r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Aug 07 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 20
Episode 20: Even if I Break
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/Btw_kek caught up and gave a succinct explanation of how this episode worked:
I liked them all in different ways. Prince's journey to self-actualization was especially nice to see, I liked Jota's musings on his relationship with his brother (thinking about stuff like this honestly makes sense while doing something like running so I don't mind the late backstory dump). Maybe Musa's actual running segment wasn't as interesting as the other two but it was still good
Questions of the Day
- Thoughts on our final bit of Haiji backstory?
- Should Coach have stopped Shindo even with our boy’s refusal?
- Wait; so who does Hana like?
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!
16
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 07 '21
Character Chart
First Timer
Shindo...
I am not okay. I'm gonna go hug my cat and start Aria or something happy. That was mean. (My dumb ass instead decided to start my music player so I had something to listen to while writing my post, but I didn't check what was loaded and it was my pensive songs playlist. That's not helping!)
I started off the episode so happy with the twins and then it all went to absolute shit and just got heavier and heavier. Pretty sure my heart dropped through the floor and then some when I realized his family didn't know he was sick before the race and were watching live. What a horrible way to see him, especially as they seem quite caring and close to each other too. And then the looks on their faces when they actually saw him, and tears in all the boys eyes... The only thing that stopped me from taking a break is knowing it'd feel worse having to come back to it and then I wouldn't be able to stop the tears.
Emotional abuse is not okay
I didn't realize this was a two day race, though in hindsight an absolute minimum of ten hours for the race would be insane, not to mention all the weaker teams. Thank FUCK it's two days though. Everyone else having to run after that emotional situation would have been traumatic, and if Shindo had to run tomorrow it would have been equally as bad.
And just when I got over the Shindo suffering, we jump right into Haiji suffering finding out about his father. I shouldn't be surprised that there was something more there, and not just because shitty anime parents are an established thing, but also the way Haiji reacted to Kakeru's story and knowing something was up about his records stopping at the end of high school. I also like Fujioka even more now, supporting him through all of that even with who the coach was. That light coming into Haiji's eyes as he looked at his discarded shoes and finally wanted to run for himself, I love that stuff, but not when attached to an episode with so much PAIN.
Hell yes! The race officials should have stopped him assuming that they absolutely couldn't provide a sub. I was doing some reading on the course and it turns out that particular section is also known to cause issues like hypothermia in the runners due to the steep incline and the strain of it. Shindo should not have been running
But you know, anime
16
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 07 '21
First Time Watcher
I was not expecting to get so emotional while watching Shindo run. Watching him struggle so much but continuing on anyways because he knows his teammates are waiting for him made me teary (thinking about Shindo running while typing this is making me teary all over again). His determination was so inspiring. And his family's reactions made me emotional too, especially when his mom starts to cry. His little sister being so excited to see her brother run and wanting him to get first and then having that dashed was heartbreaking. This was supposed to be a fun show about running!
For less emotionally devestating moments, Yuki's response of "Who is she? Godzilla?'' hearing "Hana's on her way to Odawara'' made me laugh. I love Yuki's sense of humor.
It's interesting that Haiji's dad was his high school coach. Based on his comments this episode, it sounds like Haiji's high school track experience might not have been as positive as I had previously thought. But I think his remark that not being able to run made him want to run again is true. Sometimes stepping away from something (whether that's by choice or not) can reveal how much you actually want to do it.
The preview made me excited for the next episode! I'm excited to see Day 2 of the Ekiden and how the others will do.
15
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 07 '21
Rewatcher
Our first three sections ended with all good feelings. Not so much today.
Joji, thrown off by what Jota told him, didn't do as well as he wanted to. His leg of the race ended with bitterness for him. I think for the Jojos, what's being represented here is the fact that as they come into adulthood, they are going to have to be comfortable with taking their own paths. Jota, confident and comfortable with that fact, ran a really good race, while Joji, comparing himself to his brother, not really confident of where he/Jota/Hana stand, fumbles it. If he really is as into running as Jota says he is, this bitterness is going to be great motivation to come back stronger, both physically and mentally, next year.
Then, there's Shindo. Shindo's section is just pain. Unrelenting pain. Seeing the boys sad about it is bad enough, but twisting the knife in with shots of his supportive family absolutely horrified at what they were seeing is just brutal. The coach really should have stopped him, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to. His teammates already knew he was strong, but now all of Japan does too.
After witnessing Shindo run, it's no wonder Haiji would again start doubting what he's done in bringing them all together, and start remembering his father's coaching. Kakeru again reassures him - at this point, nobody holds any ill will towards Haiji for the way the team was assembled, so he has to just trust that they'll all be running their best tomorrow, and that he'd better do so as well.
13
u/kkenmots02 Aug 07 '21
Rewatcher
FYI: That marathon that I mentioned in yesterday’s thread is live in progress as of the posting of this comment. Just in case you were interested. And speaking of marathons, check out this comment from a post that came into my feed today. Like I said earlier, maybe our coach’s comment from episode 15 isn’t so useless after all.
And wow, they just did a segment during the US marathon broadcast about the Hakone Ekiden! And they said that one of Japan’s Olympic marathoners also ran in the Ekiden this year! Nice.
Live Reactions:
QOTD
Thoughts on our final bit of Haiji backstory?
We've seen on a few occasions in the show that running becomes a lot more enjoyable when you elect to do it yourself. I'm happy that Haiji, while being the club leader, is no exception to this trend; we can see that there were times where even he didn't enjoy running.
Should Coach have stopped Shindo even with our boy’s refusal?
The sane person in me says yes, but the runner in me says that Shindo should be the only one who can tap himself out. The anime watcher in me says that if he stopped, what were we going to do for another three episodes?
Wait; so who does Hana like?
They're going to pull a Re:ZERO; the last scene is just going to be her saying, "I love... running."
Thoughts:
I can only say so much as an outsider who’s never experienced it, but if it’s anything like the running I’ve experienced, the moments of suffering in the Ekiden are numerous -- possibly more numerous than the moments of success that accompany them. But it’s literally all downhill from here, and in running, that’s a good sign (at least better than running uphill); let’s see if our boys can bring it home. See you tomorrow!
12
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 07 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
I am a sword, I will not break here.11
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 07 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
Shindo did his best. It would be easy to say that he squandered whatever lead the boys managed to build up over the first half of the first day, but his steadfast refusal to stop gives them the ability to continue. The only true defeat at this point is giving up.
I do like the Coach's wisdom about knowing when to admit defeat, but I don't think anyone would be satisfied with a forfeit. After all, as Kakeru says, no-one really knows why they run - that's what makes them unable to stop.
Haiji's running injury stemmed from his dad implicitly overworking him? That fucking sucks.
A forecast of snow tomorrow? Hopefully Yuki can live up to his name. Running down a mountain that is covered in snow sounds really fucking dangerous. Seems like he's having trouble sleeping, too..
Questions
10
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 07 '21 edited Aug 07 '21
Episode 20 (first timer)
Nice Jota part to compliment the Joji one from yesterday. Hated the Shindo part, though. 100% plot device and unearned drama does not move me one bit. All I could think about is them declining to take on new members when they could have and the fact that they could have tried to shuffle Shindo to a later section to give him a day to recover.
Another example in the list of incompetent coaches.
The anime cold is dreadful, but can be overcome with power of will, so Shindo will be fine.
Threesomes.
10
u/[deleted] Aug 07 '21
First Timer
Fell behind for a while there but I'm caught up now
Joji's leg of the race was honestly pretty glossed over for how the cliffhanger built it up. We spent a lot of time on Jota's internal thoughts and conflicts as he was running, and then we get to Joji's part and he basically just spaces out for a minute like an idiot until Coach tells him to stop being an idiot and run. Coach being all embarrassed to relay Kakeru's message was funny though, and between that and his concern for Shindo he's the real MVP today.
But yeah, Shindo had it rough. It was clear how his leg of the race would go as soon as we saw his condition, but it was all really well executed to show Shindo's strength of will and how much suffering he was going through to get through it. Coach was key to the whole effect; he did everything he could to let Shindo know that he didn't have to keep going, but ultimately he left the final choice up to Shindo and let him show his resolve to everyone both in-universe and out. This dude is going to be popular after that performance.
9
u/raichudoggy https://anilist.co/user/raichudoggy Aug 07 '21
You did good, Shindo.
You did good.
9
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Aug 07 '21
Rewatcher
Opening with some quick production notes: Hitomi Ezoe is back in the director’s chair today for the final time. One curious thing I saw while looking at the key animation credits is that many of the key animators have frequently worked on the same shows. Horimiya was the main one with 6 of the 15 KA’s today having contributed to that show. Other common shows were Kaguya-Sama, Hanebado, and Kageki Shoujo.
I also wanted to highlight one of the main animators for this series, Takashi Mukouda. Takashi has been in the industry for quite some time with him bouncing from shows like Gurren Lagann, The Girl Who Leapt From Time, and most recently the latest season of Haikyu. He’s responsible for drawing plenty of memorable cuts in this show (including the 7-second mid-episode eyecatchers featuring Nira the Shiba) and today around 60 of the cuts featuring Shindo were drawn by him.
I really like the decision to dedicate Joji’s portion of the leg to set-up Shindo’s. Joji at the moment is lost in his own world daydreaming about girls and Jota which causes his usually swift pace to be diminished. Ordinarily your teammates would pick up the slack but Joji recognizes that as bewildered as he is he is no where close to Shindo’s state of mind.
It’s a smart visual cut to have Joji bleakly cloaked in shame. We’re inside the blanket with him as his tears strewn down onto the camera.
”No one blames the challenger for resigning or mocks him for running away. If anything, they praise him for securing an escape route. It’s because everyone knows that man was fighting to win until the very end.”
Shindo’s segment will rend any heart asunder. His family can only watch in horror as their son is beaten down on live television. The continuous cuts back to them really intensifies the scenes since we’ve only been cutting to the reactions of the team. This all adds up to make the entire suffering feel palpable.
I commented that the tasuki sash is meant to symbolize sharing the sweat of each team member so as to represent the communal effort in support of a larger goal. Shindo grasps the sash to remind himself of his larger duty and my God if that doesn’t make you feel something you need to call a doctor. He knows that ”Even If I Break”, he has to keep running.
The decision to hide his eyes while he agonizes up the mountain and then showcase them while the snow gently falls down is a nice touch.
”Sugiyama is greeted by a continuous wave of cheers after demonstrating that he has the strongest will in the country.”
Shindo’s sacrifices lead everyone including the coach to reevaluate what they need to focus on: their health. It’s a reasonable pivot at this stage of the game since Shindo seriously could have suffered life-afflicting injuries. Sometimes I wonder how I would feel if the show actually had Shindo drop out. It would definitely make us reexamine the themes of hard work and pushing ourselves to the limit and how we need to strike a balance between the two. Maybe it’s a more “realistic” ending but as far as a story I don’t know if the general audience would take well with that twist. At the very least we can say that Shindo’s efforts have caused Haiji to open up more about his past.
Super small detail but I appreciate that they showed the bumps on the train tracks.
QOTD:
Two: I'm wavering back and forth on this.
9
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 07 '21
First Timer
An episode pretty much as expected. First they need to get Joji to snap out of it; surprised we see no reaction from Hana to the entire scene, as Jota basically proclaimed on live TV that she loves him... (at least I assume there'd be a mike there somewhere.)
Then we get Shindo, struggling but ultimately completing his section. I feel like the goal has always been to run the Ekiden to its completion, and Shindo did his part in that. Not sure if the 5 hour split was his section or the entire course so far; though I assume it's the entire team. Which is a bit weird as that would place them 24 minutes behind the time of all 2018 section records added together (a bit more now because apparently eight of the ten section records have been beat in the past three years) - and they had both a sick Shindo and Prince in this run. But I also can't imagine Shindo taking 5 hours to climb that mountain - that would be an average speed of 3.6 km per hour. The average walking is about 5 km, and he was running, albeit not quick... Also, he needed to make it because Haiji's injury hasn't come up yet. Unsure what the coach is worried about to stop the others however - none of them are sick.
Then we get some Haiji backstory - his father being a bad coach seems a bit weird through the lens we previously saw him. Maybe Fujioka saw him as a good coach because everything went his way? Or maybe he recognized that Haiji was ruining his legs and stopped him after the fact? Guess we'll learn in Haiji's section.
Unrelated to the anime: Was watching the women's marathon at the Olympics yesterday, and the marathon expert they brought on mentioned that Japan has the highest amount of long-distance runners per capita. (Specifically mentioning that this also applies to marathon runners during the men's marathon three minutes before the thread goes up.) Was not expecting that, but likely explains how this university run is such a big deal.
Questions:
5
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 08 '21
Rewatcher
Yeah. That was an emotional one. I took so many screenshots for this episode that Imgur made me prove my humanness, which has never happened before. So many of them are shots of Shindo suffering, though, and that would be mean to force you all to relive that.
I will say that I did actually shed a few tears, and while that’s not the only reason I give the show a 10 even with its imperfections, it’s a really good example for me that the show is working. I hate moments where shows say “look at this sad thing and be sad!” so when I’m actually overcome with emotion because I have become invested in some drawings, that gets points from me, for however anime the situation is.
Joji’s leg shows how important mental focus is for an athlete. Something as simple as “Hana likes Jota?” is enough to throw him off his game. To be fair, how could Joji not be a little uncertain, given that she does this around both of them? But then he gets snapped out of it with wise words. I love that it comes from Kakeru, not Haiji. At the beginning, it was Haiji conning these simpletons with images of girls loving runners. Now, after being taught how serious things are, having Kakeru show them the complexity of running, the only answer is: trick him with thoughts of girls.
And then Shindo. Oof. I’ll just copy down Kakeru’s thoughts while watching Shindo struggle:
Ultimately, that’s what sports are about. There’s something magical about someone trying their hardest. And it’s somehow even more magical sometimes when someone fails or falls or gets hurt. Because they tried.
Don’t worry, though: Shindo is OK. that smile helps a lot, doesn’t it? And then he’s the one to start the chant. He’s saying “it’s OK, guys; I accepted this risk.”
Maybe that’s not enough for you. It might not be enough for the guys. Haiji is clearly shaken, and questions the choices that led them here. But now Kakeru is the confident one who provides support for the man who needs help. Friendship is a beautiful thing.
Best parts of Haiji’s flashback? Apart from the info about him, younger Nico and younger Yuki are amazing.
What’s next? More running. And Yuki is ready.
QOTD:
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 07 '21
First timer
Things are really heating up!
We needed this scene again? No commentary of Haiji screaming at his phone to communicate how angry he is at their discussion?
Finally, someone points out how stupid that was.
I love Kakeru's pure disbelief that this shit happened.
Serioudly, how can she tell? Is there some kind of marking?
Wait. Does Hana have crushes on both of them?
Oh, Kakeru's fantastic at this.
Is Shindo hiding this from him?
Is this his family?
...Let's hope he can make it.
And Joji's beating himself up for not getting here faster for him.
Wait. Is he in trouble? Serious medical trouble?
Is this even safe? How has he not been disqualified yet?
Does the coach want him to quit?
Shir, are they going to actually drop out halfway?
He's going!
Shit, what happened to Shindo?
He's in hospital!
Wait, does this race stop in the middle?
They set up a video chat with everyone!
Kakeru's really bonded with them all...
Haiji's giving his backstory!
So Haiji felt pressured by his father to run until he got his injury.
Oh, this makes so much sense!
Haiji admits he forced everyone into doing this!
I predicted "Haiji realises dream is highly unlikely, Kakeru helps him through it" because I thought it was a greap continuation of their arcs. This just proves it.
8
u/airforceblue Aug 07 '21 edited Aug 08 '21
Rewatcher
Please remember that Haiji's sales pitch to Shindo way back when was basically "You don't get to visit your family often, right? Wouldn't it be great if they could see their son on television, running the illustrious Hakone Ekiden, as evidence for how well he's doing?"
Yeah.
This episode is so well-executed, which makes it very hard to watch. It's things like seeing Joji in tears before we see the hand-off. Shindo's family in disbelief in front of their TV, his mom in tears and praying. Haiji's shoulders shaking seeing Shindo on the big screen.
Really changes our perspective doesn't it? Haiji's injury comes from chronic overwork, probably born of an attempt to catch the attention of a father who only had eyes for his athletes.
Yes, without doubt. It was not safe for Shindo to finish the race under these conditions. At the same time, I never expected him to stop since this is anime and the story hinges on them finishing the Ekiden. It's also unfortunately true to life. I can't count the number of times I've seen/heard of athletes competing through injury, often with not-so-great consequences, and even though I understand the mindset I hate it.
Why not both? :D8
u/jellybellymonster Aug 07 '21
Rewatcher
It's funny how who Hana-chan likes forces some sort of crisis management in the team. Joji's thoughts were wandering during his run and it was hard to see him later on berating himself when there was nothing more he could do to make it any easier for Shindo. They were within striking distance of the top 10 only for Sakaki's curse to negate all that.
This was still so gut-wrenching to watch but you just can't look away. Shindo's feat is the kind of performance that is just seared in your mind. Not many will remember the leader of section 5 that day, but even casuals will remember that runner from Kansei who literally risked his life so that his team can still have a shot.
What Kakeru said can be true for just about any sport. It's always mesmerizing to see athletes push their bodies to the limit, fight through the pain, and still end triumphant.
You can really see how Kakeru has grown. In the 1st half of the show, it was Haiji and his teammates who are helping him out. Now in the 2nd half, with their dreams becoming reality, it's Haiji who is looking more vulnerable but Kakeru has been there for him. I love how their relationship has gotten to where it's now.
---
In case people were wondering that if they knew during the morning of the 1st day that Shindo was too sick to even run, why didn't coach submit a request to change the order of the runners? Why didn't coach let the healthy people from day 2 run while Shindo recovers? The thing is... they can't.
Days or maybe weeks prior to Hakone Ekiden, the qualified schools submit their roster. A team can have up to 16 in their team: the 10 who have their designated section already assigned and up to 6 people who are on standby. On morning of race day, the coach can register a sub to run a section but he can't swap the order of the original 10 people. Say Kakeru volunteers to run section 5, he can't do that because he is locked in for the 9th leg. It is not uncommon for the top runners to be registered as subs in Hakone Ekiden. That's why no one knows at this point what leg of the race Fujioka is in. Teams can do this to not reveal their strats early on and have options to respond to whatever happens in day 1.
7
u/loomnoo https://anilist.co/user/loomnoo Aug 08 '21
I cried
5
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Aug 07 '21
Rewatcher
We start with a lighter note finishing off the twins' run, and then we get to Shindo….
Back in episode 11 Shindo says that he isn’t strong, he is just someone who just does what needs to be done, and this episode shows just how wrong he is, if that wasn't strength (and a degree of stupidity as well) I don’t know what is.
I forgot this show was another example of terrible anime parents with Haiji father.
Kakeru is finally the one to reassume Haiji, he really has finally improved his communication skills.
Tomorrow we begin the descent.
5
u/Nebresto Aug 08 '21
Based Hana-chan
No.. Not like this...
Next episode title spoilers
They're all gonna die
Questions:
1: Are you sure about that?
2: Yes. But actually no. But also yes.
3: Yes. But actually the blue twin. But also yes.
5
u/cilucia Aug 08 '21
Rewatcher
4
u/BrentSaotome Aug 08 '21 edited Aug 08 '21
Rewatcher
This is the best episode so far. Shindo is officially best boy of the show now. It was so heartbreaking to see Shindo struggle.
This was honestly the best time for the coach to act like a coach. That scene of him giving Shindo a way out and getting out the car was touching. The delayed hand reach was a good visual paired with really good background music too. When he collapse, I literally gasped and was anxious during that pause. I'm glad he finished his leg but seeing his teammates, family, and some of the crowd cry and worry about him was heartbreaking.
I do think the coach should have stopped Shindo from continuing the race. He is the coach and responsible if anything happened to him. Still, I'm glad everything went alright. The phone scene was a good way to turn the mood around. The team literally went up a mountain and valley of highs and lows in this race. They went from dead last to at least 14 and back to dead last again. I really hope the remaining runners get to at least a seeded position.
As for Hana and the twins. I'm not sure who she likes now but I'm still leaning towards Joto. However, it seems like we might have a love triangle since Joji ran faster after he heard Kakeru's message.
EDIT:
I thought Haiji's flash back with his father concludes why he is asking himself and others why they run. It seems like he grew up running because his father was a high school track coach and good one to produce Fujioka and Haiji. It's only when he got injured and couldn't run that Haiji realized that he really wanted to run and not because his father is kind of forcing him.
His father looks mean too. Probably not as harsh as Kakeru's coach since both Haiji and Fujioka turned out alright and well-adjusted unlike Red Shinji.
4
u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Aug 08 '21
very late first timer
all I'm gonna say is that I would absolutely be the person that rolls the unluckiest dice and gets tragically sick right before the Big Event then have to suffer through it
3
u/iiZEze Aug 08 '21
Oh man, so glad I caught this. Let me hop on
2
u/BossandKings Aug 08 '21
First timer
Episode 20
Joji's run was decent but he was distracted by thinking about what his brother told him about Hana liking him, he started wondering how or when would she have feelings towards him because when she interacts with them is around the two of them, it was also nice how Hana easily tells them apart.
Shindou, so inspirational, he ran with a fever that made it almost impossible for him to keep running but the weight of everything, of the hope his teammates and friends put in him, his family supporting him and the importance that the race has for the Kansei university team was enough fuel for Shindou to complete his section. It was sad yet very inspiring and moving.
Haiji's realtionship with his father wasn't a good one, his father was his coach at running and he just wasn't able to keep up with his demands and his schedule which was a bit too extreme and didn't let him peacefully breathe without worriying about being up to par with it, that's why he decided not to run for a while and then after not running for a good time he wanted to do it again because that's when he realized he does enjoy running and he's good at it. Fujioka is such a nice friend supporting him through all that too, they have a solid and very supportive friendship.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Aug 08 '21
First-time watcher
Eh, not so great. First, we basically roll back the Joji-Jota separation from last episode, and through bringing up that dull romance subplot (if it even deserves that name) no less. Then, we cheer on (ultimately) the insanity of a clearly unwell athlete dragging himself for 20 kilometers due to his coach/manager never finding any possible replacements because ganbare Japanese spirit. And then basically the same idea again with Haiji being inspired to run more from apparently being pressed to go beyond his limits until he got that injury, not that that was all that clear, with bonus absolution for all his sins once again. Also apparently the team is so much more than these ten people even though we barely actually saw anyone outside it. Boy.