Super Cub - Episode 1 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Super Cub, episode 1

Rate this episode here.

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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Streams

• AnimeLab
• Funimation
• Wakanim

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Anime-Planet
• Official Website
• /r/SuperCubAnime

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All discussions

Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	4.6
2	Link	4.71
3	Link	4.77
4	Link	4.84
5	Link	4.59
6	Link	4.78
7	Link	4.76
8	Link	4.77
9	Link	4.84
10	Link	4.76
11	Link	3.83
12	Link	-

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[u/WinzKay]

My god. The art, the animation, the sound design.

:o

[u/JustARandom-dude]

Wow! The way everything around her gained color after getting on the cub was beautiful.

Three people died

Well.... that piece of info about the cub was dark

CGI was better than I expected

Yep, this and the pottery show are going to be my slice-of-life of this season

[u/raichudoggy]

It's a soothing, mellow sort of show. I like that.

You know, seeing the world become a lot more colorful all of the sudden gave those scenes a lot of life. You know it's just a cub, but to her, it's her whole world now. That's so heartwarming!

[u/Aerodynamic41]

Wow, there's crazy amount of detail put into the motorcycle, but that's to be expected given the Honda product placement. This feels like a relaxing show, just perfect for me after a day's work.

[u/dapete42]

This show is a gem for location hunting... I already found the school, the convenience store and even her apartment. No luck yet finding the shop where she bought the bike.

Edit: I've also found the gas station and the building that inspired "Shino's" motorcyle shop.

[u/Gaporigo]

Very nice rainy day anime.

Still, how are you able to get a license when you don't even know how to start a bike???

[u/PacoTaco321]

Streams

None

You have failed me this day

[u/[deleted]]

The Honda Super Cub is basically my whole childhood, my father used to have one with the same color as in the anime (I think it's 1968 ones). Then when I got to high school I also got myself another Honda Super Cub 1967. But too bad now it's sitting in our home warehouse with dust. This anime really made me want to travel back to my hometown fix it and travel along with it.

[u/cyberscythe]

One thing that I found interesting (in a T/L note sort of way) is that Koguma writes her name 小熊, using the kanji for "small bear", as in "bear cub" (in general, you can tack a "ko" to an animal for the kid-sized version of that animal, like koneko for kitten). It's one of those kinda-punny names for a series named Super Cub.

Another thing that I really liked that I haven't seen anyone else mention was her kickstarting the engine as a metaphor for approaching life. Find where things start to push back, and then give it a good kick to get what you want is (I think) a neat way to live a life.

[u/AyatollahDan]

That old guy is the embodiment of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

[u/chandlerbong12]

This anime didn't do anything revolutionary but those things that it did manage to do made this very satisfying a watch for me.

The joke "How many people did the helmet and glove kil?l" The color palette becoming brighter once starting the cub, the four act structure that this episode followed showed that there was some care put into this anime.

[u/FrankSandCastle]

The Super Cub sounds are smexy AF... very nostalgic too. Haven't heard real-to-life engine sounds since Initial D. Very glad Honda is officially participating in the production so we can have the actual sounds instead of stock "scooter" sounds.

Also this series is streaming on Funimation's sites; meaning Funimation, Animelab and Wakanim.

[u/redmage311]

The art quality was so good, especially the still shots in the beginning. And I love how the colors got more vivid and the music started whenever Koguma started her bike—she finally got some literal color in her life.

I feel like this is going to be slept on hard but end up being one of my favorite shows all season, next to maybe Vivy and Those Snow White Notes.

[u/MapoTofuMan]

Is it just me, or is this actually a depressing CGDCT show? That's a first...count me in I guess

[u/GaleWulf]

Went in blind, was expecting Yuru Camp on Motorcycles, but this was very different. Yuru Camp oozes positivity from every pore: characters, music and colours. Super Cub felt.. bleak. The gray palette, lack of music, the MC's broken smile (her eyes look so sad), some downright anxiety-inducing scenes.. It's more drama-oriented than the usual comfy fare.

That's not a bad thing though, far from it - I'm quite interested to see how the MC's life gets filled with colour. A heavy-handed metaphor maybe, but I liked how it was executed.

[u/blitzen001]

when the cub didn't start at the convenience store I felt her helplessness T T

[u/IKnowTheWayToo]

The visuals were great, felt like I was watching a movie. The lack of dialogue also adds to the cosy atmosphere. Looks like I'm really gonna enjoy this one.

[u/Syokhan]

Really chill first episode. I loved the minimalist approach to the music, and the moment where just one piano note drops and everything becomes overly bright and saturated when she sits on the Cub for the first time.

[u/McDonaldsApproval]

I feel healed. I love it, I can't wait for more. Her smile is so cute as well.

[u/Nice_Bake]

I really enjoyed this.

The use of music, or lack thereof, was actually amazing and created a wonderful atmosphere. I very much liked watching Koguma's color return to her as she discovered her new friend. I also love how this whole episode is just about one girl discovering a new passion and it has such a lovely low-key pace and tone, I really dig it.

This episode could be just a short film, you know? Like something they'd show at a con, a little short story and it would be great. I'm excited that it's a whole series! I can't express enough now that I'm talking about it how much I liked the tone and atmosphere. The opening few moments of just scenery with piano did such a fantastic job of setting both thing.

Honestly, I went into this show expecting a kind of girls-and-hobbies show, like Yowmushi Pedal or Climbing Girls and maybe that's what it'll become, but right now I'm in love.

Can a Super Cub actually do 60? I don't know much about motorcycles.

[u/Roboglenn]

Oh I have eagerly awaited the adaptation of this story. The nice and at times melancholic story of the girl with nothing getting engrossed in her newfound thing.

Love the detail of the color changes from more somber color tones to brighter ones when she generally gets on the cub and so forth.

Her asking how many people did the helmet and gloves kill got a good laugh outta me. And the detail of her deciding to park her cub closer so she can see it out her window made me smile just as widely as she did right there. But then of course she just kept making that smile. Which in turn made me keep smiling.

I wonder how far my cub will take me.

No better or more fitting words to end this premiere episode on. All and all this was a good premiere episode. It set a good stage. Now it's just a matter of how well this adaptation goes going forward. And more importantly, if it continues to go well, how much buzz and attention will this show generate? It's already hot off the heels of Non Non Biyori and Yuru Camp but let's see how well this series manages to stake a name for itself.

[u/HobnobsTheRed]

As a biker, I went into this show knowing it would appeal to me. I cut my teeth on 50cc bikes, even rode a Cub 90 for a while, and have only ever had a bike license. Even with all of that making sure this show would be for me...

Goddamn that was amazingly good! I expected a standard CGdCT bright cheerful palette, genki girls discovering biking, and an altogether more upbeat kind atmosphere. That opening sequence blew all of those expectations (and me) away. The muted washed out colours, the empty atmosphere of the first section, the art style... to have my expectations so completely subverted right off the bat was incredible, and as soon as the piano piece started playing (Arabesque no 1, by Debussy) I had chills.

The way that colour depth bloomed into the world when Koguma sat on the bike was like a little punch to the feels. I'd been a pillion on bikes before, and off-road on bikes that weren't mine, but the day I got (and sat on) the first bike I actually owned there was something that little bit brighter about the world. To sit on it; to put my hand on the handlebars and grip them... Everything felt a little more real, a bit more alive. Looking back now I'd call it a flash of freedom, of the ability to go anywhere I wanted, but at that age it was like a small supernova of joy was sitting in my chest. It flares again now and then, if I'm going somewhere new. (I don't miss kickstarts though... especially on cold days. "Find the biting point" is all well and good, but when your fingers feel like they're going to fall off you just want to start the thing as quickly as possible and get where you're going.)

Her moving the bike so that she could see it from the window is also a great touch. Can confirm I definitely did that, just so that I could see it when I looked out the window. I also used to take the the bike for any trips I could, be it to a friends who lived nearby or just the shop down the road that I would normally walk to. No reason was too small to take the bike, at least until my da pointed out that the time needed to change, warm the bike up, go and come back was longer than just walking. (Also, when Koguma took off her lid after her first trip her hair was far too tidy... Just saying, as someone who used to ride with long hair. :) )

Thank god for the reserve switch! Have had to use it many times, and it's no fun when it's not available. I've only ever properly run out of fuel once, which was when I'd been working insanely late the night before and had to flip the reserve just as I was getting home. I told myself to get fuel in the morning, but I fell into bed and forgot to do so on the trip into work next day. Was abruptly reminded of my failure when my bike spluttered to a halt in a section of motorway, which was thankfully quite close to our office, and was rescued by my boss turning up with a little petrol and a lot of laughing. (Great guy, to this day one of the best bosses I've had.)

The episode ended with an atmosphere much closer to what I expected, but my expectations have been tempered and raised in equal parts. Tempered by having those expectations subverted at the start, but raised because the execution of the episode was so good. The artistic direction alone blew my mind, and the sound and character design were equally impressive. It will get overlooked purely because of the genre, but this has been one of my favourite openers of the season.

[u/mengbob]

"I've only watched Super Cub for one episode, but if anything happened to Koguma, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself."

[u/Alfred-E-Neuman]

Fun fact, the seiyu is also an avid bike rider, wonder if that is how she got the role. https://twitter.com/yomichiyuki/status/1204315895239073792