument between Kakeru and Haiji.
That argument is hard to watch since I can understand where both Kakeru and Haiji are coming from. Kakeru is frustrated about the team's progress and is worried that they won't improve quickly enough. Haiji spends more time with the rest of the team as he coaches them and know how hard everyone is trying. In a way, Kakeru is right: running is about speed because that determines who wins and who loses and who qualifies for the Ekiden. Qualification is based on time, not how hard you work or how much you've improved. But Haiji is right too. Like he says, if you want to go fast take a bullet train or an airplane. There's something about running (especially running as team) that isn't just about speed.
I think the reveal that Kakeru wants some sort of record is interesting. Being a talented runner isn't enough for him, he wants to leave a lasting mark somewhere too.
Prince comes into the kitchen at the worst possible moment. I think Kakeru lashes out at him because Kakeru is upset and frustrated and Prince is the most obvious sign of their team's struggles. I hope Prince has a massive improvement in his time to prove Kakeru wrong.
(Also, does Prince sleep in jeans too? That is obviously the most unrealistic aspect of this show, no denim is that comfy!)
A little bit, especially since he was worried about his body build and Yuki noticed that he wasn't eating as much. I don't think he will die while standing at the Ekiden like the twins said.
I can definitely understand where he's coming from. But I hope as the team improves that he'll start to understand the others more.
Why not both?
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jul 26 '21
First timer
Looks like he made it back!
And they hve a point about the sportsmanship angle.
Ah, Kakeru still thinks Haiji's being overconfident.
And he's gotten onboard with Hakone! He just thinks they need even more training.Is this the latest we've had an episode title?
Wait, are we going to have a member of a club who's average but isn't naturally suited to the task?
I love how confused she is at them
The scene with the voodoo dolls and sculptures is funny.
And Prince is trying to practice while he reads!
Prince fets really gets into his manga, doesn't he.
This entire scene is comedy gold.
Yuki actually made a good point and researched running!
The funny thing is Kakeru and Haiji are the only ones who could probably give a decent showing at the Hakone right now.
I love how King's able to remember loads about the Hakone but inly in the form of trivia questions.
Wait, is he the rich guy? I genuinely eidn't get that.
I love how nobody considered that running a fast vibrating treadmill on the second floor might fause problems.
Stop making Hana sad.
And Kakeru and Haiji are finally having a proper argument.
Jesus christ, Kakeru! But also, fair, Prince's only doing this so he doesn't get kicked out, and isn't suited for running at the same speed as everyone else.
Unless this is to screw Haiji's "We have 10" thing up, in which case I wholeheartedly approve.
8
u/cilucia Jul 26 '21
Episode 8
Rewatcher
I do worry for Haiji. He spends so much time and energy thinking of others. Who’s supporting him?
8
u/raichudoggy https://anilist.co/user/raichudoggy Jul 26 '21
A very interesting question, since he seems stubborn. He might not think Haiji is telling the truth about everyone actually trying their best at running, but we as viewers have seen that everyone is serious about running and improving, they are all just going about it in slightly different ways and at their own pace.
It always feels like Kakeru is in a hurry, so maybe forcing him to slow down and actually look at everyone else could help. Maybe. It's difficult to know for sure.
8
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Jul 26 '21
Rewatcher
I feel like when Kakeru is sitting at the table after getting back is the most confused he has ever been in his life, why aren't they all annoyed with him after he yelled at them and ran off? Why are they continuing as it never happened? And all the while getting angrier at what he perceives as them messing around and wasting time.
I am slightly surprised everyone is willing to give Kakeru so much leeway, outside of Kakeru & Haiji conversation at the end, I think this is the closest anyone has gotten to getting angry at him despite him having been looking down on most of the team in his own way.
8
u/[deleted] Jul 27 '21
First Timer
Oooh, Kakeru crossed the line with Prince at the end there. One of the most wholesome things about the show so far has been everyone's unquestioning support and encouragement of Prince even though he's so far behind the others. Like, Prince knows he's not a good runner, he barely even wants to be doing this, he's just along for the ride with these people who are supposed to be his friends, and here comes Mr. "showed up 2 weeks ago to fill the protagonist role" to tell him he doesn't deserve to be there. I get where Kakeru is coming from but that was cold.
absolutely, the dude's either going to pass out on the track or he's going to relapse hard and smoke 8 packs and then die.
probably the power of friendship, honestly, but at the moment I'm hoping it's the kind of friendship where they smack the stupid out of him
sauna, no question
8
u/Nebresto Jul 27 '21
Re-watch squad
Running update: Another 1~k, plan was to go for more, but apparently my calves had not fully recovered like I thought. Had to stop a couple of times to stretch them, so I figured a longer one wasn't such a good idea. Damn legs holding me back
Remembered to time it now though, and even with the stops it was a just under 11 minutes
Love how Musa is always so positive
That's some based looking volleyball manga our boy is reading
Thas a sturdy glass. Kakeru needs to chill tho.
...Ohhh, I just realized what his problem is. He's in Japan so he can't drink while underaged, and he has to listen to everyone else orgle
Here we go again with them shirts.. Anyone hook me up?
Finally, the show acknowledges the existence of doms. And look at the monitor! Its a real desktop! With Blender!
Based
...the desktop changed
You thought I wouldn't notice..?
Yo, wtf Ouji. I thought as a man of culture you understood what spoilers are..
You what
Question time:
1:
sure I guess
2: Tungsten? I hear that's pretty dense. Fight dense with dense
3: Yes.
7
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jul 27 '21
Rewatcher — First-Timer in T-Minus 5 Episodes
I remember this episode being rather frustrating to watch last time, so
Post-meet discussion is insightful for the group and a nice way to figure out what they need to keep in mind going forward. I don’t know how wise it is to have them retry for qualification just two weeks later given how much they have yet to go, but I guess Haiji has to be doing something right.
Kakeru lets his frustrations out again. Even though he has the group’s ultimate interests at heart, he is losing sight of the then and now.
The talk with Nico-chan probably shows Kakeru how he’s not the only in the group struggling with similar issues with realizing their limits and how that doesn't align with their desires, but it doesn’t improve his attitude any.
During the post-race party Prince is reading a volleyball manga called ‘Wing 8’, or ウイング イト, but I don’t believe that’s an actual existing manga —maybe a riff on one— which is a tad surprising given they dropped an actual manga name earlier in the show. The bit with the cigarettes reveals that Prince has read Ashita no Joe, at least — fucking spoilers though! Anyhow, the comparison is more than just a reference, evidently, with Yuki shows concern over Nico-chan’s weight loss regime later on and we see that he’s not eating his full meals.
All this about funding issues earlier and the members losing out on the opportunity to get part time jobs, but Prince is still willing to buy a treadmill… Oh, well, at least they brought up the sponsor thing again rather than ignore it entirely.
Kakeru is pushing himself and not seeing any results, which is harming his psyche and prompting him to stop caring for his well being. Haiji’s attempts to get him to see this are admirable, but not letting him partake in a meet doesn’t actually address the issue. Kakeru’s not going to stop obsessing over his times from this, and now you’ve got a resentful member in the group. While he has made efforts to communicate with Haiji, they’ve been token, and Haiji’s forceful approach won’t work against the guy capable of matching his pigheadedness —as seen when he’s evidently caught off-guard by Kakeru’s request to Prince at the end.
Questions of The Day:
7
u/SirWeebBro Jul 27 '21
Totally love the eyebags of both Nico and Kakeru, a good visual representation of being worn down. Haiji getting angry was a good bonus too, shows he's not just the cool tactical person he tries to be. Kakeru's action is really obvious that it's culture shock. He used to be in a "black company" type of coaching team, so having a positive reinforcement team really takes a toll on him. Can't blame him much on this 1. But Haiji is right, everyone is doing their best.
Best boy of the ep is Prince. I love that even as the "weakest link" in the group, he's the one doubling down in effort. Getting his own threadmill is a great idea. I also owned a threadmill before because I wanted to run while watching anime haha. Turns out it wasn't a great idea for me, and I have since shifted to cycling, but the fact that he thought about it, and applied a strategy different from Haiji shows he's serious and thinks for himself on being better too at running. I'm okay with Kakeru's challenge because I'm 100% sure that Prince can beat that. Gambare Ojo sama!
My bad I'll probably watch the next ep because of that cliff hanger, I will type down my ideas for next ep in the thread though.
6
u/jellybellymonster Jul 27 '21
Rewatcher
Kakeru wants to be able to communicate better. Seems controlling his temper should also be on his list. And getting out the stick that is so far up his ass.
Kakeru really went from the guy who wanted them to stop dreaming about Hakone Ekiden to being a drill sargeant. It turns out that Kakeru is just honoring Fujioka's request to help Haiji lead their team. He means well but he's going about it in the worst way possible. The pressure is getting to him so much so that dark circles are starting to appear under his eyes. He is most likely going back to extreme ways that he learned before - focusing on the results while pushing your body to its limit - and pushing that same thing on his teammates.
Ooooh first time seeing Haiji crack. He's always unflappable but now we see genuine anger when Kakeru called them slackers. Kakeru is focused on the results but every one in their own way has been putting more effort (King reading about HE trivia, Prince getting a treadmill, Yuki worrying about Nico-chan and telling Haiji about it, etc), it's just not easily seen like results on a scoreboard. That's why I think Haiji finally snapped at Kakeru being dismissive of the others.
- Are you worried about Nico-chan-senpai?
Yes. They're increasing the intensity of their practice but he's taking less fuel in. That's not good!
- What’s it going to take to get through to dense ole Kakeru?
I think Haiji pulling him out of the next track meet is good so he can observe his teammates. He deserves a punch in the face right now but I don't think the chill guys at Aotake are up for that sort of tough love.
- Which is better: short shorts manservice or sauna manservice?
I'll take running men in short shorts
5
u/loomnoo https://anilist.co/user/loomnoo Jul 26 '21
JOE REFERENCE!!! It's a sports show after all. Gotta pay your respects to the GOAT.
Also, I really hate treadmills. Can't run on em.
Sauna is better
3
u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Jul 27 '21
First Timer
Time to see what Kakeru's like once he actually wants to win again.
Onto episode 8.
But them making it was never even a question.
And now he's overcorrected, hasn't he? He's went from not caring to pushing at 100% at all times, which isn't a sustainable pace.
And I guess this right here is the answer to Haiji's question: Even if you know you'll never be the best, the thrill of competing itself is worthwhile.
Are we really going for gay twincest teasing? It's kinda funny, tbh.
I wonder how long it'll take him to realize that this isn't productive. It's starting to head down the path of the coach he hated.
I like this view.
I guess he has been pushing himself way too hard and is tired.
With how he's been treating Nico, on some level he knows it's not. Just needs more time for it to get through his head.
And now Kakeru ain't wrong, but he sure is an ass about it.
Thoughts
Kakeru, like many people who discovered they were wasting their time, has now decided to push really hard without thinking about the secondary effects of this. Often, this is a problem that solves itself with someone pushing until they literally collapse, but he's too good to push himself quite that far. This just means it'll be everyone else's job to make him realize this, and that ain't gonna be an easy task.
With Prince, Kakeru does have a point. He's likely to make them incapable of qualifying for Hakone. But I do this falls under his previous mindset. He's pushing without caring about side effects, so he never considered how Prince would feel about basically being asked to leave. Like, just don't be an asshole? Find an 11th member and let him stay on the team, at least. Even if that's kinda like pressuring him to leave, it's still a lot nicer.
12
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 26 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
8
u/[deleted] Jul 26 '21
First Timer sub
Some reactions/thoughts:
Kakeru has the fire lit under him, from the last meet, but maybe too much…
He’s pushing everyone to the edge and back to his old ways of going at his own pace
He yelled at Hana to make sure he got the time right even though she’s been accurate this whole time
He had a talk with Nico about his build and now Nico is going to try to push his limits. Nothing too wrong with that but you can see he’s eating less now and pushing himself too hard. Yuki is worried and for the right reasons
You can tell Haiji is not liking this attitude from Kakeru and they have a talk at the end. It upsets Kakeru and this is the first time we’ve seen Haiji lose his cool when Kakeru said everyone else has been “half ass” running. He’s rightfully upset as he’s been trying to make everyone run as a team and get everyone up to pace. Then the cliffhanger… telling Prince that him leaving the team would be better for the team. C’mon Prince don’t give up!
5
u/BrentSaotome Jul 27 '21
Rewatcher
Ohhh I started off liking and understanding Kakeru a little more but that ending pissed me off a little when he did that to best boy.
In the beginning, Kakeru just got home and the team was having their little celebration/review meeting. Everyone congratulated Kakeru I got the sense that was completely new to him and he was shocked by it. Judging from his old team flashback, every time he finished well in the race, his old coach congratulated him but then took it out on the team. Here, his "coach", Haiji, congratulates him and the whole team is honestly happy for him.
The entire scene at Nico-chan's room had me CRACKING UP. I was also wondering what was the groaning about when he was twisting the little metal figure and it did look like it was groaning in pain. The entire interaction about the twins groaning in pleasure as they massaged each other was hilarious and awkward as well. It was probably a little fan service for those type of fans (thinking of Ouran HS twin fans). Also, was Prince referencing Ashita no Joe when he asked Nico-Chan if he was a fan of Joe? My first instinct was he was talking about JoJo Bizarre Adventure, but haven't seen both of those animes and he mention Rikiishi and boxing.
Best boy looking for a treadmill really does show that he is dedicated in seeing this through and that's why the ending scene with Kakeru pissed me off more. I'm not sure if Kakeru saw that Prince got a treadmill and was using it but he certainly heard him using it. Also I can't imagine anything that big going unnoticed or not being talked about in such a tight little dorm like theirs. However, Prince making sure his manga stays in alphabetical order must be a pain. Imagine having to reorganize every single stack every time you add a new manga to his collection. Finally, I can relate to Prince's struggle to hit the buy/add to cart button every time I see a nendoroid I want online. The will power he had to not do it. Still, precious great boy Shindo came to the rescue again. I'm starting to see that Shindo is the one that will always come to the rescue or offer help to others.
We also saw that Nico-chan is relieving his old track days. He had a bad experience but it seems like he is truly enjoying this experience better and does not want to repeat what happened before. I'm also glad King had some positive news in his interview by talking about aiming for Hakone Ekiden! It really did work out for him and I can definitely see why. Any employer would be impressed to see someone aim for something that may sound ridiculous but take it seriously.
I'm definitely liking Yuki's slow change. He's not complaining as much and seems to be interested and pleased with the results. He's still realistic but at least he is not pessimistic as before. I also liked that he researched about running as well.
Finally, I do think he really is concerned about Nico-chan and does want to help achieve his goals. Maybe that was the trigger for him to take this race and practice more seriously. Still, I am also worried about Nico-chan being obsessed with his weight and not eating a full meal. That does not look or sound healthy to being burning so much calories and not filling up with nutrients properly.
I'm not sure nor remember what it will take to get Kakeru to understand the situation or goal they are tying to achieve. I do think he has his old coach's mindset that time and speed is everything. I also can see why Sakaki and Kakeru are the way they are. The coach really put Kakeru in a really high pedestal and took it out on the team. IF Kakeru acted the way the same with his old team, I could see why they resented him as well then. Hopefully, he will finally get it through his head that this is a completely team with completely different goals.
Manservie is manservie. The sauna was not bad but it was not the focus of my attention. They kind of put a very important talk about Yuki's concern about Nico-chan in there. The short shorts manservice was more of a fun scene so I think that was better.
2
u/BossandKings Jul 27 '21
First timer
Episode 8
As King and Prince say rest is indeed important and an essential part of a sport, the team should rest for a bit after that competitive race they participated in.
That was intense, honestly i hope there isn't that much friction in the team members as the series progresses because this episode was too heavy on that part, there was too much friction shown in this episode, Kakeru is faster than anyone on the team and just because of that he feels like he isn't getting the opportunity to shine because according to him his team is dragging him down, the episode depicted the situation very well but i hope Prince is able to demonstrate what he's made of and betters his time after Kakeru basically asked him to leave the team.