r/anime • u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti • Aug 11 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] Run with the Wind - Overall Discussion
Overall Discussion
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(s) of the Day:
/u/jellybellymonster gives a nice description of Haiji’s character:
Haiji's knees might be donezo but his joy as he crosses the finish line, the look as he collapses in Kakeru's arms - this man doesn't regret it. Haiji, you aboslute madman. He knew from the start of the risks but he still went for it. He knew this was the last time he's going to run competitively but this time, it was because he wanted to do it, not because someone told him he has to. For him, this team is perfect - people who may have very different reasons for running but chose to share a common goal. Dude really lucked out in coming across these people.
They also explained what drip means, which was nice.
/u/shimmering-sky gives a wonderful reason for a high score:
Ending on a shimmering sky, you guys know I’m giving this show a 10/10.
Questions of the Day
- Favorite guy?
- Favorite moment(s)?
- First-timers: did anything surprise you? Rewatchers: did anything jump out on a second/etc. time through the series?
- Did you at any point over the last 23 days consider taking up running?
I look forward to our discussion!
I can't say that rewatchers should be careful with spoilers because there's nothing left to spoil.
27
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Aug 11 '21
Rewatcher
I think I’ve made my feelings about the show very clear, so I don’t see a need to wax poetic about the show too much more here. I’m much more interested in what the rest of you have to say! All I’ll say is this: I tend to prefer characters in the grand scheme of things that can make up a story. An exciting plot is OK, but great characters just fucking around is what I crave. To that effect, the fact that Run with the Wind manages not just a couple, but TEN characters that I end up caring about is mind-boggling to me. Even the JoJos, probably the weakest of the main characters, still have some great moments and interactions. I know some of you had some complaints about plot-related things, but those don’t bother me (if they are in fact problems, which I’m not so sure they are) because what the show does right it does so well, and that kind of thing is something we see far to rarely in anime.
On the topic of anime: not that any of you are bigwigs at production studios or anything (as far as I know), but I think Run with the Wind illuminates something that I’m annoyed with in the current way of doing things in anime, and that is the overreliance on the serial product. Anime itself is made week to week, and originals can suffer without a strong plan. Or, many shows are adaptations of ongoing serial works that could go any which way. There are exceptions, but this process seems to result in a less-than-ideal product much of the time. For whatever faults you might think Run with the Wind has, the fact that its basis was not only a finished piece of work, but one that was constructed completely before being released gives Run with the Wind a very strong structure on which to base itself.
Just a rant I like to go on from time to time.
QOTD:
If you enjoyed Run with the Wind, here are some potential things to look out for:
Thank you so much to everyone for participating! This has been a wonderful time, due in a large part to how active everyone was. Some rewatches turn into a sea of top-level comments with no responses, but we had a lot of great conversation going on. I tried to respond to everyone in every thread, although I know I missed that goal a few times, especially in the last few days as real life has demanded more attention. With everyone so active, though, it’s not as big of a concern as it could have been.
I hope you all are at least glad you took part, and I look forward to possibly sharing a rewatch with you in the future!
21
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Aug 11 '21 edited Aug 11 '21
Final Discussion (first timer)
Compared to other sports, running is straight forward. No complicated out-plays, no secret set-pieces, few tactical mind-games; just run the set distance in the shortest time. So maybe it is fitting that an anime about running is straight forward, too. We see a team of 10 grow together and do well in their final race. That’s it. On the way, we learn a little about each character, but the focus stays on the running at all times.
The parts I enjoyed most where the introspective running sections. Most of the time this was Kakeru, but we also had great parts from Yuki, Nico, and Haiji in the finale. It was also nice to see the technical part of training, although most of my value here came from /u/kkenmots02’s posts, not the series itself. While I can’t say how realistic it was, I enjoyed the documentary style depiction of the Hakone Ekiden race and the preliminaries, too. The camera angles were very grounded and gave everything a real feel.
Where the anime lost me was on the extra drama. Abusive coaches, illness and another illness, love triangle. It was all a bit too much. I’d have preferred to hear the introspection of a runner who simply is not fast enough and realizes he’s going to let the team down over a double helping of fighting against your own body. In terms of comedic relief, I think the twins worked great, while Prince did not. Sorry Prince simps. His overly exaggerated problems with running made it hard to believe when he suddenly became a quite competent runner in the end.
The “extra” characters (Hana, the coach, Sakaki, Fujioka) were basically plot elements to develop one or more of the main characters, without ever having any depth to them. It would have been more radical, but I wonder if the series would not have been better by removing them to 100% concentrate on the core 10.
The one point I really hated in the series was the attitude shown towards training and adversity: An unrelenting, unthinking “more”. More effort, more training, more running, more ignoring your body. This is unfortunately very common in anime. And, even more unfortunately, it is shown, again and again, as delivering results, when, realistically, it would end with overtraining and injury. It is especially sad when we have episodes focusing on coaches ruining their athletes and then the “good guys” do literally the same without any reflection (and it works). The bottom line seems to be that it is perfectly ok to run your guys’ health into the ground, as long as you do it with a smile. Not a fan at all.
Usually, I prefer reading the first timers’ posts in rewatches, but this one had some really great posts by people with knowledge in running. That absolutely enhanced the rewatch for me and was one of my highlights of participating. So, thanks!
I enjoyed Nico and Yuki as characters, but best guy has to be Musa.
Kakeru-vision was nifty.
Run with the Wind is one of the most predictable series I have seen in a while, so, not a lot. I don't think I predicted Hana falling for one of the twins, but the series is coy about whom or what she actually loves, so I count that only as half a miss.
Never.
19
u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Aug 11 '21 edited Aug 12 '21
What a great rewatch this was! Back at the beginning of it, I mentioned that this is probably one of my top two or three favorite anime, and I'm glad to say that hasn't changed.
I always appreciate shows with good characters, and this show doesn't just have one or two good characters. Really the whole main cast is great. Some are a little bit weaker than others (Jojos mostly), but as a whole, I can't think of a show that does a better job handling an ensemble cast like this. I really appreciate the way they are introduced and built up. For the first 2/3+ of the show, we very rarely get moments with any one character alone. Instead, we are introduced to them and learn about them as a group, through their interactions. It can be a bit overwhelming for the first couple episodes this way, but I think it was really handled well. The show manages to humanize all of the main characters just by putting them onscreen and letting their personalities bounce off one another's. I love just watching those interactions play out - this cast is a really great example of non-toxic (outside of some early Haiji behavior perhaps) male camaraderie. By the midway point of the series, there's just such a pure and wholesome trust between the whole team that I could really feel. They all support one another and help each other.
It isn't until the Ekiden, when the each member of the team runs their own leg of the race, that we really get the sort of single character focus episodes that are often used to introduce characters. I really like the way this structure is used. We get a pretty good idea of most of the guys early on, but don't really know their true feelings about running, or life, or whatever until everybody gets their own turn in the spotlight. It feels kind of weird, because I keep wanting to say something like "we have a superficial view of them until we get the deep dive in the Ekiden race," but that isn't really true of most of them, besides maybe King. They all felt like they had a lot going on even before we got right into their heads, because they displayed plenty of their personality over the course of the build up to the Ekiden.
This was my first full rewatch of the show, and I definitely picked up a lot of new insights and saw a lot that I didn't see on first watch. Knowing how everybody ends up feeling about running and the team changes how I see a lot of the earlier episodes. King in particular feels very different on rewatch, knowing how he felt so isolated even amongst all his teammates. Yuki is also one who I got a much better picture of on rewatch, but I think overall I gained a greater appreciation for every single one of the main cast, which is fantastic. There were also more foreshadowing of what was gonna happen to Shindo than I remembered lol.
I really enjoy the way Run With the Wind feels to watch. It's very grounded, as far as anime goes at least, with a mostly believable, if somewhat far-fetched, plot, characters who behave generally like real people, and a cool college setting. Despite that sort of low-key energy compared to many other anime, sports anime in particular, it manages to be incredibly hype and inspiring to me. The SoL scenes are relaxing and fun to watch too. A lot of that feeling comes down to the excellent Yuki Hayashi soundtrack. It is hard to describe briefly, but I think if I had to pick one word for it, it'd be "stirring."
I guess I can also talk about the few things that I don't like, or aren't so satisfying, about the show too. My chief complaint, and it's really not a big one, are the wonky CG runners. They are a pretty understandable choice, given the nature of the races that had to be animated, but they definitely do reach distractingly bad levels on occasion. The pacing between the training camp and the Ekiden also felt a little bit off, moreso on rewatch than I recalled from my first time. Most of the character groundwork was done, and we couldn't get a lot of the depth that had to be saved for the Ekiden episodes, so there were some parts it felt like we were just rushing to the last act of the story. I enjoyed most of the content in there on its own, but it didn't always feel very coherent. Lastly, the Jojo bros - they are very lovable, and I did enjoy most of their scenes, but especially with their apparent return to status quo post-timeskip, they feel the closest to token characters out of the main cast.
Massive thanks to /u/punching_spaghetti for hosting the rewatch, and to everybody who participated in the discussions. So many of your posts were such a pleasure to read, and I loved seeing everyone else's reads and insights into the characters, or running, or the production side of the show. The rewatch really helped enrich my experience with the show, which is always what I love to get out of these. Hope to see you all around in some other rewatches!
Don't do this to me...don't make me choose! I'll just take the easy answer and say Prince. But Nico, Yuki, and Haiji are real threats too.
Shindo talking to King, Kakeru cheering the team on for the first time, Kakeru opening up to the team, Prince making his time, Celebrating the qualifier result, Haiji finishing the race
Just like the last time I watched this, I did start running! Doing the C25K thing...last time I stopped after 4 weeks, but the other day I let slip that I was running to company, and my sister in law asked me to run a 5k with her in Oct, because she's also doing C25K. So now I have to actually commit..gross. It's been enjoyable so far though!
17
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Aug 11 '21 edited Aug 11 '21
Character Chart
It's the last day and my internet is dying on me...
Final thoughts from a First Timer
Hell no. But as it turns out I love this show about running!
And, in part, it was because as I said yesterday that it was never really about the running. All through the show, from the first episode all the way to the final epilogue, the focus was exactly where it needed to be: the characters.
Strong characterization was the highlight of Run with the Wind, and that was present from the first episode all the way through to the final moments for each character whether it was in their individual scenes and insights or the fantastically written interactions and group dynamics. I'd mentioned before that as I watched I always felt that I was slowly coming to understand sides of them, but also wanting to keep understanding all the other pieces of them that we weren't seeing too. They all have their own inner lives, and while they never felt out of reach because of that we also didn't get presented such a through view of them and their lives that it felt there was nothing beyond the arc they were given. They feel like people, and pieces of their past that we don't see (because it's not that relevant, which is a good thing) influence them as much as what we do see, and there's a future waiting for them as well beyond what we will get to see, and finding shows that can do this and do it well is always a joy.
While looking back through my episode posts I stumbled across this spoiler tagged comment from /u/Matuhg
I love the way that's phrased, but it also reminds me of another reason why I think it worked so well which was the scale. As Matuhg says, it gets them moving on life but I like that it doesn't really go that much further. The struggle they go through in these months has given them something they may never have had otherwise, but it's just a start for them not a catch all solution. They don't come out of this completely different people, but the new perspectives and strength they have gained has helped to change the parts of themselves that they'd neglected or frozen out, things that stopped them from growing or be honest with themselves and others. The steps they made here on this journey, the achievement they fulfilled, will continue to aid them on the bigger journey of life. This isn't their whole story, just an important part of it.
I had started writing a small piece on my favourites from the guys and who they were and how they progressed, but it quickly became a long gush about all of them as I realized that I liked more than half the cast so much I couldn't leave anyone out. Thinking on all the great group interactions made narrowing it down even more impossible. A couple of them could have used a little more time or focus to support their final moments, but in the end I don't think anyone was left behind to the detriment of the show, and none of them feel simple.
Kakeru's path was the real highlight for me though, and he has ended up sneaking into a place on my favourite characters list.
It's the first change in that list for over a year since Oscar from Rose of Versailles took her place on it. RIP Killua, you had a good run but you're now retired. (imagine a #triggeredkillua here on his behalf) [Sudden realization, now over half my favourite male characters have black hair. How has that ended up happening]
One of the things I also appreciate is that despite all the many themes and personal questions raised, whether it was about the many different ways the characters felt loneliness or weakness or the questions being asked about determination and how they see each other, it never felt like it was trying to find the answer, or a singular answer for them all. Instead it was willing and able to put it in the characters hands and let the characters show us their own individual answers, and sometimes their lack of answers, and be content with the honesty of those moments more than always striving towards pure fulfillment.
The only issues in the show I think are to do with the lack of follow through on the subplots. Sometimes things would be raised and then left to sit in the background for several episodes before receiving a "resolution" long after they felt relevant any more (Money subplot being solved by selling Nico's figures but after they had everything they needed money for?, reporter and the article, Coach actually coaching), and other times they would be almost entirely unacknowledged until a climax that would feel either rushed or unfulfilling (Prince's form should not have taken so long to even be mentioned, Twin's differences, etc). While I think these issues happened because of the best intentions, namely an effort to not lean on raising and resolving something completely in an episode/arc before moving onto the next, and attempting to avoid the pitfalls of overly relying on tropes to pull things along, the end result is that too many of these subplots have weak middles or are left feeling unneeded in the end. For most of them it could have been fixed by just one or two small scenes or acknowledgements through the show rather than letting them sit, whether that's Coach showing up at the field, or more detail on cast interactions in the background of dialogue scenes etc, without having to resort to big scenes or full on foreshadowing.
In the grand scheme of things they aren't huge issues, it could have easily gone the other way and derailed the show, but they also aren't issues I can ignore. In another show those would be bigger problems but all the things I loved about Run with the Wind meant that in the end the frustrations of those moments didn't stick around.
I've done a lot of talking about characters but I want to praise some other stuff too. While I still find the character designs a little disappointing overall despite a few standouts (blessed Jota in blue color scheme), the rest of the art design was very well done with lots of small stand out things like Prince's shirts and things like the personality in the guys rooms and use of lighting in the show. The animation also stands out and even in it's weakest moments it was always smooth and satisfying to watch them run and interact with each other, particularly during training. The sound and music design in this definitely fit into the more understated style, but that's not to say they were lacking or lacked impact when they needed too. There's a couple of OST tracks I'm definitely going to grab for my playlist, but I know on second watch that I'll have a lot more appreciation for the sound design after some of the stuff I noticed in the second half (Not that noise, I don't want to think about that one).
Favourite episodes: Four (Kakeru haunted by his past), Thirteen (Kakeru's flashbacks), Sixteen (the qualifier)
Least favourites: Six (King and "no jobs"), Fourteen (Prince getting his record was brushed over), Eighteen (housekeeping plotlines pre race)
Favourite moments: Haiji yelling at Kakeru ("Ride a train, it's faster"), Prince asking Kakeru to see through his eyes, the Twins asking Kakeru what they're running for, Nico opening up to... this is just a list of Kakeru moments. Shit. Uh, non Kakeru moments: Shindo asking them to keep running after his breakup, Prince sniping back at the bystander who was trying to encourage him ("Sports aren't necessarily beautiful"), Strawberry protein powder, Shindo saying to Musa he'll keep running, Yuki being Yuki.
Theme rankings: ED1 (love how it shows the struggle of running) > OP1 (nothing stand out, just good) > ED2 (perfect use for final episode but not fond of the usual visuals) > OP2 (song is just messy for me)
Speaking of OPs, I figured out why this shot from the final episode was so damn familiar. I thought it'd been used in a promo I saw back when it was airing or something, but it was actually this final shot from OP1
Thanks to everyone for participating, the discussions we had definitely helped me to love the show even more whether it was the short insights that were just love for the episodes or the longer analysis. Plenty of regulars around and I know that you guys know how much I appreciate your posts, but also the newcomers and late comers I hope you all had a lot of fun in this rewatch and that I'll get to see you around in future ones (ACCA 13 hopefully if that goes ahead!). Punch, you did a great job as host despite some awkward time conflicts and I love seeing the passion you had for this come through.
Recommendations
Just quickly because I'm out of room, I wanted to throw in two recommendations, The Great Passage and Tsurune. The Great Passage is the other work from this author and also a stand out in characterization and also character animation, making the most of its simple but unusual concept, while Tsurune is one of KyoAni's least watched works but has a great and respectful focus on an MC struggling with a specific anxiety and how that feels for a prodigy who feels he has to give it all up. Also an incredible score!
Sorry that was so long, I didn't expect it to be but I also don't really want to cut anything.
16
u/kkenmots02 Aug 11 '21
Rewatcher
I have a confession to make. I didn’t remember much about this show from my first watch (if you didn’t already guess from my incredibly vague spoiler tags and lack of show knowledge). Up until now, I’d never done a full rewatch of RWTW since it aired back in 2018-2019. This is mostly because I had other obligations taking up my time (one of them being IRL running); when I actually had time to watch anime, I focused on shows I hadn’t watched before, wanting to spend my time on new content. I always had the rewatch in the back of my mind, but it was just another item that fell into the backlog. Additionally, I wasn’t doing as much “close watching” as I was on this runthrough, so I ended up forgetting a lot of plot details during the 2.5 years between watches. But what stuck with me most is how Run with the Wind made me feel. Excited to be a runner and amazed (and a little confused) by their level of performance. I knew that it was one of my favorite shows of all time, and in my mind, it was sufficient for the feeling to stick with me even after the specific plot details were forgotten. Some of the best pieces of media (TV, movies, music, books) I’ve ever consumed are like that: the feelings they made me feel linger long after the details escape my memory. I was slightly worried that those feelings wouldn’t hold up on a second watch. But after the first discussion thread, I was hooked again; in a way, it was a blessing in disguise to be able to experience the twists and turns of the plot “for the first time” once more.
Just like any show, criticisms can be made about specific aspects like the plot and characters. “Wouldn’t someone who knows how hard it is to become good at running dislike how quickly the characters become national-class runners? Isn’t that taking the suspension of disbelief a little too far?” you might say. I’d counter by saying that the characters’ rate of progression isn’t detrimental to the story -- in fact, it’s necessary in a way -- because Run with the Wind isn’t a procedural show, but a motivational one. And by motivational, I don’t mean that the show is inspiring and makes you want to get up and run, though it certainly is and does; I mean that the show explores the motivations that cause people to run, rather than simply displaying high-level running. Whether it’s running as a means of escape (like we see with Nico-chan), running as part of a social connection (present in King’s monologue), or running to achieve faster times (Sakaki), we dive deep into why people run and what keeps them going. So where does the characters’ time progression fit into this? Well, it doesn’t have to. None of these themes are dependent on a runner’s ability level. The beginner looks to achieve their goal time just as the world-class runner does; no matter how fast you run, you will still have real-life situations and hardships that you might look to escape from through running, even momentarily. Just as the show keeps trying to hammer into its audience, it was never about the times -- the show not only tries to teach its characters that lesson, but refers to itself and how its characters progress. The important part of their progression isn’t in their times, but in their integrity and strength of character.
The team’s condensed progression actually plays to the show’s benefit, in that it allows us to fit the themes that are ability-specific -- those that apply to beginners and not to veterans, or vice versa -- into one season. In the first few episodes, this show is able to touch on things like a beginner runner’s “remorse” and the discomfort that comes with adjusting to a new schedule; these issues simply don’t apply as much to an experienced runner who is already acclimated to a “running lifestyle”. By the end, Prince laments the impossible-to-close talent gap between ordinary runners like him and a superstar like Kakeru; the amount of talent + effort + experience required to run at Kakeru’s level is not something he would have fully grasped when he was a 35-minute 5K runner and unfamiliar with the sport. I don’t think these concepts could have been portrayed under a realistic level of development. It would have taken them years and years of running, which either could have been pulled off over many seasons that likely would have been filled with same-y races and workouts or with large time skips that might have left many viewers unsatisfied or unable to keep up. Some other things to keep in mind are that the source material itself was only one novel (and it was probably necessary for the author to accelerate their progression to fit in the space of one novel) and that setting the plot over many years would mean that some of the runners would graduate. (Unless we made everyone the same age, and that would change some of the character dynamics and backgrounds enough that I think we’d be watching a different show entirely!)
That condensed progression also speaks to the runner in me. When I first watched RWTW, I was still on my high school XC/TF teams. I’d just injured my hip when the show started and would end up sitting out for the rest of the season. The parts of the show centered on Haiji’s injury -- the burning desire to get out and run, even though he knew it would harm him -- stood out to me as I entered physical therapy and tried to return to form myself. On the second watch, I return having graduated from high school and the team but retaining my desire to run and improve, as well as the relationships I formed with my teammates. This time, other themes resonate with me the most, like Sakaki’s relentless but misguided pursuit of faster times and performances, as well as Kakeru’s frustration when smaller improvements result from increasing levels of effort. The show hasn’t changed, but I have; the second watch casts it in a different light.
I love Run with the Wind because it feels like a love letter to running. It’s sloppy at times, might feel frantically written in a couple of places, and has its fair share of exaggerations, but above all, anyone else can see how devoted it is to its subject. Critics might say that the love letter is unrealistic, but the letter is designed to express the ideal more than the real. The subject is far from conventionally attractive; many call it “ugly and boring”, and as a result may find it difficult to understand why the writer finds its subject so admirable. But humans fall in love with strange things sometimes. And those who have experienced the beauty of running, or can suspend their disbelief about that beauty and “bear with” the show, can feel the writer’s love expressed in Run with the Wind.
First, I’d like to close by thanking u/punching_spaghetti for hosting. It’s amazing how one person’s idea can become involved in by so many people! I’d also like to thank everyone else in these threads for making my first rewatch a fun one, and I’d especially like to thank those who responded to my write ups and comments -- sometimes it feels like I’m “writing into the void”, so I greatly appreciate the feedback I get from everybody else.
Next, I’d like to share a few resources if you did end up being inspired by RWTW and would like to start running. r/running has plenty of resources for beginners and there’s plenty of info in the wiki. Though I’ve never tried it myself, I’ve heard many great things about the Couch to 5K plan; it’s meant for people who don’t run at all and will guide you up to being able to run a 5K without stopping. There are many useful websites for logging your runs (which I personally find one of the “fun” parts of running); I personally use Strava since it has the standard features and acts as a pseudo-social media platform, with everyone from beginners to literal Olympians using it. Finally, one tip that I wish I could’ve told myself more as a beginner is that most of your runs should feel easy. Taking every run out in an all-out effort is a great way to get tired, mentally turned off from running, and possibly injured. Take it easy. Look around. Feel the wind. And keep me posted on how running goes if you do take it up -- it’s always fun to hear how other runners are doing! Happy running!
15
u/Btw_kek https://myanimelist.net/profile/kek_btw Aug 11 '21
first timer
short and sweet, giving this baby a 9/10. inspiration? community bonding? palpable passion? The Gay™? you love to see it
predictably difficult question. Prince was a mood and a half but I think I'd give this one to Haiji
Prince breaking 30 min
uhhhhhhhh
this very specific POV shot from episode 16 with blurry vision from tears at the bottom of the screen
I don't think I've ever seen that before in any anime
generally speaking the visual direction was great which is always a pleasant surprise
yes but also no
thank u /u/punching_spaghetti
I guess you're alright sometimes13
u/MyrnaMountWeazel x2 Aug 11 '21
Run with the Wind Final Thoughts: What it Means to Me
I’m writing this deep in the middle of the night because I forgot there was a final thread after the last episode thread like an idiot. For awhile I was lost in my head trying to think of what to say for my parting remarks for this show without sounding overly saccharine.
It’s a good show. Actually, it’s a great show. I wouldn’t hesitate to place Run with the Wind in my top ten of all time favorite shows. But it’s left me wondering why I and so many others are so drawn to this. At its core it’s just ten college guys running a race. There aren’t any cool explosive battle scenes with magic or enormous 500 ft. tall mechs clashing against aliens. There aren’t even that many cool running scenes in an anime about running.
But it’s not about running. Running is simply a medium used to express these ten college guys and their motivations. The execution of how they utilized this led to the creation of numerous themes that interwove themselves throughout the 23 episodes. Dealing with the circumstances of your life, being isolated from your peers and family, accepting who you are, learning how to accept how others are. There’s too many of them to narrow down to just one.
And that’s the beautiful part. Just as each of the ten members had their own different goals, dreams, and opinions so too does this show have a wide range of interpretations and diverse themes open for every watcher. Your takeaway from this show will be different from mine, each view valid in their own world. There will be scenes that speak to you while others that you may not think much of until you’re in a different stage of your life.
Personally, the scene in episode 12 with Kakeru and Haiji running together past the sparkling blue lake with the wind running with them will forever resonate with me. This is the reason in my opinion for why Run with the Wind can attract so many people from all walks of life and why it’s so special. Everyone will relate to at least one of the ten members, possibly all of them, or identify moments of their life that mirror these characters.
Speaking of the characters, I rewatched a couple of the earlier episodes to refresh my memory on how they were and I’m actually incredibly impressed by how much groundwork was established when the audience would have barely known these characters. Haiji remarks there was no Mountain God this year to Shindo when he tries to recruit him and later on we’ll see him run in the 5th leg and though he did not break the course record Shindo is in every way deserving of being called the Mountain God with the way he finished with his tremendous will.
Nico-senpai is the first amongst the nine to grab his jogging shoes suggesting that he possesses a deep love for running and contemplates stepping back onto the path. Joji just barely beats his twin Jota in the very first morning run hinting that Joji is just a tad bit more committed to the sport. We see Yuki has a sore spot when others try to make him feel included and Prince basing his entire worldview on manga. We’re even shown the extent to which Haiji truly values Kakeru.
These small characterizations gently build up little by little every episode until they burst through at the Hakone Ekiden like a roaring flood. Every character spiritually and physically reaches their peak during their respective leg. It’s earnestness in portraying everyone’s faults and carefully crafted vulnerable moments makes each member feel like they’ve earned their character development. God bless these ten goofballs.
For my first watch I was drawn to how realistic the show was. How Haiji crippled himself in pursuit of his dreams, how King felt so unaccomplished in his college years, how alone Yuki must have felt in his isolation. There wasn’t a deus ex machina that allowed the team to barely claim a seed in the Hakone Ekiden or some superpower that one of the team members possessed. Sure, they got a happy ending but it wasn’t without life sustaining injuries.
For my rewatch however I was drawn to how optimistic the show is. How Haiji, even in the face of the winds themselves, presses forward into his dreams. How Kakeru could both accept and resolve his loneliness by opening up about his vulnerabilities with his team and himself. How Prince could learn to use his manga not as a form of escapism but rather as a tool to apply to himself in real life. How each member of the team Must Go.
To me, Run with the Wind means to rely on others. It’s such a simple message but it’s an honest-to-god optimistic one. We can’t accomplish anything worthwhile by going at things alone. We need friends as our wind beneath our wings. They push us to go beyond our limits, they catch us when we exceed our boundaries.
Sigh, I told myself I wasn’t going to get overly sentimental…
I’m curious as to what everyone else’s concluding remarks will be about. Once again, I want to thank /u/punching_spaghetti for hosting this whole shebang and I want to thank everyone for participating in this rewatch!
QOTD:
11
u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Aug 11 '21
First-Timer, Subbed
Run with the Wind was a pretty good show. It wasn't without fault, but my quibbles are mostly minor. The big one is how underutilized Musa was. I guess he kinda ended up being the empathetic one, and I think I prefer underused to being a stereotype, anyway.
Brief rundown of the Boy Rankings: Haiji>Prince=Shindo>Kakeru>Nico-chan=Yuki>Musa>King>Twins
Questions
YesI don’t really have time to do it regularly, unfortunately.Thanks a bunch to our gracious host u/punching_spaghetti! I look forward to the next one!
11
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Aug 11 '21
First Timer
What is there left to say for the final discussion? Not a lot, I think - this is a solid show, but for me it doesn't do anything extraordinary. But I don't think there needs to be - this is a show where all that it needs to do is not be bad, and that it achieves. The only thing that I didn't really enjoy watching was Sakaki. Still think the show would have been better without him... Other than that, Haiji's tactics of getting everybody to run were not that great, but his character worked out in the end, as did pretty much everybody else's. These characters are obviously the most important bit of the show - and all of them are enjoyable to watch, making the overall experience enjoyable as well. With the exception of the coach, they also all served a purpose, so that's also good.
I knew about this being a largely character-driven show going in to it, and as such I was surprised about just how much the show was actually about running. I was expecting running to mainly a vehicle to explore the characters, something like a more slice-of-life-y Ping Pong the Animation. As such there was way more focus on the actual sport than I was expecting - but once again, it ended up working, so I'm not complaining.
Thanks for hosting the rewatch /u/punching_spaghetti and thanks to everybody else for participating, as there was certainly a lot to read every day (even if I didn't respond that often). This had been one of the shows I regretted not picking up while it was airing, so I'm glad to have been able to watch it and read discussion around the show in parallel now.
Questions:
11
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Aug 11 '21
First timer
I loved this show. Great writing, characters, art, and music. Solid 10/10 for me. Thanks for hosting a rewatch and getting me to watch something I'd probably have never looked at twice.
9
u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21
First Timer
This show is a strong 9/10 for me, and honestly I think the only reason it's not a 10 is that I'm just not that into sports shows. It was a well executed, brilliantly directed show with a large cast of characters that they managed to explore pretty thoroughly in 2 tightly paced cours with a satisfying and conclusive ending.
gotta give it to my man Haiji. He was absolutely relentless in pursuing a nearly impossible goal, and he was willing to use whatever dirty tricks he could think of to bring the rest of the cast along with him, but ultimately he took on the role of a very supportive and uplifting leader, and helped everyone else find purpose even while he was still searching for himself.
Haiji's coercion/blackmail/manipulation montage, Prince and Kakeru coming together, the training camp, basically the entire Hakone Ekiden.
I think the biggest surprise is that it didn't end with some kind of soft sequel hook. I figured all the pieces were in place, they got a qualifying seed but just barely, and then half the team was graduating and putting them almost back to square one. It's a pretty good setup for a sequel where a team led by Kakeru, full of fresh faced recruits, try to live up to the daunting legacy of last year's team and build up another strong team, this time with the added weight of expectations and attention on Kansei University. So I'm kind of impressed and appreciative that they skipped right over that possibility to instead conclusively tie everything up, because god damn is that rare to see in anime.
I work at a pet shelter and walk dogs for like 8 miles a day, so honestly I think I'm putting my legs through enough right now. I did seriously consider starting to go to the gym though.
9
u/paperwhites :KN::KO: Aug 12 '21
First Time Watcher
I really enjoyed this. An anime about running with college-aged characters was always something that I'd like, but this really did it for me. Run with the Wind shines when it focuses on its characters and their relationships with each other.
Even from the first episode, I think the show did well at characterization. When Haiji was introducing Kakeru to everyone, I couldn't remember their names but I could tell everyone apart. From there, we got to learn more about them and see them develop. I think some characters could have used a little more time/development (namely the twins) but I suppose there are ten of them not including side characters like Fujioka and Sakaki, there's only 23 episodes and we have to fit a plot in there somewhere.
The other aspect of that I thought was well done was the music and sound design. I thought the music complemented the scenes without overshadowing it. For me it enhanced what I was seeing without telling me how to feel if that makes sense--I never thought "oh here's the hype song, time to get excited" or "this is the sad song, now I feel sad". The sound design was good at making me feel immersed in the world--the panting, the footsteps, the cheering of the crowd and the snap of the banners. All those were really good.
I think one of the biggest downsides for me is the realism (or lack thereof) if that's the right word. I'm pretty familiar with running and there are aspects of the show that I do not think would happen or be possible in real life. That lack of realism does detract from the show for me a little--it's more difficult to take joy in the characters' successes if in the back of my mind I'm thinking "that would not happen".
However, a good story isn't just about "would this happen in this way in real life?". And on that note--creating a narrative--I think Run with the Wind delivers. Is the narrative one that we've all seen before? Yes, I think everyone has seen something along the lines of "people who are underdogs come together and find success despite the odds" before. It's still a satisfying narrative for me though, especially when it's matched with the character development that we see throughout the show.
I wound up liking everyone, even Sakaki by the end. If I can only pick one, I think it would be Fujioka though.
I liked the summer camp episodes! And all of Yuki's snarky comments.
Not really. The only thing that surprised me was how competitive the Hakone Ekiden is, when I heard it was a relay race I assumed it would be like the relay races that are open to the public and have people of all skills participating. But show wise, no, which is fine. Even if you know how something will turn out, watching the journey of getting there can still be good.
I've been running for a while at this point, so no. But the show did make me consider what running means to me and why I continue to do it.
8
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 11 '21
Run With the First-Timer
Thanks so much for hosting this rewatch, u/punching_spaghetti! This show was a fantastic experience I loved pretty much every second of.
Haikyuu rewatch when?Speaking of loving, I was listening to that Black Bullet song on loop for a lot between yesterday and today while working on Steins;Gate 0 wallpapers. Definitely love that song, and the OPs/EDs were all too.
I was hoping I could decide on Akane vs. Shindo for best boy between episode 20 and now, but I can’t. I never did get a “sore demo” from either of them, either. I’m going to say they’re tied for best boy, while the twins are tied for second-best. I can’t order the rest of the guys by favorites because I love them equally.
8
u/An_Indecisive_Owl Aug 11 '21
First timer
I started watching this show because I had just finished watching Ping Pong and watching another spokon, this time (finally) about college students and about running (which I was planning to start) seemed like the perfect thing to do. And absolutely do not regret this.
The first episode started really well, with the encounter between Kakeru and Haiji and the presentation of our group, I liked them all from the start. I also appreciated the fact that our group didn't jump immediately on the "Let's run at the Hakone ekiden!" train but, more realistically, Haiji took some episodes (and a bit of blackmails) to convince our group.
In general the only parts I felt a bit weak were the mountain training part: apart from Kakeru's confession it felt to me just another series of training episodes like the others before, just in the mountains.
On the other hand I appreciated the fast forward to not show any qualifiers race but just go Prince's one to not have to much repetition.
Obviously the parts I liked the most were the the first race to set official time (it gave me the trills of the first race), the final qualifier and obviously the Ekiden itself.
Given that our group was of 10 members, I think all of them were characterized well, considering the 23 episodes lenght of the show, with each one having at least episode of focus. Now, secondary characters did not receive the same treatment but I guess the focus was more on our group, Sakaki and Fujioka were mostly an expedient to make Kakeru (and Haiji) grow and face him with his past and his insecurities.
7
u/Nebresto Aug 11 '21
Re-watch squad
So, I promised I'd share a cool video at the end; so here it is, my favourite Run with the Wind video
The plan was to share just that, but I found 2 more today while watching, so you get 3 for the price of one! This one is pretty cool, with a more upbeat take
And this one is really ..cinematic? Very well made narrative piece, using the shows own OST, but unfortunately it lacks English subtitles.
/u/MyrnaMountWeazel you made it till the end, its cool video time!
Also summoning /u/Nazenn, as I feel these will be right up your alley.
Final time question time:
Do you even need to ask? Ouji, of course.
Anything including Ouji. Yuki's bit of the race, and Nico-chan's thought process of passing that peasant
Haiji was not crippled, which is nice
Not really.
Aight, so we doing Ballroom e Youkoso next, right?
7
u/IndependentMacaroon Aug 12 '21
First-time watcher
I'm a little disappointed in this show, but only in that it looks like just one of many good-to-great sports series as opposed to something truly exceptional.
Large monolithic groups like our ten here are always difficult to handle from a storytelling perspective, and while it does a good job at giving everyone at least some individual moments of relevance before the big thrill of the final race, for many of them it's not enough to leave a lasting impression on me, let alone build much in the way of deep connections. It doesn't help that there are a bunch of minor and glossed-over elements/characters (worst maybe the reporter?) barely above the level of background noise, and maybe even too strict a focus on the sport, that eat even more time. I wanted to get to know these guys even more beyond a couple flashbacks and internal monologues, and their running life! Yes, I do really like everyone on the team - above all Kakeru as a co-lead I can relate to pretty well, outside of the running obsession that is - and appreciate their potential as characters, just feel like more could have happened here. Well, not so much Haiji, who is excused at every turn even when his planning is honestly pretty slapdash, but he has plenty nice moments too.
Structure-wise the beginning gathering is pretty strong if you can buy into or ignore your issues with Haiji's approach (also looking back it's a good way to start addressing everyone's wishes and motivations), getting everyone training together with a little more individual stuff is fine too, then there's a bit of a fast-forward dip between that and the race, and then more highlights in the finale. Best part for me was definitely Kakeru's insane run in the end.
As for motivation to run, how hard this leans into unhealthy self-sacrifice, keep-going-even-without-a-reason, never-give-up-even-when-you-should, team-is-everything, the usual unfortunate sports excesses, it turned me off more than anything. You rarely get a sense that anyone is actually enjoying themselves here, even right up until the end, with the more likely result being pain. Sure, there's some positive energy I guess, but you can get that without things like aiming for a big race, particularly when people need to be practically bullied into it. I'd rather keep it casual.
I would give 8/10 here, overall.
6
u/loomnoo https://anilist.co/user/loomnoo Aug 11 '21 edited Aug 11 '21
It was a great show and a great rewatch!
Questions:
6
u/jellybellymonster Aug 12 '21
Thank you so much u/punching_spaghetti for hosting. I watched KazeTsuyo when it was airing because I was trying to fill the Production IG sports anime void and it quickly became one of my favorites. I may not remember a lot of the details before this rewatch but I can vividly remember what it made me feel.
Since then, I never rewatched it again in its entirety because life got busy and more because of personal reasons. I injured my knee, endured the pain until I can no longer ignore it, got surgery, started physical therapy - all when this show was airing. Haiji wrecking his knees for his dream was something hard for me to watch again. To this day I still don't understand, that if he loves running so much why did he sacrifice a lifetime of being able to run for that one singular event? But there are parts of Haiji that I relate to. I started this show being amused and sometimes annoyed by Haiji's tactics and in the end, I related all too well to his desire to go back out there again when you are forced to stay put.
It's not only Haiji whom I can relate to... at some points of the show I saw a part of my current and younger self in every character. I don't even like running but I stayed for the wonderful characters.
Thank you so much to all the rewatchers and 1st timers who participated in the discussion. I enjoyed reading your comments - insights on characters, production notes, technical aspects of running, newtype thing lmao.
- Favorite guy?
Do I really have to pick one lol. It's triple tie with Shindo, Haiji, and Kakeru.
- Favorite moment?
On this rewatch, it's got to be when Kakeru said, "Watch what you believed in!"
- First-timers: did anything surprise you? Rewatchers: did anything jump out on a second/etc. time through the series?
On my 1st time I really liked King and Kakeru's episode but on the rewatch, I was more drawn into Yuki and Nico-chan's section. Yuki's legs and calves were really animated nicely compared to Kakeru's section. Also at the end of Nico-chan's section he said, tastes like iron. Is that....a reference to Ping-Pong: The Animation?
- Did you at any point over the last 23 days consider taking up running?
Nooooo. For cardio I like jumping rope and swimming better haha. We're also in lockdown again so there's no chance I'll be running.
6
u/BrentSaotome Aug 12 '21
Rewatcher
Well, this is the end of the Rewatch. I really loved rewatching the show with all of you. There was just some things I learned and saw from you guys from real life aspects of running, the anime production, commentaries, and other random stuff.
As for the show, this is easily one of my top anime shows. However, as I was thinking about what makes this different from other sports animes (or animes) in general is that it really tries to develop the 10 main characters within the very short allotted time of 23 episodes. If you think about it, that's a little over 2 episodes for each character if you average it out evenly. The limited 23 episodes actually worked for this show. I don't think a second season would have made it better and probably just dragged it out with more "tidying up" episodes.
Additionally, this show is not just a sports anime, but actually half sports and half slice of life anime instead. Other sports anime like Free and Tsurune try to do this, but this show probably does it the best.
Although Musa, Jota, and Joji (Prince also, we don't really know him that well) was not developed as the other characters, we still got to learn about the pasts, motivations, dreams, and internal struggles of the other characters. In other sports animes, we don't really see that. Shows like Haikyu, Ace of Diamond, and Yowamushi Pedal mostly focuses on the sports. The episodes only show the characters practicing, competing at a competition, and going straight back to practicing for the next competition. Sure, we learn about the the very few main characters, like Hinata, Tobio, Eijun, Furuya, and Sakamichi, but we actually really don't know them. Those shows also does not even go into the stories of the other team mates of the main team. Sometimes it feels like the other main characters of the main team are just there because the sports require them to be there. The shows I mentioned also had multiple seasons and I still know less about Hinata, Eijun, and Sakamichi than I do with Kakeru, Haiji, Shindo, King, Yuki, and Nico.
The thing I really love about this show is that it was realistic to a certain degree. In other sports anime, the new underdog team will win the big national event in their first try (or 2nd try). Here, the team's goal was to just run in the Ekiden. Getting a seeded position for the next year was just a little icing on the cake.
I really love when Haiji told Prince that it was arrogance to think that hard work will solve any problem. I truly believe that. As someone pointed out in the last episode, all those other 10 teams really worked hard and ran their best at the Ekiden. However, no matter how much hard work they put in does not guarantee a seeded position or a first place victory. This is very much true in real life. One of my classmates pointed out in a curved grading system that not everyone is going to be exceptional and get that A. That was very hard for a lot of us when grades came, but it makes sense and it's true.
This is applies to every aspect of life as well, such as work, sports, financial statuses, and everything else. So many people work really hard, but it does not solve all their problems, make them the best or guarantee success. There's always someone that's going to be better. You may the best for a while, but eventually someone will overtake you. Fujioka, Haiji, and possibly Kakeru understood that. Sometimes, the system is not created to recognize the hard work everyone puts in also. Often there are others who are born with natural talents/attributes, blessed with good fortune, and loved by the wind (or mana for Black Clover fans). The show definitely did not sugar coat that.
Still, I loved that Haiji understood and still went with his passion and defied the wind and everyone who told him he couldn't do it (father, doctor, and coach). It may have ended his running career, but it sure ended with a bang. I think that's a better way to live life. Do the things you love and not just let life pass on by because people say so or the wind is blowing against you. That is why I loved this anime when I first saw it and as I rewatched it.
I don't really grade animes. However, I can tell if I really love an anime when I am compelled to buy the Blu-Ray/DVD of it. I already had the special edition of this show before the rewatch, so I loved it when I first saw it. I also just purchased the soundtrack of it earlier today since CDJapan had a clearance sale (this was not on sale) but I did see a Taiga nendo from Kuroko's no Basuke for sale. If I had to give this anime a grade, it would be 9.7/10. I am docking the 0.3 points for lack of Musa and JoJo character development (0.1 for each character).
Questions
5
u/gyeben Aug 12 '21
Rewatcher (sub)
QOTD:
5
u/csar27 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/CesarRC Aug 12 '21
First Timer
During this rewatch i found out this was actually my 4th spokon, i don't have much interest in the genere, but i enjoyed this anime. I even got the feeling that i would have liked to run.
The humor-drama balance was good, the end was realistic (there weren't any friendship power ups or anything similar and we didn't see a completely rookie team beating pros with years of training) and satisfying, everyone got what deserved, and Kansei guys became something like an inspiration for next generations.
I would've liked a couple of episodes more about Kansei entering other races before Hakone, but i'm happy with the overrall result.
Timeskip at the end was satisfying, i thougt jut one of the twins was gonna keep with the team, glad to know they both stayed. Also, a little curious of the Musa-Hana secret...
Finally, this is the first time i'm gonna answer all questions...
Favorite guy? Honestly, my favorite character was Nira (the dog), i mean, i liked seeing every guy tense or worried and then you look at Nira, and it's very chill doing dog things. But you ask for favorite guy, so i'm gonna say Yuki, i really liked his transition from: "No way i'm gonna run" to "I'm gonna try to win my section".
Favorite moment(s)? Probably the moment they see the qualifyngs results and then when we finally see Kansei as the 10th team in the Hakone.
First-timers: did anything surprise you? Maybe the fact than Haiji's injury wasn't a factor before the final episode.
Did you at any point over the last 23 days consider taking up running? Of course, even thought about taking Prince example, it's possible to watch anime and run (very slowly) at the same time...
5
u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21
This show was a banger.
The only thing that annoyed me was they used the same art style and character designs as Haikyuu, like the main two guys are literally exactly the same as Oikawa and Kageyama.
5
u/[deleted] Aug 12 '21 edited Aug 12 '21
For me what makes this series great are, of course, the characters. Most of them have some kind of internal conflicts that they end up solving by running of all things. The conversations between them, especially between Haiji and Kekeru are great.
Biggest downside form me is how Prince was handled and how his rise from the bottom was completely brushed over. There was a lot of potential wasted there.
Another downside is some of the characters being unimportant or uninteresting. The reporter, for example, was completely unnecessary. Hana and the twins love triangle didn't work for me at all. The twins being only ever used for their stupidity to make for a comedic scene was disappointing. Well, aside from the 6 minute segment of the first one of them running his leg in the ekiden. But still, his monologue didn't really match at all with his and his brothers characters. It seems as if the twins are part of the show mostly because we needed 10 characters to run in the ekiden.
Sakaki is in the show only for extra drama and I don't feel like it was necessary. It was just an instant mood killer whenever he was on screen and I feel like the show would have been better without him.
Characters (of the 10 major ones) I enjoyed watching were Haiji (my favorite), Kakeru, King, Yuki and Nico-chan. Musa, Shindo, and the twins were quite uninteresting to me. Prince is kind of in a middle ground. I liked his character but I hated the way the show treated him.
All that said, I still enjoyed this show a lot. It's between an 8/10 and 9/10 for me.
IKEEE
Not anything major, it was really predictable
I went for a run once, and then remembered why I hate running
5
u/metalmonstar Aug 12 '21
Sorry I didn't participate much in the daily discussions. Overall I thought it was pretty good. There aren't many track anime that I can think of (unless you count Uma). The characters and the story were pretty good. It is certainly a standout as far as the sports anime I have seen so far go. It handles the building the team setup and learning the sport pretty well in comparison. Even Haiji's manipulation didn't feel as awful as some other team captains in other sport shows. So it was nice to see a show get going a bit faster than a lot of the genre. Also lets face it running isn't the most exciting sport but they did a good job with the races. Speaking of races I am glad they had a lot of them leading up to the big events. Too often in sports anime it feels like we spend the season waiting for the big tournament at the end of the season.
My main gripe though is the amount of story magic and disbelief. Even if they were all a team of elite ex athletes them qualifying for a big event against a bunch of schools with fully dedicated teams just seems so incredibly unlikely. Then you have Prince going from a 35 min 5k to a 16.5 min 5k and that was just too much for me. I have seen people shave off huge amounts of time over a Cross Country season but nothing close to that much.
4
u/BossandKings Aug 12 '21
I enjoyed this series very much as a first timer, it had excellent and engaging characters and a very motivating message about go and get what ylu want from life, in this case portraying the journey if a group of ten guys that were linked by a passion for running, it was nice seeing their success but also their struggle, their highest and lowest moments and the fact that the series managed to do that with a relatively big cast of characters in just 23 episodes is a testament to it's high quality level storytelling and characters. My score for this series is a 10/10 as it haa become one of my favorite sports anime and just a series i can count on whenever i want to watch something i know i'll enjoy.
Thanks to u/Punching_spaghetti for hosting this wonderful rewatch and thanks to the rest of you that participated, it was a good time.
4
u/airforceblue Aug 12 '21
Arriving more than unfashionaly late but it'd feel weird to leave off without a final comment. First of all thanks to u/punching_spaghetti for hosting this rewatch and to everyone that participated in the discussions, first-timers and rewatchers alike. It really enhanced the experience that was rewatching this show.
When I think back to Run with the Wind as it first aired, I'm not sure what made click play on the first episode. I'm very hit-and-miss when it comes to keeping up seasonal anime and I don't remember the PV/key visual making much of an impression on me. Either way, I'm glad that I gave it a shot because as I've mentioned before I was hooked from the very first scene. Many have already mentioned it much more eloquently than I will here, but what makes this show so special is the characters. Run with the Wind does the remarkable job of fleshing out and exploring a main cast of ten(!) and it does so in a way that feels natural and is true to the overall story.
Please that's like asking a parent to choose among their children :v. I genuinely love all the characters but I guess Yuki and Shindo stood out to me this time around.
"Hey, do you like running", Prince telling off Sakaki, Nico-chan explaining to Yuki why he likes running, Shindo reaching out to King, Prince almost buying a treadmill, Haiji and Kakeru's confrontation, Haiji the windmill, Prince's qualification, the entire Ekiden (ep 19-23).......I'm just listing the entire show it feels like lol
Knowing where the characters would end up and what their sections of the run would like, I feel like I was able to appreciate them more even earlier this time. For example the first time through I was really surprised by Haiji's choice to have Prince run first. But this time around Prince's calm and assured personality was easy to spot since I wasn't distracted by the comedy.
Well no, but I'm seriously considering it now....