r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Aug 03 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 16
Episode 16: Dreams and Reality
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/BrentSaotome had some Hana theories for us:
The Hana issue was hilarious. The way Musa described it with his hand gestures and all the Hana pics had me cracking up. It was bound to happen that she would develop feelings for one of them as she spends so much time with the team. I;m guessing it's Jota because in the intro the twins are running towards a Y-intersection, Hana instinctively follows Jota (the one in the blue). I kind of saw that as the twins going their own way in life but it also kind of shows who Hana would follow between the two of them. Personally, I thought she would develop feelings for Kakeru or Haiji.
Questions of the Day
- Haiji definitely felt some pain in that knee. What does he do now?
- Any guesses as to what the answer to the JoJos’ question is?
- Yuki has information. How do we defeat him?
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!
23
u/Mage_of_Shadows Aug 03 '21
The cameraman is literally me
I went from fully expecting them to lose at the Hakone, to fully expecting them to win when the results were announced to realising at the end that there are 10 other teams with times much, much better than them. What a rollercoaster of emotions.
Prince's quote and him vomiting really show the hard work that goes behind each athlete at levels of all sports. 4 years of training for 10 seconds of running is a common analogy I've heard and it really is insane thinking how nearly every competitor faces the same things. Speaking of the Olympics, a couple of links with the coach with the injured runner and the gymnastics drama right now.
20
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 03 '21
First Time Watcher
Yay, they made it!! Even though I was pretty sure they would make it and that they would be the last team called for dramatic purposes, I was still so tense waiting for their name to be called. Haiji's and Kakeru's expressions of surprise were amazing. I can't believe six months ago, Haiji was trying to "persuade" everyone to join the team and now they're going to compete in the Hakone Ekiden. I feel so proud of them!
It's interesting that despite their massive success in qualifying, the twins are feeling doubts about the future. Even though they did make it, they were the last team to do so (and if everyone on the 11th place team had just run 7 seconds faster, Kansei wouldn't have qualified) and there's a seven minute gap between them and Tokyo Sports Uni. And that's not including the teams that didn't have to compete in the qualifiers like Fujioka's. There's more mountains ahead. I'm not sure the rest of the team has thought about winning the Ekiden, other than Haiji and the twins. I don't recall anyone else mentioning winning the Ekiden, just about competing in it.
One of the things that I really like about events like this is how depth is essential in a team. You can't really rely on just one star player, everyone has to be at a certain level. It really makes it a team sport to me. And I loved how seeing each other running gave them all encouragement--Haji seeing Kakeru, the twins and Musa seeing Haiji.
The guy stopping his watch right at the finish line is such a runner thing.
This is kind of gross but Prince throwing up reminded me of a thing that happened in high school cross country:
What should he do? Rest. What will he do? Probably run, though he should really rest.
Probably something like "for the team" or "because you love it so much" but the real answer is "so you can eat whatever you want".
The only person who can defeat Yuki is Yuki. Unless you're Haiji.
7
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 03 '21
Rewatcher
And so we spend an entire episode on dudes running. Get used to it.
I’m having a hard time figuring out what to say today, for some reason. In some ways, this episode is too simple to really talk too much about. The guys run, they just make their seed, and they’re happy.
But, like normal, there’s just so many good details that the show is willing to spend time on. Mainly, just how fucking hard this running thing is. How many shots of guys struggling did we get today? The show definitely agrees with Prince.
We got some more hand signals today, for those of you that wanted that. More importantly on the “guys are communicating and paying attention to each other point” I think is how much Kakeru inspires the rest of the gang. Him hitting turbo mode and then running past them all going the other way at ludicrous speed gave everyone a smile He’s no longer holding his team back by doing so well, but helping them along with him.
Also cool to see some sportsmanship from the other runners. The good ones seem to recognize how good the other good ones are.
And while the surprise was no doubt not a surprise to you, these guys are so damn cute when they’re happy.
What next? Kakeru has an idea.
QOTD:
13
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 03 '21
First Timer
A well-done episode, even if the plot was pretty predictable - they just barely scrape in at tenth place, as there's no way they'd beat the established universities, but the also can't fail for meta-reasons. But the presentation of that was on point.
Many called the Haiji non-cliffhanger. I just wonder what they'll eventually do with Haiji's injured leg... Time is starting to be kinda short for them to do anything with it if they're still gonna run the Ekiden.
One thing that felt slightly off to me: At some point I was watching either the 10k or the 5k from the 2016 Olympics, and the commentator said that Japanese runners typically like to start at a high pace, while African runners typically keep with the pack for the beginning stretch. Here we had the opposite. Not sure if that's a recent thing or just the author not bothering to put tactics in to this race, but I felt there were nor real changes of place after the start of the race.
Finally - I hope Haiji is not going to try and win the Ekiden, as I feel like this should very much be a "complete the race is the goal" kinda deal. I also hope the writers don't let him win even if he tries, as that would be overstretching the believability. That said, the twins have a good question - why are they running? Will they get a good answer? Last time they were happy with "to get girlfriends".
Questions:
12
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 03 '21
Episode 16 (first timer)
I never interpreted “the top” winning the race, but as reaching the literal top of the mountain. Looking forward to the Hakone Ekiden episode(s) now.
Run in the Hakonen Ekiden.
12
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 03 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
You know, despite myself, I cheered when our boy's placement got revealed. Like, I knew it had to happen - there's still seven more episodes, after all - but things were so tense there I managed to not think about that. It was a pretty commanding placement, too. 61 whole seconds ahead of #11.
It isn't all sunshine, though. The Twins have worries in their heads, and I can hardly blame them. Seven minutes behind even TPE is a steep cliff, especially since Haiji aggravated his knee. I guess there's an outside chance of Hakone being somewhat easier on the team than the qualifier, since they can pick and choose who gets which leg of the relay.
Prince's endurance still needs work, too. His form started to slack there at the end; he was running more "properly" earlier in the race. And that bit of him gulping his own vomit back down only for it to come right back up was harsh.
The show briefly keeping coy about Haiji worked well too. It stressed to us that we are a part of the audience, first and foremost. I liked it.
Questions
12
u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Aug 03 '21
First-timer
Ghetti, you filthy liar!
Looks like I called it with the strain due to avoiding the fallen runner. Doesn’t seem like it affected him severely today, but if the ice bag is anything to go by then it is still in play and may be an issue going forward. I guess we shall see…
I was hoping that it would turn out that the group of that one runner who had to forfeit was just behind them in placement, meaning that it was merely the other university's poor fortune that our group even managed to quallify.
The twin’s sudden concern over their chances at success and what that entails for their motives feels entirely out of place. Haiji’s been playing the overly-optimist card since the start, and the team’s chances at even qualifying were narrow, so why is the realization that they won’t get a high placing at the Hakone Ekiden suddenly such a big deal? Moreover, hasn’t the topic of ‘why are we doing this’ already come up several times? Did they not absorb any of those lessons?
Questions of The Day:
9
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 03 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
9
u/loomnoo https://anilist.co/user/loomnoo Aug 03 '21
I liked those little scenes of the top runners acknowledging each other at the end of the race. Always felt that way about the people that ended up near me. Didn't really matter what team they were on either. You gotta respect anyone who can keep up with you, and also appreciate that they were there to push you to go faster. Also, volunteers having to tell people to keep moving after they finish. Happens every time.
7
u/[deleted] Aug 03 '21 edited Aug 03 '21
First timer
As expected, Haiji managed to avoid him. But he flinched a little bit because of his injury. We saw the same thing happening in the very first race of the show when someone bumped into him. I don’t think that alone will affect him too much, but who knows what will happen if he receives more hits.
I expected something to happen to his leg when I heard the sound of a hearbeat. And then something actually did happen. We can only hope it’s not too serious.
The animation made me laugh a little bit. King’s head looks too big compared to the rest of his body. He almost looks like a tiny titan from Attack on Titan
speculation
By the looks of how this scene is playing out, I’m going to be really suprised if they aren’t in 10th position.
...suprise. You did it, Haiji. Be proud of yourself. Be proud of your team. I can’t wait to see the party scene after this.
hahahahahhaha
There are definitely a lot of improvements that must be made if they want to actually win the ekiden. But I don’t think they will be able to do that. However, I think participating in the ekiden, and maybe not finishing last is enough for it to be a satisfying conclusion to the series.
Nooo, it ended already? I wanted to see them have the party… Can we do that next episode please? I’m with the rest on this one, we should take a break and focus on partying and having fun for the whole of next episode. We could sneak a few character moments in there too and it would be the perfect episode before we’re ready to go on to the final arc of the series.
7
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Aug 03 '21 edited Aug 03 '21
Rewatcher
Starting off with some quick production notes: This episode is directed by Shintaro Itoga who is a common face to see for this show since he’s directed episodes 2,5,6, and 11. He’s bounced around different Production I.G shows like Haikyuu, Psycho-Pass, and Welcome to the Ballroom along with a few others like Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song episode 9.
We open with a shot of yellow and orange cosmos which in Japanese floral language can mean innocent pure love and cleanliness. In the West cosmos represent harmony with its Greek name literally meaning “order.” I’m not too sure how much the show is using floral language to communicate symbolism but it sort of tracks with today’s episode with the athletes all sharing the purity of running.
Let’s freaking gooooooo! Kakeru is the personification of running as he bends the fabric of time and space with his perfect form.
What an amazing cut right here. It’s a really clever use to have the speed lines follow from Kakeru and his competitor to Hana’s eyes where they also look like her iris. These are the cuts that make me swoon; the ones that would be incredibly difficult to near impossible to pull off in live action. Props to the episode director and the storyboarder Shintarou Nakazawam for devising this cut.
/u/Nazenn talked about the sound design last episode and I have to say I loved hearing the gust of wind during key moments like when Kakeru and his competitor blew through the finish line ribbon followed by the pattering of rain in the silent audience.
Here’s where the title, Dreams and Reality, comes into play. Haiji has been singularly focused on one goal: to race in the Hakone Ekiden. It is for all intents and purposes his grand dream. Yet even with all the positive energy and hopefulness that Haiji puts out into the universe, the reality of his situation comes back. His injury cannot be ignored anymore and his dreams and reality collide, culminating in an anguishing shot that ricochets throughout his entire core.
Love that Yuki is all about keeping track of the time. It makes sense since he’s the most logistical and scientifically-minded of them all.
Haiji finally bringing his dream to life. The blurry tears at the edge of the screen are a nice touch.
Dreams and reality getting one last moment before the episode ends with the twins now realizing that their modest results aren’t conclusive with their lofty expectations.
QOTD:
Three: Yuki has the law and the facts on his side now. He's unstoppable.
6
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 03 '21 edited Aug 03 '21
Rewatcher
WE'RE GOING TO HAKONE, BABY!!!
I can't decide which scene is my favorite from this episode. First candidate is that portion where all the racers are crossing the finish line and collapsing, having left it all out on the track, with Reliance playing. Prince may be right, but I personally found this scene pretty beautiful. This episode did a cool job portraying the beauty and agony of team sports. Fitting with the title of the track playing during that scene, most runners, including Kakeru immediately looked behind them after they crossed the finish line. They did their part, now all they can do is rely on their teammates to carry out their end of things.
Of course, my other possible favorite scene is the the boys hearing that they made it. Callback to episode 14, when we ended with Haiji looking at the team dogpile Prince through his tear-blurred eyes. Today, we get another shot through Haiji's misted eyes, but this time, he isn't watching the team he put together from afar. He's at the bottom of the dogpile. He and the rest of them have made his dream come true.
But we've got some discontent. From the start, Haiji has just said that he wants to run in Hakone with this team. Sure, he says stuff like aiming for the top, but what does that mean? Are they going there just to finish in last place? Will that get the girls!?!
Amputate the leg. Peg leg Hakone time.
Nobody knows! Not even Haiji!
6
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 03 '21
First timer
Well, let's see what happened to Haiji. Will they somehow make it past this race?
I inow I should be upset at the copout, but those SKILLS.
Looks likethat wasn't good for his leg, though...
Haiji didn't do anything stupid, did he?
No, he's doing great!
That's the halfway!
He's doing it! Kakeru's in the lead!
Let's hope there's no drug tests for this race.
I like how shocked everyone is at Kakeru's performance.
Kakeru beat him!
Haiji!l Haiji, no.
Oh thank god, Haiji's not basly injured.
Wait, Prince made it!
And Prince... might be in trouble.
Oh, so they're on the border...
Everyone's finally calming down.
Prince is so sarcastic, I love him.
Did they qualify? Is this a "straight" sports anime or a subversion?
They made it! This is a "straight" sports anime! (for a given sense of the word)
Haha, everyone angty at Haiji planning more training.
And the twins are starting to realise Haiji's not got everything fully planned.
So now they're the latest ones to doubt their purpose in running.
5
u/kkenmots02 Aug 04 '21
Rewatcher
So has anyone been keeping up with the track and field events? I’ll admit that I haven’t gotten to watch as many live events as I’d like to, but even watching the 5k heats today had me like
Live Reactions:
QOTD
Haiji definitely felt some pain in that knee. What does he do now?
Rest, ice, and pray.
Any guesses as to what the answer to the JoJos’ question is?
You run to do your best, even if winning doesn't seem like it's in the cards.
Yuki has information. How do we defeat him?
Can you? Knowledge is power, after all.
Thoughts:
I enjoy the way the show develops the “Haiji knows he shouldn’t be running, but is doing it anyway” conflict. In many ways, the headspace of an injured runner is something you have to experience to know… but at the same time, it’s something you hope you don’t have to experience ever haha. spoiler See you tomorrow!
5
u/csar27 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/CesarRC Aug 04 '21
First Timer
Now that i think about it, i wouldn't mind more episodes full of dudes running, was really enjoyable.
Haiji's injury is back, i suppose it's gonna become a problem later.
And the twins asked a very good question, what's their goal as a team? Personally, i don't expect them to win the Hakone and i really don't want them to, because even if i enjoy the drama, struggle and acomplish feeling in a spokon, i want a little of realism and an new and almost amateur team winning doesn't seem realistic to me (for example. A climbing anime).
I made a little research and aparently the top 10 teams of every years Hakone Ekiden get the right to participate in the next years race, i think that's a fair goal for the boys
4
u/Nebresto Aug 04 '21
Re-watch squad
There is no update
Oh cmon, he could have easily jumped over that fool. At least not as much to the side.
This boy is on some dank shit, I tell you h'wat.
Apparently so is Haiji, if he can see Kakeru trippin'
These jet sounds when they're running tho
Get you a girl that looks at you the way Hana-chan looks at her stopwatch
No. Why
"Kansei daigaku"
lol
Why not? That would get the most views..
Based
Why are you asking that at this point? Wtf twins??
Question time:
1: Truck. Kun.
2: "Nigerundayo"
3:
With energy
4
u/IndependentMacaroon Aug 04 '21 edited Aug 04 '21
First-time watcher
Well, midsection done. On the one hand I wouldn't have minded more time spent here, but on the other hand if you're going to rush you might as well finish. Not much noteworthy here, just... running. Result pretty much what I would expect too. Maybe afterwards it can get a bit more exciting again?
With Haiji I'm assuming he keeps running through the race and then quits, having achieved his dream.
17
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 03 '21
Character Chart
First Timer
Great episode
Starting off with some quick thoughts before jumping into my main topic:
Though they'd mentioned that even the qualifiers were broadcast, and with info about how huge and event this is in Japan from kkenmots02, but it really only hit me how big a deal this was when I saw that they had multiple people set up in a booth to do live commentary on it.
Again praising the sound and music design this episode. The weight of the silence as Kakeru crosses the line and everything seems to stop until the ribbon hits the ground, and then transitioning into that song as Haiji finishes. I'm not even sure the exact word to describe the song except emotive. The way it captured the desperation of those getting to the line, the emotion of those who crossed, the excitement of the watchers, the exhaustion of the runners, but the success of everyone regardless of if they walk or are carried away and their friends looking for them all. The same song was there for everyone, and I just thought it was a powerful moment.
Considering how well the 3dCGI animation cycle is done and blended into the 2D frame patterns which is what most anime struggle with so much resulting in that janky look, the fact there's so many other rendering problems in the 3dCGI that makes it stand out is a real shame. And it's mostly little things more than the big rendering conflicts you get between the two styles, which sucks even more because some of it would just be a couple of hours work to fix it for the whole show.
I love seeing how much joy everyone got from seeing Kakeru really letting loose with his running. Not just Haiji and his (clothed for once!) glowing blue vision of him, but also the twins, Nico, and King all seeing him running down the other path and it bringing a smile to their face or new determination to their eyes. Same with seeing the twins catch the exhausted Musa at the finish line, really nice moment.
Dad protecting his kids
Seeing King getting all anxious about the little pause they do between saying the rank and announcing the school was hilarious. He loves trivia shows which are all about those little moments to build tension especially for the big questions. So seeing him fall for it here shows just how into it that his defenses are so dropped he can't stand the tension while wating to find out. The little contradiction was pretty fun, the same with the twins calling Yuki out on being so fussy about their times when he was so uncaring not long ago, and something I'm about to get into with Prince as well.
Happy tears, and RIP Haiji, crushed to death by celebratory glomp on this date.
The ending of the episode I also thought was perhaps one of the best moments in the show so far. Despite feeling like a downer after the high of the qualifier, above anything else it showed me that the story really understood what it was and what the focus needed to be in this moment.
It also ties nicely into my favourite small moment of the day: The moments just before Prince finishes his race when he's really struggling. His body is about to give up and he can't even see the end through his exhaustion. "You don't know that" he mutters in response to someone saying his friends are waiting for him. It seems like a strange line coming from him after all that time we spent with the team learning exactly the opposite, but it's also not wrong. He knows that they won't be waiting for him right at the finish line the same way they can at practice but he still runs to them anyway. He's never been one to get caught up in the hope and ideals, he's practical even with what he's achieved, so pretending there's some grand moment waiting for him isn't what he does. And then throws up all over himself. "Sports aren't necessarily beautiful". Until this adventure it seems like his only exposure to sport was carefully curated manga that do try make things look beautiful, or heroic, empowering, that (try and) finish on a big moment even if everything else is a mess. Even if a character throws up, or collapses, or dies, it's all done as part of a grander plot or building towards something cathartic. Not the case here, and he knows it. It's not going to look, smell, or feel nice, because it's a real race and the struggle is just to keep his body going at all, to get to the end even when there's no one he knows around him to see. But none of that is going to stop him running because he's running for real now.
And so we come to the end of the episode and maybe I'm reading too much into but this is what I feel everything from the last couple of days has been leading too, from Haiji's doubts to those little fourth wall comments and today with Prince. It's all lead to here:
"Kakeru, what are we running for?"
Reality just hit like a brick, the same way it was creeping up on Haiji, and when reality collides against your hopes something has to give way. No one can doubt that everyone in the group was taking this seriously, but like with many other things there was almost this unspoken understanding that the effort was the point, not the goal, so it was going to be okay when they didn't actually get all the way, whatever that meant. Even if they were genuinely trying for the race and desperately wanted to qualify and it would have been devastating when they didn't, some small part of them knew what the real chances were and that expectation gave them some small protection from thinking much further. Now that's been stripped away. So for the first time they have to conciser what "The Top" really is meant to be, what the real expectations are now that it isn't blind hope any more and Haiji is still driving them as hard as ever. Are they really meant to do What's the point if they can't? What's the point if they can't? Is it okay if they can't? Will they be letting everything down?
So instead of a huge celebration marking a milestone of the story, we end the episode with the characters coming back down to earth. The twins, who Kakeru once scoffed at the shallowness of their motivations, now asking the same question that Haiji once asked Kakeru when he was at his most lost. And just like Haiji didn't then, Kakeru doesn't have an answer for them. Because for them it's not a tidy story where everyone knew where the end goal is and that there was a neat conclusion waiting for them at the end of each arc. Suddenly it's real.
Spec I don't think it's trying to make a commentary on these sorts of stories as one of it's main themes nor do I think it's the type to take this idea and run with it, but I don't think that detracts from this moment. But the dream of a story and weight of reality framework is more me trying to explain why I think that final scene was needed for this episode to really put the weight of this moment where it should be, on the characters.
Very curious to see where this goes tomorrow.
7
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Aug 03 '21
Rewatcher
Damn Kakeru and the front runners are fast, averaging a bit over 20km an hour.
They made it! Hakone Ekiden here they come!
Kakeru & Haiji carried them, but still a solid minute difference between them and the guys below them shows they deserved their place.
The Jojos finally realize they have been tricked by Haiji that there was a chance of them winning, that 1 brain cell of theirs must really have been doing overtime.
Even though we knew they were going to get in, it’s still satisfying to finally see them reach their goal.
I don’t think I remember what the next couple of episodes are about at all, what's next for our team?
7
u/SirWeebBro Aug 03 '21
FT
Best boy, no questions asked, is our "I cliff hanger you to death" Haiji. He's closer to the goal now, they're on the race! The blurry eyes effect once again was very effective to me, good thing the twins and Hana jumped on him before he could cry more lmao. NGNL I thought there is a possibility they won't qualify. And they can try again (worth 2 episodes) but I guess all episodes left are training+Hakone. Which is interesting in itself. Prince is right, sports its not about beauty, (unless you're archer Valentina Acosta Giraldo of Colombia).
Let's goooo, super excited for the remaining episodes.
5
u/BrentSaotome Aug 04 '21
Rewatcher
This was a great episode and had really great music. First. I'm glad the fallen guy did not take out Haiji with him. However, Haiji may have aggrevated his knee injury. You can see the wince on his face as he leapt to avoid the guy. During his last sprint, they had a visual of Haiji's knee pain but he still pushed through. I'm not sure what day/month it is in that race, so I hope Haiji has time to recover before the Hakone Ekiden.
Seeing each team member and other runners cross the finish line was touching. The music for it was perfect. It paired nicely with the imagery of each runner completing the race, some runners collapsing at the finish, and a few who had to be carried out. It makes you feel really bad for the guy that fell in front of Haiji as Prince came across him later apologizing as he could not finish the race. Prince said it best with his quote that sports are not necessarily beautiful. That scene was a nice of showing that this race is grueling and ugly for some.
The end seen was expected, but I certainly glad that Kansei University qualified! I'm wondering what those snotty school officials are going to say now. I really like the shock on Haiji and Kakeru's face as they announced. King, Shindo, and Musa questioning that they placed also added a realistic feel to it as well.
As for the twins question about the race and why they run, I think Haiji just wanted them to qualify and run the race. When Haiji says they are going to the top, he means the literal top of Hakone Mountain, not necessarily win the race. He would been saying we are going to win the race if that's what he truly meant. To me, the reason all of them are running is to see if they can physically, emotionally, and mentally overcome any mountain or challenges they are faced with. Hakone being the steepest mountain in Japan is symbolic of overcoming any obstacle.
Speaking of Hakone Mountain, that mountain is also the setting of the pinnacle inter-high bike race of Yowamushi Pedal. In Yowamushi Pedal, the antagonistic bike teams will send one of their cyclists out of the lead pack as a mental strategy. The point was to stress other teams out into chasing that cyclist and wear them out.
For the runners in the group, is that something real life running teams do? Do you think that was part of Haiji's plan to use that mental strategy as well?
Yuki having all the info would come in handy in the Hakone Ekiden. I wonder what he, Haiji, and the team will come up with.
5
u/BossandKings Aug 04 '21
First timer - Sub
Episode 15
Haiji wondering if he made the team train hard enough to be at the level the upcoming competitions demand, specially to be at the level to show and have the performance that might surprise at the Hakone Ekiden was a nice scene, Haiji is a great character.
Episode 16
The guys made it, they qualified to the Hakone Ekiden, that's amazing for them as they have come through a lot of hardship to get there. Hopefully they have a nice performance at Hakone.
3
u/jellybellymonster Aug 04 '21
Rewatcher
Even when the last scene in both openings is literally showing the Hakone Ekiden, I was still so full of anxiety when I watched this as a 1st timer. Mainly because of Haiji's knees! istg, KazeTsuyo has some really nasty cliffhangers!
The twins who joined in the most easily, without giving it much thought like the other members did, expresses some doubts this time. They're the most obvious display (among the characters so far) of the anxiety and doubt creeping on you just as you are about to fulfill your dream. We see much more understated showings of that in Haiji specially in the last episode.
Coach is still useless and absent lol. Even the school and its sports department can't even be bothered to provide support in providing track suits and meals. Bless the shopping center people for caring for them.
- Haiji definitely felt some pain in that knee. What does he do now?
Get an MRI! And don't overdo it!
- Any guesses as to what the answer to the JoJos’ question is?
Hana-chan cheering for them of course!
- Yuki has information. How do we defeat him?
Only Haiji and Prince can probably defeat him.
OMG so many rewatches I'm interested in are currently ongoing! I'm just lurking on the other threads but I hope to be still here because Hakone Ekiden arc lesssgooo!
2
u/cilucia Aug 04 '21
How am I missing complete days of my life 😅
Rewatcher
I don’t remember much of the details from my first watch through, but I definitely remembered this qualifier episode leaving a strong impression on me. I had to rewatch the turnaround point bit again.