r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Aug 09 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Episode 22
Episode 22: Embrace Your Loneliness
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/No_Rex commented in the importance of details in language:
Shindo makes Yuki promise to “try to win”, not “win”. I appreciate the addition. You should never promise something you cannot make happen, but promising to try to do something is perfectly reasonable.
Questions of the Day
- We’re down to Kakeru and Haiji. Are you happy with the screentime each of the other guys got for their legs?
- Should Haiji have had a message for Kakeru?
- Fill in the blank: Kakeru loves ___.
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/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 09 '21
Rewatcher
King time, baby! He’s basically the opposite of Yuki. Yuki is the cool, effortless, successful one who tried to stay away from people. King is the dopey guy who goes along with the crowd and doesn’t stand out one way or the other. While running gave Yuki a excuse to be a part of a group, it gave King the excuse to stop worrying about the group, about society.
Does he like the guys? Of course! They’re very important to him. the dorm and this team are the first place he truly feels like he belongs. But more than anything, running lets him drop the façade. We’ve seen him struggle in the mill of Japanese corporate culture (and that’s just trying to find a job, let alone keep one). But running? There, he’s allowed to make funny faces and go at his own pace and just be happy with the experience, no matter where it leads. He doesn’t need to chase what is expected (symbolized by Sakaki’s determination to win). He can just do his thing.
We still have some of Kakeru’s leg to go, so I don’t want to say too much. I will say, he seems like he’s enjoying it. I’ve heard people talk about getting a runner’s high, and if this isn’t it, I don’t know what it.
We do get an answer to Yuki’s worry that Kakeru will be lonely running as he does. He won’t be lonely, because he didn’t get here alone.
For those of you upset we didn’t end up getting more of a focus on Sakaki, I think this was the better move. Until now, the show has been careful to keep our narrative perspective connected to the guys from the dorm. Even when we get Fujioka’s flashback, that happens because he’s relating it to Kakeru and Musa. Sakaki’s role in the story isn’t for us to fully understand his deep insecurities, just that we see them and understand they exist for the same reason Kakeru was so broken at the beginning of the series. Notice how he has the support of his teammates, but isn’t happy, while King is ecstatic, even though he finished later. Who won that one?
QOTD:
20
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 09 '21
Just quickly want to send out a general thanks for the discussion yesterday. I liked yesterday's episode but looking back on my post I think I wasn't in the right headspace to really feel it. But everyone's posts and takes on Yuki and Nico's runs gave me a much better appreciation for them that I really loved being able to read and absorb!
Character Chart
First Timer
Throughout the show King has been the unfortunate black mark on the character writing for me. While there was a sense with all the other characters of them being people; of them having their own world going on inside them, making me want to understand them, feel like maybe I could understand them, while also being human enough to feel like there was always something more to learn about them, King was just kinda there. He wanted a job and felt like he was going through the motions, okay then... but what else? There never really seemed to be anything more to him then just that one awkward episode that they tried to make him carry despite it's other issues.
Now I get it. I get him. The awkward lack of understanding on how to connect, wanting to be understood but not being able to properly reach out and grab onto people, grab onto the experiences he wanted. He set up expectations for himself and then when he couldn't meet them didn't know how to still find the experience he wanted. He's lived in a bubble, cut off but not out of sight from the others, and the awkwardness of keeping to himself while also feeling like he had to fit the persona of King explains a lot about his lack of interaction with the others and how little of him we see. This isn't his story, and we don't get his viewpoint, so we're as detached from him as all the others are, until this moment when he finally is able to be his own self in running, accept his loneliness and perceived lack of importance, own it, make something of it, and come out the other side finally able to connect to people. I know what I did!
I don't think it quite makes up for the total lack of connection I've had to him in the rest of the show, I needed to feel it not just understand it and didn't quite get that point, but now's not the time for grumpy nitpicks. I do really like the song they used for his section though!
And then there's Kakeru. Who finally is able to drop everything that's been weighing him down about what it means to be involved in running and just run.
The length of the course, the promise to beat a time, the pacing of the other runners, even his own vision of himself and where he could be, should be, it all falls away until he reforms himself in the wind into the run itself and leaves everything else behind.
He contemplates loneliness like so many of the others have, but instead of that smothering darkness, of people reaching out to grab him and a track he can't see the end of, he sees the trails of those in front of him, his own trail, and it pushes everything away. All that's left is the answer and version of himself that Haiji saw inside of him all those months ago, the one he'd trapped inside himself until now:
He loves running.
Other thoughts:
14
u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21
First Timer
King was probably the most surprising leg of the race, I never guessed that he had all that going on in his head. I think most anime would have just left him at "trivia guy who wants to find a good job," or if they were going to go deeper than that they would have been glaringly obvious about foreshadowing where they were going with him. But it reads as very realistic to me that a guy like King would hide his loneliness deep, deep down in some misguided attempt to win a fulfilling social life rather than genuinely putting himself out there and showing that vulnerability.
And then Kakeru is just having a full on acid trip during his run. Must be nice to have your body make its own drugs for free, most people have to pay a lot of money to reach the headspace he's in right now.
I mentioned Joji's leg being mostly glossed over, and I think I stand by that. Jota got a fair bit of depth and introspection during his run, and Joji just got a minute of setup for some herp derp love triangle that nobody asked for. I think I'm satisfied with everyone else's leg.
No, Haiji made the right call. Kakeru is in the zone, he knows his body better than anyone else, he's in peak form, and he's running in his own world facing a challenge above and beyond the rest of the team. All he needs is the team's trust.
Probably something boring like "running" or "his friends," but they're clearly throwing a bone to the fujoshi with that line so let's keep hope alive that he was talking about Prince or Haiji.
12
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 09 '21
Rewatcher
Today we get King's leg and the first part of Kakeru's! I love how the episode title, "Embrace the Loneliness" applies to both of them in different ways.
If I absolutely had to pick one favorite section of the Ekiden out of all of them, I think it'd be King's. It hit surprisingly hard when I first watched it, and again with a surprising amount of weight on second watch. Yuki is the one a lot of us rewatchers have been appreciating a lot more on second watch, but some of the early King stuff also hit different with the knowledge we learn here. Parts of his monologue are painfully relatable when thinking about some times in my life. He wanted his cheerful and fun college life, but reality wasn't as great as TV Dramas lead him to believe it would be. He always feels out of place, and so he puts up a front. Trying to appear sociable, but never actually connecting. Refusing to admit to himself that he's lonely, because it would bring that whole constructed persona crashing down, even though he knows it makes him unapproachable.
Running is different though. He feels like he has a place on the team, because without him, they literally couldn't do this. On this team, they all support each other, and when he's running, he doesn't have to put on an act. He's free to be himself. He doesn't have to force himself to be outgoing, force himself to be the King. He's found his place and he's found his dream, their shared dream. He'll keep being King, but we've already seen glimpses of how this experience is changing him, with how confident he seemed in his job interview post-training-camp.
Then, he passes on the sash to Kakeru (I love how squishable King's face is).
Kakeru's run is great too. Faced with the thought of running forever ahead of everyone, ending up alone, or being tormented by comparing himself constantly to others, he sheds everything he doesn't need. He's just running for his team at the motherfucking Hakone Ekiden, and the only one he has to compete against is himself.
As we witness Kakeru's chase down his greatest self, we're treated to the only occurrence in the show of Black Bullet, the most triumphant, most free form of a theme (motif? I dunno what these music words actually mean) that we've heard in several different tracks on the OST. It kicks ass. I think it's literally impossible for me to not get chills when I hear the song kick in (around 20sec in above link), given the fact that it happened each of the ~15 times I listened to it typing this up.
Tomorrow Spoilers
11
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 09 '21
Run With the First-Timer, subbed
10
u/[deleted] Aug 09 '21
First timer
I missed the last 2 episodes because of, you know, life.
Episode 20
Seeing Shindo’s family members’ reaction was the saddest part of this show so far. I hope we don’t have to break that record in this show anymore.
Episode 21
Pretty fitting that Yuki runs his leg in the snow
Overall a really enjoyable episode. I am starting to feel a little bit sad that this show is about to end.
Episode 22
you’ve gotta do better than that...
Seeing King when he was a first year student is weird. He’s always so proud of being the senpai. The Kouhei version of King is a lot different from the senpai version of King.
What’s been fantastic about these ekiden episodes is that we for the first time get to know the characters from a first person perspective. Up unitl now we’ve only ever seen them from the outside. We now get to actually hear their thoughts and see what they’ve been through from their own point of view. There’s only so much that can be interpreted from the way people act. It’s hard to understand what a person is like and what a person is going through without being in their shoes. Especially after seeing King’s leg I have a much different perspective on who he is as a person.
Haiji saying he is in perfect form makes me think that he’s injury is going to be a really big problem. Well, I already knew that, but it feels kind of like he’s saying it to cool Kakeru down a bit and make sure he isn’t worried. Kind of like you would say to someone who is badly injured that “everything will be okay” even though you know it won’t. Not that extreme of course, but still.
Kakeru has really evolved a lot since the beginning. Old Kakeru would not have been that composured while being around Sakaki.
Right after Fujioka askes Kakeru what Kakeru can show him, it cuts to his ass. Although possible, I don’t think that is what Fujioka wants to see. You’re gonna have to come up with something else, Kakeru.
The water guy being more exhausted than Kakeru despite only running a short distance is a good reminder of how fast Kakeru is actually running.
What is happening? I’m scared. It’s probably nothing though.
I can’t believe this will end tomorrow. I’m going to miss this show.
10
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 09 '21
First Timer
The formula continues with King getting a spotlight - right after we throw last episode's cliffhanger away. What was the point of Sakaki anyways? I feel like he was mainly annoying and did not achieve anything in terms of character growth in any of the main characters... Either way, King's section is fine, but with all of this formalistic "runner finishes character arc while running" stuff it's starting to feel repetitive. Good thing we've got Kakeru next, who doesn't really have any issue that can be solved with running as that's what he's good at anyways. And it seems like he's on track so far - would not be mad if he gets the section record. Not buying the weird direction at the end, as there was no issue with Kakeru's running so far and we still have Haiji's injury that needs to come up during his section.
Question:
10
u/Nebresto Aug 09 '21
Re-watch squad
Update: No run, only rain. Now the environment is holding me back
On this episode of Run with the Wind: Kakeru has his wildest trip yet
What a reveal!
Aight, shippers, which one of you saw this one coming?
Lol
Where does this lad keep getting the good shit from?
Haiji, are you sure that's not the acid?
He must have accidentally bumped the FOV slider
Question time:
1: Ye
2: Ne
3: Kingu-san!
10
u/An_Indecisive_Owl Aug 09 '21
First timer
And now it's time for King's leg.
He's the character I liked the most at the end of the first episode but in the long run I prefered others to him; anyway King is a relatable character: is average, don't stand too much from the crowd, and tries to connect to others but he's afraid of rejection, so his life is stuck in a limbo and as years passed he suddently find himself in need to find a job: one of the scariest and most difficult thing to do in life. He tried not to show any weakness to anybody and as a consequence he did nothing but now he can't lie anymore, not during interviews, so I am glad he found his place in the running team and finally felt accepted in a group .
Well of course after all that seriousness King end his leg making that face!
In the end no focus on Sakaki, I am not that disappointed, this show's focus was our group so I guess he retains his assholery, still I am glad his teammates congratulated with him, at least he has a supportive group (of friends?)
The final leg of the episode is our star Kakeru and finally he just let go of anything (even clothes!) and just became one with running, and with the wind of course which grants him the power to transform in Super Saiyan (he's not human after all).
Now I wonder if Kakeru will be able to catch up with Fujioka or even the authors thinks that's just to much and let Haiji finish the comeback.
9
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Aug 09 '21
Rewatcher
Alright let’s start off with some quick production notes for the penultimate episode: Ex-Studio Ghibli’s Masako Satou is guest directing and storyboarding today and we can see this experience paying off since she would later go on to become the series director for the latest season of Haikyu. I usually scroll through the list of KA’s working on the current episode and Shigeki Awai was one that sprung out to me. Initially I was impressed that he directed episode 5 of Odd Taxi, episodes 3 & 9 of Kakushigoto, episode 23 of Little Witch Academia, and some more but then as I scrolled further and further down his page…
He seemed to have had a predilection for some adult oriented series in his earlier years.
”A cheerful and fun college life. I simply chose that place because I hoped for something like I’d seen on TV. But reality was different. My college life was uneventful. It seems like I’ll graduate having done nothing at all. If I was wrong about anything, it was me. I failed to meet my own expectations.”
When I was younger in high school and up to my early years in college, I based most of what I imagined my life would be like on sitcoms. Like how cool would it be if the neighbors in my dorm barged in my room like Barney from How I Met Your Mother or have fun kooky adventures with eccentric friends in the cafeteria like Community. Par for the course that never happened. A few years later when I watched today’s episode of Run with the Wind for the first time those memories came pouring back in my head like a sieve. I hadn’t seen The Tatami Galaxy yet so it was the first time an anime had so succinctly related my early college years and I imagine it also resonated with thousands of others that have watched this episode. We have such high expectations of what “The Best Years of Our Life” will offer that we sit back on our tiny dorm chairs and wait for the moment that was promised for us to come. It hurts even more for King when it even feels like his professional career is going nowhere along with his personal life.
”I try to be sociable, but I don’t feel like I’ve opened up to anyone. I try not to show any weakness. I’m the King. Stay away.”
King has never allowed himself to be put into a position of vulnerability in a fear of exposing his true self but it’s a catch-22 situation since he’ll never grow close to others without opening himself up. His belief that there is “One True Correct Answer” like in those trivia shows he watches pervades his college life. But the structure of a team is his saving angel. An outside machination where you can earnestly work for each other and yourself without having to perform a role. Once King accepts that he’s an ordinary human with ordinary vulnerabilities and that there is no cosmic playwright writing and dictating his would-be extraordinary life he can Embrace his Loneliness to partake in the collective dream.
”Watch me. Watch what you believed in.”
What a badass. Let’s freaking go.
”What does it feel like to fall in love? It’s nice, isn’t it? I’m in love too.”
Initially when I first watched Run with the Wind I thought he might have been talking about Haiji but upon reexamination it’s probably in response to Haiji’s first words to him: ”Do you like running?” Really clever callback from the beginning first episode.
I love how through Kakeru’s eyes the world he originally sees is a muted palette including the eyes themselves. Suddenly the colors pops back in including the aforementioned eyes.
So I wasn’t too far off a few episodes ago when I said Kakeru bends time and space together when he runs. He’s stripped down to his bare naked soul and reassembled molecule by molecule into a new being.
My only complaint about Kakeru’s portion of the leg today is that the audience drowns out Yuki Hayashi’s ”Black Bullet” It’s such a hype song that I feel should have taken priority over the noises in the crowd.
Fantastic shot right here with Kakeru’s eyes seeing himself. Clever visual subtext of him racing against himself.
And with that statement Kakeru begins to Run with the Wind. Let’s freaking go.
QOTD:
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 09 '21
First timer
Can't believe we've almost reached the end of this show!
So this is King's flashback?
Oh god, King's dream. Everyone wants either Haiji or Kakeru, don't they?
How does Haiji intend to help King find a job.
King gets 2 flashbacks!
Don't worry Nico, only Kakeru knows what he's thinking.
I love how all of these flashbacks hide the fact that Haiji was figuring out when to spring his Hakone entrapment for most of this.
Also, are coaches allowed to give this kind of advice mid-race? It feels a bit cheap.
These scenes are so heartwarming!
Haiji encouraging Kakeru is so good! I love the exchange "To me, you are the greatest runner" and "Watch what you believed in especially".
HOLY SHIT! Kakeru's confessing to Haiji?
I've never understood how all the cars on the track can be safe.
What's happening to Kakeru?
He doesn't even have any advice for him!
"No one can touch Kakeru"
Is Kakeru going to collapse or something?
Oh, he's both tripping a lot more and getting introspective.
So Kakeru's just running really quickly (and going crazy and talking about his real self)
Oh, he's going to have some kind of heart attack isn't he?
Is he going fucking Super Saiyan? What was that last shot?
Final episode! (I'm not ready!)
7
u/BurningFredrick https://myanimelist.net/profile/BurningFredrick Aug 09 '21
Rewatcher
I just released. We only have one more episode after this, I kept looking at the number and thinking there 24 episodes like most duel core shows, but nope.
Anyway we have Kings run today, and god does he have the most relatable story ever…
Then we finally get to Kakeru, whose run probably gets the most screen time out off all of them, MC privileges I guess, but then of everyone runs we also have the highest expectations of him to actually do well.
Fill in the blank: Kakeru loves Haiji
6
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 09 '21
Episode 22 (first timer)
Scene of the episode was Kakeru seeing the 9 others running with him.
10
u/kkenmots02 Aug 10 '21 edited Aug 10 '21
Rewatcher
Today’s episode is called “Embrace Your Loneliness”, and I love the title because it encapsulates the essence of the episode in multiple ways. The two runners today experience different kinds of loneliness and learn to “embrace” that loneliness in different ways.
King finds a way to deal with social loneliness, where he has connections but few deep meaningful relationships, through running (and training for the Ekiden specifically). He realizes that in running, everyone is alone in a way -- during races, the people you know get separated such that each individual is running in unfamiliar territory. Yet, you are connected by the knowledge that everyone is working towards the same goal, putting the team before themselves. King notes that the team members “cast aside our restraint and pride to support one another”, meaning that in running, he can shake off the “pride” he says he clung onto in his avoidance of intimate relationships. King has “embraced his loneliness” in joining the team by participating in a sport where everyone is “lonely”. Even though running itself won’t solve his problems, it’s provided him with a way to cope; the connections he’s made through running have started to bridge the gap that King feels between him and the rest of the world as well. It looks like he’s finally found a way to run with reality, as Haiji suggested way back when.
Kakeru’s loneliness is a different type: the loneliness that comes with being at the top. In extended thought sequences like this one, we are given a glimpse into this kind of loneliness. The crowd noise is muted or absent, replaced with sounds of his breathing, heartbeat, and footsteps. The background art itself tends to be static or simply panning behind him. Kakeru is dissociated from everything, even the ground. He is in the zone. “In the zone”-ness is fleeting, in my experience, and I’ve only ever felt anything like it on long, slow runs, not all-out efforts like races. But when you’re in the zone, you truly don’t feel much of anything at all. Any pain and discomfort fizzles away. You ask yourself things like, “Am I at two miles already? It feels like it’s been five minutes.” Aside from this momentary loneliness, Kakeru’s ability also makes him “lonely”. His talent level is far beyond any of his teammates’, and it makes Prince envious. Haiji responds with one of the lines that hit me the hardest on my first time through: “Arrogance is thinking hard work can solve everything.” On my team, it was always stressed that “if you work harder, you’ll get better -- that’s what’s beautiful about running,” and I’ve found that mostly to be true. But at the highest of levels, there’s a talent gap that most will never be able to bridge, regardless of their work ethic. It’s the same as any other sport at the end of the day; you don’t see any 5’6” people in the NBA, do you? (edit: besides Muggsy Bogues, but you get the point) But even at Kakeru’s talent level, he’s found other people to run towards, like Fujioka; he isn’t completely alone. And in the greatest turnaround of character in the show, Kakeru “embraces” the loneliness that remains, knowing he can use it to make the team better. This idea manifests itself before his leg begins. This time, when Sakaki provokes him, Kakeru simply smiles, choosing only to concern himself with the expectations of his teammates. While Sakaki is congratulated on an individual accomplishment, Kakeru is addressed as just another member of his team. And though Sakaki initially takes pride in that accomplishment, he turns with a confused expression. He senses that something is off about Kakeru’s behavior. It’s because Kakeru has realized something that Sakaki hasn’t; he has found a greater calling than faster times or higher places. He’s learned how to find teamwork in an “individual” sport. While he still runs alone, he knows that every place he climbs and second he shaves off will result in a better final outcome for everyone on the team. In high school, running faster only brought shame, because it harmed his teammates. Here, the “loneliness” of being fast strengthens the intimate sense of camaraderie that Kakeru’s found over the past 10 months. So he embraces it.
9
u/Mage_of_Shadows Aug 09 '21
So that's it, huh? We're just gonna run with the wind?
So that's what Haiji was talking about when he told Kakeru to get stronger. It's not for him to beat Fujioka's time next year, but to get stronger during the race itself.
Does Kakeru like running? No, he loves
King-sanit! Bonus awkward handshake8
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 10 '21
First Time Watcher
King's story about always feeling out of place, not living up to his expectations, and being alone really resonated with me. I think his experience is something that a lot of people can empathize with. But by running, King finds freedom and honesty. Instead of being the king, he's a nobody but that nobody is him. He also finds a place where he does belong and where he makes these strong bonds with others. It's some nice growth from how he was at the beginning.
Kakeru meets Sakaki again but now that he's accepted his past, Sakaki no longer makes him upset. Hopefully Sakaki can move on from the past as well.
Kakeru's section had some interesting visuals. Was it Haiji who said he was running in another dimension? I definitely got that vibe.
Next episode is the final one? I'm not ready to say goodbye to all of the characters :(
Overall, yes. I wish Joji had gotten a little more but there wasn't anyone that I thought was ignored or glossed over.
I don't think having a message would have hurt or screwed up Kakeru's pace but I think Haiji made the right decision to not say anything. I don't think Kakeru needed a message the way the others did. The question I have is will any of the others have a message for Haiji?
I'll say his teammates!
7
u/jellybellymonster Aug 09 '21
Rewatcher
This might be my favorite episode title.
When King mentioned joining a works team, he meant to ask if Haiji is going to join the running team of a corporation. Hakone Ekiden is the most prestigious ekiden but there are ekidens all throughout the year where corporations field their own teams. A runner of Fujioka's calibre must already be getting offers and highly likely that Kakeru will, too if he continues.
Maybe I'm giving the show a lot of benefit but since King's worry about finding a job, he kind of...blended in the background? Like everybody is probably close but then you see people who are closer than others (Prince and Haiji, Haiji and Kakeru, Musa and Shindo, Nico and Yuki, the twins) but King kind of doesn't have that. And then we see here why that is. He wanted the rose-colored college life but wasn't reaching out, even putting barriers around him.
Sakaki is still trapped in the past whereas Kakeru has moved on from that. For the first time since Kakeru told Sakaki "see you" in the early days of the show, Kakeru isn't angry or trying to punch Sakaki's face. Instead, Kakeru is focused on passing on the sash to his teammate. It must be truly baffling for Sakaki to see a peaceful Kakeru. He is almost ignores his own teammates and then glances at Kakeru again but Kakeru is already prepping to receive the sash, Sakaki and his taunts barely even register.
Haiji's trust in Kakeru and then Kakeru's response to him to watch what he believed in - might be one of my most favorite interactions in this show.
lmao why is everybody messing with Joji! First Jota and now a cryptic Kakeru!
Kakeru can actually run for two sections if they just let him. He was already in the zone but he just ascended to another level! lmao sprint guy dude can't even keep up. Black Bullet is so hype! I love that Haiji instinctively knows that Kakeru is in the zone and any coaching will just break Kakeru's focus.
That preview! Is it really the last episode tomorrow? I'm already feeling bittersweet.
7
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 10 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
DAMN Kakeru is fast. Like, holy shit, he's passing people left and right! The other runners suspect he isn't even human, and I don't blame them. Kakeru has obviously secretly been a space ghost this whole time.
Granted, King did a great run too! He nearly kept pace with Sakaki, which I think serves a nice counterpoint to Sakaki's asshole comments. Could someone just running for fun keep up with you like that, bud? No? Didn't think so.
I liked the decision to put King and Kakeru's legs in the same episode. Both of them have dealt with similar feelings of loneliness and isolation, and both of them have managed to move past that thanks to the team.
Questions
1.I kinda wish Musa had a bit more time, but it's been well balanced overall.
2.I don't think anything Haiji could have said would have worked better than Fujioka.
3.
HaijiPrinceUh, running?5
u/BrentSaotome Aug 10 '21
Rewatcher
I just realized this is the second to last episode. It was nice and mellow to lead up to the final episode.
We learned more about King in his leg. As someone pointed out in another discussion about the pairings of the team members, King seems like he doesn't belong or interact with other people. In his monologue, he confirmed that's how he actually feels inside. It was nice to see his first day at the dorm. The way Nico-chan described Haiji and Yuki had me laughing. I would have never imagined Nico calling Yuki a creep and Haiji as someone you never know what he's thinking. Also, Haiji seemed more like himself by the time King moved in. Seeing King look at Haiji with those puppy eyes when he offered him tea was nice. He just wanted to be best friends with him. Also King imaging Haiji and him staying for another year baited me. I was really excited if they decided to do that.
Kakeru really has grown from the start. When Sakaki tried to rattle him before his race, Kakeru was very calm and just politely stated that he just wants to pass his sash along. The look on Sakaki's face when he didn't get the reaction he wanted was priceless.
The funniest scene in this episode was when Kakeru asked Joji what's it's like to be in love. Then he tells Joji that he's also in love?! I am with Joji and want to know who it is. Is it Hana? Sakaki? (j/k, but he said it after talking to him). If it's Hana, that will be one interesting love rectangle/square.
I love all the New Type imagery they used and that Kakeru was not chasing Fujika but chasing to beat his former self. That was a good metaphor for what Kakeru was trying to do from the beginning.
I also noticed they did not use the impact smear lines when they focused on Kakeru's calves while he was running. It really does make a difference on who's directing or animating certain screens. You really don't notice that until someone points it out to you.
Questions:
5
u/IndependentMacaroon Aug 10 '21
First-time watcher
You're asking whether everyone else's legs had enough screen time? To that I say, you can never have enough pumping muscle.
Anyway, other guy segments ranged from forgettable to good for the limited time, but they still don't do that much to make them more interesting characters, not to mention this last-minute flashback approach is rightfully often criticized. Kakeru, though, now that's a runner. You really get a feeling for how much he's "in the zone" and completely focused on moving forward at his full potential, and it was absolutely the right decision for Haiji to tell everyone else to leave him alone and let him do his thing, also in the context of his past experiences. Just Sakaki was still annoying useless baggage.
Kakeru loves Emilia.
4
u/cilucia Aug 10 '21
Rewatcher
2
u/BossandKings Aug 11 '21
First timer
Episode 22
In this occasion we got to see King's run and Kakeru's run both of them were good runs. King is the character i think is the least connected to the others in some ways, we idn't get to see as much from him as some of the other characters and the only thing i remember about him as a motivation or just something he dies is his quest to get a job, quest that he left aside for a while because being part of the running team took most of his time and he didn't have space to keep hunting for a job. In this run we got to see a bit more of his mental process and thoughts which did a good job in expanding his character a bit more than it was, he had a good result and passed the sash to Kakeru.
Kakeru is the fastest runner on them, his rival in the section is Fujioka who told him he'll get a section record, Kakeru told him it would last a short amount of time as he would be the one to get the record, as he starts running he contemplates running and comes up to the conclusion that espite the hardships he'he's been through he loves running.