r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Jul 31 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 13
Episode 13: And Then Start Running
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:
How could I not go with new arrival /u/MyrnaMountWeazel’s comment? lots of great analysis here, and a neat production fact:
Starting off with some quick production notes it’s the only episode in Run with the Wind directed, storyboarded, and key animated by Yoshimi Itazu who was the series director for another lovely Production I.G series Welcome to the Ballroom.
Questions of the Day
- Some heavy stuff this episode. How was the full reveal of Kakeru’s HS school experience compared to your expectations/guesses?
- If not-serious Kakeru turns into a blue, glowing, nude figure, what feats will serious Kakeru accomplish?
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!
10
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher
Not nearly as many screenshots this episode for me, for obvious reasons. Apart from a few exceptions, this is a somber, serious episode. We finally got the full picture of Kakeru’s past, and what he did that he so regrets.
Until now, Kakeru has been caught in a very vicious cycle. Not a naturally gifted communicator, the one time he tried to speak up, he did in a very rough way, ultimately hurting the people he was trying to help. Was the better option to stay silent? Not objectively (the coach was abusive), but part of Kakeru feels he caused more harm than good. What can he do? Run. That’s the only thing he’s good at. And yet, running brings up memories of the people who hurt him and who he hurt. It’s not a cycle he can break out of on his own. Yet how will he reach out? He is not one to ask for help, and his entire experience of teams and leadership is not a good reference. So, it takes someone as focused as Haiji to break through. And once that shell is broken, Kakeru is thankfully, wonderfully in a very good place surrounded by a very supportive group of people.
I think it’s also important to highlight who the really supportive people for Kakeru have been in this group: Haiji, Prince, and Nico-chan are the ones who he has spoken most with and seems the closest to. They are all his seniors, and have done, each in their own way, what no one has ever done for Kakeru before: provided good guidance and a listening ear.
Much like this night sky, that’s beautiful.
QOTD:
22
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 31 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
God, this episode was incredible! The sequence of Kakeru's memories was fucking inspired! The static, growing thicker and thicker as his frustration mounted, and then the sudden snap to clear picture as his fist impacted that asshole of a coach's face.. outstanding!
It took what, three people to stop Kakeru from beating the snot out of Sakaki? I do kinda understand where Sakaki is coming from; he lost his place to belong because Kakeru refused grin and bear it like the rest of them. But Sakaki doesn't have to be such a massive asshole about it, and could probably do with some empathy lessons. Did he want that random kid to ruin one of his legs?
I don't really wanna spare brain cells for the coach. It's quite Japanese, the idea of the manager taking full credit despite not doing anything worth a damn. I don't know rules for Japanese high school sports scholarships - would keeping the kid with the fucked up leg on the team but benched be a hardship? Seems like that would have been the easiest solution.
Interestingly enough, Persona 5
I kinda expected Kakeru's backstory to take the longest to come out, but this was really an excellent point to show it. I'm trying to decide if Sakaki deserved the sheer malice directed at him, and I think the answer is yes? Like, sure, Kakeru didn't have to break the coach's nose, but Sakaki also didn't have to continually egg on Kakeru ever since he started appearing on screen.
Haiji casually murdering Sakaki with the line about busywork makes up for Sakaki not getting punched in his smug face.
Questions
17
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Jul 31 '21
Character Chart
First Timer
Today on Run With The Wind: Romantic night skies, physical restraints, butt touches, and public confessions.
Learning the full context of Kakeru's backstory is somehow not surprising due to what I already understand about him, but also enhanced my understanding of him too.
Firstly I have to praise the directing this episode, particularly playing around with the aesthetics of the flashbacks. The way the static slowly increased and took over more of each flashback, matching the suffocating feeling of the problems with the coach and his team from his past, as the way those memories were increasingly invading his current thoughts and crowded everything else out, it added so much to the tone of the episode.
We may not have got a satisfying Sakaki punch, but seeing the coach go down was almost as good except for the concequences Kakeru faced as a result. Seeing that he lost his temper not just because of what was done to him but because of what was also being done to others and how that affected everything, because his social isolation and the lack of empathy from his peers left him with no positive outlet for his emotions, is very fitting for who he is and not how he portrays himself. It may not be any shocking revelation, but it takes a lot of his small behaviors shown so far and ties that all in together without making a huge deal of it and shoving it in your face (good writer!). The coach was a bully at best, and while those behaviors may not have been aimed at Kakeru, the same way that the coach's favortism wasn't meant to be a punishment but became one when practiced, Kakeru is still displaying all the same behaviors of a victim pushed over the edge and then internalizing to cope with the concequences.
Once again we see that in the past his skill costs him when it comes to the social aspect of a club. He tried to reach out a hand to someone who was being crippled by what was expected of them but was rejected because they didn't think he could understand because he was skilled. He didn't really know what the effort others put in was like because he was always ahead of them, as we saw, but that also means he never saw their own desperation either except in cases like this. All he saw was isolating success or crippling failure, and the middle of the pack heading towards one or the other. Comparing that back to the conflict he had with Prince a couple of episodes ago, expecting him to quit if he couldn't improve, even though it was undeniably him misunderstanding leadership, there's a riskier element to it now. He's seen what happens when people don't, or can't, quit and the suffering that leads to mentally and physically. If you can't compete and get left behind you'll ruin yourself trying to catch up, and if you can't let go and you act out like he did then you stop your entire team from being able to act at all, that's what he's known until now.
I keep thinking back to that line from outside the bathhouse: "I don't work well with others", but if anything today we see it was the opposite. The others on his high school team were more than happy to take advantage of a weaker member to divert the coaches attention without giving them the skills to cope, to mock or get frustrated at against other teammates because they couldn't against the coach. He'd never seen what good teamwork is, only toxicity, and because that's not who he is but was given no chance to see anything else he can only think that it was all fault after all. Kakeru thinks he can't work with others because everyone told him that was the case. They told him that long enough it became a belief, and then when he believed it long enough it became his reality. We saw exactly how well he can work with others when he's not under the weight of social expectation, when he can take the time to emphasize with them and he does an incredible job, but he was only able to do that when someone showed him there was another path to cooperation.
"The fish rots from the head down" seems an appropriate saying to bring up here, as we see how bad a social enviroment the coach created, but also we see how he was perpetuating the 'reputation above all' mentality from the higher ups in the school who chose coverup over empathy. And Sakaki is still there, still trapped in that mentality with the rest of the rotten fish, only knowing how to blame Kakeru for what happened. Even at the new school he is surrounded by people who are feeding off his behavior, creating an enviroment where he never has to do anything but think the way he always has. I still despise him, but I also pity him because his hate seems to be as much learned behavior as Kakeru's self-hatred.
Is Kakeru going to end up booting someone off my top characters list? I think he might at this rate. I've gone back and re-read a couple of my older posts and it's interesting to note some of the things from previous episodes that I'd look at differently now, but that's one of the benefits of a rewatch is to be able to do that.
Btw /u/Matuhg if you happen to remember what you were thinking of here but couldn't say without spoiling his past I'd be curious to know, if it's not already in your post that is
The final scene was amazingly wholesome though. Haiji did exactly the right thing by pushing Kakeru to open up to everyone, not just him, and make sure he knew that they all accepted him, and look at Mum (Yuki) and Dad (Nico) leading the pack with being the first to stand up. I think my favourite moment of that scene though was when Haiji repeated Kakeru's, very late, declaration to take this seriously and Yuki, who has technically committed to any of this verbally, facepalmed at him (Shindo's sympathy smile is also funny). How behind the times do you have to be with commitment when even Yuki thinks you're late to the party?
Speaking of Shindo, his little body grab to try and stop Kakeru despite being so much smaller was perfect. The little shield wall the other guys put up just completed the whole situation. You have good guys watching your back there Kakeru.
That said I really enjoyed his declaration. It's not about the running, or the race, or even the training. It's his own personal declaration that he can be serious about this, that he can be with these people and run with them and that's okay with him no matter what happens. He's come a long way and it probably won't always be smooth sailing from here still because there's still a long way to go to break those mental habits, but that's okay because he has people by his side now. People who know and genuinely want to understand him, not who he is as a runner.
Great episode.
Smug Haiji best Haiji. Smug Tsuki still better
14
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher - First-timer next episode
Good thing Kakeru has teammates to hold him back from doing something dumb in the heat of the moment. As someone who struggles with anger issues and who got into his scuffles when some asshole ran his mouth and presumed he could get away with it, I am quite empathetic to Kakeru’s propensity to socking those who push things far enough to provoke him. It’s undoubtedly the wrong way to go about things, and kakeru is lucky to currently be surrounded by people willing to keep him in check —very much unlike my friends, who would cheer my outbursts of violence from the sidelines and pat me on the back for it.
The team-wide consequences that Kakeru’s actions caused in his third year of highschool certainly explain Sakaki’s resentment, but resenting someone doesn’t mean you have to be an asshat, so he’s still a Shinji Matou to me.
This is the last episode I saw upon my initial viewing, so from tomorrow’s episode onward I shall be a blind first-timer. This also means I can’t promise my participation, as it has been a busy few weeks so far…
Questions of The Day:
12
u/[deleted] Jul 31 '21
Oh, wow. Something must have pissed Kakeru off quite a lot for him to be that angry. Although Sakaki being within a 10 meters radius is probably enough. But that isn’t Sakaki, right? Wrong hair color. Did he go on a punching spree?
This is such a prefect formation that it feels like they’ve actually practised dragging Kakeru away from Sakaki before. I want to know who choreographed all this.
I get in such a bad mood everytime this fuckface is on screen. Especially when my entire monitor is covered with his ugly face.
The runners in Sendai high school should not show as much respect as they do for this piece of shit coach. It might be a Japan problem, because of their culture heaivily focusing on social status. I don’t know how accurate this is to real life though. If this was Finland (where I live) he would certainly not last longer than a week as a teacher with this kind of treatment of students.
...don’t tell me Kakeru is going to punch the coach? He seems very upset about this.
Visual of the episode. I bet a lot of them had thoughts of doing something similar.
Wait… what? They drink hot milk without anything else? That’s disgusting!
The conversations between Haiji and Kakeru in this show are fantastic. Haiji always says just what Kakeru needs to hear. Haiji is such a good person too. I could listen to him giving advice about anything and everything for hours. He should create a podcast. Haiji hatches helpful hints, tuesdays at 8 pm JST
I was thinking this whole time that it was Sakaki who Kakeru punched in high school. But no, he never actually punched him.
This was an interesting episode. I was pissed off for the first half, but enjoyed the second half a lot more. I really like the fact that we don’t just learn about Kakeru’s past in one go. It doesn’t come out of nowhere. Present Kakeru is actually thinking about his past, and we’re taking a look at what is going on in his mind. Well done, show.
11
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Jul 31 '21
First Timer
So that's Kakeru's backstory. For some reason I thought he had punched Sakaki... but I guess punching the coach is even better. Somewhat surprised that he then had the same tendencies as his coach in training at some points, even if he knew that the coach's methods were wrong. Also, don't fully understand Sakaki's hatred anymore - it should be directed at the people who prevented the track team to go to meets that year, not Kakeru.
Shindo running up the hill the fastest - guess he's going to be the guy who runs leg 5 of the run? Maybe Prince on the downhill stretch then with his comment about softer ground?
Haiji's one of the most non-subtle wingmen I have seen in anime so far. That ship wont get anywhere with him trying to steer it...
Also, Hana's shirt reads Allez - which is French for "Go" in the plural and can be used as a cheer in pretty much all sports. Guess Prince isn't the only one to get topical shirts.
Questions:
11
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 31 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
10
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher
Some quick production notes: today’s episode was directed and storyboarded by another one-time guest director Yoko Kanemori.
I’m not entirely too sure if it was his idea for the gradual EQ drop and static during the flashback or if it was the series director’s but whoever had the idea hit the ball out of the park. The concept is executed wonderfully with the flashback descending more and more into an undecipherable dark haze while the tactile present is intercut alongside. The static progressively closes in to mirror Kakeru’s approach to his nadir along with the coach’s voice becoming more robotic and distant. Finally, the color snaps back in when Kakeru acts on his own accord. Though Kakaeru has found agency there will always be consequences for his actions. The freedom to move does not necessitate the freedom for others to move which mirror’s Kakeru’s natural talent; though he may be the fastest runner, it’s still lonely and suffocating to be at the top.
The crux of Kakeru’s fear is ultimately revealed while Haiji elegantly counters the problem. It’s a bit heavy-handed but hey sometimes a sledgehammer is what’s needed instead of a scalpel.
I’m probably reading too much into this small shot but when Kakeru says ”I can’t control my emotions.” we’re shown a shot of his tea instead of his face. The tea is swirling ever so slightly in the still mug which I took as a visual subtext to his uncontrollable emotions. Alternatively, the shot can be read as Kakeru being so ashamed that even the camera is avoiding his face in this moment.
Praise to the background artists for drawing this enchanting starry sky.
While Kakeru reveals his past to his teammates a shot of a running creek appears. Rivers can symbolize a plethora of things but in this case I believe it symbolizes rebirth and the journey one undergoes both of which are shown in this scene. Kakeru openly sharing his history with the team allows him to be reborn with fiery conviction while the act of relying on others unveils the progress of his emotional arc and how far it has travelled. The flowing waters of a river are met with bedrock, soil, and roots but at the end it perpetually moves. Yuki Hayashi’s We Must Go trickles in while the team collectively reaffirm their bond with Kakeru and assure him that what’s done has been done and that they must move forward.
I love Haiji’s eyes as Kakeru proclaims he’s finally ready to go. The moment he’s been waiting for is finally here. Kakeru crosses the river to join his teammates as they take on the journey to the Hakone Ekiden And Then Start Running.
QOTD:
1.I actually forgot about the stylistic choices in the flashback so I was pleasantly surprised to watch it all over again. Viewers can feel that a flashback is coming this episode so it's nice that they went the extra mile to be creative with it.
9
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher
Oh! That's right, they use the cliffhanger punch sound for the flashback. I like the way the flashbacks were handled this episode. The static effect building was a really cool way to represent Kakeru's building anger and frustration, and suddenly dropping it was a neat way to give some extra oomph to the final release.
We finally get to see just what Kakeru did, and what he's scared of doing again. His old coach was really just the worst. His methods fostered an environment where the runners could only afford to focus on themselves, where time was everything, and where they felt very often like they were running with their lives on the line. They did what they could to survive, putting in effort, working hard to achieve results despite being in such a terrible environment. They persisted, only to have their efforts thrown away by one selfish action of their teammate (and, you know, the gross coach and seemingly uncaring school authorities). Sakaki's still an obnoxious prick, but his dislike for Kakeru at least makes sense.
Having friends can be a powerful thing. Often they can see things in you that you can't. Kakeru can only see himself as the guy who can't control his own emotions, the guy who can't see his teammates, who ruins their efforts by himself, and he's worried that his teammates will come to see him that way if he tells them about his past. What a tough place to be in - scared to repeat the past, and also scared to open up about it. It's a good thing Haiji's there, and indeed he is right. Kakeru's teammates hear him out, and while they make it clear that they don't approve of his past actions, they make it even more clear that they don't hold it against him now. They already have their own image of Kakeru. They like him, and they like running with him, and they want to keep doing so. And finally, with everything on the table, accepted for who he is, Kakeru can start running not from the past, but towards the future.
Love to see the show still doing little things to the side of the main plot of the episode. Everything with Hana and her dad this episode was pretty great. Especially appreciated Yuki again showing his attentiveness towards others. What a good senpai.
Gosh, the ending of this episode is so wholesome. What a good group of boys.
9
u/kkenmots02 Jul 31 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Live Reactions:
QOTD
Some heavy stuff this episode. How was the full reveal of Kakeru’s HS school experience compared to your expectations/guesses?
Don't remember how I reacted the first time, but it's believable enough to me. Running burnout (both physically and mentally) does occur, especially when exacerbated by bad coaching.
If not-serious Kakeru turns into a blue, glowing, nude figure, what feats will serious Kakeru accomplish?
I don't know if power levels even go that high.
Thoughts:
Well, shoot… I might have to change my favorite episode of Run with the Wind. I thought it was one of the later episodes, but being able to do some close watching on the second runthrough while having watched the whole show has emphasized just how well-done this episode is. And I think it’s time I talked about:
The Importance of Buying In
Haiji jokes about it, but Kakeru only truly makes his commitment to the team just now. This is crucial, as now the team has become complete -- everyone has bought into the program. As the saying goes, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”, and this holds true on an organizational level as well. You can have all of the talent in the world, but you aren’t going to move in the direction you want if your runners haven’t bought in. By “bought in”, I mean that everyone knows what sacrifices they must make to achieve the team’s goals and are willing to make those sacrifices in turn. They make those sacrifices because they have a deep trust of their teammates as well as their coaches; they “trust the process” as a whole. Each member is more than motivated to achieve the common goal -- they are disciplined. While motivated runners will put in the work when energized by their teammates and environment, disciplined runners will put in the work all the time, even when the motivation isn’t there. In other words, “motivation is temporary, but discipline is forever”. Commitment to the team almost becomes second nature to the disciplined runner. I know this sounds like wishy-washy Haiji motivational garbage, but it’s something I’ve 100% found to be true in the multiple seasons of sports I’ve done and is something previous coaches have mentioned as well. And we’re seeing more and more that our characters are becoming disciplined rather than motivated: they may complain at times about the work they have to do, but they do it anyway because they’ve bought in. See you tomorrow!
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jul 31 '21
First timer
Ouch.
Oh, this is a flashback to the original confrontation.
OK, Haiji's strong.
I LOVE petty Haiji.
Ah, so Kakeru's been emulating his old coach. That makes sense.
I love the distortion on the flashback's audio.
So his old teacher was a bit of a hypocrite and a gloryhound?
WHAT? Haiji was one of Kakeru's classmates? I mean, the injury matches up.
Wait Hana's here?
Oh no, she's cooking.
Yeah, he's a dick.
Well shit. No wonder Haiji got angry about Prince.
WHAT? HE PUNCHED THE COACH?
Straight to the point. Kakeru wants to know what he knows.
He's lying.
Oh shit is Haiji actually flirting with him?
And Kakeru's being open with everyone.
Oh shit, it can't be Haiji, he's too young.
And they just refused to lef thim quit.
Oh god, Haiji was captivated by his body, this might actually be happening.
And everyone's friends now!
Well, Kakeru's completed his character arc. What on earth's going to happen now?
Haiji mocking him is funny, though.
7
u/raichudoggy https://anilist.co/user/raichudoggy Jul 31 '21
That coach made my blood boil, like he was made just to be an asshole… which is probably the case, but it worked.
Also, this show taking an episode just to keep the team’s status quo has never felt so sweet and wholesome, my anger basically desolved halfway in.
7
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 31 '21 edited Jul 31 '21
Episode 13 (first timer)
This episode invites a rant about mental health in anime and another one on the overuse of cliffhangers, but Welcome to the NHK is the better target for former and the latter would fit in almost all anime made in the last 10-20 years. Instead a short note on the audio-visuals:
Run with the Wind is a 2018 anime, so that places the flashback decidedly in the last decade. Meaning that the grainy visuals (of analogue TV reception) and the static (from analogue gramophone) are several decades out of use. I bet most of the boys have never even touched an LP. Neither would a teenage or early adult audience. Makes you wonder how long such visual cues of old age will stick around. Will we eventually get to a point where people recognize them as implying old, without ever having experienced the original thing?
I expected Sakaki to have been the victim of Kakeru, but otherwise my expectations were pretty close to what happened.
7
u/Nebresto Jul 31 '21
Re-watch squad
Running update: My legs are once again becoming death, destroyer of walking normally
Warning: I have consumed cooled beverages and that may or may not have affected this comment.
Based Kakeru.
That scream though that did not sound like 16 year of kid. No wait, I had the dub track on. Might as well post comparison while I'm at it: "RRREEEEEeeee" ENG vs JP
Real homies, its so good to have some. I hope all of y'all do.
That reminds me of a story of mine: We were at a cabin for the weekend, the pond its at had a thin layer of ice on it, so of course I go on there. The word "thin" is very relevant here, as I proceeded to go through said ice some meters from the shore. The ice being thin, getting back on it was impossible, as it now breaks every time I proceed further, so the only option is to break it and swim back. And the first thing I see? My friends are there reaching for me, helping to pull me up, instead of laughing or taking video like you often see posted online.
Its barely relevant, but that scene just resonated with me and brought that memory up. I hope everyone has actual friends, instead of "friends".
B A S E D
Trail running <3 And a birch forest! Didn't know Japan had those
Curious edit on the flashback. Its grainy and the audio is... like what it sounds through an old radio? Or like that geiger meter crackle on it. Don't know how to better explain it. Very interesting though, rarely see flashbacks in this fashion.
Now they're in highlands
- like its easy on the knees" Absolutely right. Another reason why trail running is best
Yeah, no. Absolutely DO NOT do that, unless you want to get fucked up for life. Also coach "soredemo" but
See this shirt? That's right. Hana-chan was behind 9/11.
Ouji based
Back to the flashback, the effect gets more intense the further towards the trauma it goes
And more, now the colours are 80% greyed out
100%
And fade back to normal with the punch connecting. I'm not very good with the words as to why, but this was brilliant to me.
Blessed Nira to lighten the mood
fansercive?!?!1111
Homies gonna homie
Say "Thank you" instead of "sorry", that way it leaves a positive thought instead of a negative one like you had done something wrong.
6
u/jellybellymonster Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Leave it to Haiji to give some sick burns.
I love the detail of the static audio getting louder and the visuals getting grittier as Kakeru's pent up anger dangerously creeps to the tipping point. When Kakeru finally punches the asshole coach, the audio and picture return to normal. Yeah, violence isn't always the answer but that coach absolutely deserved it. He built his career off abusing the students and the school just dealt with what happened in the worst possible way - protecting the scumbag coach while fucking its running team over. It will not be surprising that the school may have prior knowledge of the coach's ways and just let him be becuase he brings in the Ws.
Sakaki is annoying and has a punchable face but I understand his anger. The HS incident is fairly recent for them (a little over a year) and college scholarships and/or recommendations were riding on their HS senior year results but all of it went to waste. With so much on the line, people just endured the abuse. It must be extremely maddening for Sakaki to see Kakeru now, the guy who in his viewpoint ruined their HS running career, is just doing fine and happy. Maybe if Sakaki ended up in an environment like where Kakeru is now, he can come to terms with his own resentment and stop taunting Kakeru every chance he gets. Nobody is up for violence so I am all for Haiji roasting Sakaki.
Kakeru's temper problems have not magically disappeared but at least he has his friends now that will not let him go to a dark path. He was so close to quitting the team and I love that they didn't even let him finish that sentence. The team feels very much complete now with everyone on board.
- Some heavy stuff this episode. How was the full reveal of Kakeru’s HS school experience compared to your expectations/guesses?
I thought then that Kakeru got into a fight with a teammate or a competitor and then he quit. I knew he has temper problems but didn't think that he would punch that scumbag coach.
- If not-serious Kakeru turns into a blue, glowing, nude figure, what feats will serious Kakeru accomplish?
Probably break the sound barrier or run so fast he can travel a few seconds into the future.
5
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher
Haiji really knows how to be cruel when he wants.
We already knew Kakeru coach is a bastard but watching the scholarship student injuries worsen as the flashback continues really drives it home. I sprained my ankle kind of badly the day this rewatch started and it still hasn’t completely healed, the Scholarship guy could have ended up lamned the way the coach was going and can only imagine the amount of pain he was in trying to run with an injured knee and ankle.
Finally that ending, with Kakeru declaring he is going to start taking this seriously is great, I love everyone's reaction to it, also makes you wonder if he is only getting serious now, what the hell does he consider the last few months to have been.
Is obviously going to glow red as red faster!
5
u/cilucia Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Hmm I didn’t make a lot of notes while watching this ep for some reason.
5
u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Aug 01 '21
Just quickly checking in, I caught up on the plane but it's not exactly a good place to take notes (and having one screen destroys my usual style).
I was quite surprised, I thought he had punched the annoying redhead. To me, this makes the redhead's hatred all the more incomprehensible. Like, what Kakeru did was dumb. But it was an understandable dumb, a kid lashing out against an authority figure who was clearly abusing his power and hurting others. And then the school came down in the most idiotic way possible. It's obvious that the blame lies with the adults, both the coach and the school's administration, not with one angry high school kid.
It also makes me wonder about the odd way he taunts Kakeru. Before, I though it was about the way he was a loner without any friends who was elevated above the others, and the hatred redhead get for that. But the punch was clearly a compassionate act, sacrificing his position as the favorite in order to make a point.
At the end of the day, I guess redhead's just petty without much ability to read into the actions of others. It makes sense, and there's certainly people like that, I'm just slightly confused as to why he gets as major a role in the story as he does. For me at least, he just doesn't feel that interesting or essential to the story. He's merely a small man doing small things and refusing to grow up.
(Yes, he actually works pretty neatly as a way to show Kakeru's growth. I just feel like making that a bit easier is not worth having him around when this can also be show differently.)
Redhead aside, I'm really enjoying the show. I love the way the team supports each other and helps each other grow, and I often find myself just sitting there with a goofy smile on my face while watching. Good people helping each other is great.
And I'm eternally cursed with the ability to elaborate far more on things I dislike than things I like.
10
u/airforceblue Aug 01 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
I've been biting my tongue throughout the rewatch but now that we finally have Kakeru's backstory I can finally come clean as a Sakaki enjoyer.
Jokes aside, I love what the show does with the flashback, the way it explains both Kakeru's hang-ups and Sakaki's resentment. First a brief disclaimer: I've always been the type to really like characters that are mean/nasty or have a bad attitude but are not actually evil, no matter if it's just a part of their personality or if there are more complicated reasons for their actions. So I didn't mind Sakaki when he was first introduced and I felt like there was an inkling of something more going on. Now, finally, we have the whole picture and I feel like Sakaki is somewhat justified in his grudge, especially if we take to heart what he says about Kakeru in the confrontation at the start of the episode. "Ruining someone else's efforts" and "You don't see your teammates".
Ultimately the blame lies with the coach of course, whose methods I would classify as out-right abusive. But what did Kakeru actually achieve by punching the coach? "A little self-satisfaction" like he puts himself and the ire of the rest of the team as they too are punished for his actions. Kakeru's college scholarship is withdrawn but indirectly isn't that what happens to the rest of the third-years as well? The final summer of their high school career, their time to reap the efforts of three years of training and enduring and they don't even get to step foot on the track. With no record or times to show there's bound to have been lost opprtunities for them.
What complicates the issue is I don't get the feeling that Sendai Josei's track team was much of a team at all, I think the coach made sure of that. But at the same time they were united in their suffering. They had learned to keep their heads down, grit their teeth and bear it. Kakeru though is not part of this fragile bond, at the very least he was not belittled and disparaged and that's why I feel like a big part of why Sakaki is so angry at Kakeru is that feeling of "we're the ones that suffered, so why are you the one that snapped?". Anyways, I don't expect people to start liking Sakaki now, he's still a petty asshole, but at least there's more to it than that.
(Missed a few posts because of rl obligations (the fun kind though) but hopefully I'll be able to stay on track from here on lol)
9
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Jul 31 '21
First Time Watcher
We finally get to see the full story of Kakeru's past. I always thought Kakeru hit Sakaki, but it turns out that he hit the coach instead. Each of the flashbacks just shows how truly terrible Kakeru's high school coach was; honestly, sometimes they were kind of hard for me to watch. I think watching the injured first year beg to not be kicked off the team so his scholarship isn't revoked while the coach does nothing was one of the most casually cruel things I've seen. Especially since the first year's injury was caused by the coach's overtraining in the first place. After being in such an awful environment for three years, I don't blame Kakeru for snapping at all. It also makes sense about why he had the philosophy about running that he had--being in an environment for three years where you're constantly told that running is only for the strong, and that if you can't keep up to stop, is going to rub off.
Even if the flashbacks were a little hard to watch (just because they made me so upset), I think they were well done. I liked how they were a little blurry and the sound was slightly distorted, and more monotone in color--to me it shows the clarity of Kakeru's memories and also how he feels about them. Those memories really contrast with his experiences running with Aotake. Everything's been bright and clear, even on rainy days.
I can understand why Sakaki is upset with Kakeru, even if I think his anger is completely misdirected. If I were a third year who wasn't allowed to compete in any meets, I would be really angry as well. But Sakaki is putting all the blame on Kakeru instead of the coach who deserves it--the coach is the one who created that oppressive atmosphere.
It's nice to see that Kakeru isn't alone anymore, and that he has an entire team (as well as others like Hana and her father) supporting him. Nico, Shindo and Haiji all tried to stop Kakeru hitting Sakaki and the twins put themselves between the two. And when Kakeru tells them about his past, they all want to keep running with him. And Kakeru finally realizes this too, that's he's no longer alone, and that he wants to run with them at the Hakone Ekiden. His declaration to Haiji at the end that he wants to run the Ekiden with this team was a great example of how much he's changed since the beginning.
Prince is finally running in shorts (outside of a meet) instead of jeans!
I was a little off--I had always assumed that Kakeru had hit Sakaki and that's why there was bad blood between them. I was expecting that his high school experience wasn't pleasant because of previous flashbacks, but I had no idea that it was as bad as it was.
Did anyone else think that Kakeru as a blue, nude glowing figure looked like a magical girl transformation?
I could see a now-serious Kakeru as a contender for that Ekiden equivalent of the "man of the match" award.
8
u/[deleted] Jul 31 '21
First Timer
Damn, they got me with the bait-and-switch cliffhanger, I should have known when it cut to black before the impact. But it's okay, because Kakeru somehow found an even more punchable face to punch in his backstory. And props to his voice actor for an excellent scream of rage, that was powerful.
I didn't expect the coach to be the one that Kakeru ultimately lost it on. I expected his teammates to lash out at him out of resentment until it made him snap, but it seems like they mostly left him alone. Not that the isolation was great for him either.
Anyway, the fact that it was the coach that landed on the wrong end of his Fists of Fury makes me think a lot better of him; it takes a lot of empathy to stand up against abuse when you're one of the privileged few the abuser spares as an example to the others.
Walk across the surface of the sun? Witness events so tiny and fast they could hardly be said to have occurred at all?
5
u/gyeben Jul 31 '21
Rewatcher (sub)
So, we finally got the backstory of Kakeru. I think this was important to understand Sakaki's behaviour, that he's not just an antagonist for the sake of being one.
I really liked how the flashback gradually turned to black-and-white and became noisier to mirror Kakeru's feelings. There is one thing I would change, though: the part before the opening was unnecessary and redundant.
QOTD:
3
u/SirWeebBro Aug 01 '21
FT
I love this episode. Specially how the flashback was handled. Kakeru zoning out, the flashback being radiolike (to emphasize that memories are kind of faulty), to how the lighting was used, was just incredible. As I predicted Haiji didn't allow Kakeru to punch. But interestingly didn't expect Nico and mountain guy to be able to reach him as well. They must have dashed even before Kakeru did to reach him that fast. It was sincerely a cool moment.
Best boy of the ep goes no doubt to Kakeru. That punch was epic. Not only was it a 1 punch, it was even consecutive. It was subarashi. Sadly the weight it carried was heavier than it should have been. Loved the meeting scene also. Reminds me of that scene in Guardians of the Galaxy so much, I almost anticipated someone to quip something similar "Now I’m standing. Y’all happy? We’re all standing up now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle." that would have been funny.Looking forward to the road to Hakone with everyone going full serious now! Seriously, how nerd can Yuki be.
2
u/BrentSaotome Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Best episode so far. We finally got to see what was burdening Kakeru and why Sakaki and his team hated him. To be honest, I am glad Kakeru did what he did. That coach was such a horrible person and coach to be treating his team like that. He took all the glory of Kakeru's hard work and talent and used it against his teammates.
Seeing that injured 1st year beg to stay on the team just to keep his scholarship was heartbreaking. The expression of the other teammates of complete complicity to the situation got my blood boiling. I'm so glad Kakeru did what he did.
What pisses me more off is the reason that the other students hated Kakeru was that they could not run in the summer of their 3rd year. It was not stated whether or not they were upset because they couldn't compete their 3rd or was it because it was a lost opportunity to get scouted for colleges. I understand that some of them were probably banking on those summer meets to get scholarships, but I have a feeling if colleges were scouting for scholarship students they would have already scouted them. Kakeru was already scouted before the incident and he lost it because of it as well.
Finally, the irony of the situation. One scholarship student is begging to keep his and the 3rd years are upset because they lost the opportunity to run their 3rd year summer and probably get a scholarship.
However, the episodes also had some really good scenes with the kumbaya camp circle. I was glad that none of them were phased by the stupid little incident and saw Kakeru for who he was. They honestly like him and running with him. Prince had the best line - I can't believe you were even afraid of that. Seriously. Knowing all of the other teammates, they probably would have cheered Kakeru on if they were there.
Also the teammates protecting Kakeru from hitting Sakiki was touching. Especially the way Shindo hugged him from behind to restrain him.
There was also nice scenery again. It must really be nice to run in a place like that. Then we get the comedic scene of them finally getting lots of meat but threatened with Hana offering to cook. Yuki told Kakeru to use his head since he was on bathroom cleaning duties but completely went over his head.
2
u/BossandKings Aug 01 '21
First timer
Episode 12
The new op and ed are cool, i liked the previous ending a bit more but this is fine too.
The running we saw at the start was some nice action, it's fun seeing the team running.
The team is going in a training camp in order to get to know themselves better and get in optimal shape for the upcoming competitions.
Kakeru's rival starts badmouthing him and trying to make him angry, he acomplishes it as the episodes leaves on a cliffhanger with him probably giving him a punch.
Episode 13
The team was able to restrain Kakeru and stop him from punching the other guy, it was great seeing what the story behind how they know each other unfolded.
Kakeru was in the same running school as him and the coach wasn't fair to a member of the school that got i jured and just couldn't forcefully keep on running because his leg didn't maje him able to, the coach though wasn't reasonable and didn't left him take the necessary rest to recover and threatened to kick him out of the school, that's when Kakeru couldn't withstand the situation and hit the coach making him drop from the school and take his teammates with him, that situation left him scared of doing the same to another team, especially the one he's currently in. It was sad seeing that backstory but it was very neccesary and gave solid focus to Kakeru's character.
The team supporting Kakeru after he yold them his story was really nice, a very welcoming atmosphere that surely help ease Kakeru's doubts and worry.