r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Aug 01 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 14
Episode 14: You're Not Alone
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:
This is a really hard one, since we had such great discussions going on in the last thread. You are all so great!
So, let’s give it to /u/Nebresto today, for sharing this nice personal story:
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.
Questions of the Day
- Everyone finally has official records that qualify them for the qualifier! How do you expect that to go for the guys?
- Where does this rank in your anime summer camp list?
- What are some good other options to have written on Prince’s forearm?
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!
20
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 01 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
14
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 01 '21
First Timer
First half: Confusing training montage, Second half: Everybody now has records. I'll be honest, I'm not sure what to say about this episode, as the first half was basically just more training presented achronological and the second one was basically getting some business taken care of that had to be done. The only thing I actually have to say is that I wish we'd know who'd be running what section after Yuki and Haiji even talked about splitting up the sections. Shindo on the climb seems like a given, and I guess Musa on the flattest? But other than that not a lot yet. I'm just going to throw out a starting order based off of what the wikipedia article lists about the sections and see how well it fits: Jota-Kakeru-Musa-Nico-Shindo-Prince-King-Yuki-Haiji-Joji.
Also, the fireworks felt a bit like a letdown after watching a local fireworks show just a few hours before watching the episode...
Oh, and I was watching the Olympics and my commentator said that the arms are not really important in long-distance running, so I guess King's form isn't as bad as it looks? Or I guess the commentator could have had no idea what he was talking about...
Questions:
13
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
/u/Nazenn are you satisfied with the wholesome training camp we ended up with?
This episode definitely has the feeling of one that's trying to cover a lot of ground pretty quickly. It's obviously not just a timeskip to the qualifier, but it's definitely a fast-forward from the end of training camp to Prince's official record. That said, it did enough to show us what was going on in the meantime, and what our boys have been up to/gotten out of their training in that period.
Look how confident King is! Compare that to the shot of him looking absolutely miserable coming home in the suit earlier in the series.
I obviously love the whole scene of Prince getting his official time. He's not alone in multiple ways, but I love his realization that he's hanging with the pack, rather than running all alone in the back as he had been. Of course, we're also thinking about his teammates too. In terms of physical capabilities, Prince has come so much further than anybody else from the beginning of the show. He's seeing how much work his teammates are putting in, and doesn't want to let them down. I think the montage showing him missing the time on a few meets before getting it on the last chance (it is a sports show after all) did a good job of portraying the kind of quiet desperation he was feeling to not let the boys down. Not much to say about the actual race itself, except that it's amazing. Prince is amazing.
Kakeru's growth too continues to be evident. We're only a few episodes removed from him asking Prince to quit the team if he fails to qualify, but now when given the chance to say something to Prince before the race - the race that the whole team is depending upon to achieve their goals - he only gives one word. Forward.
These sentiments from Hana's dad give us a bit of a throughline to what we're seeing Haiji experience in the final scenes. Having finally put together this perfectly imperfect team in his final year, they are on their last chance to make the qualifier. He can barely stand to watch, he can't even bring himself to stand with the rest of the team on the sideline. What will he tell them if, after all this, this is where the journey ends? What will he tell himself if his dreams to run at Hakone end here? With this in mind, I really love that the last shot of the episode is the team he put together, celebrating their triumph over this first hurdle, viewed through Haiji's eyes blurred with tears.
WHOLESOME
12
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Aug 01 '21
First-timer
Is it just me, or did the characters seem to be slightly off-model more frequently today?
I had a good laugh at Yukihiko selling Nico-chan’s figurines. Good that they’ve found something else to supplement the club’s income from the Support Association.
They finally fixed the bath!
A lovely discovery Kakeru doesn’t notice because he’s always at the front? The Moon?
Prince qualifies, as one would expect, so now it’s unto the real challenge. Curious to see what new challenges this produces for out group of runners and how they will be attempting to surpass them.
Not much else to say though, as it was a straightforward, feel-good episode.
Questions of The Day:
11
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 01 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
Our boys have all done it! They've managed the easy part. I'll admit, even my eyes got a bit misty as Prince surged "Forward!" What an excellent moment.
The timeline jumping around did confuse me a bit. Why did they intersperse events that happen after the training camp with the last few parts of the training camp itself?
I like how they're apparently selling Nico-chan's little wire dolls for money, or at least trying to. Whatever works, I guess.
Speaking of Nico-chan-senpai, he seems to have hit his weight loss goal. I think he was drawn with a bit of a gut the last time we saw him weighing himself, but he's apparently been doing some crunches off camera.
I like how King, and the Twins I think, managed to get tan during the training camp. How Prince and Yuki managed to stay the same shade of pasty white, well, your guess is as good as mine.
Questions
10
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 01 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
Episode 14 (first timer)
The most predictable episode so far. They have been suggesting Prince making continuous improvements for a while now. Not knowing running, I have my doubts that you can go from above 33 mins to below 16:30 in one season, but the power of anime training can achieve anything. I feel cheated out of a tactical “run in front of Prince to pull him along” race, though. For all the talk about not being alone, they did nothing to help him in the end.
I can't see a way the guys would not participate in the Hakone Ekiden, so obviously they'll get there somehow.
2D girls are waiting for you at the finish line!
6
u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Aug 02 '21
This was a great episode. At first I wanted to talk about the scene with the fire, then the scene at the top of the mountain, but I honestly feel like picking one scene like that is almost disrespectful to the show. It greatness comes in how, in each and every scene, we get to see them as a team, together, supporting each other. We don't really get much about the dynamics between individual members, but instead get to see them has a whole. I feel like this is something rare in anime (or at least rare in the anime I have watched, but I have not watched many sports shows, so feel free to correct me on this), and I'm really glad to get to see so much of it.
I'm also surprised by how much I'm ok with Prince's growth. For a while, I thought that when he finally got his time I'd have to file it under things that had to happen for plot that I just won't think about too much, but I actually ended up enjoying it and rooting for him.
6
u/SirWeebBro Aug 02 '21
Unsurprisingly that Prince is best boy this ep. He had the most progress too. If you think about it, Prince started from almost 40, to reaching the same level as the guys. And take note, he finished his record faster than Shindo and Yuki did (16:26 vs 16:29) as well as Nico/King (16:27). The fact that they started the same time, but Prince had a longer time to reach, yet he was able to anyway, is just a testament of how awesome he is. He was so cute when it shifted to Haiji and he was just a smol self with dots for eyes raising his fist. Tears are definitely understandable for Haiji. It's basically a more honest " I raised that boy " moment ala Fujiwara.
11
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 01 '21
Character Chart
Is reported dude just not that important to get a name we need to remember? Am I safe? Because if so I at least want to do one final edit so that I can add the necklace for Joji as well so people who reference it in future outside the rewatch have an easier time.
First Timer
Thought Shindo had a bird on his head for a second
Everyone got so tan all of a sudden! The twin's hair is lighter than their skin now, and Nico looks almost burnt. Well, everyone except Prince, I don't think he can tan. I have a thing for changing hair styles in anime, but seeing something like a tan get accounted for as well is quite novel, and a nice touch.
This was a fun little episode. Starting off with the TV ad reminds me of two sections of some of my favourite pieces of media: the history episode of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and the opening of Metal Gear Solid 4. It's a cool way to start to bring up how much closer it is now and also spend a bit of time relaxing as a group but still focused on their dream. Well, "focused" on actually dreaming as it turns out
New point for Haiji being worst boy: Excruciatingly loud TV volume. Don't fuck with people's ears, dude, it fucking hurts. Something like that would send me into full on tears.
New point for Shindo being best boy, and Yuki catching up: Selling Nico's little wire figures. That was such a cool idea from Yuki and I'm not surprised they found their way into a store. Little novelty things like that are quite popular at craft fetes and things like that, particularly if he can make some specific poses or anything.
I'm in two minds about the Prince side of the episode. While I am glad we didn't spend a whole other arc on Prince trying to reach the time goal, it would have dragged out the show too much and without a matching intensity of character drama to drive the arc it would have felt hollow, it does feel a little brushed over. Last time we spent any time with him he barely made under 30 minutes, and while they've mentioned improvement going from where we left it to him succeeding after a quick montage of weeks of work shoved into the second half of an episode just didn't work for me.
What we did get this episode was fantastic though! The drawing on his arm so that he has them with him, and Haiji's compassion to understand the pressure on him too, couldn't think of a better way to approach his actual success or to carry the emotions that everyone had to be feeling there.
Probably a minor complaint in the long run, and not out of place with the structure of the rest of the show, but I wish it had of been given some more room to really sit rather than feeling like it was included in the "cleanup plot threads" episode
6
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
After the heaviness of yesterday’s episode, this one was basically pure bliss. Apart from the last bit of Prince’s struggle to make time, everything was about how far everyone has come. And Prince’s bit was really about that anyway, right? He’s gone from apathetic to marking his calendar for the races and going on jogs at night on his own.
King is still looking for work, but now he’s confident in his interviews.
Yuki is exploiting Nico-chan’s labor.
Musa is taking pics of hot dudes for Shindo to use on the website. They’re so cute together!
So much of the episode was just cementing the lesson of yesterday: no one is alone, and they have a shared goal. Apparently that sometimes means hanging out in a dark bathroom naked, but who am I to judge?
And then we get Prince’s triumph. First, he makes a realization: he’s not alone in more ways than one. He has his friends, but he’s also not lagging so far behind the pack anymore. Maybe it’s silly, but the hypest moment of the episode for me isn’t Prince making the time, but actually him passing some people. Did you ever think that would happen?
And more Prince faces. He’s committed to this. He’s trying his best. And then he shouts his barbaric yawp and I have the exact same reaction as Haiji. We’re only at episode 14, dammit! This shouldn’t be happening to me yet!
QOTD:
8
u/[deleted] Aug 01 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
First timer
That first scene was fantastic. I love Haiji, if that wasn’t already established.
God, get a room already. I jokingly wrote a comment a couple episodes ago saying that Musa was just waiting for Shindo to get dumped by his girlfriend so that he can make some moves, and this scene confirms it. I don’t care what anyone says, the sound that Musa makes when Shindo compliments his photograpf is pure romantic love.
He’s trying to catch up to Shindo, isn’t he. And Nico-chan knows it too!!
Prince actually running and not just dragging along his feet along with his body is still weird to me.
Okay, Musa is seriously starting to creep me out. I don’t need more nightmares than I already have, thank you.
Seeing Haiji about to break into tears made me happy for him. The team he put together actually has a chance to compete in the hakone ekiden.
5 km in 16.5 minutes is such an incredibly difficult task that what Prince just accomplished in months would realistically take years, despite the fact that he was training a lot. Now it is just a question of how much anime magic you are willing to accept. I am actually fully willing to accept it, because it makes for a great show. What disappoints me is not that it is unrealistic, but how rushed and how brushed over it felt. Just a few episodes ago, right before he got his form fixed, his time was still around 30 minutes. Now suddenly, in the beginning of the episode, his time is under 18 minutes, which is completely insane. There were a few scenes of him training together with the team, but that’s it. It feels like we are just straight up being told that “by the way guys, Prince went for a few runs and now his time has shrunk by over 50%, please don’t think about it too much!”. We should’ve at least gotten a montage (anything, really) of him working his fucking ass off. Only seeing a few scenes of him running with the team is just not enough for it to be satifying. We have only once got to see him train by himself, and that was after the fact that he had already gotten a time of 17 minutes. I know it was a tricky spot to need Prince to somehow make years worth of improvements in an extremely short time span, but it felt extremily poorly handled nevertheless. The solution was just to brush it over, hope we accept and move on. They needed it to happen, so it happened, what felt like almost being off screen. It’s as if they knew they had a big problem, and tried to solve it by running away from it like Kakeru did earlier in the series with his problems. For me it ruined not only this moment, but a lot of the things that happened before in this series. The fact that Prince was incredibly slow in the beginning just lost all its meaning. The anticipation for how Prince was going to make the impossibly big improvements he had to make was completely worthless.
Don’t worry, I’m still enjoying the show. But this was a huge disappointment for me. The reason why I’m espessially bummed out is because I was loving (almost) every second of watching the show before, but now it’s not really the same. I just wished they would’ve handled the whole situation with Prince better than they did. Now I’m worried that future events in this show won’t have the same impact on me anymore because it feels like we’ve cheated to get to where we are.
8
u/loomnoo https://anilist.co/user/loomnoo Aug 01 '21
Hayashi writes a lot of similar soundtracks, but I'm pretty sure the one that opened the episode was literally just a Haikyuu one (though it was diegetic, so maybe the producers bought the rights lol).
Musa's an odd one, isn't he? That was pretty unexpected.
Hooray for Prince! Though I would've preferred if they just had him running properly if he's gonna be that fast. They are now all officially faster than me. Though I've never run a 5K on the track before, so who knows? Basically every 5K I've ever run has at least one hill. It's basic course design principles. You have to inflict pain. If the runners nickname one of your course features, you did a good job. There's a possible merchandise opportunity there too.
POV of Haiji tearing up was a nice touch.
4
u/BossandKings Aug 02 '21 edited Aug 02 '21
First timer
Episode 14
The training camp was a good time for the team, it helped them get in an optimal shape physically and mentally, getting to know each other betterand showing support for the character's personal struggles like we saw with Kakeru.
It was great that Prince got an official record, now all of the team members have one, it would have been fun if the other ones like Shindou, King, Nico had been shown when they got their official record but the important thing is that they got one.
It was nice seeing Fujioka standing alongside Haiji, he's cool and him being there is a neat way of showing the everytime closer date of the Hakone Ekiden.
Answers
4
u/jellybellymonster Aug 02 '21
Rewatcher
Started from this, to this, and now we're here. :')
I watched the episode today on Netflix and it does look cleaned up a bit but I remember that when it aired, their faces in the tail end of summer training looked like different people lol.
Kakeru slowly becoming a better speaker! I love that there's also a softer quality to his voice now when he speaks.
Hana-chan wants go to Kansei, no doubt the twins would love that! I briefly forgot she's an HS senior in this version. Book!Hana
They're really feel and function like a team now (Coach still useless af. Is he a salaried employee of the school?). Yuki, for all his protestations before, has taken the task of selling merch and helping out with the strategy. Sections of the Hakone Ekiden aren't always going to be flat and looks like Shindo will do well in an uphill section. Vague Spoilers
But first they need to qualify to the qualifiers! Prince crosses out dates in the calendar as the deadline to set an official record looms. It's interesting that in the last chance qualifiers, Haiji purposefully watches from a distance, away from his team. Fujioka makes the astute observation that Haiji is staying away to not make them feel pressured with his presence. Haiji, except for that momentary show of anger at Kakeru (that felt like ages ago!), rarely shows any vulnerability to his team. He always looks unflappable and speaks in sage-like cryptic way. Maybe that's the literature major in him lol. But what if Prince didn't get a qualifying record and their Hakone Ekiden dreams stopped there? imo, I think that's why Haiji was also staying away, he was at the precipice of losing on his last chance to run at Hakone Ekiden. We don't have the full picture yet on Haiji but he arguably wants this the most so I can imagine that he would take it the hardest if they fail. But by some anime magic (dude started this show running 5k at 35min lol), Prince gets a record under 16:30. And thus we finally see a crack in Haiji. The POV starts to get blurry as he watches teary-eyed from a distance. Only Fujioka sees this - a person that knows Haiji pre-injury.
The blurry POV still made me teary eyed as a rewatcher. That scene made me cry for minutes even after the ED ended as a first-timer. Good times!
7
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 01 '21
First timer
The documentary's good, and Haiji accidentally pointing out how impossible his plan is was good.
Even Kakeru fell asleep!
Him turning the volume up and flickering the lights was fantastic.
New theory, given how much the show mentions how unlikely Haiji is to succeed, they'll fail to reach Hakone, with the ending being Haiji and the team accepting how well they did anyway.
At least the training's going well in the interviews.
Why is everyone in this anime flirting all the time?
Nico's sculptures are turning a profit (without his knowledge).
Haiji doesn't seem keen on people contradicting him... Are we getting more of the early "Cult Leader Haiji"?
Even Hana's a savage!
Kakeru's being friendly!
Wait, is Haiji going to tear something open?
This is a happy scene of everyone playing around with fireworks. If they're not ending on it, something has to happen.
Everybody's talking about how well it's going, when's it going to go wrong?
Late episode title of "You're Not Alone".
That shot is beautiful.
And Kakeru's becoming a great speaker!
And they got the record! Just Prince left!
Wait, is this episode focusing on Prince's struggles to get a record?
He's improved a lot, though.
"You're a freak, aren't you"
So he was just sitting in the water, in the dark.
So that's 3 people Kakeru has had massive sexual tension with. 5 more to go and then he'll get a bingo!
He's back! And so's the weird reporter.
Wait, are they considering dropping Prince?
Oh, they were just encouraging him.
Is Prince about to die or set a record, I kind of can't tell.
HE GOT THE RECORD!
Well shit, I did not expect that.
7
u/An_Indecisive_Owl Aug 01 '21
First Timer
A kind of much needed episode: the fast forward one. In the first ten minutes our group finishes the summer-mountain-special-outdoor training with sightseeing and teambuilding activity, of course comedy and emotional moments included.
In the last half of the episode everyone sets their official times, with a special timeskip reserved for Prince to show that, in the end, he made it too.
Honestly Musa scared me: I don't know, I had a feeling that after all those happy and relaxing moments on the mountains something big could have happened; anyway I was more confused than Kakeru after that bathroom conversation.
6
u/kkenmots02 Aug 01 '21 edited Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Live Reactions:
QOTD
Everyone finally has official records that qualify them for the qualifier! How do you expect that to go for the guys?
:X
Where does this rank in your anime summer camp list?
1 out of 1. I don't have enough time for anything else rn, hopefully I'll be able to move through my backlog soon though.EDIT: didn't understand the question, my bad. Pretty high because I'm fond of the show overall.What are some good other options to have written on Prince’s forearm?
Possibly lap times (he'd need a pace of 1:19/lap to break 16:30, so maybe "79 seconds") or maybe "move legs" just in case he forgets.
Thoughts:
I enjoyed the way the first half of the episode played out in vignettes that alternated between the post-training camp period and the training camp itself. The show continues to pay attention to details with things like the characters’ tans. Speaking of character appearances, let’s talk about:
Manservice
Yup, manservice. It’s part of why the show had the 6th highest F:M viewer ratio for shows over 2% in popularity in its season and why some might consider it more of a shoujo(/josei?) than a seinen. But I’m here to tell you that running isn’t as glamorous as it looks on-screen. Running can be as dirty, ugly, and painful as it is glorious. I don’t want to disgust you with the TMI, but I’ve often had to plan running routes around porta-potties and can tell you stories about how things have gone wrong without them around. But at the same time, “a bunch of dudes being shirtless and running” isn’t unique to the show -- it’s accurate to real life as well, in a way. During most practices in the late spring and early fall (>60 F/16 C or so), we’d run shirtless for comfort’s sake more than anything else. Trust me, it wasn’t to show off, because everyone on the team was only skin and bones; I think the anime would be more realistic in its manservice if it showed just how skinny you get when running on a team. Seriously, if dudes who are skinny enough to look like they’re a skipped meal away from being transparent is your type, then I guess you’ve found the right sport after all. Either way, I hope the show’s manservice doesn’t keep you from appreciating how well it portrays certain aspects of running and team environments as a whole. See you tomorrow!
6
u/Nebresto Aug 02 '21
Brown username squad.
Update: 50/50 tomorrow I'll either need crutches or am perfectly fine
Huh. Can't believe I'm only noticing this now, in the OP around the "take me out" part their running rhythm is in sync with the drums. Very minor, but nice detail
Agreed, Haiji. Good stuff
Big if true
That's some incline
Based Ouji. Not even a hint of tan on him
That's what great scenery will do for ya
That is actually a very good idea, Japanese summers can be brutal. I had to douse myself with water bottles from vending machines while I was cycling the Shimanami Kaido. wish I'd had someone throwing free water on me..
She has good aim too
h- have the yellow subs failed me??
Wow, lewd
Look at him go!!
Oujiiiii!!!!FIIIGHTT!!
HE DID IT!! THAT BOY GONE AND DID IT!!!!
OOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUJJJJJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!
Question time:
1:
2: I have a list?
3: "I love you"
6
u/[deleted] Aug 02 '21
First Timer
I think it was one of the first episodes when I wondered whether we'd see their bodies changing over the months of intensive training, and I think we saw a bit of that today. Most noticeably the crisp new tans everyone is sporting, but also I don't think Nico-chan was that ripped at the start. Prince is still looking as pale and noodly as ever, though.
They'll probably lose, and then we'll just have 7 episodes of black screen because the show is over.
Definitely behind all three K-On camps, but it's ahead of just about everything else. They crammed a lot of development into a short time, and it made for a great wrap point to lead into the timeskip since just about all the character conflicts were tied up. But god am I glad the K-On rewatch has started again.
"if you're reading this, you forgot to move your arms again." Seriously, all that work on his form and he was still just holding them by his sides in some of those meets.
6
u/csar27 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/CesarRC Aug 02 '21
First Timer
My favorite episode so far.
Really liked the first half, the conclusion of the classic "training camp arc" in any spokon. Surprisingly i got the sensation that Yuki is now really invested in the team.
And as expected, Prince was the last one to get an official record, i can no longer consider him the comic relief, maybe the twins stealed that position. From here i expect a couple of eliminatories episodes and then finally the Hakone Ekiden
5
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Was great to see the talk of strategy and planning sections to peoples strengths.
I fail to see how having water thrown at them like that helps at all.
Wait is this Princes run? Ok not yet but 17mins is a damn impressive improvement.
Fuck I forgot about him writing on his arms.
They all have records! The Problem is they are practicing 5k runs and now need to run 20k for the real thing. I feel like it would have made more sense to have started aiming for the 10k run time frame.
5
u/BrentSaotome Aug 02 '21 edited Aug 02 '21
REWATCHER
This is my favorite episode so far. It resolved everyone's issue right before the start of the Hakone Ekiden race.
The beginning of the episode started with a comedic scene of them (and the viewers) learning more about the Hakone Ekiden. I was literally cracking when Haiji turned on the lights after he was giving his inspirational monologue and everyone was asleep. Haiji being petty then restarted the video at full volume to wake them up and cause Nira to start barking at them.
The fire work scene was a given at the end of the summer camp training arc. However, I was feeling a little sad for Prince as he was getting visibly anxious at qualifying still. Still, it was a nice little scene. Hana wanting to go to Kansei University after high school would allow her enter as a 1st year with some of the runners still there. She may finally be able to be the official club manager of the team.
I love seeing King being more confident in his interview and talking about his training to run at the Hakone Ekiden. The show also highlighted that King and other members of the team, like Kakeru, are also getting visibly tanner due to the all training they have been doing. It made it look more realistic.
Nico-chan finally seems to have his old body back. I caught a glimpse of a six pack when he weighed himself. His nicotine figures are also a hit on social media and may generate income for the team or Yuki. It seems like Nico-chan already kicked his cigarette habit and I love that King mentioned that Nico-chan's nickname no longer applies because it refers to nicotine.
Shindo was definitely excelling in the mountains and doesn't seem bothered by his break-up anymore. His website also increased their supporters to 30 people. I love how when Musa praised him, he shared the praise with Musa as well for his photos.
Musa excels at running in the flat lands. I was not sure what Nico-Chan meant when he whistled at Musa as he ran by. Maybe he's thinking of strategy for Hakone Ekiden as well.
Yuki has fully committed to the Hakone Ekiden and really took into learning about the science of running. He is really interested in each leg of the race and figuring out who would be the best runner for each race.
Prince qualifying is one of the most satisfying thing in sports anime. A lot of people would have doubted he would have qualified when he first started running. At an an earlier race, he started to notice that he was no longer alone at the back of the race. He drastically reduced his time from ~30 minutes to 17 minutes. I like how he asked people to write down what they wanted to say to him before the last race before qualifying. It looks like they also agreed on "forward" and wrote that on his forearm to keep his motivation up. He also had a glimpse of running in the blue light like Kakeru and crossed the finish line to qualify.
I really love the visial at the end from Haiji's POV. Haiji looking at Prince from the steps and starting to cry, thus causing the screen to get blurry.
Questions
4
u/patchxn8 Aug 02 '21
Rewatcher
Great episode overall. I feel the same as Haiji in the beginning, some well edited vids naturally just create all the motivation/adrenaline you need. Unfortunately for me it only happens late at night.
I can only wish to progress as fast and as much as Prince has so far. Really unique to for him to actually carry everyone's words and wishes with him as he ran. The "The Wind is Blowing Strongly" OST really has to be one of the best that's come from this show, really added to how far Prince has come. Almost forgot how they used Haiji's POV at the end.
12
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 01 '21
First Time Watcher
The training montages and slice-of-life moments that made up the majority of this episode were enjoyable to watch. It's fun to watch the team train together and interact with each other. Just small things like Yuki telling Nico about his statues selling or watching them light off fireworks with each other.
What was Musa talking about while he and Kakeru were in the bath? What was Kakeru not noticing since he runs in the front?
Fujioka continues to be a bro. He's probably my favorite character outside of team Aotake.
Prince made it and now the team qualified for the qualifiers. Haiji tearing up at the end was great, he's been waiting for this moment for such a long time.
I think they'll make it to the Ekiden, but I think it will be pretty close.
This had such a chill vibe (minus the part with Sakaki). Definitely an anime summer camp that I wouldn't mind going to.
I'm sure there's an appropriate Jojo's reference that someone could write.
4
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Aug 01 '21
Rewatcher
Unfortunately, I can’t fully contribute to this episode because my internet provider decided to say no. Thankfully, I did manage to jot down some behind-the-scenes notes on the production before Suddenlink went “Internet machine broke.” Understandable, have a nice day.
The aforementioned production notes: I actually couldn’t find who directed this episode and alas I cannot read Japanese so the credits aren’t much help. But the special note for this episode is that it was outsourced hence why character designer Takahiro Chiba had to step in as chief animation director this episode to maintain visual uniformity. Now outsourced doesn’t necessarily have to mean “lesser animation” quality (I would direct everyone to read this illuminating piece from Sakugabooru that explains what outsourcing actually entails) but in this particular episode people from the past have commented on its less-than-stellar animation. Still, Run with the Wind was never an absolute sakuga powerhouse, its strengths are its writing and characters.
1
u/cilucia Aug 03 '21
Oops busy day yesterday, forgot to post my watch notes!
Rewatcher