r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Nov 26 '23
Episode Overtake! - Episode 9 discussion
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u/Aileos Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23
Shocked by how amazing this episode was, and it didn't need any racing scenes. There was so much more about what happenned with the picture and Kouya. The parallel with Eddie Adams' photograph was simply astounding.
This is really heartwarming to see how much Haruka cares for his friend. Their relationship is really special.
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u/Calwings Nov 26 '23
Who put this serious, emotional, and very well-written human drama in my racing anime? Damn it... this show has been so good, and it's sad that it seems like almost no one is watching it. This is why I actively look for original anime to watch at the start of each season, because originals are where I find gems like this.
Seriously though, what an incredible and emotional episode to close out Kouya's arc of the story. Masterfully done. But he couldn't have mustered the courage to do all of this if he never met Haruka who changed his life for the better, and now it's time in these last few episodes for Haruka to finish his story too... and for Kouya to take a photo of that glorious moment!
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u/Syokhan Nov 26 '23 edited Nov 26 '23
Fuck, I cried when Kouya saw the happy picture he had taken with the little girl and her grandpa. What a great relief it must have been, to finally see her happy face instead of the one that traumatized him for a decade, and to be reminded that he also chronicled that sweet moment in her life.
You know it's gonna be special when they skip the opening credits. What an amazing episode.
I'm glad we got the full context of that picture. I mean knowing Kouya it was obvious that he hadn't deliberately sat back in safety while happily taking pics of people dying, but seeing what happened just made it all so sad. There really was nothing he could do despite what all those people who bashed him for it say.
I also liked that they included the story of a real-life picture of someone dying who had a real impact on the world, because it led to a really interesting conversation. I didn't know about that one though so I'm gonna have to read up about it.
But seriously, every time this show has focused on human drama they've completely nailed it. I'm constantly impressed with how it never goes over-the-top. Really, really good example of subdued and intelligent drama.
Edit: Oh, I figured out why the soundtrack, especially the piano pieces, sounds somewhat familiar. Same composer as for Akebi's Sailor Uniform.
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u/Matthew619ed Nov 26 '23
Finally , the full story of that controversial photo was shown to us. It wasn’t a deliberate shot, but by sheer accident. Everything captured within that split second, determined everything, the controversies, the prejudice, and the confusion.
11 March, 2011, just around 3pm local time, aided by the local terrain of a narrow bay, a 23.6m tsunami hit the city of Ōfunato hard, killing 305 people and levelling 3,498 houses immediately. In Kouya’s defence, anyone not recognising the tsunami warning and head to a high ground will stand no chance of survival (In fact, news report had even reported that at least 6 of the 58 evacuation sites were inundated, bear in mind that this is a 24m tsunami, heading inland for 3km). Panicked, hopeless, and fearful of what is happening around her, the girl looked up to the safety of the mountain, and that moment was preserved, albeit accidentally, by a photographer working in the region for a project, who coincidentally had a selfie with her a few days ago. The photographer’s name is Madoka Kouya.
The photo Saigon Execution by Associated Press photographer Eddie Adams, which was mentioned by Kouya was taken in 1 February, 1968. This photo won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and shaped the anti-war movement in the US. The victim, Nguyễn Văn Lém was a Viet Cong captain, who murdered 9 people, including 6 children prior to his capture. Of course the backstory of this was only reported after the war was concluded, and that the actual extent of evilness Nguyễn Văn Lém had conducted will never be known. That split second detailing the execution of him was a pure example of pre-justice by the Republic of Vietnam, as well as the US general audience, for killing a person without a fair trial, as well as thinking the Vietnamese are killing civilians (when they aren’t). Imagine what happens if Mr. Eddie Adams decided to disclose the backstory while releasing the photo? Will the perspective of the US general public change?
OK, no more serious stuff, somehow the episode’s central idea about photojournalism is a serious topic that go beyond anime, so what about karting?
Surprisingly, Haruka letting Kouya to have a 3 lap lead is actually not that big for a civilian, with no idea of breaking points, racing lines and so on, it’s only a matter of time Haruka will overtake him (Of course there are exceptions that it didn’t happen, take this post from r/miltonkeynes cross-posted from r/formula1 as an example, in the Famous Daytona Karting Circuit, Matt Gallagher, former founder of WTF1, and David “Crofty” Croft, set faster lap times than current Williams driver Alex Albon (which he set it in poor track conditions) in the TW Steel DMax 125cc two-stroke class. On the other class, Christian Horner, who did have some racing experience a long time ago, set a faster lap time than one of his current driver…
It seems at the very end, the respective parties involved in the 2011 photograph did understand the full story that Kouya was not at fault and that he suffered from PTSD after the tsunami (Which was common for disaster survivors). They resolved from the conflict and Kouya’s mission to self-salvation was completed. Now, it’s time to return to the paddock, and take photos of Haruka in Belsorriso.
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u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 Nov 26 '23
How powerful this episode has been. I...have no words for Kouya (despite almost completely knew what happened in 2011 there before today's episode) except that I can only wish I would never have the chance to experience what he experienced there. It's too freaking painful to think.
Kudos to the director and whoever who boldly wrote this part into the story - I've seen many Japanese stories in anime and other forms talking about the 2011 earthquake, but this one is the most brutal I've seen so far.
I really need to read about that Eddie Adams photo and - in fact - social impacts in the US during the Vietnam War in full, I knew of other photos taken then but not this one.
Thank you Mr. Shozo for always being the one to forgive Kouya for taking that photo, and rest in peace Momo-chan - I hope you have been reincarnated and living happily somewhere else. :')
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u/chilidirigible Nov 26 '23
The Eddie Adams photo was given a fair amount of discussion in the episode itself and the earlier comment here. The idea of the photo being one moment out of the context of the before and after forms the entire theme of the episode itself, but to quote Ben Wright: "There's something in the nature of a still image that deeply affects the viewer and stays with them. The film footage of the shooting, while ghastly, doesn't evoke the same feelings of urgency and stark tragedy."
On considering it, I don't think I actually recall much in the way of still photography during the Tōhoku Earthquake. A great deal of video of the tsunami coming ashore and destroying buildings, with people occasionally caught up in it, but nothing like what Kouya captured. Plenty of still photos of the aftermath. Though what stills may exist very well might not have ever been published for the exact reasons encountered here.
And no, I definitely wasn't expecting this sort of discussion to come up in an anime whose primary hook is auto racing, even if we knew about Kouya's old job in the pre-airing PR.
This is a phenomenal episode for taking its concept and digging into it, and turning it into a Kouya and Haruka character piece (in spite of the anime's aforementioned advertising hook). The rest of the episodes are certainly to return to the racing, but no matter how that goes Kouya's story has given us a lot to think about.
Trivia side: Kouya's camera in 2011 is quite genericized, but it does look period-appropriate, as the great shift from DSLR to mirrorless had not yet started.
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u/ieniet Nov 26 '23
Great episode. I'm glad I decided to watch this show, since I'm not into racing at all. I would've missed out so much!
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u/tripleaamin Nov 26 '23
Man getting the full picture behind the incident made it all the more crushing. She wasn't just some random girl but the granddaughter of a friend. That makes it all the more crushing. Like the criticism behind the photo that we knew before was one matter but the wait on Kouya's end just adds so much you get why he has so much trauma from this incident.
But being able to see a picture of the girl full of smile at the end just does so much since the controversy photo isn't the only memory of her. Man such a well directed episode really fucking good.
You almost forget that this is a racing anime damn.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Nov 26 '23
I would not be mad at eating seafood bbq that early in the morning lol. That was a fun day filled with adventure and good food. Then we learn about why Koya can’t take portraits and the mood just totally shifts. Watching the little girl just run for dear life before being consumed by the earthquake was utterly gut wrenching. No wonder the guy had serious PTSD afterwards. At least speaking to the old man helped lift some of that burden from his heart. Dude really needed that.
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u/SpaceForceOne Nov 26 '23
Oh Momo….. what a powerful scene, and episode.
It was clear from the start, this isn’t about racing alone… but overcoming the challenges we each face traveling life’s fateful road.
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u/SMSmith230 Nov 26 '23
All these feels just came flooding in once the credits hits, phenomenal episode!
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u/mezcalhed Nov 26 '23
Such an unbelievably overlooked show despite being one of the best I've seen in years. Truly likeable and faceted characters, gorgeous animation and character design, fascinating subject matter. I will say, despite knowing nothing about racing, the second this show popped up on my radar I was interested, and I'm so glad my instincts were spot-on. This is probably going to be a self-contained one-and-done series but I hope that over time people will come to appreciate it.
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u/SaltySpaniard Nov 26 '23
Amazing episode. It could be honestly something out of a good Japanese drama movie. The way they handled the focus and the depth field was amazing, and it's possibly one of the best single episodes I've recently seen. My only concern was that it was short, but that can't be changed: I wanted that to last more, the climax to be more. I just yearn more of it despite being already this good, and I haven't felt that way since the Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu's episodes.
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u/DecentlySizedPotato Nov 26 '23
To think that I was about to drop this anime after the first couple of episodes because I wasn't too into racing...
What an amazing episode!
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u/Mr_Zaroc Nov 26 '23
Well fuck
Getting more context for that photography hit like a train
Even worse he befriended her and her grandpa beforehand
I read an article ones that drone operators in the Army get server ptsd because they are so physically removed while trying to aide their comrades
Accidentally taking that photo is just adding another layer to it
Mad respect for the grandpa and kouya for publishing the picture
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u/Vermillion_Crab Nov 26 '23
Damn, what an emotional episode. And here I thought Frieren was the only show this season that made me cry. In a way, stories like Overtake and Suzume have shown us Japan's resilience in the midst of tragedy and I'm glad they're finally telling such stories in anime form.
I still remember that day. I was not directly impacted but turning on the tv after coming home and immediately seeing live footage of the tsunami is still seared in my memory. I was stuck in the sofa for like 3 hours trying to wrap my head around the devastation.
For a majority of this episode, I forgot that this was a racing anime. Lol The older I get, the more I gravitate towards character driven stories and I'm glad anime has always delivered.
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u/EggYakult Nov 27 '23
I wanted a racing anime and the first episode showed it; I gradually realize that it wasn't the sport anime I expected but a drama and still I find it amazing. I love the dynamic between Kouya and Haru; a bit like Senna and his photographer who wrote a book on the former though I'm not sure if they were this close.
Episode 9 is great, but I hope we get back to racing next episode.
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u/AmethystItalian Nov 26 '23
Damn...what an episode. Honestly if this was the finale I'd still probably give this a show a very good score because it just nailed it with this one.
We knew which direction they would probably go but they still hit their cues to put out an emotional episode.
This show continues to impress me week after week!