Run With the Wind Episode 20 Review: Even if I Break

This has been written for almost a year now but I couldn’t bring myself to post it. I’m heartbroken and traumatized over Palestine, but if this review can make some people happy, it would have been worth it to write. Also I made a promise that I intend to keep one way or another to finish this series.

If you appreciate this labor of love please star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it above 👆 and please don’t forget to press the like button at the end if you’re a subscriber.

Prologue

We get a replay of what happened the previous episode with Jota speeding up after concluding that Hana loves him, and him somehow managing to relay those thoughts to his younger brother in the instance it took to transfers the team’s sash. Jouta slows to a stop as Jouji takes off, his scream of disbelief trailing away. He glances behind him at his brother, and actually stumbles in his shock as he runs. Nico who was waiting to receive Jouta grabs him by the back of his shirt and calls him an idiot (speaking for all of us) as he pulls him off the track to the punchy track of “By the Jersey”

Act One

After the episode title we see Jouji running his section and learn from the news commentator that after Musa and Jouta’s sections the team climbed from last place all the way to tenth and may even be able to overtake Tokyo Sport University (Sakaki’s) who is now in 9^th place.

-This is a fantastic start for a bunch of beginners.

As he runs Jouji is processing what his brother told him. And he’s not the only one. In a conference call Haiji discusses the matter with the rest of the team. First he asks “Did Hana herself say that she likes Jota?” He’s now in a car with Kakeru seated next to him. The latter is sweating as he watches Jouji run on the live feed through his phone.

– It’s an odd question given the circumstances and I can’t help but wonder if Haiji is asking it for Kakeru’s benefit. Not that this is news to Kakeru. Musa had already told KK he suspected Hana was crushing on a twin and Yuki expressed the same suspicion too. But there is also enough evidence to suggest Haiji was team Kakeru/Hana so his surprise here might have been genuine.

On the line, Musa admits that Hana never told him anything, he just came to the conlusion based on her demeanor.

Nico informs them that not only does Jouta suddenly assumes she likes him; he even shared that belief with his brother.

-The eldest team member’s exasperation shows his foresight that this might disrupt Jouji’s performance; he probably guessed both twins like her.

Yuki feels the same. He asks rhetorically “Why would that idiot agitate his brother like that.”

Only sick Shindo isn’t joining in the conversation. He seems to be asleep as he’s resting his head on his knees. Nico informs the team that Hana’s on her way to Odawara. Yuki wonders if she’s Godzilla.

-Hee. Also, nice to see Hana didn’t just single out Jouta to cheer for him, she’s been moving constantly.

Musa wonders if they should have the coach tell Jouji his brother’s just confused. We then hear the coach complain hilariously, “I’ve never heard of that kind of instruction being given before.”

Haiji makes the decision, “Not that I’m happy with it.”

-He does seem annoyed. As does Kakeru who’s eyes had been glued to his phone’s screen this whole time to watch Jouji. Frustrated, he bites out, “Run, you idiot!”

-In case we couldn’t tell, this would inform us that Jouji is not doing as well as he should be.

-It also tells us that however Kakeru might feel about this situation (if anything at all), his priority is the race. We’ve had a few blushes, but not much else to go on that he actually feels anything towards Hanako.

We find out later find out that the message the coach relays to Jouji, is from Kakeru, not, from Haiji. Which might explain why Haiji felt the need to clarify to the coach that the decision came from him.

We’ll discuss that later. First we see Jouji muse to himself as he runs that it doesn’t make sense for Hana to like his brother since the three of them were always together. He wonders what “like” his brother meant. If it’s just as a friend, then he likes Hana that way too. He reiterates this thought to himself as if trying to convince himself. He then recalls how he’d once asked Hana how she was able to tell him and his brother apart. She couldn’t explain it, but compares it to how all their roommates are able to do so as well. She adds from day one each brother was, in her eyes, unique. She continues “You’re brothers and best friends and always together, but what I like about each of you-” before she catches herself, blushes, and says “never mind”.

-Obviously at the time the oblivious Joji didn’t take her demeanor seriously, but he’s certainly thinking about it now.

-Unfortunate timing to say the least.

He’s brought out of his trance by the coach’s screaming out his name, “Joji! Are you listening! Answer me!”

Joji raises his hand. Noting the anger in his coach’s voice he wonders how much he missed.

Tanizaki then says this:

“I’m not sure what it means but you have a message from Kurahara. Just listen.”

He takes a breath before he says: “If you like her, run. That’s all.”

The driver of Tanizaki’s car gives him the side-eye. Embarrassed, Tanizaki defensively says, “It’s what I was told to say!”

-Hee. This is why he was so reluctant and why Haiji had to green light the message.

Kurahara’s directive irritates Jouji. “Who does he think he is?” But the message has the desired affect. With an inner battle cry he picks up his pace.

Next scene is at Odahara Relay station. Shindo and Yuki are waiting in an open tent. Shindo says: “He handed me the phone, it’s me.”

He’s speaking to Haiji who tells him that it sounds noisy where they are.

Shindo tells him, “We’re all anxious to start.”

Haiji’s voice is as mild as ever, with that same fond expression he has for all his children. But then his eyes narrow and he says Shindo’s name as if he’s about to say something important.

We see Shindo on the other side of the call put the phone down. Yuki eagerly asks him, “What’d he say?”

Shindo answers with a feverish smile, “That I’d better hydrate.”

-The word “zettai” is used here in Japanese which is usually used for emphasis. I would have translated it into, “must hydrate,” just to convey the urgency since, “I’d better” feels more like a suggestion rather than a direction.

-I was a bit surprised at Haiji’s advice. But it then occurred to me to be the most practical advice he could give. Sick people need lots of fluids and Shindo will be sweating a lot from both his fever and running.

-Also, Shindo is probably the hardest working member of the team. It’s not like he needed a “Do your best” from Haiji.

But the team captain doesn’t seem to be happy with his advice. He is morose as he puts down his phone. Kakeru tells him, “It’s the same for everyone. There’s nothing left to say.”

-It warms me to see Kakeru trying to comfort Haiji here. The role reversal occurred just in time.

The somber track underlines Haiji’s (and the viewers) trepidation as we’re shown Shindo’s hometown. His family has gathered to watch his participation. A banner hangs outside their home that says “Congratulations Takashi on Running in the Hakone Ekiden.” Inside, a large group of people has gathered to a celebratory feast of seafood and sushi. A banner with the characters of “Certain Victory” hangs in an indoor shrine (perhaps of a deceased relative?)

A girl that looks to be in her preteens calls out to everyone “They’re almost at section 5. He’s going to run soon!”

-In Japanese she calls Shindo “Oniichan” whi means older brother.  

The screen focuses on her phone for a bit before we see the message exchange between her and Shindo as he reads them on his own phone screen:

Sister: First place brother!” To which he replies, “I’ll do my best.”

She then tells him that “Yu” is rooting from him and that their uncle from Tsuruooka has arrived.

-It’s not surprising that all Shindo’s family has gathered together to support him, being the lovable human being that he is. It would be all so very heartwarming if we didn’t know how sick he was. He has obviously kept this from his family or they’d be as worried the rest of his teammates. Their blissful ignorance is pitiable.

Shindo stares at his sister’s message in silence, like he’s using it to strengthen his resolve.

The runners from the other teams are arriving. An announcer tells us that Rikudo’s team is falling behind. They are now in second place and the third place runner is catching up as well. We see captain Fujioka staring intently at a television screen, taking in his star team’s underperformance.

In Kansei’s tent, Shindo stands up to get ready. He removes his scarf, coat, and face mask. Unlike the other Kansei members, he’s got a long sleaved inner under his racing uniform. He’s also wearing gloves to protect from the cold. He has not even started yet but he almost keels over in exhaustion. Yuki grabs his arm to keep him upright. He opens his mouth to say something but shuts it again, gritting his teeth.

As Kakeru pointed out, there’s nothing to say.

Meanwhile, members of the Hakone staff come up to call the fifth section runner of Saikyo Uni.

Shindo tells Yuki that he should go too.

Another staff member calls for Tokyo Sport Team’s runner.

It’s like a chilling countdown.

Yuki tells him worriedly, “But it’s section five.”

-Reminder, this section is an uphill climb; arguably one of the toughest sections of the race.

Yuki then adds, “Actually, no matter the section…”

-He doesn’t need to finish. Shindo’s is in no condition to run.

It is finally time. A staff member calls out for Kansei and Kikui University to get ready.

Shindo tells Yuki he’s fine. He gently pushes Yuki’s hand off his arm and promises he’ll make it to the finish line.

Yuki’s reaches out, but then clenches his fist in helplessness.

With a heavy tread, and a determined look on his face, Shindo thinks to himself, that he’ll make it “no matter what.”

Nira rolling around in the mid episode break gives us a sorely needed reprieve before the disaster that we know awaits us ;_;

Part Two

Jouji is on his knees in the Kansei tent. His sweat and tears drip on the floor as he pounds the ground in remorse and self-reproach.

His beloved Hana arrives to find him in this position, but even her voice doesn’t move him.

“What did I do? Why couldn’t I go faster?”

We are taken back in time to see why the normally cheerful younger twin is so upset.

When he arrived at his finish line, he handed the sash over with a smile on his face to Shindo, but it quickly turned into horror as, in that one second, he felt Shindo’s fever even through his gloves.

“He was hotter than me, and I’d just run section 4. I knew. I knew I had to get us as much time as possible. But I..”

-Well. Aside from Kakeru and Haiji we know that Musa and the twins are the fastest on the team so Joji’s disappointment in himself is understandable. Joji had to be as fast as possible to make up for any time they’ll probably lose. But Jouta’s just as much to blame, in my opinion. He really should have known better than to tell Jouji what was basically just an assumption on his part. Although, to be fair, he probably didn’t know how Joji felt about her either, considering Joji himself wasn’t sure.

Moving on.

-Yuki kindly but firmly tells Jouji to raise his head. “He’s already running.”  

The track “Trouble” starts as the announcer from Car 3 says “Kansei’s Sugiyama’s pace is remaining constant.” As we see the aghast expressions on Shindo’s family’s faces as they see his swaying figure run on the television screen. The announcer continues that Kikui’s runner (who had started at the same time as Shindo) is already 500 meters ahead and that “Kansei’s hit the brakes.”

Shindo’s mother is covering her mouth in fear at seeing Shindo’s obviously ill face on the screen. His sister utters out in disbelief, “Brother?”

The announcer goes on to say that two teams are catching up from behind Shindo

-Remember when Haiji said that Shindo’s family would be so happy seeing him run “energetically” in Hakone? Yeah, so did I and that’s not what’s happening here. Not at all ;_;

-This was painful to watch, but you can’t move your eyes away from it.

A large screen has been set up broadcasting the race at what we later learn is section 5’s finish line. Haiji and Kakeru arrive just in time to hear a commenter say that it’s just a matter of time before the other runners catch up to Shindo. He points out that he seems to be having some kind of problem.

-The English word “trouble” is actually used. That’s putting it lightly. Shindo stumbles and sways as he runs. His heavy breathing can be heard over the exasperatingly apprehensive music. A member of Kansei’s short distance track team runs alongside him, and offers him water. He calls out to him but we can’t hear what he’s saying.

-This scene was very well done. We alternate between seeing Shindo himself and seeing the race from his eyes. The swaying road. The sound of his own breathing, gasping, trying to settle into a steady rhythm. He runs up Hakone and passes through a street with cheering crowds on both sides. They cheer for Kansei to go on, obviously moved by his efforts as the commentator says he wouldn’t be surprised if Shindo stopped at any time.

Tanizaki, following behind him in his vehicle takes up his mic and talks to Shindo about how Go is a challenging game.

-Go? Is that like Shogi?

Anyway, he goes on to say that the stronger a player is the more they value the way they lose, “How you recognize your loss and resign is key. No one blames the challenger for resigning or mocks him for running away. If anything they praise him for securing an escape route.

-Oi! Old man what are you doing here!

Shindo seems to be ignoring him as he continues running.

Tanizaki goes on to say “It’s because everyone knows that man was fighting to win until the very end.”

As he says this we see a montage of all the other players looking at their screens, their respective faces are marred with anxious expressions and beads of sweat as they watch their teammates desperate effort. Nico and Jouta are in a cab together. Musa and King are in what may be a hotel, based on the interior. Yuki, Jouji, and Hanako watch on Yuki’s phone. Prince is alone (probably in his hotel room since he finished his section first). The bath buddy is en route somewhere in his car but is listening to the race on a feed. Musa’s old boss, her husband, and Hanako’s father are huddled together watching the events on a phone screen. Back in Yamagata Shindo’s sister is cheering him, yelling at the tv screen while his crying mother rubs her hands together in a prayer. A man in glasses (presumably Shindo’s father) watches with concern.

In an electronics shop, a crowd of people have gathered in front of a bunch of television screens broadcasting the race, all of them watching Shindo. 

-We get it. He looks so pitiful even strangers are worried. Please stop toying with our feelings already ;_;

Kakeru and Haiji are also watching on a large screen with equal stone-faced unblinking expressions.

-Tanizaki finally reaches the point he’s been trying to make: “Shindo. Raise your hand if you can’t continue. I’ll stop you immediately.”

– Half of me is very upset with Tanizaki here. Shindo is doing his best and he should cheer him on. The other half thinks he’s doing the right thing. But if Shindo’s still running then he probably can still go on, can’t he? I like seeing my kids do their best and push themselves as far and hard as they can go. It builds strength and character. But not if they were sick. Ugh, this is such a hard call to make and I think that was the point of this scene.

-I do find it interesting that Haiji didn’t relay a message here. I think he didn’t want to interfere, either to help or stop Shindo and just trusted him to make his decision based on his own condition.

A loud cheer reaches the area where Kakeru and Haiji are waiting. The commenter says that the lead runners are close to the finish line at lake Ashi. The first half victory went to Bose team, whose second year runner set a new record “A new God has ascended Hakone mountain.”

-Aha. So this is what Haiji meant when he asked if there would be a new mountain God this year. Apparenty it’s a title given to whoever breaks the 5^th section record.

-The Japanese use the term God so very lightly that it almost means nothing. It’s one of the very few things I actually don’t like about the culture.

-The Bose runner is also wearing gloves and an inner shirt. I’m guessing Shindo’s section, being in the actual mountains is probably colder than the others.

Kakeru watches the first place winner crosse the finish line, but his attention snaps back to the television screen when he hears the announcer say in an urgent voice: “I’m here with Kansei. Kansei’s Coach Tazaki has gotten out of the car.”

We don’t see Haiji’s face, but unlike Kakeru who was distracted a bit by the arrival of the first half’s winner, he’s been facing the screen the entire time.

Tanizaki has indeed gone down and is jogging (if it can even be called that, the pace is depressingly slow) next to Shindo.

“Will he stop Sugiyama and forfeit the race?’” the announcer wonders.

-Remember when the team was at the summer camp? When Haiji was showing them a Hakone documentary where a coach’s words “saved” a forfeited runner as he escorted him off the tracks? Well I did right then and, well, shit. Was that supposed to be foreshadowing for this? Or to just increase viewers trepidation? Damn.

Again, we can only see the back of Haiji’s head as he watches Shindo on the gigantic screen. But when Shindo stops to rest we see Haiji’s eyes widen in fear.

-About Shindo, but also fearful that might forfeit the race.

Shindo’s legs quiver as he rests his hands on his knees and gasps for air.

“That’s enough. You did well.” The coach tells him as he reaches out his hand to him.

This happens in slow motion and I think the moment the coach touches him is when their team is considered forfeit. All the Kansei boys watch that hand reach out with bated breath. The emotional twins, and Shindo’s best friend Musa, watch with tear-filled faces, as the team leaders Haiji and Kakeru watch with tightly pressed lips. Shindo’s father, too watches with a closed mouth as his mother is hunched over sobbing. But his sister yells out what all of us are thinking to the sceen: “NO!”

As if Shindo hear her, he raises himself up before the coach touches him. He’s grabbing onto the Kansei sash. He tells the coach, “They’re all waiting for me.” As he continues running.

Watching him on the screen, with quivering lips, Kakeru goes into the following internal soliloquy;

“Why are we so desperate to keep running? Why can’t we stop doing something so painful and difficult? For our friends. For our goals. For ourselves. Stubbornness and pride. I don’t know. I doubt anyone knows. That’s why we can’t look away.”

It’s truly impossible to look away from Shindo’s pitiful but simultaneously utterly valiant figure teetering left and right in exhaustion, but steadfast in his desire to reach the end.

With tears in his eyes, Kakeru finishes his thoughts with this: “That’s why it sticks to our hearts.”

-Yes it does. Courage is very admirable.

-Is it me or is the first time that Kakeru cried? I need to go back and check but I really think it’s the first time. Heart.

Meanwhile, as per usual, the director keeps Haiji’s most vulnerable reactions private. We don’t see his face, but from the back of his head we can see his clenched jaw quiver, indeed his entire body seems to shake with emotion.

Running alone, Shindo seems to imagine himself in a snow storm. We hear the sound of the wind blowing loudly, almost harmonizing with the sound of his gasps and pants. Kakeru cries out in shock as Shindo finally falls face first into the road. He calls out his name and we are cruelly left in suspense to wonder if it was all for nothing.

Next scene depicts a red sky with the sun setting over what a super tells us is “Ashihara Inn”.

In the lobby, a television is broadcasting the race as the commenter on screen fills us in. He says “Kansei’s Sugiyama’s Takashi is experiencing difficulties in Section 5. While periodically stopping, he brushes off his coach’s attempts to stop him.”

We see Shindo on the screen finally make it across the finish line where he is instantly caught by Haiji as he collapses on the floor. Kakeru wraps him in a blanket an calls to him in a panic.

The announcer says that Shindo finally finished the 20.7 kilometers to the cheers of the of the audience “after demonstrating that he has the strongest will in the country.”

-Sniff. Yes he did.

-Kansei’s time on the screen: 5:42:59.They have placed 20^th place in the first half ;_;

-Now I remember Kakeru saying that Musa can run 10 kilometers in about 29 minutes and that that’s on par with veteran runners. Meaning, an hour is approximately the norm. So, if each section in the race is about 20 kilometers (I think Musa’s the longest at about 23) and it takes about one hour to complete each section, then Kansei is about 40 minutes behind? Ouch.

Shindo is sleeping soundly in bed with a cold compress on his forehead. He’s still feverish but looks much better than he did when he was running.

Kakeru tells his sleeping figure: “We’ve already contacted your family. They said they’d come take care of you but we politely declined their offer.”

-I can see it. Of course his friends want to have that honor.

The coach, Jouji, Yuki, Kakeru, and Haiji are all gathered around Shindo’s futon, with Haiji, of course, sitting closest to his head.

The coach tells the others: “Shindo finished his section but tomorrow will be a difficult battle.”

-I don’t know why but I’m finding the coach increasingly annoying. I want to tell him, “No shit, Sherlock. At least they’re still in the battle, no thanks to you.”

Kakeru snaps in frustration, “It won’t be!”

The coach responds, “Because you’ll run? I’m glad you’re confident, but sometimes making it to the end isn’t good enough. Tomorrow, I won’t let you boys expose yourselves to the same kind of danger. We’ll be fully prepared for tomorrow.”

-Wait, did the coach even know Shindo was sick? If not, that could account for what he’s saying here. Or maybe he feels guilty for being out of the loop? Not knowing what’s going on?

-He still doesn’t know what’s going on. I doubt Haiji told him his knee hasn’t been well.

-What the hell does he mean by fully prepared? It’s not like anyone could have helped it that Shindo had gotten sick. Unless he means he won’t have anyone stay up drinking. In which case I wholeheartedly agree. Heck, Shindo getting drunk might have weakened his immune system and gotten him sick in the first place.

Moving along.

Coach continues, telling Kakeru, “switching our focus to that comes first.”

As in, to tomorrows race.

Yuki and Haiji watch Kakeru, when at his silence, Haiji answers for him, “yes.”

Here, Kakeru takes the hint and apologizes to the coach who then tells them to call the others after they prepare for tomorrows race. “You haven’t yet, right? They must be anxious.”

-Now that is actually a good idea.

Yuki sets it up by putting three phones on Shindo’s futon.

-Conference calls must not have been a thing at the time.

We see Musa and King on one screen, Nico and Jouta on another, and Prince along on the third. Yuki says, “Go ahead” when Shindo suddenly appears, leaning over the multiple screens to greet his friends.

Musa immediately comes close to the camera, his face almost hiding Kings as he cries out his best friend’s name. Jouta in his excitement does the same as he tells him nice work. King annoyed, tells Musa there’s no point to getting closer. Nico puts his face in front of Jouta’s to tell Shindo that as long as he’s not dead he’ll be fine. Prince is speaking but we can’t hear anything he says as his low voice cannot be heard over the others. Hee.

They go on for a bit before Haiji leans over to grab their attention. As soon as he says Guys, they all shut up. Musa wipes the tears from his eyes and they all wait for him to speak.

-Seeing Haiji’s natural authority here helped me understand my annoyance with the coach. It’s not like I hate Tanizaki. I just hate him acting like the leader when he never did so before.

Haiji tells them earnestly, “you worked hard today. We’ll have more chances tomorrow.”

Someone yells out from the screen, “Yeah!” Jouji wonders who it was. Nico says it was probably King who defensively asks what that’s supposed to mean.

Yuki tells them to shut up and be quiet.

Haiji says that whoeaver is running tomorrow should stay warm as they sleep and make sure they don’t overeat.

-That’s actually great advice. Staying warm ensures no one else comes down with a cold. And the best thing to do when you’re running. Based on my personal experience, running on an almost empty stomach is best. A superfood like dates (5-7 pieces) are more than enough to give you plenty of long-lasting energy. 

When Haiji says “that’s all” everyone is shocked. King wonders if he doesn’t have any more helpful advice. Haiji says no with a sweet smile. He continues, “It’ll be over after tomorrow. All we can do is focus, so we can give everything we’ve got. The others all smile until Shindo asks to do Haiji’s Hakone cheer. Yuki chuckles and ironically tells him, “I’m sure yours will feel the most authentic.”

-So true.

Kakeru eagerly says, “Let’s do it.” Haiji is happy to oblige.

They all raise their arms within sight of their friends on the phone screens. Haiji starts,
“The mountains of Hakone…” as the others reply “are the steepest on the earth.

This all happens to the lovely tune of “The mountains of Hakone”. The lovely piano continues as we see the actual peak of Hakone before we switch over to the next scene where Haiji and Kakeru are riding a train, with Jouji napping in the seat next to Kakeru.

-No surprise considering he ran that day. 

Kakeru and Haiji are looking out the window. Haiji seems to be lost in thought and/or emotionally drained. It might not be so obvious at first but when you compare it with Kakeru’s upright torso it’s very clear. Haiji’s shoulders are dropped. His head is resting on his right hand, while his elbow is being supported by the window frame.

-I love such details and what they tell us.

Kakeru comments that it might snow tomorrow. Haiji says his teammate’s name and asks, “Was that your parents’ idea?”

-As opposed to? Grandparents?

Kakeru clarifies that his father who ran track named him.

-This is interesting. Kakeru’s name literally means “to run.” I wonder if Haiji wishes he had a similar name, if he thinks it might have anything to do with Kakeru’s ability, as a sort of omen.

-In Islam, the prophet PBUH advises us to name our children carefully, that each child acquires a part of their name. I wonder if this idea is culturally universal. I know Japanese people put a lot of thought in their children’s names, from the sound, to the spelling, even to the characters used and the meanings they represent. One thing that greatly annoyed me is that I’ve only every seen Haiji’s name written in Katakana in the manga, meaning, just syllables of Hai and ji, no Chinese characters. And every time I look it up all I can find for the translation of them was “ash” and “two”, respectively which I found incredibly ominous, depressing and not at all fitting to his personality.

It’s perfectly normal and appropriate, but my personal head-cannon is this may be one of the reasons why Fujioka calls Haji by his kast name, Kiyose, which to me, is infinitely more apt.

Anyway. Haiji continues his query asking Kakeru if his father pushed him to run.

Kakeru starts to answer that they never really communitcated properly, before he stops and asks Haiji why he’s asking.

-I think, Kakeru caught on that Haiji didn’t mean to pry. That he just wanted to start a conversation. Our boy has started catching on quick.

-It’s true, because after a few seconds of quiet, Haiji starts talking.

“My father is a high school track coach. I was one of his runners.”

Kakeru listens intently as Haiji gets a glazed distant look in his eyes. His voice is as monotone as we’ve ever heard it. Not a hint of the lightheartd, sing song, quality we know and love.

As Haijj speaks, one of favorite tracks starts and we see a flashback of young Haiji.

“He’s not a bad person. He just loves track to a fault. I didn’t have time to think while under his total supervision, and I ran every day. Eventually, I broke.

-Here’s the thing, as Haiji is speaking we see his younger version stop running and double over in pain while clutching his knee. His father is standing behind him, watching him. As his coach, as his father, wouldn’t he have asked if he was okay? Or was he the type to leave it up to the players to inform him if they were in pain? He doesn’t seem like the tyrannical type of coach Kakeru had who didn’t care when the players got hurt, but maybe he just thought if it ever got really bad Haiji would tell him? I guess that’s what Haiji meant when he says “I didn’t have time to think.”

The next scene has Haiji sitting in the shade of some trees, away from the track watching as his teammates ran. His eyes looks dead inside.

 -The runner in the lead is very tall and looks like it might have been Fujioka. I remember how Haiji once told Kakeru that Fujioka was a good runner and a good captain. At the time his tone had been extremely self-deprecating. I wonder if he had been Haiji’s team captain, or if he’d taken over Haiji’s captaincy after he’d gotten injured. This seems likely given how natural a leader Haiji is on his own team, and how Fujioka, several times in fact, stated, it’s his sort of team, as if he has experience in what type of team Haij leads.

My imagination might be going wild here but I promise I’m not pulling any of this out of thin air. The way these two behave around each other, the respect the have for each other not just as runners, but as respective leaders is what makes me draw this conclusion.

Back to the episode.

It is now sunset when we see Haiji throw his running shoes on the floor with an enraged cry. He stands gasping in anger before he falls to the ground, and puts his head on his knees. His feet are bare and we can see the skin on his soles and toes is bruised.

He stares at his beat up running shoes and just as his eyes start to pool, he raises his head to look at the sky.

-Again, all we see of a vulnerable Haiji is the back of his head. Seriously, how much does the director love/respect him that he refuses to show him crying?

Haiji goes on to say that, unable to run for the first time, he genuinely wanted to run.

We see him arrive at Aotake. Now we know that between his injury and arriving at Kansei university, he had physical therapy, but never regained his former speed, and didn’t accept the offer to go to Rikudo. —So I guess it would be safe to say he probably regretted his decision, because what we know is that, until Haiji formed it, Kansei never had a long distance running team. I’m guessing this is what he meant by “unable to run for the first time” since he presumably was always part of a major team. 

At Aotake, he’s greeted by a younger Nira. He opens the door and tells himself, “This time, I’ll share a dream with teammates who earnestly want to run. whether they’re weak or amateurs as long as they’ve got talent and passion, I’m sure they can run.”

-By his fourth year, we know Haiji had gotten so desperate, he no longer cared about the “earnest” nor “talent” nor “passion” ^_^;

We see Haji meeting all the Aotake members in turn: Nico who we know was there before him, then Yuki, King, Shindo, Prince, Musa, the twins, then finally, Kakeru. This last, unlike the others, isn’t introduced at the Aotake, rather he shimmers as he runs through what seems like a galaxy.

Haiji ends his soliloquy by telling Kakeru, “For that, I bent everyone to my will.”

-;_; Haiji, please don’t. Not now. The way his voice wavers a bit, reflecting his frame of mind is heartbreaking.

He’s obviously feeling guilty for what happened to Shindo. That cheerful leader face he put on was an act and in the quiet of the subway (or train) his conscience caught up with him. I do wonder why he’s saying all this to Kakeru. Maybe because he knows Kakeru can understand the most, as a runner himself. Maybe he feels guilty for dragging Kakeru into all of this. But why now? Why when you’ve finally gotten everything you’ve ever wanted? You’re going to be running at Hakone tomorrow, son.

As the flashback finishes, we see Haiji slumped even lower in his chair, looking more dejected than we’ve ever seen him before. His eyebrows are drawn, his eyes are closed, blocking his view of Kakeru, as if he’s afraid to look at him.   

Kakeru tells him, “We knew there was only ten of us…”

Here Haiji opens his eyes and lifts his head slightly.

Kakeru continues, “…but we’re more than ten.” Here, Haiji opens his eyes fully and looks at Kakeru.

The younger runner looks out the window, as if respectfully waiting for Haiji to pull himself together, as he continues, “The shopping center vendors, the university, and the people far away from us are all part of the team.”

-This goes back to the idea that Haiji posited to Kakeru way back in episode 4. You may be running alone but you are not alone. Kakeru hadn’t understood it at the time, but he sure does now. We’ve known this from when he talked to Musa, before Prince’s final shot at earning a record. But we’ve never seen him talk to Haiji about it until now. Now, he reminds Haiji of what he should already know. But he goes further than that. He says:

“No one thinks you forced them to do anything.”

Kakeru’s words breathe the life back into Haiji. He’s finally able to hold his head up without the help of his hand, which falls down to rest on the window sill.

Now that Haiji’s been revitalized, Kakeru can look straight at him and tells him squarely, “Even if you did, don’t forget that I’m grateful for that.”

Haiji is shocked; mouth is actually slightly open, but when Kakeru tells him, “Let’s run,” a look of relief and gratitude replaces it.

“We’re going to run the best we ever have.”

-I’ve said it before, if not here, then surely on twitter. Even parents need reassurance, and when it comes from our children, in the form of something we taught them, it’s the best earthly reward we can wish for. When you raise a child with love, care, and support, that child will, in turn, love, care and support you, and to me Kakeru’s speech here is the best example of that.

Back when Kakeru first came to Aotake, he could barely string a single sentence unless it was out of indignant anger. Looking at him now, all considerate, identifying the reason Haiji brought up a topic (he needed to talk) and being able to give him the assurance he needed, is so beautiful and satisfying.

I won’t do it here, but you can go back and compare this conversation to the first few heart to hearts Haiji had with Kakeru, and you’ll see what I mean ^_^.  Kakeru seems to be a neurodivergent (takes one to know one) and as a parent, all I feel for him here is sheer and utter pride.

The scene switches to where Tanizaki and Yuki are sleeping together in Shindo’s room.

Yuki sits up and opens eyes full of determination.

It’s such a cool scene from an equally cool (and recently more tender) character.

But before we can get excited about it, the preview alerts us title of the next episode is “Goodbye, beautiful world.” And if that’s not a flag I don’t know what is.

*All material posted on this blog is the intellectual property of Reviewbrain (unless otherwise stated). Readers are free to make use of the information provided they cite the source (this blog) either by name (reviewbrain’s blog) or by linking to it. Please extend the same courtesy to the authors of the comments as well (by mentioning their names) to ensure that credit is given where credit is due. Finally, Please don’t forget to give this post a like if you enjoyed it. And if you’d like to connect on twitter (now X) can find me @brainyreviewer.

Free Palestine

Hello everyone. If you’re wondering what I’ve been up to feel free to check out my twitter feed @brainyreviewer starting from before October 7, 2023.

I’ve been vocal there plenty of times about the crimes Israel has been committing to Palestinians under its occupation. The children being murdered at the IOF’s whims, the campaigns Israel wages regularly, bombing as many Palestinians as they can which we now know is called “mowing the lawn” (thanks Norman Finkelstein) to keep the population of Palestinians in check. I know all of this mostly due to geography. Not living in a Western country gives me the advantage of seeing news that is entirely different than what only truly evil or truly blinkered people can now contest is #zionist controlled mainstream media. Like TYT host Cenk once asked, “Are you a monster or are you a moron?”

As a Muslim I was terrified when October 7 happened. I understood that Palestinians have been resisting occupation for decades. I’ve seen the atrocities committed by Israel through both the news, newspapers and magazines. I’ll be honest and say I couldn’t care less if any IDF soldiers were killed. They are murderous psychopaths who kill children for sport. This has been documented by themselves on video, all you have to do is look it up.

But I was scared for two main reasons: as Muslims we have an incredibly high standard to uphold set down by our prophet when we engage in war:

Credit: @thedeenshow Eddie Deen

The images that came out of the October 7 attack made me question whether these standards were being upheld. At the same time I can hardly blame any viciousness an occupied, tortured, maimed people would commit on their transgressors. I can feel shocked and horrified by it, but can I honestly condemn it when I myself do not know how I would act if I were in the same position? I doubt anyone can know how/what their reaction would be if they lived the same life. If they suffered the daily humiliation of being made second class citizens in their own lands. Palestinians suffer apartheid in Israel. They are subjected to settler violence and land theft in West Bank, and live in the prison that is Gaza, what many human rights organizations have called a concentration camp, never able to leave.

My second fear was of Israel’s retaliation. The terrorist state is ready to attack Palestinians for no reason whatsoever, now they had what they perceived was a just cause. Unfortunately, through the last several bloody campaigns that were unleashed upon Gaza, garnering little to no reaction from most western media outlets, I knew that most people in the West were completely ignorant of Palestinians plight.

And here we are today. Even with an initial ICJ ruling, even with an arrest warrant issued for Satanyahu, genocide is STILL being committed. We’re being forced to watch a snuff film in real time, meanwhile we glance to our left and right and still see people defending Israel’s right to defend itself.

If you are saying these things, you are not welcome here.

If you are saying these things, then you can’t ever have truly been a #mentalist fan, not when the entire show is about Jane’s quest for justice. To kill Red John for killing his wife and daughter. One woman. One child. Israhell has been killing women and children for since the creation of its demonic state. Don’t believe me, they boast about it in this documentary.

Professor Avi Shlaim explains that Tantura was just one of the numerous villages that were destroyed and ethnically cleansed of it’s people.

70% of those killed in Gaza are women and children. Over 30,000 killed so far. Now even those sheltering in Rafah (the so called safe zone) are being bombed.

I hope Netanyahu and his extremist right wing government all drop dead. I hope the same for Biden and I know both will burn in hell for all eternity.

So what can we do? Raise awareness. I haven’t been writing because I’ve been tweeting to raise awareness. Now I know better. Those who don’t know, don’t WANT to know the truth. They don’t care. Some are simply selfish because it’s not happening to them. Others are brainwashed because of how deeply controlled Western media is (don’t believe me, do your own research and see who own the companies). But at this point no one can claim ignorance. So, are you an unfeeling robot, stupid, or evil?

If you are protesting, thank you. If you are boycotting zionist companies, entities, speeches, thank you. If you are an anti-zionist Jew, THANK YOU. It is you who will win this war, by retaking your hijacked religion. If you are a student in an encampment, thank you. You have completely changed the game. Liberate your universities from being complicit in Genocide, it’s the first step to liberating your countries from Zionist control.

Palestine is now a symbol of Western oppression, colonialism, hypocrisy, and racism.

We must all seek justice for Palestinians.

Free Palestine.

Below I will add important links to vital sources. This is on ongoing project, feel free to come back and check them out as the list will be updated.

1. The most bizarre claim that Israel has the right to defend itself: United Nations expert Francesca Albanese explains this according to international law

https://x.com/nabeelrajab/status/1795030263661044185 ?s=46&t=D1kcGms9pVai307jOpfP2A

Mohammed Hijab explained this seven months ago

Israeli journalist Gideon Levy makes the same point.

Run With The Wind Episode 19 Review: The Moment of Release

*Hello everyone. This review was as easy to pen as the previous was difficult. Perhaps because there’s not as much analysis required and at this point of the show most themes will be revisited, not introduced for the first time. Hope you enjoy it! Please don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. It’s greatly appreciated. *Off now to work on the next one.

Prologue

We’re given a recap of the race’s start, with Prince smiling at Haiji before he leaves him to take his place at the starting line, and the gunning sounding the start of the race.

-Just a note, the episode flows so smoothly that it was difficult to find “Best Scenes” rather, a few lovely moments that were my favorites which I will point out. I wonder if viewers agree or had different moments.

Act One

We jump right into the action seeing the runners take off down their path through the live television feed. The news anchor helpfully tells us that the runners are keeping a slow pace this year at 3.07 kilometers/minute. He adds that in the past few years the starts were high paced, so this is quite unusual. The guest on the “New Years Sports Special” for Hakone says that the teams must be prioritizing strategy than speed.

We see Prince at the very back of the pack. But the rest of his team don’t have our view. Jouji and Nico, watching the live feed, look for him on their phone screens but can’t see him. Nico wonders if Prince is intentionally lagging behind.

This turns out to be true. As he runs Prince recalls Haiji telling him that if he stays in the back the other runners might serve as a windbreak for him. We go back in time to see Haiji helping Prince stretch as he tells him that he should conserve his stamina during the first half and should therefore use anything he can.

“I hope I’m allowed to do that.”

-Prince is worried he’ll be so far behind the others that he won’t be able to use them as a windbreak.

Haiji assures him he will.

Back in the present, it played out just like Haiji said.

“Is he a prophet?”

-Haiji has amazing instincts. He correctly guessed that the race will be slow and that Prince will be therefore be able to keep up with the other runners. But something occurred to me as I was writing this: could it be Haiji told Prince to use the other runners as a windbreak, not for that actual purpose, but because he knows Prince will be the slowest? And rather than have him worry about this when it inevitably happens, he’s telling Prince to intentionally stay behind with the excuse of using the others to protect him from the wind. Why? Because there is a huge difference between falling behind (which could cause him to panic) and choosing to stay behind. Also, by giving him this instruction, he’s essentially telling Prince to not allow a gap to form between him and the others. But he’s using a clever mind hack so as to not pressure Prince.

I may be overthinking it but as a literature major Haiji knows the power of words. Instead of telling Prince, “It’s okay if you fall behind but make sure you’re not too far behind” he tells him, “To conserve your energy for the second half stay behind the other runners and use them as a windbreak.”

I know which one I’d rather hear. Haiji’s a genius.

Meanwhile, Haiji heads up an escalator at Tokyo station. He asks Tazaki on the phone how Prince it doing. The coach tells him he’s almost at 10 kilometers now. And that it’s a “dry affair.” Haiji tells the Coach that if he sees any change in Prince, to relay him a specific message of encouragement.

“Tell him…”

We don’t get to hear it though because this is when we get the title card, The Moment of Release.

Act One:

Back at the race, we see a young man call out “Kashiwazaki! This kilometer’s exactly three minutes!” Prince looks at him and he adds “Keep your pace!”

-I’d honestly forgotten that this was Prince’s last name. I’m assuming that helper was a volunteer or short distance track member at their university. It’s a tiny detail but him using Prince’s last name (which is completely normal for peers in Japan) is a nice contrast to what everyone at the Aotake calls him and highlights the closeness of our boys.

-Also, seriously! Prince is doing so well if he’s been able to keep that pace.

We skip forward to see the runners at 17 kilometers and going up the incline of Rokugo bridge. Kakeru watches the live feed on his phone worriedly as Musa warms up in preparation. The other team members also watch earnestly as the commentator on the Hakone News reports exposits what everyone is worried about: the incline is tough “If they exhaust themselves here they’ll pay for it later.”

On the track we see that most of the runners have started to pick up the pace, leaving Prince behind. We also see Hana at the station, listening to what’s happening on the radio.

Prince comments that he doesn’t like inclines, but he too speeds up.

-At this point I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. He looked pretty tired so I don’t know if it was the right call, especially considering what the commentator said. Surely that was the point of it, to keep viewers in suspense. We get a sky view of the race and see how there is a car in front of the runners (the lead car Yuki mentioned in a previous episode) as well as cars following the runners on a side track.

As he runs desperately Prince recalls Haiji telling him not to panic even if he’s left behind. If he’s able to keep up with them till the Bridge he’ll earn “full marks” from Haiji and that he’ll be able to pass the sash to Musa without too much of a time difference.

Haiji’s words segway us back to the past where he’d been helping Prince stretch. At Haiji’s words, Prince responds: “I see. The real race is Section 2 onwards.”

-Prince came to the same conclusion I did in the review of the previous episode. He’s just there to complete the numbers. It’s no secret that he’s the only one without any sort of experience in athletics.

Haiji asks him if that makes him unhappy. Prince responds not at all, he knows he’s an amateur. “I’ll finish the race quickly, so I can get back to my comics sooner. That’s all.”

-Prince is amazing. I love how he knows what his limits are and he doesn’t care. He just does what he can.

Prince muses “Things might have gotten a little easier.” I think he means now that he knows Haiji’s expectations of him are realistic, he has less to worry about.  

Haiji then looks down, seeming uncharacteristically guilty, and apologizes to Prince.

“Sorry for for forcing you to do this.”

-We rarely see Haiji show any remorse to his runners. Perhaps he feel’s especially guilty towards Prince because of all the members Prince not had to give up his precious reading time (and possibly his manga club) but he basically had to start from zero. He also arguably worked the hardest due to his slight built and lack of stamina. Which begs the question, why did he do it?

It’s been a while, so I had to go back and see what Prince’s reaction was (and my thoughts to it) when Haiji first talked about Hakone. Prince never said he’d run. But then he also never said he wouldn’t. I always entertained the possibility that, like Nico, maybe he actually wanted in on Haiji’s scheme. Despite all his complaints, he never went against Haiji the way Yuki did. At times it even felt like he’d been on Haiji’s side. One example was when he points out how Haiji made them an expensive meal (almost like he was indirectly guilt tripping the others). Another was that whole speech he said when Sasaki mocked them. Yuki even commented once that Prince was going along with Haiji despite his complaints.

Prince doesn’t tell us yet why he did it, but at Haiji’s apology, he tilts his head in contemplation.

We’re switched back to current Prince, running in Hakone. As is his norm, he encourages himself through self-talk: “If I give up, the race is over.” The scene focuses on his red shoes.

-I will forever associate red shoes with Akane’s courage. Recall, Aka means red in Japanese.

He continues “All those who succeed have worked hard. I am strong.”

-Sniff. Yes, you are, sweet Prince. Even though a gap has formed between him and the other runners, and is widening by the second.

At Tsurumi Relay Station, a television reporter is being filmed as he talks about the athletes who will be running “The ace’s section” section two. He mentions that amongst the participants in the second leg are runners with a time of 28 minutes per 10,000 meters.

-Reminder, Kakeru had previously said Musa’s was 29 minutes. 

The reporter goes on to point out that Iwanki from Kofu Academy will be running it.

-This was just in case any of us had forgotten that he’s a star athlete.

Hehe. Very amusing 🙂

Kakeru and Musa are watching the broadcast on Kakeru’s phone when they suddenly see themselves on screen.

They look around. The interviewer has them in his sights as he starts talking about Musa, and how unlike other exchange students, Musa isn’t in Japan on an athletic scholarship, rather he’s on a government sponsored scholarship with no previous running experience.

As soon as Musa realizes he’s on camera, he turns around, stands up straight and bows deeply to the reporter, who returns the bow and thanks him.

-Seriously, Musa, just how respectful, how freaking adorable can you be? I love him.

The reporter goes on to say that the Kansei team is comprised of unique runners and they are taking on the race with just ten runners.

-This is in case any of us weren’t already panicking, knowing that Shindo is sick. Sakaki really did jinx them. And by the way, where is Shindo? Back to the scene.

Iwanki approaches the two. Here, Kakeru who had been too slow (or unconcerned?) to stand up for the camera, immediately gets up and faces his past rival respectfully.

Iwanki tells him that he had enjoyed racing him in the qualifier and that he’s disappointed he won’t get to do so again.

Kakeru tells him with a smile, “Don’t worry. He won’t let you take it easy. Not our ace,” looking at a nervous Musa.

-Guys! I just can’t! See how our baby grew up and learned how to talk! And so nicely, too 🥹

At his words, Musa stands up a little taller. Iwanki is surprised a bit, but acknowledges Musa, then taps Kakeru’s shoulder before he leaves.

-This. This is why I love this show. No excessive drama, no trash talking, even Sasaki is lovable once you understand him. (Did I ever give my analysis on Sakaki? I need to go back and check and I’ll link to it if I find it.)

Musa’s phone rings. It’s his best friend, Shindo. We see him sitting on a subway bench, now suited up in the same coat as the others, a mask still covering his feverish face. He tells Musa he just saw him on TV. Musa conveys how surprised he’d been and asks if he looked weird. Shindo assures him he didn’t, then tells him in a slightly muffled voice, “once this is over, let’s go see the snow.” He adds that it snows heavily in his home town. “The world becomes white as far as the eye can see. You’ve never seen that, have you?” Musa says that he hasn’t, and that he’ll imagine them having a snowball fight as he runs.” Shindo likes the image before he tells him that he’ll see him later. Musa replies with the same, and after they hang up, holds the phone to his forehead.

Musa channeling strength from Shindo.

-🥹 These two!!! Shindo was worried about the not-so-meek-anymore Musa and wanted to give him words of encouragement. So he talked to him about something beautiful to look forward to after he finishes his task. Musa’s reaction shows that he understood the intent and was grateful for it. Friendship goals, right there. I love them.

Back at the subway station, Yuki approaches Shindo and tells him, “You can’t afford to be worrying about the others,” as he hands him what looks like a citrus flavored energy drink.

Aww, Yuki.

Seeing the cool lawyer-to-be in the role of a worried care-taker is such a treat. I love him. This whole scene, from Kakeru and Musa showing up on the TV, to their interaction with Iwanki, to Musa and Shindo’s phone call, topped with the icing that is Yuki’s concern was written beautifully.

At the 20km point of section one (wait, how long is this section?) Prince is struggling. It’s at this point that coach Tazaki relays Haiji’s message. “There’s something I never got to tell you! Come to Tsurumi even if you have to crawl!”

As the coach speaks, we see that Haiji has now reached the section end point and joined Musa and Kakeru who are waiting for Prince to arrive.

It’s at this moment that we get the continuation of Prince’s earlier memory, of the conversation he had with Haiji and what his response was when Haiji apologized for dragging him into this: “That’s not what I want to hear.”

Prince then goes on to name many iconic sports manga characters, before giving up. “It’s no use. There’s no end to them.” He then tells Haiji, “I like protagonists, but I also like the people who lead them. They’re all tough, but of course they are.”

-This was the ultimate geek moment. I’m sure anime fans were excited to hear names of their favorite characters being called out. It was also an omage to all those talented mangaka.

Prince continues saying that athletes don’t want to be shown kindness.

“An athlete wants to win.”

-So basically, Prince is forgiving Haiji for the Ogre he had to be.

At his words, Haiji’s face breaks into a smile.

– Haiji here realized that Prince was telling him, rather than an apology, he wants him to do everything he can to make sure Prince finishes his section.

Present Prince smiles, not just at the memory, but at the tactic now Hajji employed (through the coach) to encourage him to continue, to not give up.

Prince smiles in anticipation of what Haiji will say.

We see that the other teams’ runners have already arrived, notably Sasaki’s team which is 40 seconds behind first place.

Musa removes his overcoat, Kakeru receives it while Haiji’s eyes are fixed on the finish line, waiting for Prince. Someone calls out for Kanse University to take their place at the relay line. Musa stands ready as Prince makes his final spurt.

He admits that he hates this. He really hates running. “I got dragged into this, and suffered for it. But if I hadn’t run with them, if I hadn’t made it here, I would have hated myself more.”

-This. This ;_; Now we know why Prince came aboard. You just know, all his life, Prince admired those manga heroes. So much that when given a chance to be one, he couldn’t, wouldn’t give it up. And this is why my dear readers, from the very beginning, Prince never said he wouldn’t run. Because deep down inside he wanted to.

As he nears the line, Haiji and the others call out to him.

-I had to listen to this several times to be able to recognize Haiji’s voice since we almost never heard him yell. But he spotted Prince first.

Musa and Kakeru call out as well. And those cries pull him through.

“There’s someone waiting for me there,” Prince thinks as he takes off the sash and prepares to hand it over, “just thinking about that makes me so, so…”

-He never finishes the thought but I’m sure we can guess. Happy? Fulfilled? Elated? Satisfied? Regardless of what it is exactly I know it’s a feeling a bookworm like Prince never felt before. And I’m so happy for him. I love him.

Musa takes the sash from Prince and takes off, but not before giving Prince a pat of the shoulder.

-Musa! Stop being you! You’re too lovable as it is.

Prince collapses but before he hits the ground Haiji catches him and Kakeru envelops him in a…towel? Blanket? Anyway, a large cloth to protect him from the cold which seems to have their University insignia on it. We see his legs shake as Haiji tells him “I take back what I said.”

– He means the apology.

-Prince, gasping for air shakily lifts up his head to look at Haiji.

“Prince, thank you.”

Prince smiles even as he tries to gulp in as much air as possible, and says “I pass.” Meanwhile an organizer orders non-participants (i.e. Haiji and Kakeru) off the course.

– What a ride. What a beginning. Prince’s run, ending in that lovely track we associate with him now, was just incredible. The fact that Haiji and Kakeru were there to receive him, knowing that he’d be half dead, just makes it sweeter. It’s also gratifying that the image Haiji painted for Prince, of him receiving a hero’s welcome came true. This was my Best Moment of the episode.

All the other teammates, watching his arrival through their phones, celebrate at their respective locations. We see King and Jouta (in what looks like a tent?) Nico and Jouji are still en route in the car, while Shindo and Yuki are now riding the subway.

As to Musa, he comments that the pace quickened as soon as his section started. He muses that he has to keep up, to deliver the sash he received from Prince to Totsuka. Suddenly, as he runs, his surroundings change and he sees pink flamingos flying in the air in a wilderness.

-This came a bit out of nowhere, but I think that in order to distract himself from his nerves Musa started reminiscing about his favorite scenery back home.

We next see Coach Tazaki in his car, on the phone with Haiji telling him in a defensive tone: “I told him! I know I did! I told him to restrain himself at the five-kilometer mark! Maybe Musa didn’t hear me.”

At Yokohama Station, a worried Haiji responds, “Tell him again at ten kilometers. He’s going too fast.”

-We always knew who the real coach on this team was.

Kakeru who is with Haiji exposits that Musa is running around 2.48 minutes per kilometer. “He won’t last until the end.”

No wonder Haiji is so worried. I’m not sure but I think the second section is so renowned because it’s the longest. Musa can’t use up all his energy from the very beginning.

Haiji laments that Musa got carried away.

Musa has now reached Gontazaka. He’s worried that he can’t reach the runners in from of him. falling behind the other runners and is panicking that he can’t catch up.

Someone’s voice snaps him out of his panic attack. A young man holding two water bottles tells him he’s 18^th now.

-The water gives it away that this is a member of Kansei’s short distance track team; Shindo previously said they’d help them out during the race.

The volunteer hands Musa a bottle telling him that there’s a cluster of seven runners up ahead.

Musa takes a drink then pours the rest of the water on his head. As he does so he recalls something Haiji had told him: “People built it up calling it the Glorious section 2, section of the aces, but don’t listen to them. Plenty of schools think other sections decide the race.”

We ae taken back to where this conversation took place: in the landlord’s bath, in the dark.

-We know Musa likes to do this to confront his fears. As always, Haiji has no problem joining his teammates with whatever it is they are doing; this time to give Musa a little pep talk.

-It’s just like Haiji to play down section 2, considering how nervous the exchange student was when he first learned he’d be running it.

Haiji goes on to tell Musa, “let’s think of section two’s 23 kilometers as one part of a longer race the ten of us build together. Bravely, calmly, without fail. Only you can do it.”

-He’s reminding Musa that he’s part of a group, that he won’t be alone. He primes him with words of what Musa can be (brave calm) as opposed to what he currently is (nervous), before pepping him up by iterating his absolute confidence in him. This power of suggestion can be very effective.

At the memory, Musa regains his composure. He considers what the volunteer told him. “18^th. In other words, even I could pass two runners.”

-Oh, Musa. Why are you selling yourself so short? You’re amongst the fastest runners on your team. The volunteer is telling you that there are 7 runners ahead of you because he thinks you can overtake them. Well, his humbleness is part of what makes him so endearing.

Musa recites Haiji’s words to himself with a smile as he eyes the two in front of him, “Bravely, calmly, and without fail.”

Meanwhile news from Broadcast Car 2 tells us that Iwanki’s pace hasn’t changed. It exposits that maybe he exhausted himself competing against another runner from Manaka who caught up to Rikudo to reach first place.

We see that a runner in red (Manaka) is in first place with Rikudo’s runner (in purple). There’s another exchange student wearing yellow in third place, and in fourth is Sasaki’s team in blue. The news car says that Iwanki isn’t able to catch up to them and he’s now in fifth.

-We know this from the qualifier but looks like Sasaki’s team isn’t just all talk. They’re actually good if they’re in fourth place so far. But it is a surprise that Iwanki isn’t doing better, considering his reputation.

The reporter thankfully explains that the high pace at the beginning of the section has thrown off even the strongest athletes.

-I guess the takeaway here is that we shouldn’t feel too badly that Musa got caught in the fast pace as well.

Sitting in a tent, King and Jouta are looking at King’s phone. He angrily asks why Musa isn’t showing on the screen. Jouta explains it’s because the race for first in the section is crazy. Out of the blue, Jouta asks King how his job hunting is going, thinking the question would “relieve the tension”. The fourth year isn’t amused at having his most hateful subject broached, but when he sees Jouta’s legs quiver as his turn gets close, he takes pity on the freshman and answers. He admits that he hasn’t been looking because he doesn’t have the time. The admission serves its purpose, distracting Jouta from his fear, as King dramatically laments what his parents will say when they find out. Jouta then tells him he should just run with them again next year.

-I like King here. He’s been growing as a character and therefore growing on me as well.

The scene switches back to Musa who’s reached 19km.  He’s pleasantly surprised to see himself catch up to the cluster of runners, despite having slowed down his place. Looks like the earlier spurt had affected the other runners and they’re losing steam. Musa happily takes his chance and speeds up a bit, pondering the uniqueness of the experience. “Speed alone isn’t enough to win. You have opponents and teammates,” and when the crowd cheers him on he adds “someone’s voice gives you strength. That’s how I run.”

At their section’s finish line Iwanki arrives. We learn that while he didn’t win his section, he did well. The senior bows to the road, then hugs his supporting team members who by now are all holding back tears, sad that as a senior this is his last race.

Haiji’s voice overlaps the scene: “Marvelous. You were extremely fortunate to have bee able to run with him.” Scene switches and we see him and Kakeru sitting together en route to their next destination, looking at the Hakone coverage through Kakeru’s phone. The younger runner replies, “Yes. His running is the embodiment of strength.”

-I love how respectful this show is of all the characters. It doesn’t shy away from issues like noxious nationalism which, in all honesty, does exist in Japan as it does everywhere else. But it also rightfully conveys the kindness and humbleness of the culture. It’s just so very heartwarming and one of the many things that makes Kazetsuyoku so very special.

Musa reaches his finish line to a smiling happy Jouta who receives the sash and tells him, “Thanks, Ace.” King runs up to Musa, covers him with the same large cloth and excitedly tells he’s 14^th., he passed seven guys.

-This is huge!  

Musa is so affected he glomps King in happiness, crying his eyes out.

-This was so sweet and wholesome. Even awkward King can’t help but smile at Musa’s heartfelt emotions.  

Lol the look on that staff member’s face.

Musa’s accomplishment seems to have dispelled Jouta’s nerves as he takes off with a spring in his step. He exposits that it makes him want to achieve as well. He also remarks that King is taking the race seriously too. “We even locked eyes.”

-This is continuity to just how introverted King is, even Jouta noticed.

The next line annoys me to no end as it doesn’t make sense and I am 100% sure it’s a mistake in either the writing, or the translation, or both.

Jouta says King “practically told me he’d be running next year, too.”

-No. What King did was ask Jouta if he was serious about running next year too. King had specifically said he’d be job hunting when Jouta asked him to run together. Moving along.

Jouta says that this is probably the end for him.

And this is when we get the mid episode break, though it came much later than usual due to this episode’s unique pace.

Act Two:

We see a baby in a red outfit. We know it’s Jouji because Jouta is narrating that his younger brother is a part of his soul. They did everything together, and people could never tell them apart. People seemed troubled whenever the twins spoke to them, not knowing which was which, so naturally the twins would do things to confuse them even more.

But he points out what should be obvious, that they are two different people. Taro, and Jiro. And that they have plenty of differences, from food they like, location of their moles, and girls they’ve dated. Most importantly, their personalities and their talents. Jouta says that though there’s no difference now, he knows that Jouji is the better runner and will go farther than he. He muses that it’s because of how much Jouji loves to run, that he trains by himself before dawn. He adds to himself that his brother always asks him about how he can improve his running, to be like Kakeru.

Jouta is happy his brother found his own rival, someone to compete against, but doesn’t think he himself will continue running.

-This scene was more thoughtful than I would have expected from either of the twins. I don’t mean to be mean but they just seem a bit more carefree so this was a surprise.

– I personally couldn’t tell much of a difference between the twins’ personalities aside from the fact that Jouta, as the older one, seemed to be a bit more self-assured at times. I do recall Jouji insisting that he’s a smidge faster. That could have been a clue that Jouji is more invested in his times and in improving his performance than Jouta.

As he’s running Jouta continues to address his brother in his mind. “It’s time for us to follow different paths. Follow it far, far away, and no matter how many years it takes, win. Beat Kakeru. Become a stronger runner than him.” He tells himself that it’s time to release that precious part of his soul.

-It’s all very fitting of a caring older brother.

An aerial scene takes us out of Jouta’s thoughts and a reporter tells us how he’s performing. He’s re-passed Tokyo Academy and “even passed Shinsei”. We’re then told that he has two more runners in sight.

-Nice.

As he runs Jouta thinks that he’ll overtake two more runners, but when he sees that there’s a third leading the pack in front of him (who happens to be from Sakaki’s school), he decides that he’ll take on three more.

– Not surprising to see him holding a bit of a grudge. Jouta had previously said they have to at least beat Sakaki. Could be said that he and his brother were most affected by the red-head’s venom and that gives him more of an incentive to win against him and his team.

Jouta’s enjoying the rush of the competition when he hears Hana call out to him from the crowds.

He spots her ahead of him where she’s waving and cheering for him.

Jouta is confused. He thought she was watching the starting line at Otemachi. Even after he passes her, he continues looking behind him for a bit as he runs.

This confuses Tazaki who is following him in the car, and annoys Kakeru who is watching him on his phone, wonders, annoyed, “What’s he looking at?”

What indeed ^_^

Jouta then faces forward, red faced and wonders: “Does she like me? Before he screams inwardly in happiness “What? Seriously”

-ROFL oh, this was hilarious. This is more like the Jouta that we know and love. What an idiot. And what a time for this realization. But it gets even better…or worse?

Jouji is waiting for his brother at his finish line. He calls out to him and marvels at how well he’s doing at the actual event, even better than in practice. He has passed all three runners including the one from Sakaki’s school.

It’s big enough that even the news is reporting on it “Kansei’s menacing final spurt”. The reporter says adding that “with the explosive sprint of a short distance runner, he climbed two ranks.”

-Well, yes, he’s high on love at the moment.

Jouta calls out to Jouji in excitement. His brother responds in kind, getting ready to receive the sash. But he is unaware of what Jouta is excited about. As Jouta gets closer he yells out to Jouji “Hana-chan! I think..” then right as he puts the sash in his brothers hands tells him “she likes me” with bewildered eyes.

Shocked, Jouji yells out “seriously!” as he takes off, the sash in his hands.

Conclusion

What a great episode! What a powerful beginning to the race that’s been built up to from the beginning. I loved it from start to finish but just a few more things:

-I’m glad that the episode finished at this point as we are given the time we need to just laugh at these adorably stupid twins. It’s just so hilariously typical of them to be able to have a conversation in the middle of the race. It was definitely one of the funniest moments of the show.

– Pretty sure I mentioned this before but I love how each character’s individual running style is completely different. The animators deserve so much credit. It was very clear in this episode from Musa’s upright style to Prince’s spindly flailing arms, to the twins’ tall physiques and their unique arm movement.

– That line where Prince says how he loves the coaches who help the protagonists felt very layered to me. From a character’s perspective, not only was he guiding Haiji on what he needed to say to encourage him, I think he was also expressing gratitude to him. But from a writer’s perspective, it felt a bit like a fourth wall break. We know that Kakeru’s the protagonist of this show, but I think the writers were making a statement on how important Haiji is (not that we needed a reminder). And I think it was also meant to highlight the importance of those who serve in supporting roles, not just those who take center stage, in the real world. We saw this in the qualifier. Another show that does this fantastically is Diamond no Ace, which I hope to write about in the future.

-Showing us the race through multiple points of view kept everything super interesting and realistic. Whether it was through the team’s phones, the reporter’s cameras on the ground, in the air, or the hearing the opinions of the anchors, it was just a very unique touch. 

-I was too exhausted from the last episode’s review and forgot to mention this. If you’re the type to skip through the end credits make sure you go back and out the video of ending theme song. The animation changed from just using stills of previous episodes to gorgeous scenes of all the team members standing atop a mountain cliff. The way their hair and clothes flutter to Mukai Taichi’s voice is really something to see. No expenses were spared animating that.

– Jouta’s realization did wonders for his performance. Next episode we’ll see how well Jouji does. I’ll be back soon!

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Run With the Wind Episode 18 Review: And Then, Morning

*I’m back!! Sorry for the absence. Work load suddenly increased and the timing wasn’t good. I’d forgotten that summer vacation means instead of tutoring I now have to keep the kids active and entertained. But I have promised to see this to the end and inshallah I will.

**If you appreciate this labor of love please star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ it above 👆 and please don’t forget to press the like button at the end if you’re a subscriber. Just five more episodes to go! I’m planning to finish the 19th review by next week so make sure you subscribe to get it as soon as it’s uploaded.

***Updated September 2nd to add images. Disclaimer: All screen captures belong to the show’s respective owners. I am using them to promote this anime and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so. Spoiler Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Prologue

This episode starts with Fujioka walking with Musa and Kakeru. He tells them that he is traveling the next day to China for “High Altitude Training”.

-We knew from their pristine uniforms and identical shoes that Rikudo University invests a lot in their team, but forking over money for training in another country? That’s too much. Maybe just for the captain, or Fujioka is likely paying for it himself.

Fujioka goes on to say that he wanted to “encourage Kiyose” before adding that he didn’t know where their “home base” was. He thanks the Kansei boys for escorting him.

-This is interesting. Does Fujioka not know Haiji’s phone number and so he couldn’t ask him where he lived? Or is he calling Haiji who isn’t responding because he’s in the hospital? I personally think it’s the former.

Kakeru’s mind is elsewhere. We see him recall the two who commented on wishing the Kansei members were all Japanese. Fujioka glances at him then gives a very discerning speech on why Kakeru should not heed their words: First, they’re the words of amateurs who think that having exchange students on the team is an unfair advantage. He points out that if that were true then having the Olympics would be pointless: “It’s only natural that there’s some difference in individual physical ability.”

-True.

He goes on to say that in spite of this sports are fair and impartial and that those who question its fairness do not know what it means “to compete in the same sport on the same stage.”

– I agree. But in this day and age I feel compelled to go off on a bit of a tangent: there have been (thankfully rare) instances of men with male DNA competing with women in sports and that is COMPLETELY UNFAIR. The reason sports have always been segregated is because pitting men (who by nature have a larger muscle mass) against women gives them an unfair advantage. Regardless of how people identify, this does not change their DNA nor their muscular and skeletal structure. Period.

Back to the show.

Fujioka then states that the second reason is “winning isn’t everything”. He asks rhetorically if it only matters that a Japanese person places first? As he speaks we are given a montage of what looks like a TV screen with a shot of two black and two white people holding on gold medals with delighted expressions on their faces and the words: “Men’s Relay- Spectacular Achievement”. The next scene we get is of newspapers being sold and the words: “New Japanese Record (spectacular achievements in track and field) written as the headline.

Finally, we get a shot of a results board where Fujioka’s name is placed at the top. I assume this is from the inter collegiate tournament which had been mentioned in a previous episode. He goes on to say that even if he wins a competition, if he feels that he lost to himself, he doesn’t consider it a win.

-Life tips: This is actually something I always tell my kids. Don’t compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to yourself. Like, if you’re good at a subject, then raise the bar and challenge yourself to do even better. Similarly, if you’re weak at a subject, don’t compare your performance to others and get all depressed when you realize you’re not as good as they are. Set your own (realistic) goals. Work towards them and celebrate your wins. Only you know how hard you’ve worked. If you tried hard and are unhappy with your score, continue your efforts but maybe try different study methods. But if you slacked off and still got a decent score, know that you could have gotten a better grade if you worked a little harder and aim for that. Just do your best. After you’ve given whatever endeavor you’re on enough time, if it’s still not good enough, there’s no shame in exploring a new path if you wish to do so.

Fujioka goes on to say that since times change at “dizzying speed, who is to say who is the best? Don’t we keep running because there are ideals and goals we value more than that?”

-I’ll be honest. This seems like it was an opportunity to pitch a moral. I know this, but I didn’t mind it. First off, because it didn’t feel preachy. Rather, it’s handled as an opportunity to explore running as a metaphorical concept. Not unlike how Haiji asked “what is running”, just restated in a different way. Fujioka here is basically saying he does not run to win. He wants to challenge himself.

Kakeru is flabbergasted at this concept. He would be, knowing the environment he used to be in, where running was only about winning. But I think he’s mostly shocked that Fujioka, despite being in a famous running college, isn’t overly concerned with winning.

Fujioka smiles at his wide-eyed expression and fondly says “You’ve gathered good members.”

“It’s his kind of team.”

This is the second time Fujioka said this. The first was when he told Kakeru“It’s an interesting team that Kiyose put together”.

Fujioka’s admiration for Haiji is crystal clear. And just when I’m wondering when we’ll get their backstory, Musa asks the question for me: “Are you and Haiji close?”

The Rikudo captain answers that they were team mates in high school. He adds that Haiji was supposed to have joined Rikudo’s university team as well.

Musa and Kakeru are shocked.

The morose piano of the somber “Seasons” track carries over to the next scene which starts with a shot of Haiji’s knees, his fists on his thighs, then to a doctor looking at a screen, where Haiji’s injured knee is shown.

No idea what I’m seeing, but it ain’t good.

And in case there’s any doubt, we’re shown Haiji’s almond eyes, wide as saucers in his distress, as the light from the computer screen reflects in them.

💔

-I always assumed Haiji’s injury was an ACL tear, hence the surgical scar. Now, we saw how hard Haiji landed on his injured knee during the qualifying race. We also saw how much pain he was in during the race. He probably reinjured his knee and was told not to run. Top commenter Bram had said that the anime is a bit different from what the injury was in the book, but as I’m reviewing this anime as a stand alone, I’m going with Bram’s initial comment on the injury as an advanced care paramedic: “I think that he’s made peace with the fact that he is actively destroying his graft. I think he knows that he shouldn’t be going as hard as he is on the knee at this stage, but this is his last chance for Hakone so he has to do it.”

– I agree. Also, this scene hurt. A lot. I mentioned this before but the entire premise of this show (and the book it’s based on) seems to have been the fact that Japan’s silver Bronze Medalist committed suicide after he was forced to retire due to an injury. And now we’re given foreshadowing that Haiji might not be able to run anymore, on the eve of the race he’s been working towards for four years. Way to raise my stress levels and keep viewers in suspense.

Act One:

After the intro, the episode starts with a superimposed text on what looks like a countryside “4 years earlier”.

– Finally! We get Haiji’s back story when he was a high school senior.

The building of a school has a sign which says “Congratulations track and field team”. A younger Fujioka and his team mates are warming up for practice, but his eyes are fixed on an uncharacteristically morose teenage Haiji who is standing aside, facing a man who is obviously their coach.

The next scene happens at sunset. Haiji and Fujioka look like they’re walking home from practice. The former tells the latter “Those fireflies you hate so much will be back soon.”

Fukioka answers, “I don’t hate them, there are just too many here.”

So Fukioka isn’t from Haiji’s hometown. He moved there recently, perhaps to enter Haiji’s school if it’s a famous running school?

Haiji tells him “This is our last year. Savor it.”

Fujioka stops walking and tells Haiji: “Let’s go together. To Rikudo. Then we can-”

Haiji interrupts to tell him, “It’s already been decided,” as he continues walking.

Fujioka is silent for a beat, then follows him to say in an encouraging tone “But you were recruited. The care they offer athletes is top class.”

Here Haiji stops walking. He tells Fujioka decisively “I’ve already spent two years with this leg. I know my body better than anyone else.”

Fujioka asks what the Coach said. Haiji responds, “Be patient.” And that it was “a lot of talking for him.”

– From this we know not only that the coach is a man of a few words, but also that Haiji knows him very well.

Haiji goes on to say, “I’m happy about this year, though. Last year I didn’t get to run with you once because of physical therapy.”

– Let’s put a time line on this. High school in Japan is three years. Haiji injured his leg at the end of his first year, spent all his second year doing physical therapy, then rejoined the team in his third year where he was finally able to participate in a race or two.

– Haiji’s emphasis “with you” affirms what we already know, these two were good friends. Their relationship and Fujioka’s concern contrasts starkly with the atmosphere in Kakeru’s high school team.

Kiyose then says “My athletic career may be over, but we-” before he is interrupted by an upset Fujioka.

“It’s not over!”

Haiji stops walking, again. Behind him, Fujioka firmly tells him to believe in himself. Here, Haiji’s indifferent façade cracks. His lips tremble for a second before he turns to look at Fujioka, a self-deprecating smile plastered on his face.

“I’m not that strong.”

The shock on the young Fujioka’s face will no doubt mirror the viewers. This broken Haiji is a stranger to us.

Haiji walks away as present Fujioka’s words overlap the scene as he tells Kakeru and Musa: “He should be telling you this himself. If he hasn’t told you yet, then he probably doesn’t think it’s the right time. I should not have said anything.”

-I understand Fujioka’s self-reproach here. His earlier monologue along with his overall demeanor makes him seem like an incredibly mature person who would lament his slight indiscretion. I think that when asked if he and Haiji are close, his mind automatically recalled just how intimate they were in high school, and the conversation that led to their parting of ways.

While mutual respect remains, it seems to me based on their interactions that the distance between them has been intentionally put in place by Haiji. Recall when Fujioka candidly told Haiji he’s jealous of the time the Kansei boys have spent with him. Haiji never replied. Also, Fujioka seems proud of his (past?) friendship with Haiji and always seeks him out whenever he sees him. It’s interesting to me that the opposite, however, is not true. I base this on how tight-lipped Haiji is regarding his relationship with the star runner. He never discussed it with his team beyond giving Kakeru his name as a rival to remember.

Title: And Then, Morning.

Fujioka is rubbing Nira’s stomach. I’m no dog owner but I do know they only show their bellies to those they feel comfortable with. It shows that Fujioka’s such a good guy even Nira (who he’s never seen before) has taken to. Though to be fair, Nira’s so friendly he probably likes everyone.

Kakeru comes out of the Aotake and tells Fujioka that Haiji isn’t home and isn’t answering his phone. At his apology Fujioka tells him in a positive note that the next he sees him will be the new year (i.e. Hakone). “Good luck to both of us” he asks Kakeru to relay this, handing over the bag of sweets he brought for the team.

In the next scene we have Haiji lamenting that he missed his ex-teammate’s visit as he and Kakeru walk to bath house (based on the bathing supplies he’s holding in his hands).

-I love Haiji’s seiyuu. He spoke the words in Haiji’s typical mild melodic tone, but the way he breathed them out displayed genuine regret. I do wonder, had he had seen Fujioka, what would they have talked about? Especially considering the probable recurrence of Haiji’s injury. I doubt he would have said anything, but I’m curious nonetheless. How do readers think that conversation would have went? Please let me know.

Haiji then asks Kakeru what they had talked about. Kakeru is tongue tied. Haiji clarifies he’s just wondering if they got along well. The awkward runner manages to say that “it was fine.”

-I think Haiji was curious about what, if anything, Fujioka revealed to Kakeru. The fact that he doesn’t press the awkward Kakeru for details is very much like him.

Kakeru then says that Fujioko’s views on running expanded his own horizons.

-Funny thing. As a mother I’m constantly giving my kids advice, only to have them parrot it back to me in awe when they happen to hear from another source, as if for the first time. Peers can have a greater influence. It’s kinda annoying but as long as they learn, it doesn’t matter who it’s from. I think the same thing happened here. Haiji’s been trying (subtly and not so much at times) to broaden Kakeru’s perspective. But Haiji’s ideas were so alien to KK at first, plus he didn’t even know Haiji (especially as a runner). I think he had a hard time assimilating them. With top runner Fujioka, the words carry a different weight, hence Kakeru’s acceptance of them. But I also think, only because of the time Kakeru has spent with Haiji, he can now comprehend what Fujioka said, what Haiji was trying to say all along.

It’s evident when he tells Haiji he now understands what he meant when he previously spoke about his ex-mate’s strength. At KK’s wistful tone Here Haiji stops walking to tell him earnestly “you can do it too. Be strong,” looking at Kakeru straight in the eyes. His seriousness seems to resonate with Kakeru who affirms that he will.

– It’s a bittersweet moment for us viewers because we know instinctively that Haji is basically telling Kakeru to reach heights he knows that he can’t.

-This scene was devoid of any background music. The choice punctuated the seriousness of the exchange. It also takes place near the vending machines where the two had their first conversation.

After the moment of levity, Haiji tells Kakeru with his usual light-heartedness that he once brought Fujioka over to the bathhouse and that his friend didn’t last ten seconds in the hot water. “In that regard, I’m stronger than him.”

Kakeru comments with a chuckle that the two “are close”.

– Are they? I wonder. Going to a bathhouse is a ritual that does denote a certain level of intimacy, but other things contradict this. I’m not even talking about the fact that Fujioka and Haiji call each other by their last names. They met in high school and even good friends might find it hard/weird to switch to a first name basis (from what I know about the culture, Japanese men can be very reserved).

So, yeah, not concerned about that. But the fact that Fujioka didn’t know where Haiji’s “base” was and (presumably) doesn’t even have his phone number doesn’t really make them seem all that close. If Fujioka had visited before, why didn’t Haiji bring him to the bathhouse and not Aotake? Was it a way to steer the conversation away from running?

Fujioka Kazuma

Fujioka’s a great character. A wonderful person really. It makes the current status of his friendship with Haiji regretful. I previously said that the distance between them was put in place by Haiji. I think that, while the two were indeed good friends, Haiji also saw them as rivals. His injury however removed all possibility of them ever competing since Haiji never seemed to regain his former ability. (Fujioka mentioned this previously). And while I don’t think this mattered to Fujioka it obviously mattered a great deal to Haiji. I think his choice of not attending the same Uni as his friend was because he couldn’t bear to run alongside him when he was no longer on par with him. He must have been very talented if the university scouted him despite his injury. Or could it have been that Fujioka had recommended him? If true, and if Haiji suspected it, I would think it would have backfired. Haiji doesn’t seem a particularly proud person, but as an athlete, he might have been hurt nonetheless. Also, not knowing if he will ever be able to justify his acceptance in such a prestigious place, or his teammates’ expectations, it might have been too big a burden for him to bear. Why else would he refuse the offer?

So, the two went their separate ways and it doesn’t seem like Haiji made any effort to keep in touch. It’s sad but the mature Fujioka would have understood what was happening even without Haiji telling him. I think this would explain his happiness at seeing Haiji race again. Haiji re-entering the running world would have made it possible for them to recover their friendship as well.

The next scene has the boys running in the “Ageo Marathon” which Haiji exposits is about as long as the individual sections of Hakone and would therefore be good practice for it. For once the Coach is present, though it seems it’s only to enjoy the snacks being sold by local vendors. He tells the boys holding a pack of Takoyaki to enjoy themselves.

Hana suddenly calls out and tells Haiji that the twins want to do the “mountains of Hakone” cheer. The two are caught off guard but at her insistence go along with it. The rest of the members realize that Hana’s giving the twins a chance to go back to normal, since they previously missed their opportunity to apologize to Haiji (after accusing him of duping them). Shindo remarks that it’s up to Haiji to come through.

At this Haiji asks the twins “You guys want to do it that badly?” which annoys the twins to no end.

Prince comments, “Kiyose Haiji doesn’t’ play along that easily”.

I don’t think Haiji’s actually being petty, just teasing them and having them take a bit of responsibility since Hana’s really helping them out here.

She even goes as far as to hold their hands in encouragement which seems to affect her more than the boys.

Blushing Hana. Oblivious twins.

The boys ask if she’s okay, she brushes them off and asks Haiji to do the cheer. He does, and  hand in hand, the boys grudgingly go along with it. Seeing Hana raise the twins’ hands up in her own, Kakeru remarks “shouldn’t we have joined them?”

Yuki tells him “You’re pretty bad, too.”

“Huh?”

I think Yuki’s comment means he thought Kakeru wanted to barge in on the moment. But I rather think Kakeru just genuinely thought that it might have been better for the whole team to join in. It was one of the cute Kakeru’s “slow at everything but running” moments.

Or, and this is a bit farfetched, it might be that Kakeru saw Hana holding the twins’ hands and wanted to hold hers as well. I don’t think that is the case but it might be what Yuki thought, hence his comment.

During the race we see the twins speed ahead of Kakeru sticking out their tongues at him. But it’s done in good humor and shows us that the freshman trio have also gotten over their issues.

-Recall Kakeru had fought with the twins in defense of Haiji.

The team is stretching, cooling down after the race wieh Haiji is approached by the shady reporter whom they’ve previously avoided. He gives him a menacing grin.

Ugh. Begone you creep.

Act Two

King angrily throws a tabloid paper with the headlines “Sendai J High School Track Coach Claims incident with KK is in the past and refuses to speak.”

King angrily comments “if you weren’t going to talk don’t accept an interview request!”  While Jouji points out that the initials along with the photos of the Kakeru and the coach, albeit with their eyes blacked out, reveals the identifies the people in question.

A sympathetic Musa tells Kakeru not to let it get to him.

-It’s heartwarming to see Kakeru’s teammates stand up for him. Especially King who is usually more aloof.

The scene switches to Coach Tazaki (in full formal dress) and Haiji with Shindo at the university chairman’s office, apologizing in dogeza for this scandal.

Scene switches again, this time to Kakeru receiving a call from “home” and his mom’s voice. She first asks him if he’s okay, telling him that she saw the magazine article, then adds that his dad is mad, before asking him again, “Are you sure you’re okay? She explains that “people in the country like to talk, put yourself in our shoes. Please.”

Kakeru says okay, trying to appease her in his usual monotone. She asks if he’s coming home for New Year’s, and when he says no her worried voice asks if he’s made some bad friends. Here Kakeru angrily reports that he’s running in Hakone before hanging up.

As he is standing outside the Aotake (probably for privacy), Yuki who is just returning home ends up hearing the rest of the conversation.

– It’s a reversal of the scene when Kakeru overheard Yuki on the phone with his own mom.

Yuki apologizes for inadvertently eavesdropping. Kakeru tells him that he doesn’t get along with his parents, to which Yuki replies “I forget to tell you before, but neither do I.”

-Well, yeah, we inferred as much at the time. His tone at the time didn’t denote an ideal relationship.

Yuki goes on to say that he hadn’t gone home once since starting university, so he hasn’t seen his folks in about 3 and a half years. He then qualifies “it’s not serious.” Just that his mom got remarried so it’s awkward for him because he doesn’t know his step dad. “I don’t know how close we’re supposed to be.” Yuki goes on to say “I don’t like close relationships, parents or otherwise. Everyone is alone. It’s stupid to try to understand others.”

-I remember this scene immediately made me head-canon Yuki as a mama’s boy. He’s obviously a type A personality type, and I imagine he always got perfect grades because he wanted to grow up and get successful quick to help out his single mom. For all he says of not wanting to be close, I think her marriage came as a shock to him because of how close he was to her. He wouldn’t have been able to understand why she’d need a husband if he thought they were happy and doing fine on their own.

-This would also explain his interest in Nico. If he grew up without a father, he might have subconsciously seen the mature mellow older Nico as an archetype of what a male role model would have been like. Perhaps not when it comes to his studies, but certainly personality wise. Hence, his insistence on wanting to know why Nico wanted to run with Haiji, and his surprise at never having known Nico ever ran track. For all his bravado, there are people that he can’t but help want to understand.

To his credit, Yuki admits this. He says, “But living here’s been throwing me off my pace.”

It’s not just with Nico. We’ve seen Yuki express concern and care for other dorm mates. Those whom he respects like Haiji and Shindo. And others like King when job hunting pressured him to detaching from the team.

Speaking of Shindo, in the next scene he tells the Kansei boys that the track team’s short distance members offered to be their water station staff. “It’s a first for all of us so I’m thinking we should make time next week to rehearse.”

– Nice to see the boys’ have not only gotten support from the university’s administration, but also fellow students.

-I didn’t understand this at the time but future episodes will show explain what they’re practicing for.

Haiji agrees then asks Shindo about the shopping center vendors. Shindo answers that he’s having them arrange transportation and lodging for the athletes.

-We’ve seen this for a while now but this scene is more continuity that Shindo has taken on more and more responsibilities on the team. Even before Haiji’s collapse, he was jogging at night wearing T-shirts to attract sponsors. After Haiji’s collapse it was the website, management, and now even organizing logistics of Hakone.

When he mentions forms that the team needs to submit King remarks “What would we do without Shindo?”

-King’s recognition here makes him very likable to me. Before he had a chip on his shoulder that seemed to make it hard for him to complement people. But I think out of everyone else in Aotake, he might feel closest to his Shindo who records his favorite shows for him.

Musa then laments that Shindo never accepts his offers for help.

– I can see it. Musa is a scholarship engineering student. Shindo wouldn’t want him to risk lowering his GPA by concentrating whatever free time he has outside of running on anything besides studying.

Shindo adds that he’s perfectly fine. He looks it too.

– Makes sense. Shindo grew up on a farm and woke up at the crack of dawn to make a trek to a faraway school. The earnest Shindo also probably helped out his family whenever he could so he must have great stamina.

Prince exposits that at least the article didn’t make a huge commotion. To which Haiji replies that it’s thanks to their “landlord” for reacting quickly and talking to the University about it and that “the school agreed to wait and see.”

-This made me chuckle. Even the deferent Haiji sees Tazaki more like a landlord than a coach.

-The school is not stupid. Their track team is running in a prestigious race probably in the first time since Tazaki was a real coach. So, I’m guessing decades. They’re not going to let something that happened when their star athlete was in high school jeopardize that.

-King remarks “that guy actually does his job”. Again, they all refer to the old man as their “landlord” and not “coach”. But, yeah, he really came through for the team.

Yuki and Kakeru show up with drinks and snacks and everyone goes to the twin’s room to celebrate.

Next is a montage with no speech, only music. We see the members having a Christmas party. A red faced and drunk Shindo uncharacteristically goes off on Nico (maybe for not cutting the cake properly?) he’s dragged away by a worried Musa.

A leering Yuki gives the riveted blushing twins some advice. Based on the pink overlay and their steaming heads it can only be lecherous in nature. Prince is passionately going over a manga panel with a confused (or uninvested, I can’t decide) Kakeru.

Prince is obviously reading Kimi Ni Todoke 😍

The scene switches to the team running, then soaking at the bathhouse.  Then again to Kakeru ringing a shrine’s bell to bring in the New Year as Haiji takes his picture (for their website I gather). We see the twins being annoying as the boys throw coins as offerings in the shrine (temple?) they’re at before clapping in unison and praying (for victory no doubt). Haiji holds their team’s sash in his hands. A calendar tells us it’s the first day of the new year.

Guess who said what.

We then see the boys eating New Year’s zouni for breakfast in the kitchen. Haiji asks a question to which Musa offers a response. Haiji starts walking but we don’t know where he goes because the scene then switches to show us the outside of the Aotake in daylight, then it transitions to night time as one by one the lights in the rooms are turned off. Nira howling at the full moon ends the scene.

The next starts with a banner that says “Toyko-Hakone Round-Trip Ekiden Race” We see the inside of a large building where various runners are sitting on mats, stretching and waiting. A figure in a Kansei blue full length padded hooded cloak is running in place, warming up when off screen Haiji tells him “You’ll tire yourself out if you move too much.” The person removes his hood to reveal himself: Prince.

– This segment once again utilizes the show’s masterful signature storytelling where the scenes alternate between present and past. The technique combines exposition with action in a riveting manner. It starts when we are taken from the morning of the race to when Haiji was telling his team the sections he chose for them, back in the twins’ room at Aotake. When he announces that their starter will be Prince, the the bookworm asks if Haiji is throwing the race.

-No offense to Prince but this actually makes a lot of sense. Prince is the slowest so no matter how far behind the team gets in the beginning they’ll have the whole rest of the race to make it up.

Haiji, of course, doesn’t say this. He instead tells Prince that he can’t imagine anyone else running it and that Prince is “the only one who can stand there calmly that you seem almost oblivious even with all the attention on you.”

-Well, he’s not wrong. As long as he has a comic in his hands, fery little fazes Prince.

Haiji adds resolutely that “I made this line-up to win.”

Yuki is worried because there have been a lot of fast paced developments in recent years.

-I’m assuming his means for the starting runners and that this they might throw Prince off his pace.

Haiji responds “It’s possible this year will be slow-paced in response to that.”

-Either way, I think Prince is very good at knowing what it is he can and can’t do and won’t be affected by the speed of others.

Haiji goes on to say that if Prince falls behind they’ll get it back in section two, which Musa is running.

The scene again switches to real time where we see Musa warming his cold hands with his breath. He’s outdoors, in a different location from where we saw Prince, and wearing the same long coat with a beanie on his head, a serious look on his face.

The scene switches back to Haiji in the twins room where we see the reactions of the team when Haiji made the announcement. Musa’s soul seems to want to leave his body from the shock and pressure.

-If viewers will recall, this is an important section (based on the fact that it was previously run by elites like Fujioka and Iwanki). This explains Musa’s reaction.

Shino on the other hand looks proud and tells his best friend that he can do it. Musa recovers to argue that Kakeru should be running that section.

-I think we all thought so too, especially since Haiji had asked him about it previously.

Haiji smiles and asks Kakeru what he thinks. Their star runner exposits with a smile that Musa can run ten kilometers in about twenty-nine minutes, and that this is the same as the other runners.

– I appreciated this insight. We’ve seen that Musa’s amongst the fastest on the team (alongside the twins) but for viewers new to this world it’s important to know what his speed is in comparison to runners in other teams.

Kakeru then just gives me a proud mama moment when he says “more than that” Musa’s the most considerate and encouraging member towards his teammates. “I can’t imagine anyone else running it.” His words give the humble Musa confidence, despite his “Oh no!”

– Kakeru’s growth has been so gratifying to see. Personally I don’t see what personality has anything to do with times but I think what he’s saying here is that Musa deserves this spotlight. This coming from the kid who only ever cared about times is just so amazing.

Haji then announces that the next two courses will be run by Jota, then Jouji, whom we see in real time riding in a car driven by Haiji’s onsen buddy, whom is presumably taking them to their respective starting points.

– This is continuity to what Shindo said earlier that the shopping district vendors (i.e. their fan-club) are arranging their transportation.

The twins react happily to their assigned courses. Jouta reminds viewers “I love that course!” which we (and Haiji of course) noticed. They had been interested in it despite themselves even when they’d been fighting with Haiji.

Jouji is happy as well. He tells the others he’ll get them fish cakes from Ogawara (which I assume is his respective end point).

Musa is still lamenting his section “their sections seem more fun!” when Shindo tells him to accept his fate.

Yuki then says the same thing to Shindo when Haiji announces that Shindo be running section five.

-I think most of us guessed Shindo will run this section, seeing as that course is the steepest point of the course. Come to think of it, it’s been foreshadowed from the very beginning when Haiji was trying to bring him aboard the team.

Scene again switches back to the present. This time we’re at the Aotake where Yuki is climbing the stairs to the second floor. Haiji’s voice overlaps the scene as he says “Section six, Yuki.”

Present Yuki argues “that’s ridiculous.”

– I don’t know if it’s ridiculous or not but Haiji’s choice is interesting.

Thankfully, Haiji immediately explains that he carefully watched all their running for the past ten months, and that Yuki’s core strength and stable center of gravity are the best. “You’re the only one who can ride down Hakone.”

– Okay, considering that he practiced Kendo, that makes sense.

At this point is started getting a bit hard to focus on the past team meeting, because we’re back in the present where we see Yuki leaning over a brown-haired teammate wearing the green hanten (house coat). He’s laying down in a futon wearing a mask. His hair and mask cover his face so we don’t know who it is. But his red, sweating face tells us he has a fever.

Yuki tells the invalid “I’m sitting you up.” He does so, then asks him if he wants a drink.

Caring Yuki

-Side note: Masking was common in some Asian countries way before COVID. Some use it to help against pollen or pollution, while others would wear it whenever they got sick to decrease the risk of spreading their illness to others. We now know that their effectiveness is questionable, but the conscientiousness is admirable.

-At this point it was hard to keep track of what’s going on because I, (and I think most viewers) were panicking that Haiji will be running sick on top of being injured.

Back to the past team meeting, Haiji says that the seventh runner is Nico followed by King. Haji informs the two that their sections are important because the runners will start to scatter and that the older two members will find themselves running alone. Everyone will be racing to gain a seed in next year’s race. As he speaks his voice overlaps the present where we see King beating his hand against his chest (his nervous tell) in a car with Nico by his side.

The two look outside the window as Haiji’s voice tells them he knows they’ll be able to keep calm and maintain their pace. The scene switches back to the meeting in the twin’s room where a surprised King asks Haiji if he’s trying to earn a seed for next year.

Haiji affirms this, reiterating “that’s why these two sections are important.”

He then goes on to say that Kakeru will then be running the return half’s section two, (called section 9).

We switch to the present where we see aKakeru staring at something. Next to him, Musa, says “I don’t see Fujioka.”

We now see his line of sight: Iwanki and other runners for section two, but no Fujioka. Haiji’s voice overlaps the scene explaining that by last-minute registration, if Fujioka isn’t signed up for the first half, it means Rikudo Uni are saving him for the second half. That would then mean that Kakeru would have a chance to run the same section as Fujioka’s star.

Kakeru is excited by this possibility. Thanks to the switching of scenes from past to present, where Fujioka is nowhere in sight, we now know that it played out just like Haiji predicted.

-I also think that it was Haiji’s plan to have Kakeru run after two of the team’s slowest runners because that will give him a chance to recover any lost time. It’s just like how he placed Musa and the twins after Prince for the first day; very good strategy.

Haiji then says that for the last section he’ll be responsible for finishing the race. He gives no other explanation but tells Jota and Joji that he’ll show them the top. Then qualifies “We’ll experience it together. All of us.”

– I’ve probably said this before. I love all the characters but Haiji is my favorite. Knowing that he wasn’t running in any of the important sections disappointed me at first, but him finishing the race made me a bit happy as it seemed fitting for the person who initiated the entire endeavor. I also now realize that the reason Haiji would want to be last that he can oversee everyone else’s performance. We’ll see this play out in future episodes.

The next scene has us back in present time. We know this due to a super covering an image of the Hakone mountains telling us it is now January second. A news anchor’s voice states that the new year arrived “quietly.”

-The use of the anchor is very effective. It serves as a narration tool and reminds us that this race is so important it’s being televised all over Japan.

We see Prince in his blue overcoat reading manga, sitting on the floor where all the other starters are waiting. An organizer calls them off screen telling them to get ready. Haiji and the Coach Tazaki are with him. The same organizer requests that the coaches come to the “admin vehicle.” Before he leaves, Tazaki says “I can now die in piece. I will be watching from my box seat.”

-This statement tells me what I always suspected. Despite how hands off Tazaki seemed this whole time, he’s more invested in Haiji’s scheme than he let on. But I think that investment has more to do with Haiji than the actual race itself. Like the shopping district vendors, he knows how much this venture meant to the young man and I think is therefore glad to see him make it.

We see the runners line up at the starting line, huge crowds on either side of the track waving “Hakone Ekiden” flags. Runners are warming up and getting ready. It’s finally time. Prince takes off his coat. Haiji helps him, looking at the Kansei sash Prince is wearing. Haiji adjusts the sash for Prince like the mama bear he is. Aside from Prince thanking Haiji, they do not speak.

The “attendants” are told to step back. Haiji does so, letting us know that this is his current role. He smiles and nods encouragingly at Prince who smiles back. He seems calm. The anchor asks “Which university will write a new page in history?” The scene then switches to all the other Kansei runners with their attendants at their respective locations. Musa warms up as Kakeru looks (presumably) at a screen. King watches his phone to see that start of the race as Jouta attempts to warm himself. En route to his location, Jouji is asleep in a car. Next to him, Nico watches the start on his phone next to him.

The anchor continues his narration “Twenty-one runners will wrap themselves in a gust of wind as they run down Hakoniji road. Will that wind be a headwind or a tailwind? Who will be the first to return to Okanamichi?”

A gun signals the start of the race and we see the runners take off.

-All this happens on what looks like a television screen. It’s very orderly, like watching a normal news report. It’s also very detached and feels a bit alien to us since we’ve gotten so close to these boys. But this just makes the next scene all the more effective… and shocking.

The cheering of the crowds barely fades out when we are taken back to the Aotake we know and love so well, where someone drops on the floor, coughing and wheezing.

-He’s wearing Haiji’s hanten, but it can’t be Haiji, he’s at the race. So who is it?

Yuki drops on the floor next to him with a worried, “Hey!”

-Who is it? Who is it?!

We finally get a side profile. See the mole at the corner of a right eye.

Shindo.

-Oh, crap.

Conclusion:

This was a great episode but it was difficult to get through. It’s partly my fault because I’ve become rusty, but also due to the formatting.  As much as I adore episodes that switch between past/present scenes (a trademark of this show  which it excels in) it makes for hard reviewing.

But boy was it worth it. Besides being a riveting technique for storytelling, this time it intentionally makes it hard to keep up with all the characters. That and Haiji’s jacket contributed to the surprise that it was Shindo, actually, who was sick.

Sharper viewers may have noticed when the boys were having new year’s breakfast that Shindo was actually missing from the table.

Now we know what Haiji said to Musa during that montage. He was asking the best friend where Shindo was, to which Musa probably replied “Maybe still in bed,” which then led to Haiji going to check on him. I can only imagine his apprehension when he found him sick.

Such clever subtle, writing. Off screen action that gives credit to the viewers imagination. I absolutely love it. What a beginning to the race. And way to end the episode on a monster of a cliffhanger. We know that Shindo should be running that day. Even if he’s the last person, he does not look good ☹ Will he recover in time? We know that he will run it regardless. No way will he let his team down.

Now I’m not sure how to cover the last few episodes. I’m sure everyone has watched the show so you know that this rest of it continues in this same past/present format. If readers can give me hints on how you would like me to review the rest of it that would be super helpful.

Should I go on with the super detailed scene by scene lengthy format I’ve used until now? Or would you rather I just split the review into the most important events/conversations?

I know it might seem a bit late to consider switching styles at this point. But it might be worth it if readers aren’t as interested in the miniscule details I (perhaps mistakenly) presume they are. So would you rather reviews be short and sweet? Or long and detailed? Are you more interested in a critique of the writing and characterization? Or do you enjoy analysis of the direction and music as well?

By the way, this won’t just help me when it comes to this show, but others I may review in the future as well.

Thanks!

Rating: 9/10

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Run With the Wind Episode 17 Review: Searching for the Answer

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Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Prologue

Nico is taking out the trash when he is approached by two students with a club application. They tell him that they saw the newspaper article and read about the team on their website. “You guys are the best! Please let us join you!”

When Nico asks them why they are asking for his permission, they state: “Aren’t you the coach?” to his dismay.

– Now that the team has officially earned their place in the Hakone race, it makes sense that new members will be wanting to join them.

Act One

At breakfast Yuki and King are laughing loudly.

“You can clear away all the ash you want, but the road to anti-aging is long, right?” Yuki teases a pouting Nico.

– On the surface, the word “ash” here refers to Nico-chan’s previous smoking addition. While he has already quit, he still looks older than his years.

Note: It is well-known that smoking causes skin to age prematurely. Just another reason why you shouldn’t smoke, my dear readers.

But beyond the surface meaning, I think I mentioned this before: the word for “ash” in Japanese is “Hai”, as in “Hai-ji”. I’ll come back to this later in the review.

Speaking of Haiji, he joins the others at the table telling them that he put up a sign on the Aotake building telling possible recruits that they will not be accepting any applications to join the team. He explains: “Aotake is full right now, and I don’t want to be influenced by any passing fads. I don’t have time to look after new members, and I want to focus on the ten of us.”

– Makes sense. Whoever joins the team now will not be able to join the Hakone race.

Shindo tells him that they’re also “drowning” in interview requests. Haiji tells him to turn as many as he can down and choose carefully from the others.

– I thought it might be the case before but it seems like it’s official now. Shindo is in charge of the teams’ public relations.

King complains that they could be famous if they took on more interviews. Nico points out that he should be seeking job interviews instead. Musa whispers to Nico, “I can only assume he’s trying not to think about it.”

– Maybe. Or maybe King actually hopes the publicity will help him get a job, like Haiji had said. Though he doesn’t seem to be thinking about that right now.

Shindo asks Haiji about their program with Nippon TV, Haiji tells him they’ll continue with that, since they’d already agreed and started it before the qualifier. Shindo then asks if they can discuss water station staff and volunteers later.

– Nice! Looks like the team has more supporters now. I assume they’ll need it seeing as how the Hakone is more complicated than the qualifier.

Haiji then tells them to keep their next weekend free as he wants to take them to see the race course. King excitedly tells them “Let’s stop by the hot springs on our way back!”

– King’s being much more outgoing than he was before. It’s .

Jouji raises his hand as if he were in class and says that he and Jouta won’t be able to join them. His older brother adds that they had planned to play soccer with some classmates. Haiji flatly tells them to turn them down, that Hakone comes first. He adds that even professional runners can’t afford to run unprepared, then mildly censures the twins for their lack of foresight in playing other sports: “What if you got injured?” The normally cheerful duo’s faces contort in displeasure. In fact, they had not looked happy since the start of the episode and we soon find out why.

Jouta bursts out saying, “Is there any point obsessing over it?”

Haiji looks at them, bemused, and the kitchen falls silent at his confrontational tone. Kakeru looks apprehensive. Because of the questions the twins had posed to him in the previous episode (which we haven’t seen him answer) he knows where this conversation is heading.

Jouji tells Haiji, “You’ve been tricking us, haven’t you?”

Haii’s face is blank.

Standing up he continues to say, “When you recruited us, you said we’d aim for the top!”

-Well, to be honest, Haiji probably did trick them about how running would get them swarms of lady fans. But I do not think he meant to when it comes to winning.

The twins’ verbal attack continues: “Just look at our time! It’s clear as day! No matter how hard we try, we’re not strong enough to beat the seeded teams!”

At these words we’re given a flashback to the day of the qualifier, to when the twins were looking at the timings of the top universities, and when they first realized that winning was impossible for the Kansei team.

Jouji continues, “You knew that and wheedled us anyway, didn’t you?”

Haiji’s face is as expressionless as ever. He starts to say, “You’re right that I said we’d aim for the top. But-”

Before he can continue, the twins point at him accusingly (considered extremely rude, I believe, in Japan) and turn to look at their teammates.

“See!”

The “See!” here is interesting. It’s as if the twins had previously shared their concerns with the others, or at least a few of them. My guess would be Musa since they seem to be looking at him, he was the first to react, and they’re known to spend time with him.

I also found the body language of their friends to be telling.

Yuki and Nico’s shoulders are slumped and they’re looking down.

Shindo, King and Prince seem to be taking in what is happening. Musa tries to calm the twins. But he, too, is shocked and asks if it’s true that they can’t win “no matter how hard we try?”

Poor Kakeru is anxious at how quickly the confrontation is escalating. He’s reverted to being “slow at everything but running”. Like when Sakaki asked why he was running with the others, he opens and closes his mouth repeatedly trying to find the right words to say.

But before he can, Yuki coolly says, “It’s impossible. The twins are right. Our time proves it,” to Kakeru’s consternation. Nico adds, in an indifferent tone, “Especially in long distance, it’s rare to see an upset.”

Kakeru’s eyes shift from Yuki, to Nico, with a worried expression. He seems disappointed that they’re not standing up for Haiji.

Aren’t they, though? Yuki’s body language, with one hand, holding onto his arm suggests that he’s holding something back.

He goes on to say, while not meeting anyone’s gaze, “Even Rikudo’s second team is way better than us.”

Haiji doesn’t seem pleased but I think he knows that analytical Yuki isn’t taking sides in any way. Rather, I think both Yuki and Nico, are tag-teaming to point out how obvious the twins’ realization is in the hope that it will calm things down. Like it should have been a given, especially since from the beginning Yuki had been doubtful they’d even qualify.

It doesn’t work. In fact, it seems to have the opposite effect. Jouji quietly says, “You guys knew.” While Jouta resentfully bursts out, “That’s not fair!”

-Yuki seems to be looking to the left. If it’s Haiji he’s looking at, I think he’s giving him an apologetic glance that he wasn’t able to help. But if it’s Nico he’s looking at, also on his left, but sitting across from him, then it’s a rueful glance that their attempts to de-escalate the situation were in vain.

– These two seem much closer than the beginning of the series. It’s like they’re on the same wavelength now and can communicate without words. Nice.

Prince puts his chopsticks down on his bowl, getting everyone’s attention. As be does we get a shot of part of their breakfast; red bean rice (sekihan) eaten when celebrating something, and a banana.

– FYI, fruit is extremely expensive in Japan. The image reminds us that instead of fighting they should all be celebrating.

A luxurious meal.

Prince’s words serve the same purpose. He tells the twins in his low and husky, voice: “Depending on how you look at it, we’re lucky. No matter how fast you are, only a handful of runners get to run at Hakone. But we made it through the qualifier. We get to run at Hakone, just like we wanted. There are plenty of people who’d be jealous of that alone.”

– Again, body language. While the twins are standing above Prince, their clenched fists show that they are not in a superior position.

In contrast, Prince’s calm steady voice shows that despite their positions, their physical strength even, he’s above them emotionally and intellectually.

His words are undeniable. But I think they also allude to what Yuki had said earlier: while Rikudo’s substitute team is stronger than they are, the Kansei boys are the ones who will run in Hakone. King answers, “You’re not wrong, but…”

– Hmm. Looks like the twin’s and Musa aren’t the only ones who were dreaming of winning. King and Shindo’s expressions are disappointed too.

The twins remain obstinate. “There’s no point if we can’t win!”

– I think, considering their background as soccer players, the twins’ stance here isn’t too surprising. In soccer, even a weaker team can win against a strong team with the right tactics. There’s also simply no way of knowing how a game will play out. Who will end up having a lucky shot, if a goalie has a bad day, there are just so many variables that make games very difficult to predict. Just look at all the upsets in the current world cup. This might explain how shocked they are at finding out that long distance racing isn’t the same.

Meanwhile, Haiji’s mouth is set in what seems to be a tense line. His arms are also crossed in front of him as if distancing (or protecting?) himself from what’s happening.

– It isn’t strange for him to be watching how things play out. We’ve seen him only interfere when things get really bad before (i.e. Kakeru yelling at Hanako). Or when he’s tired. But I saw his silence here as indicative of something else.

He seems sad 💔

– It might also be that he feels guilty that he did in fact trick the twins in a way. But I think its more than that.

Kakeru, on the other hand, who seems to have been in pain this whole time at this slander of Haiji (whom by now we all know he reveres and respects) , finally finds his words.

He slams his palms on the dining table and points out, “Then you shouldn’t be playing soccer. If you want to win, you should be training.”

The twins glare at him, “You think you’re so great,” Jouji begins. He tells Kakeru that knowing that their chance at winning is so low, they can’t find the motivation to train. Jouji then points out, “How can you say that after you couldn’t respond the other day?” recalling when they’d asked him about the matter after the qualifier, throwing Kakeru’s silence at the time in his face.

Kakeru grits his teeth in anger. Nico tries to defend him by interjecting, “Enough, guys,” probably foreseeing that Kakeru wouldn’t be able to respond. But in a rare moment of eloquence, he tells the twins, “If you guys can’t run because you can’t win, will you quit living because you’ll die someday?”

-Again, this statement has a double meaning. I’ll revisit the theme later.

Kakeru then points his own finger at the twins and say, “Is that how it is? It is, isn’t it?!”

– It’s almost like he can’t believe his own verbal prowess. I don’t blame him. The growth came at the perfect time, too.

The twins can’t seem to believe it either. Ignoring the reasonableness of his argument they start making fun of him. “Here he goes again, Kakeru’s making ridiculous arguments again.”

Like kids in a schoolyard, the twins act very childishly, and not in their guilelessly cute way, either. They make faces and poke fun at Kakeru who gets angrier by the second. “To be or not to be? That’s the question. But I’ll never die. Kakeru the quibbler will never die.”

King and Shindo look at them as if they’re space creatures, not believing how low they have stooped in their level of immaturity. A worried Musa looks back and forth between the twins and Kakeru. Nico sighs once more, while Yuki mutters, wondering, “What are we doing right now?”

Kakeru grits his teeth in frustration. His closed fists make a comeback when it looks like Haiji has finally had enough. Mama cat, suddenly grabs her unruly kittens from the back of the neck.

“I thought you had a question for me?”

– Methinks he read Kakeru’s body language and activated his “perfect timing” super power. Is he protecting the twins from Kakeru, or Kakeru from the twins? Either way Haiji always stops his kids from doing something they’d regret.

The twins look terrified at Haiji’s menacing demeanor. It’s a face they’d never seen before. I doubt anyone else has, actually. But I think Haiji here only meant to get their attention, not to actually scare them. This is proven by when he immediately reverts to his usual tone. He continues: “You’re right that I mentioned the top, but I didn’t mean we’d win.”

– Like I said, I never thought he meant that either. And I knew less about Hakone than the twins.

Jouji then asks, “What did you mean, then?”

Haiji reveals, “I’m searching for that answer, too. I’m searching for the destination. What it means to run.”

Jouta seems disgusted by Haiji’s answer. He roughly shoves Haiji’s arm away and says, “This is stupid.” The twins then leave the room.

It’s like a replay of similar scene when Kakeru asked Haiji what kind of running he wanted to do with the team. Haiji had given the same answer to Kakeru.

Like Jouta, Kakeru too, had been angry at the response. But Kakeru’s reaction was more subdued. But he’d managed to reign himself and tell Haiji in his usual monotone, “I’m surprised you’d gotten us involved when you don’t know.”

That same Kakeru seems to have forgotten his past ire. Seeing Jouta’s reaction, his eyes widen and his mouth drops aghast at the twins’ rudeness.

Kakeru’s “Oh, he did not just do that!” face.

He’s about to go after them with a determined look on his face when Yuki stays him by saying in an indifferent tone, “Kakaru, it’s your turn to do the dishes,” as he plays around on his phone.

Kakeru bangs his fist on the table, “Why?!”

Nico tells him, “Just because. Learn to keep your cool.” 

– Nice going, Yuki. I’m guessing the sudden task was just an excuse to keep KK from following the twins and prolonging or exacerbating the fight.

At Nico’s words, Kakeru recalls his anger management problem and lets out the angry breath he’d been holding in.

– Again, I really love how these two are on the same wavelength.

– It’s been a while since a single scene took so long to be analyzed. And I’d even delayed a few topics for later. But who am I kidding, as time consuming as this was, it was fun as heck.

Episode Title, Searching for the Answer.

The next scene takes place in the morning, where we see that the team had gathered in the yard in front of the team van that Haiji drives (rents? borrows?). There’s an empty space where the twins should be standing.

– The choice of outfits is interesting. Most of the characters are back in the same clothes that they wore in the early episodes. This is intentional.

Haiji is tapping impatiently at his watch. It reads 9:05. Shindo comes out from Aotake and breathlessly tells him that the twins aren’t there.

King utters a sigh worthy of Nico, “They actually blew us off.” Haiji lowers his head in disappointment.

– Is it me or is he taking this hard? It’s not surprising, however. Being sensitive goes both ways. The fact that Haiji is so attentive to other people’s needs and emotions means that he’s quite tender hearted himself. The fact that he was completely up front and honest with the twins, when he usually keeps his thoughts close to his chest, but couldn’t reach them, must have been a blow.

He’s not the only one. Kakeru apologizes. He reasons that the twins are rebelling because he couldn’t answer them properly when they first questioned “why are we running,” at the qualifier.

Yuki consoles him with a smile, “It’s like not being able to tell someone what the meaning of life is.”

– Yuki here is basically saying it’s a difficult question to answer. But this is the second time the theme of living has been brought up. The first was when Kakeru asked, “so you’ll quit living, because you’ll die someday?” Again, I promise I’ll discuss this in the conclusion.

Nico seems to appreciate the simile, and tells him with a grin, “nice quibble,” and they chuckle together.

– I mentioned that the choice of outfits is intentional. Here it recalls the earlier episodes and how there seemed to be a barrier between the two room mates, and contrasts it with their current friendship.

Kakeru can’t join in their lightheartedness.

“We made it through the qualifier. We’re running at Hakone together. Maybe we’ve already achieved the first goal we set for ourselves. But that wasn’t the real top.”

– He seems to be speaking, both for himself and for Haiji. It’s like he, too, is now interested in and searching for the reason he runs. Haiji’s goal has become his own.

He goes on to say, “I knew that, too. After all, I wanted to aim even higher with you guys. But I hesitated to answer them.”

– I’m sure Haiji feels the exact same way. This is possibly why Kakeru is blaming himself. He’d been the first person Haiji had confided in. Had he made use of what he knew, had he expressed his own feelings when the twins’ doubt’s first arose, he might have been able to nip them in the bud. If that’s how he sees it, then I can see where he’s coming from. But I don’t think it’s right for him to blame himself. The other members surely feel as much. We see surprise on Nico, Yuki, and Prince’s faces, as if they can’t believe how hard he’s being on himself, while Musa, King and Shindo seem sad for him.

But whether he’s right or wrong, KK is determined to fix the matter with his own hands.

In the next scene the two brothers are both wearing cleats, and waiting for their soccer buddies to show up. Jouta practices, alternating kicking the ball into the air with both feet, and he’s not bad at all. Eventually he makes small talk as Jouji fiddles with his laces, mentioning how it’s been a while since they played soccer, and that they’ve been running all the time. At his brother’s murmured non-committal responses, he asks if Jouji regrets “choosing this”.

– I like the indication of how close these two know each other. Jouta is able to gauge his brother’s emotions without him saying anything.

But Jouji denies feeling regret, and says that they had made the soccer plans first. Despite his words, he’s obviously unhappy.

Jouta wonders when the other players will arrive and comments that they’d gotten used to waking up early.

– More contrast. Before running their lives had been very different. Also expository: we now know why they’re alone.

Jouji is still silent. In an attempt to cheer him up Jouta says, “We’re running at Hakone. Now we just have to practice enough that they won’t complain.”

Jouji is confused at his words. “So who won’t complain? Haiji?”

At his honest query, Jouta is confused too. “The guys who didn’t qualify?”

-I like this scene. From the beginning, these two only started running because of Haiji’s encouragement and their belief that they can win. But now, because they’ve realized that they can’t, they’re sincerely thinking about the point of it. It’s exactly what Haiji is doing, But whereas Haiji knows that answers come to those who seek them by taking action, the twins want an instant solution and are avoiding the process. It’s like when King stopped practicing because he was too worried about finding a job.

Looking at it another way, when confronted with a problem people have either a fight or flight response. Kakeru, after his discussion with Haiji, bore his fangs at the summit in the next episode. King and the twins (who have always seemed to be similarly childlike and immature) had flight responses.

I don’t mean to put them down, it’s just their nature. Some people need more time to process things. The twins’ strength lies in their cheerful, helpful nature. They were never the thoughtful type. And that’s okay. More than okay, many times they were a couple sunbeams enlivening what may otherwise have been too somber a show and I don’t think they get enough credit for that.

But what this conversation also underscores is their lack of awareness. I mean, the timing of their dilemma is quite unfortunate. And I think on some level, they are starting to realize that what they’re doing is wrong. Jouta’s reply indicates he’s aware that they’re wasting time while many others would’ve given anything to be in their place. Jouji probably knows it on a more intuitive level. That would explain his unhappy silence.

Suddenly, Kakeru comes running towards them. It takes them a while to identify him, but once they do, they’re horrified.

“Who crashes a soccer game?” Jouta asks.

-Who indeed. This is Haiji’s Modus Operandi which Kakeru seems to have completely adopted. He runs towards them, “Everyone’s waiting! Let’s go to Hakone!”

“Crap, let’s run,” Jouji says.

“But he’s one of the top in the country!” Jouta points out. When they begin their escape, KK grins…to their horror: “He’s running at us while smiling!”

-Lol!!! So funny.

His smile says “Try to escape…if you can.”

– Again, smiling while being pushy is another of Haiji’s traits and in case there remains any doubt of how much influence Haiji had on KK, the background music, is Haiji’s theme song from the second ep “Tactics by Haiji” I believe it’s called.

Act Two

The passed-out twins in the team van.

“Nicely done,” Nico says with a smile. 

-Hee! I can’t tell if he was complimenting Kakeru or the twins’ efforts to escape him.

“There’s no way you were outrunning him,” Yuki adds, while grinning.

The two gasp out “I can’t run anymore” and “I didn’t consent to this.”

-Haiji drives the team to the sections of the Hakone race. I’ll number the commentary according to location in case anyone plans on doing a geek tour of Japan 😉

Section 1 : Starting Line Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Office.

The team looks up at the tall building in wonder. Haiji tells them that a stage will be built in front of the start line and cameras will be facing the runners. He also says that onlookers will be a hundred deep on the sidewalk to watch the grand occasion. Nico wonders if they’ll have time to think about that while Prince (who has gotten a haircut! He looks good!) mentions it’s “not for the sensitive”. Musa remarks that wind coming between the buildings is strong. Shindo adds that their bodies will get cold quickly.

Haiji exposits that 21 runners will start the raise in the midst of all the onlookers, thinking only of delivering their sash to their teammate at the next sections.

– The production is good here. We hear the starting gun shoot in the minds of the Kansei team as they imagine the screaming of the cheers and sound of runners feet hitting the pavement. Haiji claps, bringing them back to reality, telling them to move on.

Section 2 (section 10): Tsurumi Relay station

-Ok, so I only noticed the section 10 written as I wrote this review. Basically, the Hakone has a return trip. So where section 2 on the way to Hakone, it is also where section 10 starts but in the opposite direction, as the last leg to end the race.

The team stands on a bridge looking at the road. King says it’s amazing how the traffic will be stopped on the day, as the road is part of the race’s course. Yuki quips it’s “too much pageantry for a bunch of college students.” Haiji say’s that’s just how much it’s worth. “Our running should be worthy of that.”

– As he says this we get a shot of Prince looking down at the road. He seems to be pondering Haiji’s statement.

On the way to the next location Prince comments “Have you gotten better at driving?”

The others agree. Haiji answers, “It’s not fair for me to only expect you guys to grow.”

– This is very in character for Haiji. Despite all the work he does for the team, he acknowledges that it was his choice to do so, and has no problem taking on even more the sake of their comfort.

Nico jokes that Haiji becomes a better driver he’ll have nothing to complain about anymore.

Haiji chuckles then states how last year Iwanki (from Kofu University) and Fujioka (from Rikudo) put on a legendary sprint on section two. Musa mentions how section two is called the ace’s section (I’m guessing because it’s the longest). Haji then asks Kakeru if he wants to run it. Every is silent.

– The implication here is that Haiji would be giving Kakeru the section most likely to be run by Fujioka. Viewers may recall how upset Kakeru had been when he found out that Fujioka would no longer be participating in any meets. Haiji also seemed irke when he saw in a magazine that Fujioka won the inter-collegiate race. He’d been jealous but also regretful that he hadn’t been able to participate, even vicariously through Kakeru, in the race.

That said his statement here is significant. He’s basically offering Kakeru a second chance to compete with the track star.

Kakeru’s is quiet for a moment then answers seriously:

“No matter the section, as long as there’s a road, I’ll run as hard as I can.”

I honestly only realized the point of this statement as I wrote this review. Like other instances in the episode, it’s meant to show his growth. Competing is no longer the only thing on his mind, not even when given a chance to do so with a star like Fujioka. He wants to run for the sake of running now.

Haiji smiles fondly at this statement. I can see him thing, “My boy’s grown up”.

Proud Papa.

Of course, first Yuki, then Nico, have to tease Kakeru about his gravity.

– Kakeru’s reaction here also shows growth. Rather than being enraged or angry, he’s just extremely peeved, and he expresses that.

“Was what I said really that weird?” He asks, his insecure side coming out. The others laugh good naturedly. “No, your words were encouraging.”

– I like that he actually asked for feedback here. His desire to become a better speaker is backed by genuine attempts made towards achieving that goal.

Only the twins sitting at the very back don’t join in the fun.

Section 3 (Section 9) Totsuka Relay Station

We just see the team standing in front of this one the see the van cross over Shonan Bridge. King comments that the breeze over the bridge is strong. The twins finally perk up, interested as the bridge crosses over the sea. Musa comments that it feels nice.

Section 4 (Section 8) Hiratsuka Relay Station

Section 5 (Section 7) Odawara Relay Station

We see a writing on a building that says “Hakone Yumoto station”. Here King says that “We’re finally here.” As the van drives up section five, Nico comments “It’s steeper than I imagined.” Yuki adds, “Going up this will be hell, but this means the downhill is no joke, either, right?”

Haiji agrees adding that the strength of a person’s legs is naturally important for this section, but that “your courage and intelligence matter, as well.”

-Because Shindo’s face was on screen during this exchange (and the fact that he comes from a mountainous region) he’ll obviously be running this section.

A sign that shows the summit of the mountain has King exposit “so the finish line isn’t at the top.”

-This is very useful and important to know especially as non-Japanese viewers. But I would have been happier if any other character rather the self-proclaimed “King” of quiz shows (hence information) would have been ignorant about it. It just doesn’t fit his character to not have looked it up beforehand.

Haiji tells the team that they’re almost at the finish line of the first half and to enjoy the scenery while they can. Here, Kakeru looks in the van’s rear view mirror to try to get a look at the twins sitting in the back. Both their faces are obscured by the glare from the sun.

-Symbolism.

First half of the finish Line (Section 6 starting line): Lake Ashi

Musa takes a picture of the sun setting behind the mountains. “Beautiful.”

-Yes it is. Geek tour now officially planned.

– Seeing the view through Musa’s camera lens offers continuity. We know he’s the one who takes the photos of the team for their website. This moment offers a bit of an explanation why that is the case. He has a professional camera, therefore either photography is his hobby, or he bought it before he came to Japan to record his years there. It also fits to have the sensitive Musa be appreciative of nature.

– It’s details like this that propel this show to my list of the best there is that anime has to offer. So much much care and thought has been put in the creative process making it a masterclass for creatives.

Even cool Yuki takes a deep breath and comments “This is awesome.” Nico adds that the air at Aotake doesn’t compare, to which Yuki retorts “That was mostly your fault,” referring to his past nicotine addiction.

-Hee. Loves these two. Okitsu Kazuyuki’s delivery of Yuki’s line was perfectly amusing.

Shindo and King sit on a bench wondering how it will be on the actual day when a worried Prince runs up to them, breathless.

“In the parking lot…”

That’s the only hint we get before the scene switches to the lot where we see the twins, Kakeru, Haiji, and a familiar not so welcome red-head standing around.

-I want to say it’s too much of a coincidence, but considering that they’re all college students and that the only day that can see the course is on their day off, it’s not too much of a coincidence.

-Before I get into what happens next, I’m just wondering if Sakaki happened to interrupt the twins, Haiji and KK as they were trying to smooth things over after the previous day’s argument. Talk about bad timing. That would explain why the others went on ahead.

But we will never know. We just see Sakaki tell the quartet “You’re so eager. You’re even previewing the course.” He doesn’t look or sound as sarcastic as usual. He even apologizes for calling them plebs.

Kakeru looks watchful while Haiji says in his usual mild sing-song voice “Should you be loafing around here?”

-Basically he’s asking him to join his own team and leave his kids alone.

Sakaki tells him I’m waiting for “Group B” to arrive, and makes it a point to tell Kansei boys that he’s in Group A.

The comment registers. Jouta asks Jouji if that means Sakaki’s a regular now. Jouji agrees.

-Good for you, Sakaki. You worked hard. You’re in your famous sports Universty’s main team. You’ve shown off properly. Feel free to scram now.

But no, he has more to say. Namely, he gushes about how amazing it was that Kakeru was “neck and neck” with Iwanki.

-Yes it was. Incidentally, Haiji beat out the fastest runner on Sakaki’s team too. Maybe that’s the reason for this newfound respect?

Sakai tells Kakeru, “I bet you could run the real thing right now.”

A wary Kakeru negates this. Sakaki comments that he’s “So modest.”

It’s at this point that the others Kansei boys arrive.

“What are you doing?” Yuki asks with a mistrustful expression.

Sakaki comments “You’re all here.” In the same uncharacteristically mild tone. “We were just talking about what I’d do if I were a Kansei runner.”

Kakeru looks confused at this point. 

It’s here that Sakaki reveals his true intentions, and his tone changes to one of stinging sarcasm as he continues, “I mean, no matter how much you practice, you only have ten runners. If even one of you caught a cold…” He then slices at his throat as if to say “you’re dead” and gives Kakeru a sinister smile.

-Oy! Keep your ominous predictions away from our boys 😠

At this Kakeru grits his teeth in anger at Sakaki’s venom. It’s almost like he believed for a second the boy had changed

Sakaki continues, “And even if you run like crazy and finish in the top ten, your oldest runners will graduate.”

Sakaki looks at Haiji as he says this.

-Looks like rather than impress Sakaki, the fact that Haiji beat out his fastest mate did annoy Sakaki. It’s not just Kakeru that’s a good runner on the Kansei team.

Sakaki goes on to say that it’s pointless for them to earn a spot for next year’s race when they won’t even have enough members to run it.

The twins wait eagerly for Haiji to refute this.

– Sakaki has done his homework and knows that Yuki, King, and Haiji would graduate that year. Unfortunately for the expectant twins Haiji’s trademark mild but on point sarcasm is a no show.

He doesn’t respond.

But when Sakaki asks, “Don’t you wonder what you’re running for?” The twins, and all the others get angry (well, as angry as Prince can look anyway),

– It’s a nice moment. Even thought Sakaki is basically echoing their own concerns, the twins are angry because it’s an outsider levying those at them. It’s a nice indication of the team’s camaraderie despite their current friction.

Sakaki’s final blow: “It must be hard to stay motivated,” before he’s thankfully (finally) called by his teammates.

He leaves Kakeru with “See you somewhere on the course”

– This reminds me of when Kakeru (innocently) told him, “We’ll meet again,” and it was misunderstood as a declaration of war. Here, Sakaki’s statement was clearly meant to be one.

Yuki, always trying to clear the air, asks Kakeru, “You sure you guys aren’t connected by a red string of fate?”

-I think this is a joke. As far as I know the red string is for romantic pairings.

Haiji too, comments, “In some ways, he’s diligent.”

– Well, yeah, with how he’s consistently been trying to undermine Kakeru’s team. Previously he seemed jealous of their popularity. Now he seems happy. Happy that he’s made his school’s main team, but also happy to put down Kansei. It’s a bit too much. Under that facade there must be a lot of resentment. Along with a bit of an unhealthy fixation.

I have a theory regarding Sakaki which Ill state briefly now and hope to extrapolate on more later. I think Sakaki actually wanted to become Kakeru’s friend when they in high school, but Kakeru was too introverted to realise it. Kakeru’s awkwardness might have come across as his being too stuck up and uninterested in making friends with runners beneath his abilities. This would have been compounded by the wall their ass of a coach had put between KK and the rest of the team. So seeing KK now, being all friendly with boys Sakaki sees as being way below his own abilities, his “level” is annoying (and confusing) to him. The fact that the team did manage to make it to Hakone doesn’t make it better. It probably just makes Sakaki feel worse.

Back to the episode…

Haji asks the team to not mind Sakaki. “Consider it progress that no one responded.”

– He means you, Kakeru. Good for you.

But the twins can’t let it go. They’re angry that Haiji didn’t respond to Sakaki. They also demand, “Tell us why you run!” I guess their need to know is greater than ever after Sakaki statements, which if left unchallenged they’ll perceive to be true.

– Can I just say, I don’t get the concern for “next year”. I mean, new applicants already want to join in because the team made it to Hakone. Wouldn’t it make sense that after they run it they’d have even more?

Haiji only replies to the last question, “I told you, I’m searching for that answer right now.”

Kakeru looks at the twins, like he’s hoping that would be enough for them. It’s not. When he looks back at Haiji, it seems their leader has sensed the same.

He turns and tells them, “Let’s go somewhere else.”

– Some possibilities come to mind for this decision. First, they were all standing around awkwardly in the parking lot. It probably wouldn’t look good if anyone who could recognize them saw them. Second, Haiji might have needed time to gather his thoughts. Third, it was a production based choice to set up the following gorgeously animated scene. Fourth, all the above 🙂

The boys are all sitting or standing in front of the lake view.

– Smart. If someone does happen to recognize them they’re just quietly enjoying the scenery, not having a serious conversation.

Haji tells the twins “Sakaki-kun” probably meant that athletes improve themselves by competing against strong runners from strong schools. And that that’s how athletes should be and a reason for them to run.

The others listen intently.

– Competition for self- improvement’s sake? Is that what it is? I didn’t get that at all. I guess it’s indirectly true since, if Kansei’s team doesn’t have enough members next year, then yeah they wouldn’t be able to compete against strong schools. Not buying it, though. He just seemed like he wanted demotivate them.

– I think Haiji knows this, but he seems to want to set an example for his children by remaining respectful (hence the Sakaki-kun). He’s also doing something I find rare and incredibly mature: analyzing the validity of Sakaki’s words despite knowing the ill- intent behind them. This can be a powerfully useful practice. Even your “enemies” who are looking at your every move can give you constructive criticism. Complaints made by your strongest detractors can be helpful if they are valid. (*cough* Meghan Markle *cough*).

But Haiji then challenges Sakaki’s statement (searching for it’s validity) by asking, “But is he right? Can you say what we’re doing is wrong?”

– Away from his diplomatic start, Haiji’s rhetorical question and tone here reveals his true thoughts. First, we all know that Haiji’s only goal (as far as we can tell) was to run at Hakone. Sakaki is saying that if they have no chance of winning, or enough members to compete next year, then they practically have no reason to run. Could Haiji be facing the same dilemma? The way he’s speaking is almost as if he’s thinking out loud.

Haiji goes on to say, “It’s true that we need every one of us. There’s no arguing that. I don’t know what will happen next year, or the year after that.”

Haiji then stands up and says, “I’m sure those who will empathize with us will follow. All I can do is believe in that and run as hard as I can right now. So there’s no need to respond to him. All we can do is acknowledge his points and move forward despite them.”

– There’s an important lesson here. Considering other people’s points of view is important. But you should not lose sight of your own (worthy) goals. Incorporate what works for you, and move on.

As he speaks, the wind whistles melancholically.

He finally turns and asks the twins in a tone even kinder than usual, “Does that answer your question?”

– Well, not really. The twins asked two questions. Why he ran, and why he didn’t respond to Sakaki. With regards to the first question, from the beginning of the argument Haji had been honest that he was still looking for the answer. The twins hadn’t been satisfied with that. Haiji didn’t rehash the matter again because there was no answer he could give that they’d be happy with. So Haiji settled for answering the second question: he didn’t retort to Sakaki’s provocations because the latter hadn’t said anything wrong. But then he assuages their fears by pointing out that they weren’t doing anything wrong either. Not having a crystal ball that predicts the future of the team doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do their best now.

He’s gotten through to them. Jouji answers, “I don’t know,” but Jouta quickly follows up with, “But we like what you have to say.”

– That’s a relief. No matter how thick they are I think it would have been shameful (and out of character) for the twins to not let the matter go after Haiji patiently and honestly tried to reassure them best as he could. They might not understand his motives but they get that no malice was intended.

Nico teases mildly, “Like, huh?” Prince, who at this point I’m going to call Haji’s ‘cheerleader from the shadows’ adds “That feels enough for me.”

– It’s not like you ever had an issue, sweet Prince. I posit that Prince has been with Haiji from day one. I’ll revisit this later.

Yuki, who I now head cannon as Haiji’s double agent #2, (Nico’s #1, by the way) says, “Don’t be swayed by your emotions. Debate until you are satisfied.”

King points out, “the twins aren’t theorists like you.” Everyone laughs and the air is cleared. But as Haiji turns to contemplate the sunset, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed.

I don’t know if it’s the painfully beautiful track (it’s called “Seasons”) or the breathtaking nature surrounding the boys, or just the solitary figure Haiji cuts standing in the glow of the setting rays (and the symbolism of that), but the scene just felt heavy with a raw, aching pensiveness.

As to Kakeru, I can only describe his look here as one of awe. I don’t think it’s the first time I’ve used that word when it comes to the feelings KK has for his upperclassman. I really think he looks up to him. But, like the rest of the scene, even his admiration seemed tinged with sadness.

The next scene has the twins confiding in Hana about what happened in the park. She asks if they had a fight. Jouta replies, “I wouldn’t call it a fight… I understand what he’s trying to say, but…” then trails off. Jouji picks up for him and says, “I want to accept what he’s saying, but it feels like he tricked us.”

– Well, to be fair, that’s because he did. Just not in the way you think.

Hana seems to know just what to say.

“I understand. Haiji-san’s so calm.”

I guess she means how sometimes, calm people can make you even angrier in a fight. Their self control can make them seem aloof.

The twins then admit that they missed the opportunity “to return to normal.”

– Hmm. I guess it’s true that Sakaki’s appearance might have interrupted them when they’d been trying to apologize? Or they could be talking about how they didn’t apologize to Haiji for their behavior right after he’d addressed their reservations.

But Jouji stubbornly goes on, “It’s not like we were wrong,” refuting his older brother’s implication that they need to apologize.

Here, Hana tells them, “I think you should believe him. He’s been patiently thinking for four years. I can believe him because he’s come this far. Compared to all the time Haiji has spent on it, our next two months will fly by in a moment. And that moment could change your life, even if you don’t understand anything right now.”

– Hana, you are a treasure.

The twins agree that the last six months flew by too. They recall all the track meets, the qualifier, and how they met Hana. The two then go on to list all her good qualities. She’s at first embarrassed, then so touched that she starts tearing up.

– Okay, this was a sweet scene and all, but those tears did nothing to ease my anxieties over the episode’s tone.

Nor did the next when Shindo peeks into the kitchen where Akane is reading manga to ask where Haiji is.

– Where indeed *_*

Shindo explains, “I wanted to ask about the roadside placement of our members. And the university is asking us to turn in our forms,” before he excuses himself. Prince then says, “That was close. I almost offered to help him look.

– Nice bit of comedy, though it wasn’t enough to serve as relief here.

I would have guessed that Haiji was out shopping for their dinner, except the next scene has Kakeru and Musa doing just that. We can see shopping bags in their hands.

Musa optimistically tells a morose Kakeru that while it’s shocking to learn that they can’t win, he was “saved” by Haiji’s words.

– This is a phrase I’ve hear in multiple anime. It’s not supposed to be taken literally, usually it means emotionally but that depends on the situation.

Musa continues m that Haiji’s right, reiterating his words, “All we can do right now is run as hard as we can,” adding, “My anxietites have been eliminated completely.

Prop use: sign shows town celebrating the boys.

– And mine have multiplied 😦

At Kakeru’s silence, Musa asks, concerned, “Is there still something bothering you?”

Kakeru assures him that he agrees but that, “It’s frustrating. Sakaki made Jota and Joji anxious, but the only thing I can do is run.”

– So not only is Kakeru blaming himself for not fixing the twins initial concerns, but also for now being unable to respond to Sakaki’s attacks as well since, if it weren’t for Kakeru’s presence, Sakaki wouldn’t have a reason to hate on the Kansei team.

It makes sense but I don’t think taking all the blame onto himself is right. You can’t control people.

Musa thinks so as well. He tells him, “You’re hard on yourself.”

Quai -I do think Kakeru’s disappointment might be because he has made in fact made progress when it comes to expressing himself, and talking in general. But he’s realized he’s not where he wants to be. I suspect along with respecting Haiji, he wishes he could have helped him more solve the (thankfully) short lived crisis. Kakeru has become worthy of leading the team with Haiji. He wants to support him, like Fujioka asked him to, and is upset he couldn’t do more.

Musa shares how he realized something when they previewed the course: “it’s not you, or Haiji, but I have to finish some section of it.

– Well, yeah, Kakeru has been saying that all along. But I’m the type of person who sometimes have to experience something to fully understand it. Musa might be too.

– He goes on to wisely say that he’ll do what he can, and that Kakeru too has things that only he can do, so he should believe in himself and in his team members.

Kakeru smiles, and says yes.

– This was very sweet. Musa’s assuring Kakeru he shouldn’t feel bad if there’s something he feels lacking within himself. He’s got his own strengths.

Incidentally, this is something I’m sure Haiji knows all too well. It’s probably why we’ve never gotten a hint of jealousy from him regarding how well Kakeru runs. Not like the smidge of envy he’s been hinted to feel towards Fujioka, anyway. If anything, Haiji admires Kakeru’s running, the same way Kakeru admires Haiji’s character.

As the two are talking, a couple of passer by’s recognize them and say “It’s the Kansei Ekiden guys.” They mention how they were on the news and, seeing Musa, one of them mentions that they’ve got an exchange student on the team. The other replies he wishes the team was “all-Japanese”. They then wonder if the school’s paying for “it” to promote themselves.

-By “it” I assume they mention the news coverage.

Kakeru gets agitated very quickly at their comments.

He makes to dash after the two when Musa stays him. “What are you going to say to them?” He then smiles and tells Kakeru, “I’m fine.”

– Musa here is giving Kakeruk a very important lesson that not all remarks warrant a response. It was hard to screen-cap but I managed to get a shot the second before Musa stopped KK from picking a fight. His furrowed, but his face was obscured by KK’s head so I can’t tell if he was hurt by the comments or concerned for Kakeru.

– Regardless, his maturity is admirable. I love how everyone is looking out for Kakeru. After the summer camp and his confiding his fears of losing himself, they’ve gone from kindly tolerating his outbursts to helping him cope and control himself. This is what true friendship looks like.

Kakeru heatedly defends his teammate. “It’s ridiculous. We’re all runners!”

A deep voice off screen calls out his name. It’s Fujioka, who approaches Kakeru, telling him, “It’s been a while.”

The scene then switches over to a building with the sign “University Hospital” on it (crap) where Kiyose Haiji’s name is called (double crap).

– Haiji has a notebook in his hand. On close inspection, I think it has a description of the Hakone sections written in it.

He closes the notebook and stands up. Where to?

We see a sign that says Orthopedic surgery.

And now I know why this whole episode seemed overcast. And why Sakaki’s words hit home for Haiji. At the time, Haiji had said, “It’s true that we need every one of us.”

Could it be Haiji’s worried he might not be able to run?

Icings on the Cake

All of the voice actors in this show are brilliant, but in this episode, Takeo Otsuka, KK’s young seiyuu did a magnificent job. We got a range of emotions from him, from anger, to earnestness, to disappointment. He truly embodied Kakeru’s newly vocal personality perfectly.

Then there’s Haiji’s voice actor, Toshiyugi Toyonaga. For the first time since the show began, his character got angry and he delivered the mildly yet menacing line perfectly. It was so good it made me want to find more sinister parts he’s played just to experience his vocal range. Then, his soliloquy in Act two was uttered in such a softly benign tone, but with a heavy under-layer of sadness. Finally, Yuki’s seiyuu Kazuyuki Okitsu continues to provide comic relief in charmingly clipped expressions.

Twins/ Character Development:

While the twins may have lost some fans with their behavior here, I felt this was an important mini arc. First it allows the question posed early on in the show to be revisited. It also shows KK’s growth. And if his protectiveness of Haiji is any indication, it also shows how high he esteems his teammate more than ever.

Also, his logic, if you don’t win, then don’t run, if you die then don’t live, sounded similar to Haiji’s “If you want speed then take a plane.”

He is becoming a better speaker. 

Seeing the twins is like seeing an outdated version of KK, back when he couldn’t understand Haiji. Perhaps, spending so much time with him, and talking with him about so many things has bridged that gap.

The twins haven’t had that experience. Add to that, despite KK’s repeated outbursts that they won’t make to Hakone, they had taken Haiji’s words at face value and assumed they could even win it. This is due to their inexperience and trusting nature.

We can even say that their behavior here is similar to KK’s after the first meet he joined, when he was upset because for the first time he started thinking seriously about running Hakone, but didn’t think his team would make it, he became testy and irritated.

He, too, clashed with Haiji.

So, this episode was important to show two things:

The question still left unanswered: why does Haiji run? What kind of running is he seeking?

KK’s growth both as a runner, leader, and friend.

Even the way he handles the twins, crashing their soccer game (like Haiji crashed Yuki s clubbing) and smiling as he chased them (like Haiji’s grin to Prince while he threatened him with leaving the apartment) is very Haiji-esque. And if it wasn’t clear enough, we got the same soundtrack as when Haiji was in his Ogre mode.

Speaking of Haiji, why did he not intervene from the start of the argument? His “hands off” is in character for him. KK’s outbursts aways seemed to slide off him like water off a duck. So its not unnatural for him to let the twins vent their frustrations. Or, he could be tired/preoccupied like before when he collapsed due to exhaustion. The fact that I still don’t know is part of what makes Haiji such a fascinating character.

Musa and Kakeru

I loved the heartfelt conversation these two had. I believe it’s only the second (the first being the bath they took in episode ). Then the passerbyers words gave an honest look into how some less kind people can behave. I don’t see the scene as having any racist overtones as much as it was a desire that stemmed from nationalistic pride. And I think Musa was mature enough to understand this. But it doesn’t make it better considering this is a race for college students, regardless of nationality. Heck, many of the other schools had scholarship students from other countries. I’m going to assume that these two are in fact “plebs” and are ignorant of the Hakone race, or else they would know this.

Conclusion: So, I didn’t mean to hold you all in suspense. I just needed the episode to end so that I can discuss the various hints at foreshadowing we’ve gotten. I mentioned this before but according to my baby’s level Japanese, I translated Haiji’s name to “Hai” = ash and “Ji” = twice. Haiji’s already been burned (metaphorically) once when he injured himself in high school. Will it happen a second time? Yuki’s mentioning of ashes at the beginning, Sakaki’s foreboding words, the emotions running high in the episode, Hana’s tears…to me it all seemed to point to an impending sense of doom until we were basically told what we already feared is true: Haiji reinjured his knee during the qualifier. It isn’t something that can just be iced away as he had done (and we’d wanted to believe). I mean, not if it’s been a few days and he still feels enough pain that he’s not just getting a massage from her physical therapist. He actually felt the need to visit a surgeon. This does not bode well for my favorite character 😦

The theme of living was brought up several times. And it begs the question now: what will happen if Haiji can’t run Hakone? I think he’ll run it no matter what. Hana reminded us how long he’s been working towards this. 4 years. Kakeru had asked, if you won’t run cause you won’t win, then you won’t live because you’ll die someday? Yuki also stated that the question of why to run is as difficult as the question of living. It’s all theory and the answer will vary. Depending on the person, you’ll get different answers. But perhaps the person who’s facing this dilemma the most now is Haiji.

Rating: 9/10

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Run With the Wind Episode 16 Review: Dreams and Reality

Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Disclaimer: All images have been screen captured from Crunchyroll and belong to their respective owners. I am using them to promote this show and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so.

Note: This hasn’t been proofread yet. Please let me know in comments if you find any errors. I’ll also add links to relevant episodes later.

Prologue

We get a replay of the beginning of the previous episode. It includes the start of the race and Haiji giving his team instructions.

Act One

We start with a continuation of the replay up to when Haiji was about to run into a runner who had fallen in front of him after bumping into a table at the watering station. Haiji is in mid-air, looking in fright at the obstacle in his way.

Sorry but this was the best quality I could get.

He lands on his left foot, then immediately jumps to the right to avoid tripping. But he ends up putting all his weight on his bad right knee. We see him grunt and grimace in pain before he continues on his way without wasting a single second.

A volunteer asks the fallen runner if he’s okay, if he wants to drop out. He doesn’t answer, struggles to pick himself up and continues running. Meanwhile, Hanako’s father and Haiji’s bath house buddy catch up to her just in time to see the twins and Musa finishing their second lap around the airstrip and taxiway.

We then get the episode title, Dreams and Reality. The title and it’s timing after the accident builds a sense of suspense. We then hear what can only be a TV announcer (based on his tone) talk about the qualifier before we see him in a tent set up for their use.

“581 runners from 49 schools are participating in this year’s race. Placing is determined by the total time of a school’s top ten finishers. Of the 49 schools, the top ten will compete at the New Year’s Hakone Ekiden race.”

He and his fellow announcer comment that “as usual” the exchange students are the ones leading the race and that they hope their speed doesn’t throw off the other runners.

-This is basically the same advice that Haiji gave his team, to maintain their own pace.

Screen Writing tip: Once again this show handles exposition in a way that is never boring. As they speak, we are shown the race taking place. The commentary not only keeps exposition interesting; it also gives a sense of realism to the series.

We see the exchange students first, followed by Kakeru as the announcers say “the lead pack seems to have settled in,” letting us know his position, followed by the twins and Musa, then Shindo and Yuki, Nico and King, followed by Prince. They all seem to have gotten off to a good start.

The announcers comment that while they expect to see great individual performances, “in the qualifier it’s all about the depth of a team’s roster.”

-This is a restatement of what Hanako said the previous episode. It serves to remind viewers that Kansei is at a disadvantage because they only have ten runners. Other teams get to choose out of their 12 fastest members. Not only that, we now also have Haiji to fret about as well since he wasn’t shown in the above montage.

 A top view map shows us the course of the race and where the lead pack has reached now: the 7km mark.

The bath house regular tells Hanako “It’s no use. I can’t tell where Haiji is.” The fact that he has an ear pod on probably means he was listening in on the channel airing the race as well, seeing as how he, Hanako, and her dad are on the move, relocating back to their place in the field.

Just as he tells Hanako that Haiji’s probably also in the lead pack, they overhear some panicked supporting members of a participating team, talking about how one of their members dropped out. They’re wearing the same teal green as the runner who fell in front of Haiji.

Screenwriting tip: The teal team’s frenzy is meant to infect the viewers as well, considering Haiji’s whereabouts are unknown. It’s small things like this that serve to successfully build up tension in a script.

We see Kakeru running. He looks up to see the monorail above him and remembers Haij’s guiding words: “We’ll head out onto the road, pass the station, and cross under the monorail bridge. That’s about ten kilometres.”

Now that he’s almost reached the halfway point, Kakeru eyes the pack of exchange students in front of him.

Meanwhile Hanako, her dad, and bath buddy reach the Kansei fan club’s station. There, Hana asks Komori-san (proprietress of the butchery) if she saw the members, pass by, specifically Haiji. She hasn’t. Worried, she asks if something happened to “Haiji-kun”.

-Can I just say, it’s really heartwarming to see how emotionally invested the shopping center vendors are in Haiji’s well being. It’s continuity to how close he is to these adults. He’s obviously a very social person and gets along with everyone who knows him, but I wonder if he’s the type who finds it easier to converse to people older than himself than with those closer to his age. It’s pretty normal for mature types like Kiyose. Remember Hanako’s father and his bath house buddy knew about his Hakone dream before his roommates ever did.

Just then, Hanako’s father points to the large television screen set up in the park and says that he sees Haiji, in the lead pack behind Kakeru. A shot of the screen shows us his field of vision before we switch to Kiyose.

He’s there! In the back.

Just behind him is a runner wearing the TSU uniform. I assume he’s their captain as he’s the fastest of their runners. He, and another runner on Haiji’s other side, start increasing their speed. Haiji remarks to himself “they’re moving”.

A sign shows that the leading runners have reach the 10 km mark. Exchange students “Oka’s Kipsuge’s” (pink uniform) is in the lead, followed by Yakuo’s Muskus (green uniform), and Saikyo’s Jomo (white and blue uniform). Lagging behind are Kofu Academy’s Iwanki (blue uniform) and Gaien’s Ectoba.”

I love these TV view shots. They add a realistic touch and keep the race interesting.

Haiji once again moves to the right of the pack so that he’s visible to the Kansei members behind him. He instructs them using hand signals that after they reach ten kilometers, they should follow their own judgment. And gives them a thumbs up, meaning “good luck”.

The tall Musa relays the message to Yuki and Shindo behind him.

Yuki and Shindo look behind them to make sure King and Nico can see them. Yuki then passes the message along.

Nico does the same to Prince, whom at this point none of them can see. Yuki, Nico, and King, collectively think “Are you wataching? Prince!”

-My heart. I love how concerned they all are for Prince, the only member running by himself. Based on how he’s in their thoughts, he truly he isn’t alone. We then switch to Prince who’s just passing the runner who had tripped earlier.

He’s crying, off to the side, on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” confirming that he has dropped out. He utters a gut wrenching cry of frustration. Prince takes this in then continues on his way.

-This was important to stress to Prince (and viewers) how bad it would be if he somehow didn’t make it.

-I think this scene could also explain how Prince might have missed Nico’s signal.

The announcer tells us that “Tokyo Sport fourth-year Takasugi” (the one I guessed was their captain) and Kikui third year Gunazawa are sprinting ahead”. These are the runners that had been next to Haiji. We now see that they have passed him, and Kakeru as well. The announcers add that these athletes belong to the two schools who lost their seeds the previous year.

-Basically, they are the strongest two schools in this qualifier. No wonder Sakaki is so stuck up. He managed to get into a powerful running University despite not participating in any meets his third year (due to Kakeru’s incident). To be fair, it’s not a small achievement. Though you’d think it would be enough for him to at least let go of some of his resentment.

It’s still raining.

The announcers then says that another runner has reached the two as well. In shock repeats the name “Kansei University” adding that not only did Kurahara Kakeru catch up to them but is pulling ahead and takes the lead of their pack just before the turnaround point.

Writing tip: The announcers disbelief reminds us of the difference between first timer participant Kansei Universty and the more notable schools.

KK: “More. More!”

Just before the turnaround point, Kakeru psyches himself into going even faster.

He’s got the exchange students in his sights.

After he takes the turnaround he passes Haiji running in the opposite direction.

The moment recalls the night Haiji first met Kakeru, and how he’d looked the same to him then as he does now.

Unbeknownst to Kakeru, he looks like a meteor or a shooting star to Haiji. The stunning galaxy like animation helps to portray the image.

After recovering from this thrilling vision, Haiji smiles. The power of Kakeru’s form drives him to put in his own burst and he reaches the Kikui and TSU runners that Kakeru had just overtaken.

The surprise on their faces is clear at having a second runner (and one from the same unknown school) reach them.

Meanwhile, Kakeru zips past the other Kansei runners (Musa and twins) as well. Their exhausted faces break into grins at his otherworldly pace and it seems to lift their spirits as well.

Act Two

The announcer tells us that Kakeru passed Gaien’s Ectoba and that he’s in a dead heat race with Iwanki (blue uniform) the monster of Hakone’s section two.

We also learn that he might be able to catch the runners in second and third place, Muskus (green uniform) and Jomo (white and blue uniform). 42 minutes have passed since the beginning of the race, and Hana once again relocates, this time to the finish line.

Iwanki and Kakeru continue their burst of speed when Iwanki pulls ahead of him close to the finish line, surprising Kakeru.

This recalls KK’s first Uni meet when he lost to Manas’s and Fujioka’s final sprints.

Meanwhile the exchange students Kipsuge and Muskus and cross the finish line. With the former pink attired runner earning first place.

Hana mentions that she’s seen him in a previous track meet.

-I appreciated this reminder or I never would have realized it. I went back and checked. At the time he had raced against Kakeru and lost. But in this race, he’s the winner.

-I liked this development. It shows us that Kakeru isn’t the only one improving.

Kipsuge and second-place winner Muskus exchange hugs. I assume that, even though they aren’t in the same team, they are nonetheless friends. It was a lovely display of sportsmanship. Prince would have been pleased. They finished in 58 minutes.

Next Kakeru and Iwanki rush towards the finish line, to Hanako’s amazement.

It’s anyone’s guess who will win until both cross the finish line at the same time. The subsequent silence is deafening. It is only after the screen reads Kakeru’s time (58.16 minutes) that the audience roars in excitement at this outstanding achievement.

He has tied Iwanki for third place. Meanwhile we see Jomo cross the finish line for fourth. Kakeru turns to look up at the banner above him. No doubt he’s feeling all sorts of emotions that he finished the race, when someone puts a hand on his shoulder. It’s Iwanki, who is acknowledging him before he walks away.

Kakeru’s eyes and mouth are both open, floored at the gesture, when one of the organizers leads him off the race track, telling him “Runners are coming in. Don’t stop moving.” Here, Kakeru seems to come to his senses. He looks back at the track as if he’s desperately looking for something. The track is empty. What is it? Or rather, who is it that he’s looking for?

We don’t have to wait long to find out. At the sidelines Hanako cries out her excitement at Kakeru’s time, then looks towards the incoming runners. It’s Haiji and the top runners from TSU and Kikui.

They race towards the finish line, each wanting to take the lead. At the final turn, Haiji feels a stab of pain in his knee.

He gasps but nonetheless speeds ahead leaving plenty of seconds between himself and the other two, securing fifth place for his team.

Not that we see it. The scene was animated in such a way that Haiji is running right at us viewers. The closer he is gets, the less we see of him until the scene abruptly fades to black.

-This was done extremely well. Having Haiji come closer and closer, yet having us see less and less of him was brilliant.

– I felt it was an apt metaphor for the character as well: the closer we think we’ve come to know him, the more we realize we hardly know him at all.

– Three makes a pattern and this is the third time we were cheated out of seeing Haiji finish a race. At this point we realize this is an intentional (albeit annoying) decision made by the director/production team. We’ll discuss this more in future reviews to avoid mentioning spoilers here.

The scene then switches to a certain runner’s legs as he come to a stop. Is it another one of our Kansei boys? Nope. It’s Sakaki, who, like Kakeru, turns to look behind him as he crosses the finish line.

-I loved this surprising and interesting choice. Seeing as how Sakaki is the main antagonist of this show, it would be of interest to viewers to see how well he does. More than that, him looking behind him shows how similar he and Kakeru are: they’re both concerned to see how their team members did. In fact, almost the entire Kansei team does this in the following beautifully edited montage, with the aptly named “Reliance” track playing in the background.

Not only do we see how the team members rely on each other, but also how hard-working the organizers at the race are.

We see volunteers and medics helping the runners off the track, carrying them in some cases, giving them first aid, and the whole time this is interspersed with our brave, courageous boys.

The acknowledgement and respect given even to fringe characters sets this show apart and is admirable.

First, the twins then Musa cross the finish line. They hold onto each other for support as they gasp for air.

We then see Yuki running fiercely towards the finish as Shindo collapses into the arms of an older organizer, panting for breath, looking for his friends behind him.

– If we go by order, then Yuki arrived before Shindo.

Still in the race, Nico makes a frantic final spurt, eyes wild and unfocused in exhaustion as he heads towards the finish line. Finally, King, his mouth wide open desperately trying to breathe as he ugly runs towards the end, shows just how tenacious he is.

As the epic music slows down, and our hearts race in anticipation of the injured Haiji, the screen pans out to give us a shot of the field.

We see Komori-san, her husband and the bath time regular, all looking down with concerned expressions. The scene then cuts to Kakeru, looking down as well.

At Haiji, based on the tuft of brown hair at the bottom of the image. But before we see him, we get a shot of his leg, stretched out, with a bag of ice on his no-doubt sore knee. We get a brief shot of his face, but before we can make out his expression, and attempt to gauge his level of pain, we hear Musa off-screen saying that “King is finished”. The shot barely lasted a second before Haiji’s (whose primary concern is always the team) lifts his head in interest.

I did however manage to grab a screenshot of the frame before it changed. Rather than being in pain, he looks worried 😧

Musa’s on the phone, so he’s relaying information from someone, possibly Hana. The twins say that King’s position is probably around the 150’s. Haiji tells Nico, whom the twins are supporting on their shoulders, to drink some water.

I have to say these twins are real MVP’s.

Kakeru, who at this point is basically Haiji’s second in command asks about Prince. No one knows anything about him. Concern is etched on all of their faces.

Next we see Akane’s red shoes (somehow, they’ve started to seem like a symbol of his courage, to me) desperately running, though at a speed much slower than the other participants. Random people are encouraging him “You can do it!” “The finish line is just there!” “Your teammates are waiting!”

Always the smart mouth, even when no can hear him, Akane responds “You don’t know that…”

He looks anemic.

The poor boy is then hit with a sudden wave of nausea which he attempts to swallow down, only to have it burst against his will in a shiny shower of bile, to the horror of a female onlooker.

The pale faced otaku wipes his mouth and tells himself “Sports aren’t necessarily beautiful”, no doubt comparing “real life” with the comics he reads. He then continues running, although he’s almost staggering at this point.

-Seriously, can we love him anymore? I love how he talks to himself, giving himself encouragement.

Next we see him being carried by two medics into a tent. Hanako, bless her, has been waiting for him, and tells him, “Prince! You’re in the 100’s! you beat the 200’s!” We also see her father on his phone behind her. So he’s the one on the phone with Musa, undoubtedly telling the team that Prince has successfully completed the race.

What a hero.

That grin is everything.

Back at the field, Yuki is reeming into the boys for not recording their own times.

Even when Nico points out that they’re being filmed, he just glances at the camera man before he continues: “It’s all information warfare these days! The race is more or less decided before they announce the results!”

– Seriously, Yuki. Everyone was dead on their feet by the time they reached the finish line. Give them a break. Also, from a writer’s perspective, there’d be no suspense if they had.

King points out, “You couldn’t care less six months ago.”

-This was a nice reminder how Yuki had repeatedly said he didn’t think they can make it to Hakone. But after he started taking it seriously he’s unsurprisingly diligent. Fits his A type personality. What a difference time makes.

Haiji tells everyone that based on what they know of their’ times they’re probably in the mid-80’s, that is, where they stand. And that that’s borderline of making it. The other teams, who know that they have good times, start celebrating.

Our beloved team is the only one without banners and a cheer squad 🥺

Meanwhile, King reverts to his nervous habit of pulling up grass. Shindo seems to be praying while everyone else just looks gloomy and nervous. Their few but incredibly loyal fans are worried as well.

Bath buddy: “I don’t know what to tell them”

The twins show up, this time supporting Prince.

-Again, these two are wonderful. The fact that they just support the members with less stamina without a hint of annoyance or complaint is really admirable.

-I’m reminded of a particular scene in episode four, when Haiji was encouraging Prince to run the first week of practice: “Look, your friends are waiting for you! The heroes of Aotake! They’re waiting of the warrior named Prince to return!”

Now we know it had been foreshadowing. How great is that 🙂

Haiji, who had been sitting down icing his knee ever since he finished the race, stands up for the first time and walks over to greet Prince. He tells him simply, “You ran well.”

The faces of all the team members show that they think the same. Prince offers a weak smile, and says, “From far away, you’re the only ones who look like you’re having a picnic.”

Haiji chuckles, and Nico remarks, “You’ve always got something to say”.

I’m pretty sure Prince’s sarcasm is a coping mechanism.

The next scene is the nerve wracking announcement of the teams who made it into the Hakone race. In first place is the TSU team. They jump and yell with joy, with their fastest runner Takasugi holding Sakaki in an affectionate choke-hold, not unlike the one Haiji once gave Kakeru.

-We know that their fastest members are slower than both Kakeru and Haiji, but their placement shows that the overall level of the team is pretty high.

I think this is hi
s first genuine smile.

-Seeing their Captain be affectionate with Sakaki shows that he’s a significant member of their team, but more than that, it also served to showcase that, despite everything, the TSU team shares some similarities with the Kansei team. Some

The TSU team’s time is 10: 09:12. Haiji remarks that it was a fast race. Next is Kofu academy “Iwanki’s team.

King complains that the announcer is intentionally stopping between the place and the name of the school, to keep up the suspense. Prince similarly comments in his deadpan voice, “We already know the results. They should hurry it up.”

-My dear Prince, if you already knew the results, you wouldn’t be so anxious.

Nico comments, “Whining as soon as you’ve recovered? You’ve got a lot of energy.”

-Like I said, coping mechanism.

Fourth place is Kikui University. The Kansei boys are getting more nervous by the second. Shindo attempts to reassure them that until then all the announced teams are regulars at Hakone. When Fifth place is announced, and it isn’t Kansei, suspenseful music starts and the team members all start panicking. The twins pray, with their hands together, “please, please”. Hana does as well. Sixth place is announced, and it’s not Kansei either. Here, Yuki seems to lose hope, “We didn’t make it,” he mutters.

The twins who had been clinging to Nico, are now hugging him for dear life. He also has his arms tight around them now.

Yuki stares down the podium. Shindo hugs himself in distress while Musa has his hands clasped together, like he’s praying. King puts his fingers in his ears, afraid of listening anymore.

Prince stands with his hands at his sides, his face hidden in his hair, a drop of sweat running down his face.

-You just know that if the team doesn’t make it he’ll end up blaming himself, and for his sake, as much as the team, you want them to have gone through.

Meanwhile, Kakeru’s right hand is clenching tightly at jacket, where his heart is, as if attempting to calm it down. Haiji’s face….it’s set in a terrifyingly unreadable yet somehow grim expression.

Even the cameraman is caught up in the tense atmosphere, his face twitching nervously with sweat dripping down his face. The fan-club likewise is desperate to hear the name “Kansei University” uttered.

Finally, in tenth place, it is. The entire team gasps (except for King who didn’t hear the announcement).

Kakeru and Haiji’s eyes bug out as they instantly turn to look at each other.

The entire team shouts, except for Prince who finally raises his head in blank amazement. Best friends Musa and Shindo embrace each other in joy.

Nico and Yuki high five each other with wide, equally satisfied grins.

The twins slap Kakeru’s back, hard, in happiness, to his dismay.

And Haiji….

…he’a completely overcome. He raises both fists in the air. We see tears gather at the corners of his eyes, and hear them in the back of his throat.

We then see the world from his view, blurry from his tears , as Hanako and the twins suddenly invade his vision.

They attack him with bear hugs, causing him to fall backwards, flat on his back.

Then Musa, King (in a rare unreserved moment!) and Shindo, to Kakeru’s shock.

-I think KK here is a bit concerned about Haiji. I know I was, a bit. But the joy at seeing the team celebrate their achievement, celebrate Haiji by (literally) burying him in affection outweighs everything. It’s incredibly satisfying and heartwarming to see.

Yuki then pushes “slow at many things but running” (upgraded from “slow at everything”) Kakeru on top of the pile and jumps in after him. Nico finally completes the Kansei team hotcake stack and jumps in as well.

Prince looks at them, sitting a few meters away. His eyes are once again hidden in his hair, but we can see a smile.

– Had he joined them, he would have been the red strawberry on top, but seeing as how he’d been standing when the announcement was made, but is now sitting, I can only guess that his legs gave out in his relief.

The camera-man wipes away his own joyful tears.

– It’s nice to see that in a couple of weeks he became just as invested in these boys as we are.

The team gazes at the announcement board in disbelief.

“It’s not a mistake, is it?” Shindo asks in happiness. Musa concurs, “It says tenth right there.”

Yuki adds, “It’s like a TV show.”

-Hee! Breaking the fourth wall.

Nico then says his catchphrase, “This is reality.”

-Indeed. And it’s the first time he said in a positive tone.

Kakeru also gazes at it, pride clear on his face.

We then see through the camera man’s lens as he interviews Haiji who furrows his eyebrows a bit as he thinks of what to say…

…before his face settles in his usual confident expression, “Well, we proved that Hakone wasn’t just a dream.” Most of the team members giggle.

-No doubt they are abashed, remembering how they had never believed him that they would get here.

Haji continues, “All that’s left is to train and train until we reach the top. We’ll do nothing but practice again starting tomorrow.”

His teammates are horrified into silence. You can hear the sound of a breeze blowing past them.

I love Kakeru’s look here, as if he expected their reaction.

Haiji’s peers (and senpai) then grab his clothes and shake him in anger.

Nico: “Can’t we have tomorrow off?”

Yuki: “Let us rest!”

King: “What more can we do?”

Haiji chuckles, unconcerned at their protests.

Musa looks on with a smile at his senpai’s endearing shenanigans. Prince’s slight grin is more rueful while Kakeru has a bemused look on his face.

-I doubt any other team in Japan has teammates who get away with abusing their captain like this. Except maybe Seido’s team in Ace of Diamond. (Watch that next folks! It’s just as perfect as this show.)

The camera man must have though as much. He puts down his gadget, and with an awkward grin says “I can’t use this footage.”

-Well, maybe not for a politically correct TV program but it sure as heck would make for a great team video.

Only the cheerful twins are strangely absent. They’re looking at the board, but unlike the happy disbelief that was on their mates faces, they have trepidation etched on their visages.

Later, the team is walking back home with the shopping district fan club members. King wants to predict what sections they’ll run, in Hakone. Nico tells him he’s getting ahead of himself. Prince reads a manga as he walks. When Shindo comments his surprise that he can, Prince says he’s rewarding himself.

-As he should.

Haiji stops to turn around and tell the team that their supporters are treating them to meat as a celebration. Everyone is excited at the prospect of a barbecue expect the twins who are looking at what looks to be some sort of pamphlet or program in their hands. They call out to Kakeru, who doesn’t hear them until Hana calls out to him as well.

–Language note: Here, Hana calls KK “Kakeru-san”. This is an upgrade from the previous “Kurahara-san” she used to call him. While the -san honorific keeps their relationship formal, the use of his fist name hints that the relationship is nonetheless not as formal as it used to be. I credit KK’s softer demeanor for permitting this change.

Anyway, the twins recall to Kakeru that Haiji had told them they’d reach the top. Kakeru asks, “Just now?” meaning, in the interview. The two acknowledge this, but add that he said it when he first recruited them to run. And how he says it all the time. “Each time, I’ve thought, “yeah!” Jota adds.

“And?” Kakeru asks.

“When he says top, do you think he means winning the race?” Jouji asks, revealing what’s been worrying them. Kakeru’s eyes widen. No doubt, he’s remembering what the twins stated in their interview before the race, “this is our first stop towards winning Hakone.”

-Nice continuity. I’d thought KK’s reaction would be revisited when he heard them.

Jouta goes on to say that their time was , 10:16:43, and how TSU’s time was more than seven minutes faster. But they’re just the top team in the qualifier. “Just how fast are the teams that win the Ekiden? Can we reach that level through practice?”

Distance. The others have no clue a significant conversation is taking place.

It seems that the twins have just realized that they most likely can’t win. They ask Kakeru:

Twins: “Kakeru, what are we running for?”

It seems like, to them, not being able to win means that they have no reason to run, based on the question they posed immediately after.

A wide eyed Kakeru has no answer to give. And while the rain has stopped for for a while now, a wind blows, ruffling his hair.

Conclusion

This is both symbolism and foreshadowing that while the team made it to qualifiers, it’s not all going to be smooth sailing until Hakone. I loved this episode so much. The music was phenomenal. The editing, direction, the suspense at hearing the results, the slight humor at the end, the trepidation giving us a bit of unease to keep us worried. It was just so wonderful and I don’t think could have been better. Even the results, having Kakeru tie an exchange student for third place was very realistic. Him being a first year, he still has a lot of room for growth. Meanwhile, seeing Haiji beat out the top Japanese students, despite his bum leg and a mishap in the first half of the race, causing him pain, was inspiring. Similarly the fact that Prince came in the top 100’s out of over 500 runners, when less than a year ago he had never done anything athletic, is phenomenal. Finally the themes revisited here were: dream vs reality, the meaning of running, friendship, distance, sportsmanship.

Grade: 10/10

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Run With the Wind Episode 15 Review: Place of Destiny

Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Disclaimer: All images have been screen captured from Crunchyroll and belong to their respective owners. I am using them to promote this show and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so.

Prologue

It is a windy fall evening. Haiji is at Landowner/Coach Tazaki’s home.

With Haiji’s notebook in his hand, Tazaki observes that while only three of them are running 10km in under 30 minutes, it’s still impressive that Haiji was able to get a group of amateurs to the Hakone qualifier. Haiji states that they still have three weeks until the day and that while 20km is the base distance for cross country, “none of us will drop out”. He also tells the coach of his plan to go ahead with his build up training that he had been holding back on in the spring, so that his runners can put in burst of speed and finish the last thousand meters in 2.50 minutes.

The coach remarks that he’s impressed, and that Haiji has achieved is more than enough to hold his own coaching lecture. Unaffected, Haiji reminds him that their goal is beyond the qualifier, to Hakone.

The old man is silent for a bit then responds to Haiji’s earnestness by telling him that while his legs and hips are done for, he’ll help him with his experience. Just as he begins speaking, the sound of rushing water above sends him running towards what I assume is some sort of plumbing emergency caused by the strong autumn winds.

Haiji remarks to himself that his legs feel fine, before a gust of wind blows into his face.

-At first, I couldn’t pinpoint the main intention behind this scene. I mean, I understood the following:

-It was meant to establish a timeline. Based on Prince’s calendar (shown in the previous ep) we know this is the evening that Prince achieved his qualifier (the TSU meet was exactly three weeks before the qualifier).

-It shows what the coach thinks of Haiji’s work. Getting a professional trainer’s opinion assures us viewers that his tremendous efforts are not going unnoticed.

Also, that Nira prefers Haiji over his actual owner.

But the real reason for the scene is shown later in the episode: when at the qualifier, the coach is absent, we’re supposed to put two and two together and realize it is because he cannot stand/walk for extended periods of time, since he stated in this scene that his legs and hips don’t work like they used to. To be fair, we have already seen that his legs are bowled (from the first OP). Plus, he always walks carefully and gingerly and he is very old. But the fact is, I only understood this much later after rewatching it a few times. I’m either getting slow in my own (not so old yet) age or the implementation was not done well enough. It’s probably the former.

-Finally, the wind blowing into Haiji’s face, along with the dark stormy weather gives a dark premonition.

Act One

The episode starts at Kansei University. We hear a man’s voice talking of the history of the University, none of which I understood or think actually matters. A nameplate that reads “Chaiman’s Office” followed by a shot of a smiling Haiji, his face set into a mask of forced politeness.

This tells us that he’s probably in the same boat we’re in. It’s only when the chairman says, “We value both academics and athletics”, and we see a newspaper on his desk with a picture of our team that we start making sense of things.

At the Aotake, the twins, King and Shindo are joyously looking at the same newspaper. The article is titled: Aiming for the Top” 10 men take on the Hakone Ekiden. Shindo says he never imagined he’d ever be in the paper. Through the picture (as per usual for this show’s fantastic editing) we’re taken back in time to when it was first taken, the day Prince achieved his record (based on the fact that he’s the only one in a running suit).

The friendly reporter who took it tells them since they hadn’t made it through the qualifier, the article won’t make it in the sports section, but that their attempt is captivating enough for local news.

Is that a blush, Nico? Cute!

Most of the team members seem delighted. Kakeru’s probably used to the attention since he’s always been a top-ranked runner (not that he seemed to care in high-school, either). Similarly, Prince’s face is as expressionless as ever. It could be that he’s tired after his race, but like Kakeru, he just doesn’t seem to care. Haiji seems quietly pleased. As are Shindo and Musa. The twins and and King are overjoyed and aren’t even attempting to hide it. Even cool Yuki and careless Nico.

Meanwhile, creepy reporter Mochizuki-san seems annoyed that his own attempt at interviewing the Kansei team wasn’t successful. He stares at Kakeru who glances back at him unaffectedly.

We’re then shown shots of the article on the newspaper’s website, taped to pillar next to Yaokatsu vegetable store (no doubt the work of Hanako and her father), and at newspaper stands.

-So it seems like our boys have gotten quite a bit of recognition, hence Haiji’s presence in the Chairman’s office.

Haiji is about to step out of the office after what has presumably been a long meeting. At the door, the man tells him “We’re all hoping you’ll make it through the qualifier,” with an exited laugh.

After bowing respectfully, Haiji leaves. He lets out a long sigh and moves his stiff shoulders. “I wish I could run right now.”

-So even politically correct Haiji’s finds formal meetings to be tedious.

-We also found out that he runs to de-stress.

After the episode title Place of Destiny, we see the Aotake team, except for Haiji (who probably hadn’t returned from his meeting yet, stretching at the public track they always use.

-So, the university still isn’t letting them use their track? What was the point of that meeting then?

Nonetheless everyone seems to be in high spirits.

A grinning King says that his parents called him, after they saw the paper. The twins’ folks did as well and yelled at them for throwing peace signs.

-I think this is a cultural thing. They probably meant that they should have taken a more formal pose for the occasion.

Prince says his did too and that they told him to smile more. This sparks the interest of the others saying that they can’t imagine his parents. “They’re normal,” he replies. “With normal faces like mine.” The twins and King break out into laughter over this, to his bewilderment. “What do you think my parents are?”

-Lol. I said it before, though I can’t remember where, I never thought Prince gave much thought to his nickname or the looks that prompted his housemates to give it either (our speed).

Writing tip: We already know Shindo is close to his family, which explains why the writers didn’t add his input here.

Musa says with a smile “Everyone’s so devoted to their parents.” Yuki comments, “I guess so.”

-His reply is lackluster and his demeanor suggests that he might be the exception here. We see Nico observe him, a hint that he knows something about it.

Showing, not telling how much Nico knows Yuki.

Shindo then informs them that they also got an interview request from Nippon TV, sending the twins and King into a frenzy. He explains that the qualifier is televised and that they do interviews with “notable schools” but that he hasn’t replied yet. The excited trio are aghast, and demand to know why.

“If the cameras prevented us from focusing on the race, we’d be putting the cart before the horse.”

–

King: “Damn honor roll student!”

King says this without any malice, referring to Shindo’s good boy personality. He and the twins urge him to accept it. Always considerate, Shindo asks the rest of the team what they think. No one objects to the idea (Nico and Prince say they don’t care either way, Yuki and Kakeru are silent, while the others are all for it) so he agrees, seeing as how it would be great publicity for the team, Shindo says he will.

-So in addition to creating and managing the team website, Shindo is now helping Haiji with the more managerial aspects of the team. In this instance, public relations.

The twins are ecstatic, seeing as how they’ll finally become famous and therefore get all the girls they’ve been dreaming of. Likewise, King wonders if they will send a female reporter.

Only Yuki seems unenthusiastic. During practice, he asks Kakeru if he’s okay with “this”. At Kakeru’s “Huh?” Yuki clarifies, “Won’t appearing on TV cause trouble for you?”

-Here, Yuki means that the attention might stir up KK’s past. But it looks like Kakeru hadn’t thought that far ahead.

At his bemused expression, Yuki quickly apologizes and says he shouldn’t have said anything.

The moment he rethought his statement

-I love Yuki. Also, hmm. Had he been worried about KK the whole time (hence his unenthusiastic reactions earlier?). It fits his caring senpai persona. Or is he projecting his own misgivings onto him? We’ll see.

Yuki then gets a chance to change the subject when he sees the twins telling Hana the good news of their interview. “The’re so young,” he comments to KK with a rueful smile.

It’s funny, since KK is the same age. He follows Yuki’s gaze at the happy trio when Musa laughs from behind him and says, “My maybe just became definitely.”

He reminds Kakeru of their conversation in the bath, and explains the discovery he talked about was how Hana is in love with one of the twins. He came to this conclusion based on her proximity to them and her demeanor around them.

Haiji calls them to run. Musa takes off first leaving a flummoxed Kakeru, with his hand raised in an unconscious attempt to stay Musa.

It’s a gesture we’ve come to associate with him when he’s affected but isn’t sure what to say or do. (Hana, Prince) .

He then runs after Musa and asks him, which twin? “They’re practically the same person.”

-Oy! That’s rude Kakeru, apologize to twins everywhere.

Musa agrees…

-Oy! Again! Seriously these two just earned the wrath of every identical twin around the globe.

…and adds it’s either one or the other.

Kakeru grimaces at his answer.

Hanako’s alleged crush obviously doesn’t sit right with him. Why? Well…There have been a few interactions between him and Hanako, but not enough for me to say that he’s in love with her or anything like that. I do think that him having a serious personality might be the reason, it’s like he doesn’t like what he doesn’t understand, so it could just be that. But the writer in me also recognises that from the beginning, Hanako’s introduction seemed to set her up as a romantic interest for KK

1- He’s the first runner she met (and he blushed when he saw her).

2- During his oppositional phase, he tended to be better behaved in front of her (something Haiji’s seemed to know would happen.

3. Haiji obviously ships them together (as in wants them to be in a relationship).

Interesting piece of trivia: the music that played when Hanako was first introduced is “Tactics by Haiji”.

So, I’m not really sure what to make of Kakeru’s reaction. Are we supposed to think he’s uneasy because he might harbor feelings for her himself? It’s not likely, yet isn’t an impossible notion.

Act Two

Haiji and company are at a field trip exploring the course they will run at Hakone.

The Twins are shocked by the size of the park.

For the sake of those planning a geek tour in Japan, I wrote it down ^_^

“It starts at the Self-Defense Force base adjacent, to Showa Memorial Park. We’ll start by running two laps around the airstrip and taxiway. That’s about five kilometers. Then we’ll head out onto the road, pass the station and cross under the monorail bridge. That’s about ten kilometers. The turnaround point is at 11.2 km. When we return to the park we’ll have run fifteen kilometers. We’ll run a lap through the hilly park. The finish line is next to the Minna-no Harappa Field.”

King comments that finish line seems plain and that he expected it to be flashier. Haiji tells him, “You’ll see the day of the race. It won’t matter if it’s plain or flashy anymore.”

Shindo then asks if the results will be announced at the park. Haiji says yes, “This is where our destiny will be decided.”

-Besides being informative and enjoyable there’s not much to analyze here, except the end of the scene at the park a man sling-shoots a paper air plane, which grabs the entire team’s attention.

You can just hear the ending theme song “Ue-e-e-e-e-e-ay (higher) echoing in that moment. It feels like foreshadowing on the heights that this team can achieve.

On their way back, in the subway, the teammates are all sitting down and dozing for the duration of the ride except or KK and Haiji who stand leaning against the subway doors.

-It’s interesting that both also have their arms crossed. The similar body language indicates how close they have become, as opposed to Kakeru’s previous habit of clenching his fists and holding them to his sides.

Haiji breaks the silence by suddenly asks his younger teammate:

Haiji: “Do you think I’m being soft?”

–Language note: The word he uses is here is “amai”, the same one KK threw at him before their first meet, after Haiji told everyone to “have fun”. Kakeru had asked him “Aren’t you being naïve?” This isn’t a mis-translation. From my baby level Japanese I know that “amai” can mean sweet, naïve, or soft. Back then Haiji hadn’t replied, but seemed a bit affected. I’m sure the identical word choice was intentional here, even if the meaning is somewhat different. KK’s words might have stayed with him. He sounds contemplative.

Haiji goes on to ask: “Should I have made them run more? Before I sleep, when I’m eating, when I’m in the bathroom, my doubts are constantly following me. Should I have imposed more rules like a stronger school and forced them to run more?”

He then breaks off. His usual confident, at times pleasant, at times annoying sing song voice (depending on who the listener is and what is being said) is shockingly soft and vulnerable. The whole time he speaks, he’s looking outside the subway window. It’s like he’s ashamed of his doubtful thoughts, while at the same time he’s attempting to distance himself, obviously apprehensive of Kakeru’s answer.

Haij here is not only asking KK as someone who came from such a school, but also as the only professional runner, one whose talent Haiji admires immensely. He awaits KK answer morosely.

For his part, KK doesn’t seem to realize how much his opinion matters to his team captain. He studies Haiji’s profile as he tells him, “You can’t force people to run. The only thing that makes them run is their own will, right?”

“Yeah,” Haiji responds quietly.

-Well, Haiji basically strong armed the members in the beginning l, but I thinknthe running Kakeru is takking about here is the dedicated running that the Aotake members have shown.

The scene echoes the kitchen conversations, when everyone’s asleep. Also the aummer camp one.

Kakeru then continues, “I was constantly suffering when I ran during in high school. I don’t ever want to be restricted like that again.”

I found this statement strangely ironic since we know that Kakeru was the coach’s pet. But I think he meant that he was mentally restricted? Perhaps by the coach’s treatment of his mates.

Kakeru goes on to say, “This time I’ll run of my own free will. Freely, away, to the end of the world.”

-Aha. Maybe he was restricted by his coach’s selfish expectations of him. Either way, Kakeru seems to have taken Haiji’s question at face value and only gave a literal answer. He doesn’t seem to have grasped the intent behind it, the need for assurance. I say this because his answer till now doesn’t seem to be what Haiji’s was looking for. At Kakeru’s last statement, Haiji’s posture shrinks a bit, his head falling further down.

But when Kakeru tells him, “We still have time,” It seems enough to reassure him. Haiji raises his head back up.

He finally faces Kakeru and tells him, “Thanks,” before looking back out of the window and saying, “People always want to be strong”.

-Haiji here is indirectly admitting his moment of weakness.

Kakeru looks at him, his face expressionless, but serious.

I really don’t think he understands how significant this moment was. I mean, he answered Haiji’s question, but that is all. Or, maybe he did sense Haiji’s vulnerability but was doing him a favor by downplaying it, seeing how Haiji wouldn’t meet his gaze. That might make more sense. Especially since Kakeru has been maturing and gaining more social intelligence as of late.

In the next scene we get a shot of the usual confident Haiji we know and love, giving his team a pep talk. The scene alternates with images of all the team members, each preparing in his own way for the qualifier, applying Haiji’s advice as best as he can.

Haiji tells his boys that they have two weeks left to the qualifier, and that now they’re facing a battle of concentration. “We’ll need to focus and exercise self-control….”

The scene cuts to Nico eat slowly and carefully, obviously not wanting to gain any weight before the qualifier.

“…so we can go into the qualifier in top physical and mental shape.”

We see King pours over the map of the race course, image training, no doubt.

Haiji then confidently tells the team, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ve trained more than enough. We just need to turn that pressure into a rasp and polish our minds and bodies. Imagine yourself running as a beautiful blade on the day of the qualifier….”

We see Prince reading manga in his room,

“…and diligently polish yourself yourselves to a fine point.”

followed by an image of Musa sitting soaking in the dark bath.

Back at the field, Yuki comments that Haiji’s words are quite poetic.

-Indeed. The fact that he’s a literature major came through in that speech.

Shindo, comments, “I understand, though. We should be tempered katanas.

-Katanas are Japanese swords.

Fellow literature major, Prince, points out, “We’ll be screwed if we polish too much and break before the race, though.”

Haiji agrees and tells them , “Listen to your minds and bodies and polish carefully”.

The scene cuts to Yuki with his headphones on, moving his head to the music with his eyes closed. Based on his gentle head banging it’s something loud. His phone, on silent, is ringing. We can tell because it’s moving across his desk, no doubt being set on “vibrate”. A close up to the screen tells us it’s his mom.

Yuki listening carefully, just not to his phone.

Haiji’s voice over tells the team that informs them competitions are strange. They’ve done the training, all that’s left is to run, but points out that some runners self-destruct on the day of the competition.

The scene switches to the twins hanging out with Hana, taking a walk in the shopping district in regular clothes. Haiji’s words overlap this scene as he says, “Most things we call mistakes are the results of pressure or the weakness of the mind. No matter how much you practice you can’t stop the anxiety from rising to the surface.”

-Foreshadowing?

Back at the field he goes on to say, “No matter how certain you are, you still can’t erase your fear of failure. The more you polish something, the more fragile it becomes, just as a little bit of dust can ruin a delicate machine…”

Here, we see Kakeru listening, riveted. Haiji continues saying, “So we must find strength. Unwavering strength.” The scene switches to Kakeru, who we see going out for a run.

“True strength, so we won’t be defeated by ourselves!”

We return back to Haiji’s pep talk to the boys. A cameraman has been recording Haiji’s entire speech (from Nippon tv, no doubt). As it ends, he brings his camera down, and we see his eyes glittering and face reddish in excitement at Haiji’s eloquence and inspiring words.

It then falls in disappointment after the scene cuts to the twins’ room, where the whole team is gathered for a pre-race party.

“Should you really be doing this two days before the qualifier?” he asks, seeming disappointed in the lax atmosphere, in contradiction to the perviousness seriousness. Nico tells him, “This is how we do things.” A red faced Shindo slurs jovially, “Today is the last day! Tomorrow we’ll sit and wait for the next day!”

-Methinks Shindo enjoys drinking a little too much. He’s the only person who’s already drunk. Well, him and the coach that is, whose face is almost as red as Shindo.

For once, the landlord Tazaki has joined the boy’s drinking party. Perhaps because the cameraman is there, he has to at least act the part of the coach. Haiji turns to him and respectfully says “It’s time for a message from our coach.”

The man seems caught off guard, but says “I’ll share my secret to success.”    The whole team listens in eager anticipation that the Tazaki will finally “lift the veil” on the secret of running.

The drunk coach tells them, while moving two fingers in the air to mimic legs, “Alternate using your left and right feet. Do that you and you’ll eventually arrive at the finish line.” He then resumes drinking. Haiji bows formally, telling him in gratitude, “Thank you.”

Everyone else is sorely disappointed. “That’s all!” they cry out in unison. King asks, “when are going to start acting like a coach?” Even the camera-man obviously feels let-down. He lowers his camera with a grimace on his face. You can just see him wondering if he can use this footage or not. Then, before their very eyes, the old man falls asleep while sitting, despite Musa repeatedly begging him to wait.

Haiji, however, defends him. “What do you think, though? You can’t say it didn’t feel like it would be no exaggeration to say he spoke the truth.”

“What the hell are you trying to say,” Nico asks, annoyed at Haiji’s incomprehensible words, and the devotion behind them.

-I think the coach’s words rang true to Haiji in particular, because of the physical therapy he went through. He previously described it in almost the exact same way.

-There also seems to be a mysterious bond between the coach and Haiji that we are not yet privy to. One that would explain Haiji’s innate respect for the older man, akin to the regard one would have for an invaluable mentor. Meanwhile, Tazaki seems to be fond of Haiji, even though he’s never really expressed that. The fact that he told Haiji in the very first episode to do what he wants, explains things but raises questions at the same time.

Yuki’s phone rings, immediately rousing everyone’s curiosity. King asks if it’s a woman, and comments, “Just how carefree are you?”

-Well, he’s probably not too off the mark. We know that Yuki enjoys female companionship, we also know he’s been getting calls from his mother.  

Yuki excuses himself to take the call. Kiyose “never misses anything” Haiji contemplates the place where the would-be lawyer was, then asks Kakeru if he can get some ice.

The newest Aotake member immediately obeys. In the kitchen, Kakeru can hear Yuki saying, “This has nothing to do with you. Why are you calling now?”

We see Yuki standing just outside the door of the Aotake, no doubt not wanting to be overheard. He goes on to say, “You’re bothering me. I want to focus. Bye.”

Kakeru leaves the kitchen the same time Yuki comes back inside the building and they meet in the foyer. Cool Yuki gets a “deer in the headlights” look, not unlike Kakeru (albeit less violent) when Haiji mentioned his school in the first episode.

But, being Yuk,i he recovers quickly with a laugh and, by way of explanation, tells Kakeru “My parents saw the paper. I haven’t seen them in a while,” rubbing his head, as he tends to do when he’s being nervous or furtive.

-So Yuki doesn’t get along well with his family. Haiji knows this, and so sent Kakeru, who also doesn’t get along with his parents (he’d rather steal than ask them for money) to give them a chance to talk about their relevant issues, should they need to. At this point Yuki seems reluctant.

-When KK opens the freezer, we see that there a bunch of pre-cut veggies (Haiji has excellent time-saving skills) placed in individual containers. I love details like this.

The next morning, Hana-chan’s father visits with new track suits for the boys. He tells them, “You can’t have different track suits forever.”

-Their happy expressions on the boys’ faces is so heartwarming. About damn time. Nice going, kind sir.

The veggie vendor tells them, “They’re a present from everyone at the shopping center. Don’t embarrass us!” The Kansei team members promise that they won’t.

-So the university knows they’re running at the qualifier but didn’t fork over any cash? That’s…wow. Well, I guess the school year has already begun and it would be hard to give any money that they hadn’t allocated beforehand.

Aaanyway, next scene takes us to the qualifier. Huge crowds have gathered, cheer teams from various schools, lots of cameras, organizers, etc. Amongst them is the camera man designated to cover the Kansei team. The twins wave high to his camera, and say, “Today, we’re taking our first step towards winning the Hakone Ekiden!”

Kakeru, tightening his shoe laces nearby, overhears them and wonders, “Win? Win?!” he asks himself, raising an eyebrow at their confidence.

-Kakeru’s reaction makes sense. When you think about it, the qualifier allows only the top ten teams to participate in the Hakone. This, in addition to the ten teams already seeded. That’s twenty. So, to win Kansei team would have to beat 19 other teams. That…well, as much as I love these boys, it seems very far fetched. But the twins don’t seem to have realized this.

It is raining. As the participants run to warm up Kakeru and Sakaki pass by each other, locking eyes they do so.

King runs up to Kakeru and asks if Sakaki managed to secure a regular position on the TSU team, despite being a first year. Kakeru replies, “That doesn’t matter today.”

King concedes this, then remarks on how you can’t help but stare at the cheerleaders from the other schools. Kakeru looks at his senpai, beating his hand nervously against his chest and understands that to mean he’s just talking to relieve his tension. “Yeah.” He murmurs in reply.

-Kakeru’s maturity here is a far cry from his annoyance with the teammates at their first meet. He’s becoming more socially aware and considerate.

The scene switches to Kansei’s small but dedicated cheer squad made up of Haiji’s public bath friend, Komori-san and her husband from the butcher shop, and Hanako and her father.

Hana relays what Haiji said, that if the team’s combined time is less then 10 hours and 12 seconds they’ll be amongst the top ten chosen to run in Hakone. Meaning, each of the runners should run the 20km distance in a total time of an hour and few seconds. The Kansei fans discuss how that’s just over three minutes per kilometers.

-Here’s the thing. My impressionable self picked up running after watching this show. After two months I was able to run for 60 minutes straight but in that time I can only cover about 5km. Granted I’m (only) 20 years older than these kids and at least 10 kilos overweight, BUT STILL! Seriously. I only understood how insanely fast these numbers are after I tried running myself.

The scene switches to Haiji and the team. The captain tells the boys that there are no landmarks so it’ll be tough to judge their distance. He also comments that the weather is bad and that they won’t know how the race will play out. But he warns the team members from getting dragged by runners who recklessly charge ahead. He then lays out his plan:

“Kakeru and I will run in the front. Stay together and maintain your own pace in the beginning. By the time we finish one lap around the airstrip, a lot of guys should start to fall behind. I’ll be sending signals during the race. Don’t lose sight of each other.”

He then sighs in happiness and says, “I’m glad. I’m glad it’s the ten of us. We wouldn’t be here if anyone had been missing.”

Yuki tells him, don’t make it sound like the final episode of something. A twin (I can’t tell their voices apart) then points out “This is the starting line.” Haiji smiles, “That’s right”.

-And if that isn’t a flag alerting us to danger, I don’t know what is.

The scene then switches back to the fan club, who notice that some of the teams have more than ten members. Hanako explains to them that teams can register 14 members, choose 12 to run the race on the day, then choose the top ten runners and average those times.

Her father comments that this really makes it a numbers game. It seems unfair to smaller teams, but that’s the way it is. Hanako then makes the most important point: “Teams with lots of runners have two runners as insurance. It also means Kansei is finished if a single one of their runners doesn’t make it to the finish line.” But she then says that it’s okay, she knows they’ll all make it.

-Depiste her assurance, that statement really raised the stakes. It must also put a lot of pressure on the individual boys.

As if to stress this point, we see Akane (Prince) tying his red shoes. He can’t. His hands are shaking badly and his beautiful face is full of despair. This is the first time we’ve ever seen him so rattled. Kakeru calls out to him and tells him that he’ll tie his shoes for him. A surprised Prince agrees.

Watching Kakeru tie his shoes, Princes face relaxes and falls into a more determined version of his usual expressionless face. He tells his kouhai (in age, but senpai in running), “I’ll do the best I can.” Kakeru response is an assured, “Okay.”

I absolutely loved the role reversal here. It could have been written any number of ways, but the focus on the red shoes is a reminder of how Prince helped bring Kakeru out of his own worries when he was experiencing PTSD flashbacks (twice in fact, wearing red both times). I loved how Kakeru returned the favor here. The fact that he even noticed Prince’s nerves illustrates the deep bond they now share.

The teams are then all called to the starting line, and line up according to their school. We see that the Kansei teams placement is quite in the back. King remarks that their position is a big handicap to which Haiji replies that the placement is based on performance (I’m guessing of their collective record scores) so that can’t complain. Shindo remarks that teams who ran Hakone the year before, even though they weren’t seed, have a different air about them. As he says this we get alternate shots of confident looking teams. Kakeru says firmly, “We’re just as good” earning a head pat from Nico.

-This is growth people. Remember how pissed off Kakeru was when Yuki was encouraging Musa, telling him he was just as good as his fellow exchange students at their first meet? This time Kakeru used the exact same words Yuki did. And he believes them too, because unlike then, they are backed by months of hellish training and achievement. More growth: in the past when Nico ruffled Kakeru’s hair, he got really angry. Here, his reaction was a slight annoyed grimace. Meaning, he still doesn’t like it, but sees it for what it is: Nico being the dad that he is.

Right before the start of the race, Haiji utters a surprised “oh,” and says he forgot something. The team is apprehensive at what it could be. He then looks back at his team, lined up behind him, and whispers behind his palm: “The mountains of Hakone…?”

The Kansei boys smile in realization, and race their fists in the air simultaneously, “The steepest in the world,” they whisper back in unison, earning glances from the neighboring teams.

-It’s interesting that the team seems to be lined up in order of speed (except for Haiji whose first, being the captain): Kakeru, Musa, twins, Yuki, Shinodo, Nico, Kin, and Prince. But then, why is Yuki ahead of Shindo (whom I recall is faster than he is?) the same goes for Musa (whom I think is a bit slower than the twins). Interesting.

The count down begins until the gun fires signalling the start of the race.

I swear viewers will feel just as nervous and excited as the runners. Then when the shot is fired the runners surge forward like a wave…the feeling is just indescribable.

The cheer squads, the bands, everyone goes crazy. The atmosphere is palpable and just so real. Hanako holds her ears against the ear bursting cheering, then herself starts shouting as hard as she can for Kansei University. The rest of the fan club members join her screaming for our boys,even though they must know they won’t be able to hear them. But the effort is for the sake of the supporters themselves just as much as it’s for the runners.

Kakeru immediately moves up from behind Haiji to take his place next to him. Meanwhile, Haiji moves to the right of the track so that his runners can see him, and signals to them with his hand “Finish the first five kilometers in 3:10 each. After that use your own judgement.”

-Now it makes sense. Like Haiji instructed, the team members are staying together according to their abilities. But the taller of the group is in front the better to be able to see Haiji’s signals.

Bath house buddy says that just two laps of this track makes him feel faint. Yaokatsue wonders where Hanako is.

She has left them and taken position to where the fastest runners, the exchange students, are about to finish the first lap. She times them, then relays that time to the Kansei boys.

First, to Haiji and Kakeru, in the second pack: “The lead pack’s page is 2:49!”

Then to the twins and Musa in the third pack, “Don’t let them drag you ahead!”

-This is why Haiji gave them a set time. If they get caught in the speed of the lead pack they wouldn’t be able to last till the end.

-This is also why Hana is wearing a red coat. The better to be seen by the team when she gives them signals.

The team is not only following Haiji’s instructions to keep together. They are looking out for each other too. Behind the twins and Musa, Shindo and Yuki are running together, followed by King and Nico. The two exchange a glance, King then looks behind him to make sure Prince, further behind is within eye-sight of them.

-Poor Prince is the only one alone 😦 Hmm. This is another similarity between him and Kakeru. Both usually run alone, one is always ahead, while the other always behind.

We are shown Haiji and Kakeru, who has now taken position in front of his captain. As they run, they see a path open between the runners in front of them. Just as Kakeru furrows his eyebrows, no doubt contemplating speeding ahead. Haiji smiles, no doubt reading his mind, and whispers to him from behind, “Go”. That’s all he needed to hear.

He takes off, and we see his unearthly gorgeous running form from a pleased Haiji’s point of view.

Hanako reaches the watering station where the second lap is ending. She sees that Kakeru has almost caught up with the tail end of the first pack. He manages to get a cup of water. Haiji, comes up next, at the center of the second pack. He’s almost at the water station, when a runner several feet in front of him bumps into one of the tables and falls down, bringing the table down with him. Hanako yells out Haiji’s name in alarm and we see he is about to collide with the fallen runner when the episode ends.

Conclusion

Whew, what a cliffhanger!

Writing tip: Hanako had a vital role to play in this episode, not just keeping tabs on how the race is playing out and relaying that information to the runners. From a writers perspective her existence is invaluable because, not only does she help exposit some of the rules and inside workings of the race (i.e. explaining the varying number of runners in the different teams). Also, her reactions serve to underscore the gravity of all that is happening in the race. Her horror at the accident will reflect that of the viewers.

The episode planted several important details that will surely be revisited later (i.e. Yuki’s call with his mother). But it mostly set the stage for the upcoming race via Haiji’s explanations. Be that as it may, it was never a boring episode. For one thing, seeing the boys in their regular clothes was refreshing. Having the team seen from other people’s perspectives (the coach, the university chairman, the parents, the interviewee, the Nippon camera man) was also new. But to me the most important scene in this episode was Haiji confiding his doubts to Kakeru.

It was the first time he has done so. Knowingly, that is. Haiji had once tried advising Kakeru on “not rushing”. At the time Kakeru had asked him why he was telling him this, and had figured out on some level that Haiji was feeling anxious. At the time KK had thought it was because not all their members had achieved records, when in reality Haiji had been worried about his own performance. But it seemed that he himself hadn’t realized that he had been projecting his concerns on Kakeru. It had been a rare moment where Haiji seemed to lack self-awareness.

In this episode, however, he’s completely conscious of his anxiety and asks Kakeru straight out for his opinion. It’s the most vulnerable we have ever seen him, though we’ve gotten tiny glimpses in the past. In addition to the reference of the word “amai” (discussed above), the scene somehow also reminded me of the argument they had. At the time Kakeru had seemed unsatisfied with Haiji’s coaching skills. And while Kiyose had stayed strong for the sake of keeping the team together, and managed to completely change Kakeru’s mind on what he felt was his teammates lacking performance, you kinda get the feeling here that KK’s words had stayed with Kiyose and now that the moment of truth came, were rearing their ugly heads.

Of course, Kakeru is completely unaware of this. I doubt he realizes the weight his opinions have with Haiji, despite Fujioka telling him “lead the team with him”. Even a stranger like Fujioka saw the potential in Kakeru, even if he hadn’t seen it himself.  

Because he is unaware, he is unable to give Haiji the full assurance I wanted him to. But, coming from Kakeru (who Haiji knows isn’t the most socially intelligent team member) it must have been enough. After all, Kakeru is still relatively new at playing the “supporter”. I mean, he’s helped out the other members, but I think at the moment he holds Haiji on too high a pedestal to even realize that he can be of emotional support to Haiji as well. With 8 episodes left, he’s bound to have more opportunities to do so in the future.

8.5/10: There was nothing wrong with the episode, though art wasn’t always great. But the upcoming episodes are just phenomenal.

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Run With the Wind Episode 14 Review: You Are Not Alone

Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Disclaimer: All images have been screen captured from Crunchyroll and belong to their respective owners. I am using them to promote this show and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so.

Prologue

The episode starts at the villa the team is currently borrowing in Shirakaba Lake. The boys sit in the dark living room riveted by a documentary on Hakone. Haiji’s really into it, saying that the editing is good. In the video, we hear the words, drama, dead heat, accident, a coach’s words saving a runner; simultaneously, we see a runner falling on the ground, another who’d given up being consoled by their coach, two in section two racing each other towards the finish line…it all seems meant to foreshadow the action we can except.

Haiji tells his team: “On January 2^nd and 3^rd of next year, we’ll be there this time. Each of us will stand on his own starting line and wait for the sash. We’ll receive it and pass it on to the next man. Passing it on again and again, we’ll eventually meet again at Otemachi.”

-As Haiji speaks, we see everyone’s expressions watching the television eagerly. We also notice nearly all of them have gotten tans.

He continues saying, “It will be the Kansei University Long Distance Track Team’s first major accomplishment. No, it will be the first time in recent history that a team makes it to the Ekiden on the first try.”

When the film ends Haiji asks the team if they feel a little closer now, to Hakone.

He turns on the living room light, to see that every single one of his runners, and even Nira, is sleeping soundly.

The hooting of an owl punctuates the silence. The camera tilts a bit to depict how utterly betrayed he feels.

Then, in complete Haiji fashion, he starts the documentary again, and this time raises the volume to full.

Haiji’s revenge.

We don’t see, but rather hear the reactions of everyone who has been forced awake, from the outside of the cabin. We also see that the living room lights are being repeatedly turned off and on. Even Nira the dog starts barking, as if to help Haiji. The team yells their complaints, but we can only make out a few voices.

King: What’s wrong with you?!

Haiji: We’re watching it again! You can never watch this too many times!

King: Don’t talk to me about New Year’s!

Nico: It’s summer right now! Summer!

Haiji ploughs through, ignoring them, and starts his lecture once again, but in a much louder voice: “On January 2^nd and 3^rd of next year, we’ll be there this time. Each of us will stand on his own starting line and wait for-”

We can still hear the mayhem when the opening theme song starts.

-I was in stiches over this, particularly because Haiji here was so utterly relatable to me. I’ve literally done this to my kids ;^_^;

Act One

Screenwriting Note: The first half of this episode goes back and forth in time. It’s a technique that this show excels at, propelling the story forward while keeping the exposition interesting. Here, we don’t go too far back in time, just between the boys’ summer training camp at Shirakaba, and various locations in Tokyo we have come to associate with the Aotake family. This style was previously used for one character, Kakeru. But here, we see all the boys and catch up with what they’ve been up to during the last few days of their camp, and when they return home. The editing is fantastic and the shots move seamlessly from one character to the next by having each scene end with a shot on the character that will be the focus of the next scene. What makes this editing possible is how well the audience now knows, not only the characters, but also the environment they live in.

Art/animation: From the beginning, except for the twins, no two characters have the exact same complexion. In this episode we see how all of the characters’ complexions (except Musa, perhaps) have changed after the summer training camp. They range from between King, Kakeru’s and Nico’s dark tans, to the twins’ peachy glows, to Shindo and Haiji’s caramel-like tints. Even the snow-white Yuki’s skin has taken a slight buttery hue while Prince’s freckled face, though still pale, isn’t as pasty as it used to be. Again, no two characters have the exact same tone. This wasn’t just an aesthetic choice. The decision also helps depict the passage of time. When they return to Tokyo, the boys are still tan. But when they revert to their natural color we can tell that time has passed even before we are shown a calendar. IG Productions attention to detail is laudable and just one more reason to love the show.

Act One

King enters a meeting room wearing a suit. His interviewees point out what viewers also have no doubt noticed: that he’s quite tan. King responds in formal Japanese (referring to himself with “Watakushi”) that he’s been training for Hakone.

-So we know he’s back at Tokyo. His happy, confident face is a far cry from the old awkward King we previously knew. The scene then comically switches to his tired, panicked face as he runs up an incline in Shirakaba with the others.

The reason for his distress is Nira, who is following hot on his heels. King bursts out, “Why is he chasing me?!”

We then see Shindo easily overtake the group. Yuki comments “He’s like a fish in water,” referring to Shindo’s mountainous hometown in Yamagata.

Viewers will remember how he would climb the valley for ten miles every day to reach his school. We see Shindo’s happy grin and the scene cuts to Tokyo, where he and Musa are in the Aotake Kitchen.

Looking at his laptop, the young genius comments that they got one more application to their fan club. Musa compliments him, saying it’s because his website is so great. The humble Shindo points out that rather, it’s because the pictures Musa takes are so good.

Indeed, it’s a great picturez

His friend blushes happily. We go back in time to the team’s high altitude training in Shirakaba where Musa speeds ahead of everyone.

The twins remark that they can’t keep up with him on the plains.

-By now, viewers may be recalling something Haiji had previously said, that all runners are different and perform differently according to the running surface.

Nico, impressed, with Musa, whistles. We cut back to Tokyo, at the Tsuro no You bath house locker room, where Nico blurts out “No way!”

His disbelief is in reaction to what Yuki is telling him: that he placed the creepy wire dolls Nico always makes in a general store and that they have been selling well. The clever lawyer has marketed them “Nico Nico” dolls.

King: “Do they know Nico stands for Nicotine?

Yuki points out that it doesn’t matter what they’re called, “I’m making a profit!” and asks Nico if he can increase production. The bewildered ex-smoker points out that he never gives it any thought as he makes them, so, sure. Shindo chimes in to say that he’ll advertise them on their website as well. Nico smiles and tells them to do what they want. He stands on the scale and clenches his fist in satisfaction. Based on his smile and trim waistline, we can guess that he has probably reached his goal weight.

In the background, we see Yuki with an uncharacteristic (yet still lovable) goofy grin on his face, happily calculating the money they’ll be making on his fingers, no doubt to add to their team budget.

We’re then taken back to Shirakaba cabin, where the usual cool Yuki is asking Haiji about the Hakone race.

He comments how, with a small team like theirs, they have to make the most out of each runner’s individual strength in choosing who will run which leg of the race. Haiji concurs and adds that he will start registering the team in longer races (10km instead of 5km) starting with them members who already have records. Yuki adds that he’s been reading a few books, and that he’d like to discuss Haiji’s decisions regarding training to understand his goals better.

Kakeru and Prince hear the conversation as they bring in pails full of water.

Prince listening intently.

The twins look in from the yard and tell them to hurry. Hana joins them to show them that they have already prepared the fireworks.

-Now we know what the water is for. To put out the handheld sparklers the team is about to light.

Kakeru admits to Haiji that Yuki is better than him at the more scientific details. Haiji responds, “That’s why I made him a member.” Kakeru raises his eyebrows in incredulousness.

Meanwhile Prince has a thoughtfully glum looks on his face. Perhaps thinking of how he has yet to achieve the requisite time. Cutting to the public track field in Tokyo, we see him running on the track as the twins time him, and tell him that once again his time has improved.

They then discuss how much more fun practice is now, and wonder if it’s because they went through “Hellish Lake Shirakaba Experience”. Jouji then says that they’re really going to run at Hakone. Jouta agrees, and adds, “Maybe we’ll run all the way past Mount Fuji.” Meanwhile, Prince (who seems to have finally gotten over the habit of passing out at the finish line) gives himself a pep talk: “There’s nothing everyone else can do that you can’t do. Fight on-”

We cut back to Shirakaba where we witness the hellish training the twins were talking about first hand: King yells, agitated: “Eight 5000 meter runs?!” The twins complain that it’s a full marathon, “I want to go back to Tokyo!”

Haji quips, “You’ll be strong enough to run back in another week.”

-LOL. I don’t think that’s much in the way of encouragement, Haiji.

Nico says as much, “Don’t give me that bullshit!”

The camera pans on Kakeru whom is getting ready by doing his stretches. We see him smiling slightly in anticipation.

Yaokatsu tells the team not to worry, he will be driving alongside of them in his pickup, and Hana-chan will be splashing them with plenty of water to stave off the heat.

Prince tells her, “Promise me you’ll let me onto the truck before I die.”

She solemnly tells him “Good luck.”

Haiji tells his reluctant team to “Go!” We see Kakeru smile at his enthusiasm, before he starts running.

-This scene recalls the first time Haiji gathered the team for practice. The incredulity, how reluctant everyone is, even his saying “Go!” At the time Kakeru was annoyed at the members’ complaints. He had also been antsy, taking off alone without waiting for Haiji’s signal. Here, he’s happy and excited and even after Haiji’s signal, only takes off after smiling inwardly, fondly, at their captain/coach.

We cut to the Tokyo Shopping district and the Kobori Butcher shop where Musa used to work. Kakeru, who is purchasing meat, comments that the proprietress gave him way too much. The sweet lady replies, “I heard about you. You’re nationally competitive, right. You need to keep future stars in your debt.” Kakeru smiles at her in gratitude.

-He’s been doing so more readily. His past/present segment was actually sandwiched between smiles.It is indicative of his new found happiness. He seems more at peace than we have seen him since the whole show started. Soon, perhaps, this will become his natural expression.

-Kakeru doing the shopping is another indication of how he’s trying to support Haiji. In fact, looking back, the previous scenes have shown how all most of the characters have been doing so, except King (who is busy job hunting), Prince, preoccupied with his training (and manga, of course) and Nico (whom we know works as well as studies).

Back at Shirakaba, the team is running in a single file. True to their word, Hana and her father accompany them and she splashes water on them.

From the back, she splashes them all one by one until she reaches Haiji, who looks like the water really refreshed him.

Back at Tokyo, Haiji is at his chiropractor’s clinic. Iimura-sensei tells him he’s impressed, “You’re still growing. Your muscles feel different.”

Cautiously hopeful

As he speaks, we’re given a shot of Haiji’s injured calf, which does indeed, look bigger than it used to. “You must be getting good practice,” the man states. Haiji replies, “hai”.

-I was a bit ticked to see this translated as “Yeah.” It should be Yes. The difference is miniscule, but it is there. Yes is more formal and more suited for athletes, and for Haiji’s character. It was also previously translated as “Yes” so this is inconsistent from a translator’s point of view as well.

-Like how the water in the previously scene cooled him, the doctor’s words seem like they revitalized Haiji, especially compared with the last time we saw him in the clinic, and how apprehensive he had been. He looks like those words threw a huge weight off his shoulders.

A serene smile.

We’re then taken to what will be the last Shirakaba flashback. The team gathers around a bonfire, with Haiji on one side, facing them. He restates their goals: “Everyone will achieve an official record. We’ll participate in and naturally make it through the qualifier. Our only goal is the peak of Hakone.”

Prince quips that the actual race involves running back down. Everyone laughs, then Haiji tells them they’ll become even stronger, then shouts his slogan: “The mountains of Hakone…”

“Are steepest in the world!” everyone replies.

The group lights fireworks, both hand-held sparklers and large ones that light up the night sky. Hanako and her father watch them as they enjoy the fireworks, when he says “Damn!” He wishes he could help them and speaks for the audience when he says, that seeing how hard the boys have worked, you can’t but help root for them and cheer them on. He then adds, rightfully, that other people are working just as hard.

Hanako says that it’s frustrating, that there really isn’t anything they can do to help them. Her dad agrees, “That’s why I said, damn.” But it seems that an idea did occur to Hana: she tells her father she wants to go to Kansei University. Presumably, to continue supporting the team.

At her father’s silence, she asks him to say something. “Like what? Damn!” and he starts getting emotional.

-I feel you, Otou-san (dad). I feel you. It’s hard seeing the babies grow up. Speaking of which, seeing Kakeru frolicking with his peers gave me all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings.

Look how happy he is!

We’re then given the title, You Are Not Alone, along with the mid-episode break.

Act Two

The next day, before they go back to Tokyo, Haiji asks if they want to go to the summit. Everyone is aghast that he wants to train even more.

-Lol! I don’t blame them for thinking that.

Even Nira is looking at him 😂

With a chuckle Haiji negates this, and tells them he thought they’d cap off the camp with a view of the lake.

At the summit, Kakeru, always taking his cues from Haiji, glances at him first.

When he sees his gaze fixed on the lake, he too, turns to look at it. Everyone stares silently a bit at the sublime God-created gorgeousness before them, with the wind rustling their hair and clothes.

Yuki is the first to break the silence. “I thought views were something I’d enjoy once I got old.” King says, “I know what you mean.”

-This tacitly hints at what we already know, Haiji, who suggested this exercise, is older than his peers, mentally and emotionally, if not literally.

Jouji comments, “But it’s kinda nice.” His older brother agrees. Prince wonders, “Have we gotten used to the outdoors?” Shindo asks with a chuckle, “Is that why?”

-I think Shindo here is just being polite, as we know he’s had plenty of nature in his life. But bookworm Prince’s comment is doubtlessly applicable to himself.

Kakeru with quiet conviction points out, “It’s because we’re viewing it together. I doubt we’d feel this way if we viewed it alone.”

The team absorbs this deep thought. Musa utters his agreement. Nico then teases him, “What feeling? You’re starting to say some pretty witty things.”

Teasing senpais.

King then recalls that Kakeru had stated before he wanted to become a better speaker. Jouta caps off the playful badgering with, “I guess people do grow.”

Self-conscious, Kakeru replies, “What’s wrong with you guys.”

Haiji then says the following, “We’re friends running the same path together. No one is alone anymore.”

KK looks happily at Haiji (who has rapidly become his hero) and responds with a textbook “Hai!”

-Again, I was a bit ticked to see this translated as “Yeah.” It should be Yes. The difference is miniscule, but it is there. “Yes” is more formal and more suited for athletes. It is also more fitting for Kakeru’s character who uses Keigo (polite speech) most of the time.

-It might feel that Haiji’s speech was a bit out of the blue. But it completely fits his sensitive personality. His statement not only alludes to the episode’s title, it also picks up from where the previous episode had left off: how lonely Kakeru had felt in his old team, and how he had insisted for the longest time that he would run alone. Haiji might have also been referring to the others as well. We know King felt a bit isolated from the team for a while. Yuki was keeping them at arm’s length. Nico had been too absorbed by work while Prince’s nose was constantly in a manga. Perhaps the only members who never seemed lonely were the twins (by birthright) and Musa and Shindo (who are practically joined at the hip). Even Haiji, as close and as friendly as he is, seems unfathomably distant from everyone sometimes (i.e. running alone the first ending theme song.) Perhaps, more than anyone, he’s enjoying the team’s newfound closeness.

Finally, as Haiji said those words, the screen focused on Prince’s face, followed by Kakeru’s. Meaning there are the one’s the episode title is most referring to.

Haiji then tells the team, “Let’s go back. The real battle begins now.”

Screenwriting/editing technique: The rest of this episode is organized through a series of track meets the team participates in. With each scene starting with the name of the University organizing each race.  Again, the way this show deals with exposition is fantastic. Not one second is wasted.

Dochido University

Back at Tokyo, the whole team is in their racing uniform. Haiji takes the sight of his fit team in silent pride, then simply tells them, “See you at the finish line.”

-Considering the confidence being exuded from them all, no more words were necessary.

At the race, Prince, for the first time finds himself on par with some of the other runners. “I’m not alone,” he tells himself. Once more, hinting that he’s the character referred to in the title.

He still doesn’t manage to achieve his time. King and Nico, however, do. The team celebrates having nine out of their ten members achieve official records.

Boso University

Prince closes his manga when he hears the runners being called to the track. He then “high-fives” the teammates who won’t be participating in the race: the twins, Nico-chan, King, Kakeru and Musa. When he takes his place at the start line, we see that Yuki and Shindo will be running with him. Shindo tells him, “We’ll block out the wind for you,” to which he replies, “If I can keep up.” Shindo assures him, “You will”.

Caught in the act: concerned Yuki.

This basically shows they intend to support him by running in front of him so the wind doesn’t bother him. But Prince doesn’t think he can run fast enough to make use of that.

A motivated Yuki encourages him: “The temperature’s cool today. Your times are good overall. It’s not about the order in which you finish. It’s a race against time. Against yourself.”

Prince quips, “What’s this? Have you always been a runner?”

The embarrassed senpai tells him to shut up. But his statement is just one more in a long list of evidence to Yuki’s dedication. Both to running, and to his friends.

Prince doesn’t get a record. His time is 17:44. His posture and the way he bites his lips in frustration makes me think there might be more than just sweat on his face. He’s such a heartbreaker, in ever sense of the word. There’s this vulnerability to him that makes him so pitiful. It also makes his efforts that much more commendable.

You just can’t help rooting for him 😭

Yuki immediately puts his arm around him and tells him in an upbeat voice, “Next time, next time! You’ve got plenty more chances!”

MVP Yuki doing what we can’t.

Yuki seems to have taken the honorary role of co-captain. I love him so much here.

Yamato University

It is raining during the next race. We see Jouta, Jouji, Yuki and Haiji standing under their umbrellas with sad looks on their faces. Jouta, looking at his watch and Prince’s time, 17:19, and says, “His speed is definitely improving, though.”

Haiji’s face is eerily expressionless. But by now we know him enough to guess that he’s worried.

Back at Aotake, Prince crossing out the date of theYamato Uni meet off his calendar.

-One nice detail is that the calendar is taped to his tv. Being a manga lover means Prince is probably an anime fan too (since many anime are adaptations of manga). But the positioning of the calendar makes it impossible for him to use the TV and shows the dedication he has towards achieving his, and the teams’, goal.

We see that the entry to the Hakone qualifier deadline is the 1^st of October (everyone should have their records before then), the qualifier itself is on the 13th. And the last meet available for Prince to make his time is on the 23^rd of September at TSU, in ten days. His thick lashed eyes bore into that date.

In the next scene he’s tying his shoes to go for a jog. Kakeru, on his way to the landlord’s house for a bath, sees him. He tells Prince he’ll join him. Prince argues there is no need, pointing at Kakeru’s towel that he should go ahead and take his bath.

The two ping-pong the matter verbally for a bit until Prince smiles and tells him “You’re a freak, aren’t you?”

The Japanese word literally means pervert, hence KK’s reaction 😂

Language note: Prince here is teasing him, by hinting that his running addiction is practically a fetish. I think Yuki said something similar at some point. Though I can’t remember when.

Prince: “Don’t worry, it’s just a short jog.”

-I loved this scene and how it shows the friendship between these two. Each is probably the other’s closest friend at this point, besides Haiji, of course who seems like everyone’s best friend.

At the bath, Kakeru gets the jump scare of his life when he enters the dark presumably empty steam filled room, and finds it occupied.

It’s Musa. Kakeru joins him and the exchange student explains his proclivity of bathing in dark. He say he thinks of it as meditation, since it makes him feel incredibly uneasy, and that by forcing himself to do so he feels that he can reexamine himself.

Kakeru then tells him how Prince went running alone, and asks if he should have gone with him. Musa sagely tells him. “Leaving a person alone can be a kindness as well.” He then adds, “It’s okay. Even if he runs alone, he’s not alone.”

Kakeru recalls with a smile that Haiji had said the same thing.

“Even if you’re running alone, you’re not actually alone.”

Musa then comments how fun running is, and despite it being just running he’s been learning all sorts of things. Then a laugh, he then tells KK that he “made a discovery”. Kakeru doesn’t know what he means. Musa says it’s no wonder since KK is always running in the front. “Oh, how wonderful it is to be young,” he adds with a laugh. Kakeru is starting to get weirded out.

KK:”What is it? It’s dark, and we’re naked?”

Musa doesn’t answer. A reflection coming from the window distracts him. He first thought it was a streetlight, but now sees it’s the moon. Cupping his hands under the water, he says, “I caught it.”

Symbolism. Catch your dreams.

-This scene was quite important. We’ve seen Kakeru interact with Haiji, Nico, Shindo, Prince, Yuki, even King (though to a much lesser degree). But never with Musa. Not only do we get screen time for this somewhat neglected character, we also get continuity on a topic that had been brought up early on in the series. Kakeru’s smile when he recalls Haiji’s words, shows that he now understands what they mean. He couldn’t before, because he had felt so isolated. He doesn’t anymore. This also explains why Haiji never bothered explaining the phrase to him. Loneliness is a highly personal emotion. From the beginning Haiji tried to make Kakeru feel welcome and part of Aotake. But only Kakeru can decide when and if those attempts will succeed. We now know that they have.

The fact that Musa is the one broached the subject shows that he already knows those words to be true. And the irony literally just hit me. For Musa, the foreigner, to have been feeling more at home than Kakeru is really ironic. It also speaks volumes to Musa’s open and friendly character. He comes across as a very well-adjusted person. Also, being an exchange student, he’s been exposed first hand to a culture very different from his own. By default this will give him a fair degree of worldliness (I recommend interacting with foreigner to everyone). Musa comes across as a harmless, kind and sweet person. I’ve even called him meek at some point. But this does not take away from his wisdom, as depicted here when he tells Kakeru that leaving a person alone can also be a kindness. I really enjoyed their conversation.

Tokyo Sport University

We are now at what we know is Prince’s last track meet. We see him, for once, not with a comic book in hand, but doing warm up exercises. The team members all (sans Haiji) stand in front of him with varying expressions (quietly panicking, worrying, trying to be encouraging).

It’s equally touching and scary. Prince’s face is as impassive as ever, however. He asks them for “a moment”.

Haiji is, incomprehensibly, nowhere to be seen.

We do see Fujioka, Rikudo’s captain and Haiji’s acquaintance (friend?). Creepy reporter walks up to him and comments, “You really are interested in them. Though they might not even make it to the qualifier.”

The champion spares him a silent glance, before something catches his eye and he excuses himself.

It is Haiji. We can readily guess that Fujioka is there to support him in what he knows is Haiji’s team’s last chance at making it to the qualifiers.

The first thing Fujioka says when he reaches him is, “You’re not going to stand beside him?” meaning, Prince. Haiji doesn’t reply, doesn’t even look at Fujioka. At this silence he ventures a guess, “you don’t want to pressure him?”

Without removing his gaze from Prince, Haiji responds, “He’ll feel it wherever I am. How much time do you think we’ve spent together?”

Fujioka looks at him for a bit before he follows his gaze and says, “I’m jealous of them that they have you to say that.”

Another addition (maybe the president) to the Haiji fan club.

-This, folks, this is good writing. In one sentence we have respect, friendship, and longing. It makes us think that not only were these two friends, Fujioka wishes they were teammates as well. You also get the sense that he cares more for Haiji then the other way around. Or, at least, that he is more vocal about his feelings. I don’t think he realizes that Haiji harbors some jealousy towards him. Or if he does, he doesn’t care. And it makes us viewers like him more for it.

I also think the praise was meant, in some way, to assure Haiji. Make him feel better in his role as Captain. If, as Haiji says, Prince will feel the pressure either way, then the reason Haiji isn’t standing with him is because he can’t. If Fujioka understood this indirect admission, then maybe he was trying to soothe him by stating that he’s jealous of Haiji’s team members for their proximity to him. Basically he’s saying you’re a great captain/teammate and I wish I was on your team. I do not doubt the sentiment is %100 true. But it also could have been meant to mollify Haiji’s conscience. If, in fact, he did feel guilty or lacking.

-And if that were the case, then what are the possible reasons for why the unflappable Haiji couldn’t be by Prince’s side before the do-or-die race? For one, there is simply too much is at stake for Haiji, so much so that he cannot be sure what his reaction will be in the worst-case scenario. And I don’t think he wants the others to see that. He wouldn’t want to blame Prince, and is taking precautions in case he might inadvertently react in a way that might be perceived that he does. Or maybe, as the leader, he doesn’t want to infect Prince with his own nerves. And despite his poker face, you know they are there. I mean, how can he not be nervous, with how long he’s been wanting Hakone?

At Fujioka’s words, the camera shifts to show us his and Haiji’s view, where Prince is facing Kakeru who seems to be holding his hand.

That ray of sunshine gives us hope.

-Love this show of support by all, especially Kakeru. They really are best friends at this point.

-Something that occurred to me; that everyone seems to be taking Haiji’s place in his absence. They don’t even seem to be questioning it. I think he must have told them, or at least one of them (Prince) he’d be watching it from farther away. I imagine it might have gone something like this:

Haiji: It’s so I can see you better. You’ve come so far I don’t want to miss your winning run.

Prince: …okay.

With both of them ignoring the fact that this is Prince’s last chance, and all that that entails.

The race starts, and the beautiful “The Wind is Blowing Strongly,” (track 21, From the second CD) plays in the background. We hear a clock ticking and Prince’s breathing and very little else except the sweet piano.

As the race goes on we see everyone’s worried expression and their mouths moving as they cheer. We then get a flashback to what Prince asked of the team before the race: pointing at a poster and pen in Yuki’s hand, he tells them that if they have anything to tell him, to write it “here” and gives them the inside of his arm.

We then hear Prince’s thinking, “Unbelievable. When you show me those faces, how can I not do my best?!”

The piano swells into a full orchestra depicting the full breadth if his emotions as he speeds up and weaves his way through the runners.

As he runs, we see the words “forward!” Written on his arm. It is continuity to Kakeru’s cheer for him, which Prince now says over and over to himself, tearing up in fatigue and desperation, in the sheer desire to live up to his friends’ expectations.

As he sees the finish line he continues shouting to himself, to push himself to run faster.

The race ends and after catching his breath he looks at the timer: the numbers and his teams tell us what we now know.

“You did it! “Now we all have records!”

After glancing at them jumping up and down, he looks up to where we know Haiji is.

and raises his arm in triumph.

We do not see Haiji. But we do see Fujioka.

He glances clandestinely at Haiji, to see his reaction to this.

The director wants to keep it private.

His quivering lips, shaking breath, and tiny guttural choke shows us the profoundness of his….relief? Gratitude? Elation? Either way he’s overcome, and in case there is any doubt, we see Prince from his perspective. The rest of the team attacks him with hugs, all of them getting more and more blurry as Haiji’s eyes fill up with tears.

Damn this was moving.

Conclusion:

I love this ending so much I don’t even want to write anything after watching it. It feels like nothing I can say will do it justice so why even try? But I’m just going to point out that along with Kakeru’s emotional growth, in this episode we get Prince’s achievements as well. And it came after we had already witnessed all the others’ (the montage at the beginning, King and Nico’s records).

He’s always been the most relatable character. His achievement is therefore particularly satisfying. We also find out what it was that has been motivating him, perhaps from the very beginning. Kashiwazaki Akane never wanted to run. That much is clear. He’s no athlete. Probably never played a sport in his life. But he never said he wouldn’t run. I think part of this is due to the fact that despite being an introverted bookworm, he loves Haiji, loves the Aotake, and doesn’t want to be the person wrecking Haiji’s plan. From the start, when the team was colluding to not run, he told them “I doubt he’ll back down” about Haiji. It was almost like he had already accepted the likelihood that they will run. His speech to Sakaki depicted everything he hated about jocks, the competitiveness that allows them to account for very little besides winning. But the fact that the team accepted him knowing his weaknesses gave him a once in a lifetime chance to be an athlete. Haiji’s gentle words (and not so gentle training) forced him to step out of his comfort zone. But he stepped out on his own. I repeat, he never said “I will not run”.

Though he repeatedly said, “I never said I would run. I posit he did that to keep their expectations, and his own, low. If he never said he’d run, then they should just be grateful that he is running. And Haiji was. He knew his level, and did his best to accommodate him. I think the reason Haiji cried at the end, wasn’t just out of joy for Prince’s achievement. It was because he knew Prince did it for them. For him. It’s like watching your child, your student, your athlete, (insert whatever relationship you will here) do something simply to make you happy, to prove that the time and effort you spent with them did not go to waste. I do not mean to detract from Prince’s achievement, but his speech showed that that run wasn’t for him. It was for the team. That arm raised in victory, was solely for Haiji.

Finally, Prince’s win, is ultimately the team’s win. They have all been helping him, in varying levels, towards this goal. That joy felt by his win, was felt by all.

Now excuse me while I wipe my tears. Feel free to voice out your own thoughts in the comments.

10/10: Art was a bit funky a bit here and there but I don’t care, so there. Have you read this review? Did you see all that was perfect? Enough said. Yes I’m biased. Sue me.

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Run With the Wind Episode 13: And Then Start Running

Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Disclaimer: All images have been screen captured from Crunchyroll and belong to their respective owners. I am using them to promote this show and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so.

Prologue

We left off with Kakeru having just raised his fist to hit Sakaki and the sound of a fist hitting flesh. We’re held all in suspense. Fight’s are not taken lightly in Japan and could result fight could get Kakeru kicked off the team.

This episode starts immediately with a flashback of Kakeru having punched his high school coach. His glasses are sent flying and he whimpers in pain, holding his bleeding nose. He asks in a voice shaking in pain and confused terror, “Kurahara?” Kakeru takes a breath then grabs his jacket, raising his fist once again, and screaming in rage.

-Yikes. I hadn’t expected this at all. Given how angry Sakaki is with Kurahara (and how he said “Are you going to hit me again” I fully thought that he had been the one Kakeru got into trouble with at his old high school. Especially considering Kakeru’s guilty demeanour around him the first time they met.

He actually beat up his coach. This is infinitely worse. Or, from a viewer’s perspective, infinitely better. It’s completely unexpected. And new. I cannot recall an anime where it had been done before (not that I’m a Prince-level otaku, but still.) However, we’re still in suspense as to why his relationship with Sakaki is so strained.

Language note: In the fourth episode, Sakaki asked Kakeru “Are you going to hit me again?” I think this was a mistranslation. I do not mean to throw any shade on the work of the translators. I repeat, I have but a toddler’s understanding of the Japanese language. And I know that Japanese can be frustratingly vague at times. That said, I think Sakaki probably said “Are you going to hit again” but it was translated to “are you going to hit me again.” Again, considering the vagueness in the original language, it’s perfectly understandable.

Act One

After the opening theme song, we go back (err, forward) in time to where we left off with present Kurahara. We’re given a replay of Sakaki jeering at him acidly, “Are you satisfied running with the friends you finally made?” and once again see Kakeru running up to him, grabbing him and raising his fist to punch him.

He’s stopped just in the nick of time by Kiyose “Mr. Teleportation” Haiji, who grabs his arm before it can cause damage. Shindo and Nico also have quick reflexes. Shindo has his arms wrapped around Kakeru’s torso, holding him back, while Nico is grabbing on to his left arm and shoulder. The three drag him back against his will while the twins, Yuki, and King step up to create a protective wall between him and Sakaki.

-It’s ironic how, despite Kakeru being on the attack here, he’s the one being protected, both from Sakaki and from himself.

Said Sakaki doesn’t seem the least bit concerned that he was about to be clobbered. Instead, he smiles in satisfaction. “See? You haven’t changed. You’re always ruining someone else’s efforts. You don’t see your teammates!”

As he speaks, we see Kakeru struggling against his friends’ firm hold. He’s like a wild dog, trying to escape his owner, to attack.

Sakaki doesn’t let up either. He screams, “I don’t know if you’re just naturally talented, but if you think you alone will manage somehow, you’re wrong!”

You get the feeling he has been wanting to say these words for a long, long time.

Kakeru snarls angrily, still trying to get at him. Haiji calls his name gently, twice, but when he doesn’t seem to hear him, he finally yells it, “KAKERU!”

He turns to look at Haiji, even as he continues struggling against him. Haiji tells him firmly, “Don’t forget that we’re here,” keeping his hold on his younger teammate.

At his words, Kakeru gasps, and the fight finally leaves him.

Hanging back a few feet away from the action, the weak Prince asks the meek Musa in his usual barely audible voice “What did he do?”, about Kakeru. Musa shakes his head, meaning he doesn’t know.

The team all stares at the deflated Kakeru in concern until one of the TSU coaches calls his students back, telling them to get their things on the bus. Looks like this was their last day at camp. I’m sure if Haiji had known this he wouldn’t have bothered talking to them.

As the group of troublesome first years pass them, Haiji tells Sakaki, “We’ll show you just how serious we are at the qualifier.” He then intonates with his deceptively innocent lyrical voice, “Oh, right. You first-years will be too busy with chores to watch the race.”

At Sakaki’s glare, he tells him, “Start by becoming regulars on your team. Good luck.” Sakaki stares as if not sure what to make of him, then leaves.

After the episode title, And Then Start Running we are taken back in time to Sendai Josei High School. We can tell immediately because we see a younger Kakeru running in that school’s green uniform. He has just finished his course when he hears his coach yelling at a fellow student, telling him that his speed hasn’t yet improved by 10 seconds. The boy apologizes.

The coach tells him, “Aren’t you a scholarship student? Your only option is to do well at running.” He then orders him to run an extra 10 kilometers. The boy obeys swiftly with a quick, “Yes!” As he leaves we see Kakeru looking at him with a sad look on his face.

The others don’t seem to care much.

The coach goes on to say, “The same goes for the rest of you. Results are everything for runners. I won’t allow any weakness!”

As he speaks you start hearing static, as if from an old radio frequency in period war films. When the rest of the team also responds with a firm “Yes,” you get the feeling that they are being compared to mindless soldiers.

Now I see why one of Prince’s friends was wearing a Communism shirt. It’s a reference to this coach and his methods. He was also on the heavier side, and wore glasses.

Cultural Note:

Like all countries, Japan has both private and public schools. High school isn’t actually mandatory. Some students opt out for special circumstances (bad finances, needing to help with the family business, etc.). Those who do go to high school usually have to pass extremely difficult entrance exams if they want to get into a good school. This is part of the reason why the suicide rate in Japan was amongst the highest. It’s intensely competitive and the pressure placed on these children to do well was insane. (BTW this information is at least a decade old. I understand much effort has been made to rectify this). Anyway, some schools give scholarships to students with high athletic ability. The coach here seems to be implying that if they student can’t run well, he will lose his scholarship. I don’t know if this is true, or if it just a threat, however.

Just when I’m wondering if we’ll be getting a flashback episode, we are thrown back in the present where the Kansei boys are running up a track on a steep slope. The twins are in the lead, followed by Musa, Shindo, Yuki, Musa, Kakeru, Haiji and Prince. Shindo, however, overtakes them all.

Makes sense for someone who grew up on the mountains to be used to inclines.

-Aww, so Prince is still being looked after by Haiji. I would say by Kakeru as well, except I don’t think his hanging back is intentional. Rather, he seems to be lost in thought as he runs.

We find exactly what he’s thinking about. We hear his old coach call out, “Hey, Kurahara,” taking us back to his past, within his mind.

He introduces Kakeru, who has a gold medal hanging from his neck, to prefectural officials. They praise Kakeru saying “You won with a huge lead.”

-I think this is the same race Sakaki was in, which we saw again via flashback in episode four.

Kakeru thanks them politiely, albeit, robotically. They tell him, “You must be a top runner nationally, as well,” before telling his coach, “You can really see the results of your coaching.”

The puffed-up man feigns humbleness, “I’m just blessed with talented runners.”

They then add, “We’re looking forward to this year’s prefectural and national races.”

Walking back, the coach tells Kakeru happily, “Apparently, they want me to speak at a party about fostering athletes,” then adds, “I’ve asked the coaches to manage your training schedule, so don’t worry.”

Distance.

Kkaeru answers in the same monotone with a “Yes.” His coach then tells him, “It’s all thanks to what you’ve achieved,” before walking off to yell at the other track members,,”Hey, you! Don’t walk so slowly! Look sharp! Don’t damage Sendai Josei High School’s dignity!”

Ew. He’s that sort of person. The type of coach who can’t believe he got lucky enough to get a talented student and feels like he’s the one responsible for his success. Don’t be fooled by his false modesty, the way he berates the other students shows just how puffed up he is with misplaced pride.

Unhappy Kakeru.

Once again the sound of static, alerts us to the end of this grim scene from memory lane.

In the present, bird song, blue skies and white clouds are a vast difference from the grey of Kakeru’s mind. Haiji tells them “We’ll be doing high-altitude training” and that they can enjoy the scenery. Most of the team members are wearing different shirts so whereas their previous run was in the morning (the one immediately following the altercation with Sakaki), this must be closer to noon based on how high the sun is.

Kakeru is roused from his thoughts by Prince who tells him, “Seems gentle.” When he doesn’t answer, he calls out to him again, “Right? The ground seems like it will be gentle to our knees,” touching the wood chips that cover the running path.

-Oh, Prince, you’re the gentle one. This scene recalls the last time Kakeru was lost in dark memories, and how Prince, who saw him at the university, invited him to lunch with his friends. Here, too, Prince is trying to help. Seeing him in his red shorts and shoes I’m reminded of how he was wearing red that day, too, and how his given name “Akane” has “Aka” in it which means red (though I have to check the spelling to be sure). His voice and personality aren’t the most vibrant (unless manga is involved), but his compassion certainly is.

The group runs, and this time it is Musa who quickly overtakes everyone, much to the twins’ annoyance. Again, Kakeru seems to be running mindlessly, plagued by endless static.

This time, we see the same student whom the coach was picking on with tape on his knee and leg. The coach mocks him for saying that his leg hurts and tells him “Everyone has an injury or two they’re working through. Runners improve their times despite them. Run!” The poor boy obeys.

The coach then threatens, “I’ll be cutting everyone who doesn’t do well. Prepare yourselves!”

We hear Sakaki and another runner talk about the bullied student, “He doesn’t get it.” Sakaki replies, “It can’t be helped. He’s a first-year.” Kakeru, stretching nearby, hears his fellow teammate tell Sakaki, “Tell him he only needs to try when he (the coach) is watching.” Sakaki replies, “You tell him,” to which the other kid says, “He won’t listen to me. After all, he’s a scholarship student.”

Hearing this, Kakeru later approaches the injured first year. “If you can’t do it, I don’t think you have to run,” obviously trying to be helpful. The younger kid wipes his eyes furtively and asks, “Senpai, have you ever suffered and injury?” Kakeru is taken aback at the question.

“Didn’t think so,” the scholarship student continues, then looks at KK with what seems to be…hate? Anger? Derision? I don’t know but it’s obvious that Kakeru’s attempt at being nice/helpful backfired.

Back in the present, it is almost dark. The team is running back to the cabin. For once, this day, Kakeru is in the lead which could mean he wants to hurry home to be alone with his thoughts.

A red ray of light.

Hana’s voice calls out to them, waving in greeting next to a pick up truck where her father is unloading something form inside.

-Like in episode four, first Prince, then Hanako, break Kakeru out of his thoughts.

Haiji and Kakeru notice her first.

Her father then holds up two huge bags of groceries. Musa immediately says that he spots meat in them.

Hana happily calls out, “I’ll cook dinner tonight!” At this threat (er, offer) Musa, Shindo, Twins, Nico, and King all put in a massive burst of speed and tell her, “No, wait!” no doubt wanting to save the precious meat from her godawful cooking, and to beg her really, that there’s really no need to trouble herself.

-This was absolutely hilarious and necessary to lift up this dark episode. Only Kakeru, Yuki, Haiji and Prince remain on the track. Yuki slaps Kakeru from behind to get his attention.

Yuki: “You’re on bathroom duty tonight. Use your head.”

He then runs after his teammates.

Yuki: “Quit surrounding Hana, you sweaty pigs!”

-Brash Yuki’s a gentleman. The gap between the way he treats Hana and the boys is funny. -Kudos to his Seiyuu (voice actor). An angry Yuki makes laugh every time.

His words seem to confuse Kakeru a bit as he stops in his tracks, staring at the group in front of him.

Actually, those lifeless eyes don’t seem to be staring at anything.

Prince, who seems to be reaching out for an invisible butterfly, passes Kakeru. Haiji jogs in place for a bit next to Kakeru.

Haiji: “What’s wrong? Isn’t it a little too soon for you to be tired?”

Haiji then follows after his weak charge. Kakeru remains rooted in place.

Back at the cabin, the boys have changed and are about to dig into the marvelous spread that (thankfully) Hana’s father cooked for them, with plenty of meat everywhere.

The jolly man tells them “There’s plenty more! My special crunchy liver and leek stir fry contains tons of vegetables!” The grateful team happily digs into his cuisine, to his delight.

Yaokatsu: “That’s it. They’re making me feel great.”

Only Kakeru’s chopsticks remain still, hovering over his bowl of rice.

We hear his high school coach’s words in his head, “Do you want to quit the team?” and are taken back, this time, to the track club room, where the coach is berating a group of students, including the injured first year. “Look at all of you. If you can’ t be useful here, you won’t be useful anywhere. Your life will be decided here. Do you understand that? Do you?”

-Seriously, what a loser. Nothing he says is actually true. Plenty of students who don’t do well as teens excel as adults.

But the indoctrined students reply, “Yes, sir!” as if it is all they know, or can, say.

The insufferable adult goes on to say, “I don’t know how fast you were in the boonies, but here we coach based on years of theory.”

Kakeru, also in the club room, glances at the spectacle, but does a double take when he sees that the student, he tried advising has even more bandages wrapped around him, not just on his knee, but also his ankle now.

His face is expressionless, but his concern is obvious. Past and present overlap as we see the Kansei boys happily reaching and eating their dinner, but Kakeru only hears his coach. “Listen up. Imagine you’re racing for your life! Don’t forget that you’re representing a prestigious school! Leave behind those who can’t run! We don’t have time for them!”

-After each statement, you hear the runners in green reply with a mindless “Yes!” We now know exactly what environment Kakeru was subjected to in his old school. It explains (and excuses) his entire behavior up to episode Our Speed. Before Haiji, he never knew anything else besides what he was taught by his old coach.

His current team is too engrossed in their meal to notice his inner turmoil. But one other pair of chopsticks is as still as Kakeru’s: Haiji’s, whose eyes bore into him; though the traumatised teen is too distracted to realise it.

We’re taken once again into his mind, this time overcast even more in grey, almost like a black and white film, where the injured scholarship student has given the coach a notice from a doctor. This time, his leg is wrapped professionally. “You can’t handle it?” the coach asks with disgust the injured student, who is being supported by a fellow runner. “This year…this time, I don’t think I’ll be able to. But by next year…” he desperately says, before getting interrupted by the detestable coach: “You can’t close the gap that quickly. Everyone’s pouring their blood, sear and tears into practice every day while you’re resting.” He then tells him not to worry, and that the team will do fine without him.

He then adds, “Get yourself healed up and find a new path.” The scholarship student’s panics, and falls into a dogeza in front of his coach.

-We have seen this seen before through a flashback Kakeru had gotten, back in episode two when Haiji tells him, “You can run. No one will criticize you.” Now we know the context behind it.

He begs him. “Please! I’m here on a track scholarship! If I quit the team, I won’t have anything!” He entreats the coach to let him run. “Please!” he repeats, over and over.

-Now that we can hear the dialogue, its more heartbreaking than the first time we saw it.

Kakeru watches this with sad eyes and furrowed brows. The coach tells the others, “It’s time. Let’s get started.

A student, (the captain, presumably) answers, “Yes, sir.” And orders the others to the track. Sakaki pauses on the way when he notices that Kakeru hadn’t moved, and continues watching with a dark expression as the first year beg the coach, “I’m sorry I got injured! Please!”

The coach kneels next to him, and just when the freshman (and we) think he’s going to give him a chance, or options, he tells him, “I only have time for students who can run.”

The boy’s face falls in despair, as the demon coach (the real demon coach, not our lovable Haiji) tells him, “Good luck. You have my support.”

-Umm, really? REALLY. What a self-absorbed piece of faeces.

Kakeru, who must have been waiting to see what would happen, loses it.

He takes wide, deliberate steps to the coach, who seems to have been about to say something to him, and punches him.

The moment Kakeru does so, colors return to the screen as if Kakeru had been dead this whole time and only came to life when he punched his coach.

Everyone student is horrified, including his injured teammate and Sakaki.

We’ve now caught up to the scene that started the episode, where the coach is holding his bleeding nose in shock and his glasses have flown off. With tears in his eyes, he watches Kakeru with fear as he heaves in rage.

Kakeru grab him once again, enraged, his bruised fist bursts forth to land another blow. But the flashback is interrupted by Haiji’s voice, repeatedly calling Kakeru’s name and bringing him back to the present.

Poor boy is actually sweating.

Disoriented, he looks up to see that the table had been cleared from dinner, and all his teammates now have papers in front of them, probably the next day’s training menu. They’re also wearing similarly worried expressions on their faces.

-This is the second time. How long had he been zoned out for? PTSD is scary. Kakeru utters a confused, “Um…” when Jouji tells him, “He asked you to lead Group B, since we’re splitting into two groups.” Jouta then adds, in a lighthearted tone, “Quit spacing out.”

Kakeru replies, “Sorry.”

-How much more awesome can these guys be? They know why he’s upset. They were all there during his and Sakaki’s standoff. But they’re giving him space and acting like it never happened. I think they’re taking a page out of Haiji’s book as this is how he’s been handling Kakeru’s outbursts from the moment he joined the Aotake building.

But this time Haiji looks extremely thoughtful, as if he knows Kakeru’s losing himself to something he might be powerless against, and that he may not be able to return from.

Advanced Writing techniques: The first half of this episode was a screenwriter’s dream. It depicted Kakeru’s psychological turmoil perfectly. First, his run in with Sakaki was a stressor for his PTSD. Then he was plagued with intrusive flashbacks causing him disassociation from what was happening around him, so much so that he lost the time from when he was eating dinner to the team meeting. This was a fantastic creative decision and much more interesting and effective than just writing a flashback episode. Here, we are taken directly into his mind and experience his trauma with him.

Art and direction: The first of Kakeru’s memories was in full color, then the memories gradually get more gray, and more dark the closer we get to the traumatic event, until everything bursts back into full color.

Act Two

After the mid episode break we see Hana relaxing in the bath. All the males in the cabin, including her father, are sleeping together in one room.

Upon close inspection, you see that two of the futons are empty. The one nearest to the screen has Kakeru’s yellow sports bag on it, with the blankets folded neatly so he hasn’t yet turned in. There also seems to be another empty one next to Yuki (Haiji’s?) but I can’t tell if the bedding has been slept in yet or not. Nira is sleeping next to King and on top of the man’s bedding.

-Lol. First he takes his seat in the car, now he’s taken over his bed ^_^;

Kakeru is standing outside in the cabin’s balcony, a light wind blowing through his hair when the door opens and reveals Haiji. “You must be cold,” he tells him and offers him a mug of warm milk.

Seriously, how much more of a parent can he be.

Continuity. Haiji is always symbolic of light.

Haiji stands next to Kakeru at the balcony and makes small talk on how clear the sky is, and that it would be a waste not to see the stars.

-You know he’s just there to give KK a chance to talk about what happened with Sakaki, or anything else that is bothering him. It doesn’t take long. After a few moments of silence Kakeru asks him, “How much do you know. About me?”

Haiji repeats, “How much?”

Kakeru reminds him, “You knew the morning after I first stayed at Aotake that I was from Sendai Josei High School.”

Haiji confirms this. Worried, Kakeru starts, “Which means…” but he is interrupted by Haiji who tells him, “A quick search online revealed just how good a runner you were. That you were a nationally top-ranked runner by your second year, and that your records suddenly stopped the spring of you third year.”

Cultural note: FYI Japanese school have a 6-3-3 system, high school is just three years, so KK’s incident happened first semester of his last year.

At that last statement, Kakeru quickly turns away, as if in shame.

Haiji is quick to assure him, “But that’s all I know. There was no need for me to investigate any further.”

-Ok. I am %100 sure Haiji is lying. No way he wouldn’t have found out all he can about Kakeru. I’m sure he knows damn near everything about all his runners. But I don’t blame him. Parents will lie if it’s in the child’s best interest. And Kakeru here needs to feel in control of his situation, so Haiji wants to give him the choice of whether to share his past, or not.

Kakeru then tells him what must have been plaguing him all day: “I can’t cause the team any more trouble than I have already.”

I don’t know what Haiji expected, but it was definitely not that. Kakeru admits that he can’t control his emotions. “When that reporter spoke to me, I felt like I had woken up from a dream.”

-That’s nice. Kakeru had been so happy at Aotake, he compares it to being in a dream. Then creepy reporter (who obviously knows him but is pretending he doesn’t) reminded him of everything he had wanted to forget.

Kakeru: “I realized no matter how far I run, I’m still me.”

He then turns to Haiji with a determined look on his face, but Haji interrupts him.

“Kakeru. If you’re going to talk, why not tell everyone? It’s okay. No matter what happens, we’re still us.”

A reassuring smile.

-Haiji here uses Kakeru’s own words, but as a way to assure him. Like he’s saying being himself isn’t a bad thing, and that’s true for the whole team.

Just then, Hanako joins them, noticing that they’re still awake. Haiji apologizes that she had to bathe last, and wonders if the bath was dirty. Hanako say, “Not at all.” And guesses that Kakeru cleaned it again for her.

-Meaning, after the boys had their baths, Kakeru emptied the tub, washed it again, then filled it up with fresh water for her.

At KK’s quiet affirmative, Haiji asks, “Really? You’re that considerate?”

Kakeru blushes a bit and admits that Yuki gave him a hint and told him to use his head.

Awkward Kakeru is cute.

-Oh! So that’s what he meant. Well, done, Lawyer-san. That’s remarkably astute from a guy living in an all-male dorm, though perhaps not strange given he seems to know a thing or two about women.

Haji points out, “Your seniors can teach you all kinds of things.”

Haiji: “By the way…”

He then teleports to where Kakeru is standing, and, before the younger student can comprehend what is happening, puts a hand on his shoulder.

Haiji: “Kakeru, do you have a girlfriend?”

Kakeru starts violently, mortified. “What?” Hanako is gleefully intrigued.

Hanako: “Seriously?! I wanna know!”

Keeping his eyes firmly on Haiji, Kakeru blinks as he stammers, “Of course I don’t.”

KK: “Where did that come from?”

Haiji replies, “Well, the night sky is just so pretty,” looking at said sky.

Haiji, trying to set the mood.

Hana squeals excitedly, “What does that mean?!”

Kakeru is confused as well, not recognising wing-man Haiji’s intent, even when he’s very obviously being pointed out as an eligible bachelor to Hanako. But that’s fine, Hana, the object of Haiji’s little project is just as oblivious. “The stars are mad pretty!” she agrees in her adorably high-pitched voice. “Right?” Haiji tells her. “Yeah!” she squeals again.

Kakeru, embarrassed and annoyed, tells them “You’ll wake the others.” Haiji points out a shooting start to Hanako.

-Ok, that was ridiculously cute. I think Haiji just wanted to distract Kakeru from his doom and gloom. And he has no problem using Hana to do it. But I also think he actually wants to see these to end up together. We know he’s known her for at least four years, so he probably sees her as a younger sister. And Kakeru is just so a-dork-ably awkward. He’s slow (at everything except running). It’s obvious that Haiji cares for him deeply and wants to see him happy. I think he also suspects that Kakeru is intrigued by Hana. I said it before, but I actually think they’d be good together. Her cheerfulness would certainly help balance out his moroseness.

The next day, it is predawn when we see that breakfast is ready and covered with mesh to keep out the bugs. Hana comes down and finds her dad at the cabin balcony, looking at where the team seems to be having a meeting nearby.

Like Haiji advised him, Kakeru is telling the Kansei team what happened at his old school. He says that he hated it and his coach’s methods. He tells them how he lost his college recommendation after he broke the coach’s nose, and that he had quit the club afterwards.

-Wow. Quit, not kicked out? How much of star was he? Anyway, that explains why his records stopped. And why Sakaki is insanely jealous of him.

Kakeru goes on to say that since the school wanted to keep the incident quiet, they wouldn’t let his fellow third years participate in any meets. He adds that because of a moments decision he wasted three years of his teammates’ efforts.

Jo twins: “That’s why he hates you so much.”

That explains why Sakaki is holding a grudge. He must have felt robbed of what should have been the best year of his athletic life.

KK then says, “Looking back what happened to that first-year was just an opportunity for me to release all my pent-up anger and achieve some self-satisfaction.

-This is remarkably insightful and true. Seeing as how his coach practically worshipped Kakeru as his star student, Kakeru could have used that to intervene on behalf of that poor boy before his injury got so bad. I doubt it ever crossed his mind as he’s neither calculating nor experienced. He also obviously never gave much thought to the effect his achievements have on other people despite having it shoved down his throat, which he hates.

KK goes on to admit that he was unable to see anything but himself. And that he’s afraid he might do something similar again; that in fact he had been about to the previous day, when he almost hit Sakaki.

Nico remarks “You’ve been hesitant about running because you were worried about that?”

-Nice continuity. Now we know what he was so afraid of, why he hadn’t wanted to join the team.

Prince adds, “But you had a reason, right? A reason you had to do it.” He means hitting the coach. Obviously, at the time, Kakeru’s anger and sympathy were what drove him. Prince doesn’t completely let him off he hook though, and adds, “It’s not good to use violence against another person, though.”

Kakeru quickly agrees. “Yes, that’s why…”, when Yuki, seemingly knowing where he’s going with this, interrupts, “That’s why?” Kakeru clasps his hands together, as if forcing himself to speak, “Before I cause any more trouble for you guys…before that I …”

He seems to be in a lot of emotional pain, but is trying to force himself to say that he should quit even though he obviously doesn’t want to. Yuki realizes where he’s going and interrupts him once again. “Hey,” he says, standing up, “we’ve already started running,” rubbing the back of his neck the way he always does when he’s being kind, but cool about it.

One by one the others all stand, as if to underscore their statements. Nico-chan tells him, “We won’t let you bail on us now.”

Shindo agrees and says him, “If anything, I’m glad to know” and thanks Kakeru for telling them.

-Here, Shindo is reassuring KK by hinting that he didn’t actually have to, and that they feel privileged that he did.

King adds, “We more or less already knew that you tend to act before you speak.”

-This is actually part of what Kakeru is worried about, but is still assuring. They know, and they don’t care.

Prince elaborates, “If anything, I can’t believe you were worried about that.”

-Coming from someone who recently spewed vomit on his friends, Prince knows first-hand how accepting this group is. The twins agree. Honestly, the love freely given between these individuals is incredibly wholesome. And heartwarming.

Musa is even more up front about his emotions: “Kakeru, I really like you. Don’t the rest of you?”

The unreserved twins are the first to agree. Prince and Shindo smile, while King shyly says, “It’s hard to say yes you’re asked face-to-face.” Nico and Yuki chuckle in agreement.

Haiji finally speaks. Standing up, he tells KK that he was captivated by the way he ran when they first met. We get a flashback of Haiji, the first time he saw Kakeru. “I was moved. I couldn’t believe someone could have such a pure running form. I thought you might already know the answer I was seeking.” He looks at Kakeru meaningfully. “What it means to run. The answer to that question.”

Kakeru stares at him, open mouthed and wide-eyed.

-I think he’s floored by the knowledge that his running had made such an impression on Haiji. Especially considering his general lack of self-esteem. And, coming from Haiji, whom we know Kakeru looks up to and venerates perhaps more than any one, makes the words have that much more of an effect on him.

-It’s interesting to me that Haiji thought KK might have the answer he seeks. It makes sense considering how much we know Haiji, as a runner, thinks about the philosophy of running. But we know KK’s speed is based on talent and instinct, not on theory.

Haiji admits as much. Addressing the entire team, “I still haven’t found the answer. The more I run the more difficult I realize it is. Don’t you feel the same way?” he asks them. No one answers, as this is probably the first time they’ve pondered the question. It looks like this is too much theory for the twins, as they start competing over who has more fun running with Kakeru.

The poor loved starved boy can’t seem to believe his ears.

Yuki complains that they’re ruining the moment when Haiji surprises them all by interjecting with, “Me too. I enjoy running with you guys, from the bottom of my heart.”

He goes on to tell the overwhelmed Kakeru that they haven’t reached their goal yet. “Let’s go there together.” Gazing into the sincerely affectionate faces of his teammates, Kakeru finally stands up.

Recurrent theme: Symbolism in the rising sun.

Seeing that they seemed finished, Yaokatsu calls them, telling them that breakfast is getting cold. Haiji says that they’ll be right there. Yuki adjourns the meeting and as they head back Kakeru apologizes to Haiji. Haiji tells him that there is no need to apologize.

Kakeru then thanks him instead, “Thank you for believing in me.” Haiji seems shocked, and touched, at Kakeru’s sincere effort to express his gratitude. He tells him “You’re welcome,” and turns to leave.

Overcome with emotion, Kakeru cries out “I want to run. In the Hakone Ekiden, with this team of ten!”

Haiji remembers how he first pitched the idea to the guys, the first night Kakeru spent at Aotake. His eyes widen in recognition as he realizes that KK used the same wording he first did, back then.

But when KK goes on to say that he’s serious, that starting now he’s really serious, Haiji bursts out laughing. At Kakeru’s in bewilderment, Haiji tells him, “I can’t help it,” instead of explaining to Kakeru what he found so funny, he shows him. By exposing him to the others.

“Hey guys, Kakeru’s finally ready to take things seriously. He said he’s serious about running at Hakone starting now.”

The reactions are priceless.

Nico, Shindo and Musa smile knowing affectionate smiles, Yuki holds his head like he’d forgotten how big of a dunce Kakeru is, Prince’s trademark deadpan shifts a bit, while the twins react in annoyed disbelief.

Jouji: “Wha? Seriously? I thought we already were.”

Jouta: “Then what have we been doing until now?”

Seeing their dismay alerts Kakeru to his slip up. Before he can make excuses, a wind blows strongly against him. It’s just as well. No more words are necessary.

Haiji calls out to him, “Let’s go, Kakeru.” Kakeru responds with an eager, “Yes.”

Conclusion:

-Genius. Pure genius. Haiji could have just allowed KK to vent to him the night before, but he knows that’s not what Kakeru needs. What Kakeru needs is acceptance and assurance and unless it had come from the whole team, it won’t be as effective. By delaying the talk, he makes sure the boys hear it first from Kakeru’s mouth, giving him their true feelings, unbiased, and unscripted.

-This is also why he remained quiet until after everyone else had voiced their thoughts, so that Kakeru knows they aren’t in any way being influenced by Haiji.

-For the record, I think Haiji’s teasing at the end was partly him covering up for his excitement at Kakeru’s new resolve. That laughter wasn’t just affectionate, it was also happy.

-Knowing the environment KK came from explains so much of his past behavior. When he first joined Aotake, he was never serious about running, was afraid to be serious about it because all he ever had were bad experience. He was running from the Aotake members. Then, when Prince confronted Sakaki, he discovered that there was a whole different way of doing things, that running doesn’t necessarily have to be about winning and losing and he started to enjoy running with them. After the meet, his competitiveness is awakened, and he’s frustrated at the lack of talent on his team. He tried to lead them, reverting to his old coach’s ideology because that’s all he ever knew. He was then running ahead of them, leaving them behind. After Haiji’s collapse which got him closer to Prince and served as a proverbial wake up call, KK finally started running with the team. But he was still running from himself, from the shame of being unable to properly regulate himself and his emotions, exasperated intentionally by Sakaki. This forced him to confront his problem instead of running from it. Haiji and the team’s support should do wonders, not just for his self esteem, but in helping him overcome his problems. After all, one of the reasons people resort to violence is when they are otherwise incapable of finding better ways of expression, or other solutions to their issues. Living at Aotake will surely save Kakeru. He has so many good role models, people who care about him and will set him straight when he goes awry, like Haiji did before.

Speaking of Haiji, Hemlock said something interesting when Haiji was recruiting the team, how he was indoctrinating them. But the only justification you need to make for Haiji’s methods is the results of his training, rather, the results of his rearing, versus the results of KK’s old coach. Haiji builds up, rather than breaks. He pushes the members forward to improve, rather than leave them behind. He brings them together instead of breaking them apart. Above all else, this team is happy. They’re cohesive. When Kakeru was putting everyone down Haiji wouldn’t stand for it. He gave him a gentle slap on the wrist “No one here is running half-assed” kept him from running in a meet (which KK at the time understood as a punishment) but it was actually Haiji being a teacher, wanting him to see his teammates efforts. He doesn’t spoil Kakeru, nor treat him better than the others. Neither does he single him out when he does something wrong. Rather, he allows him to form healthy friendships.

While one is a true demon, Haiji is your cute, friendly neighborhood Ogre, a magical creature working to achieve something truly amazing. Now that Kakeru has been unburdened, we can look forward to the new dynamic in this family.

Recurrent themes: Isolation, light, loneliness, PTSTD,what it means to run, family, friendship, influence…pretty sure I’m forgetting a few. but I’m too lazy to look them up in the past reviews ^_^;

Music: The gorgeously uplifting ending track is “We Must Go”, the first track in the OST.

Grade: 10/10

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Run With the Wind Episode 12 Review: Summer Prank

Warning: this review contains spoilers up to the end of this episode.

Disclaimer: All images have been screen captured from Crunchyroll and belong to their respective owners. I am using them to promote this show and will delete them if/when I am asked to do so.

Prologue

The episode starts with Yuki and Shindo sharing a glance at the starting line of the track meet at Tokyo sport university. The race starts.

We get a fun new hip Opening theme song that thankfully doesn’t require much analysis. I’m on a clock here ^_^; We see all the team standing on one track, them each character going about their daily lives at Aotake, outside of running. Well, except for Kakeru whose whole life we know is anout running. He’s shown first, running alone. Then King in a suit, probably going to or coming back from an interview. Shindo walks home from University, Nico programs at his computer with sucker in his mouth, (replacing his cigarettes). Prince reads manga in his room. The twins run together but at a fork in the road they separate, then stop, with the younger Jouji pointing at the road he’s taking trying to convince his older brother to follow. Hana following them on her bike, Musa picks up meet at Komori, his old employer’s store. Nearby, Hana’s father from the Yaokatsu vegetable store calls out to him holding a big bag in his hand, probably planning on gifting the team with produce. Music lover Yuki is at a music store carefully selecting CDs. Finally we get a shot of Nira (my kids’ favorite “character”) pulling Haiji who has been walking him, into a run at sunset. Perhaps the biggest difference in the OP is how when KK acts when he sees shadows of his old teammates. While they distract him a bit, he continues running till he sees Fujioka whom he desperately runs after into the light. This shows us that he has a personal goal now. A shot of the rest of team looking supportive, followed bybwhat look like (Hakone?) mountains. Then scenes of the whole team wearing their uniforms and running in a race. Most noticeably, Prince’s and King’s form looks better; they’re not hunching over. Finally a shot of Kakeru and Haiji sharing a smile before KK speeds ahead with Haiji looking contentedly after him. A bunch of racetrack images complete the video.

Act One

Kakeru is with the lead pack which consists of the same exchange students he ran against in his first track meet. They include Manas, who, like in his first race against Kakeru, immediately takes the lead. Haiji is in the second group with Sakaki, amongst others from TSU. Shindo and Yuki are with the fourth, Nico and King the fifth while Prince as usual is dead last.

Hanako arrives to join the twins and Musa as they cheer for the others.

After the episode title, Summer Prank, we see Kakeru is keeping an eye for for Yuki and Shindo. They’re maintaining a similar pace with Yuki being in the lead.

-Kakeru’s concern here is continuity to his new resolve to support the team, and more recently, Shindo.

The twins wonder if Shindo is waiting too long. They explain that he tends to match the pace of those around him, and that that actually makes it more difficult to run.

-Makes sense. We know that Shindo is actually faster that Yuki. He also said in a previous meet that he waited too long to increase his speed.

At the twin’s analysis, Hana calls them experts, embarrassing them.

At around 12 minutes, Kakeru speeds up to run alongside Manas. Seeing this, Yuki moves to the side and lets Shindo overtake him. Musa tells us that as soon as they swapped, they started running faster. Jouji explains that it had been their plan from the beginning. To alternate the lead so that each takes turns pulling along the other.

-Ah, so maybe this is also what Jouji meant when he said that Shindo was waiting too long. Interesting that Musa didn’t know about the plan. Maybe Shindo didn’t want to tell him in case they didn’t manage to pull it off. Also shows how new dynamics are being formed due to similarities in speed. Yuki and Shindo will naturally plan for the meet together.

A runner nearby attempts to push Shindo off his course to take his place but finds himself unable to and is instead knocked away by Shindo’s solid form.

Dude, small doesn’t mean small-fry. this is the Shindo

He’s forced to pull back to clear the path on the left for the lead pack who is about to overtake them.

Top view animation depicts the runners movements perfectly. Well done IG.

As Kakeru passes his teammates, he and Shindo catch each other’s eyes.

Shindo smoothly leaves his line to follow Kakeru. Yuki does so as well. As if they’d planned it all along the Kansei team are suddenly running in single file.

The twins guess that they must have planned their course knowing they’d get overlapped.

It’s so effective. Seeing as how Kakeru is almost at his last lap, they’re using his speed as an impetus to increase theirs in their last few laps.

Twin: “That must be Yuki’s Plan.” Indeed.

The bell signaling the fastest group’s last round rings. Kakeru’s in third place so it’s now or never for him.

Before he starts increasing his speed, he suddenly hears a voice next to him.

It’s a flashback to when he first met Haiji.

Haiji: “Do you like running?!“

Unlike the first time he was asked (which triggered confusion) and the second (during a PTSD episode that caused him pain) KK smiles this time.

I think he finally knows the answer.

He puts in a sudden burst of speed. We see him float in the air like a shooting star in the galaxy as he pants gently and rhythmically, seeing only a straight white path in front of him.

Overtaking Manas and the other exchange student, Kakeru finishes the race in 14: 05 seconds and wins first place.

The audience is amazed that a first year from an unknown school can achieve this. So is the Kansei cheer squad.

Next is Haiji, who is racing against Sakaki for fourth placeThe surprised twins comment, “he’s not insolent for nothing.”

Haiji glances at the red-headed first year, before increasing his pace to his friends’ delight. Jouji says that Haiji must have conserved his energy.

He pulls ahead easily and leaves what looks to me as at least 5 meters between him and the tired TSU student. He finishes around 14:52 and the first thing he does after crossing the finish line is to attack Kakeru with a headlock. Well, I assume it’s the first thing since we never actually saw him cross it.

Haiji: “You did it Kakeru! You got your revenge.”

He means that Kakeru won after having lost previously to Manas. Who can forget how his first loss had messed up Kakeru; losing to both Manas and Fujioka. Now all that’s left is for him to beat Fujioka as well.

On another note, I think part of Haiji’s elation comes from doing well himself, considering how gloomy he had been the episode before. Beating out a young healthy first year, who had been giving his star runner so much grief must have felt good. In fact, besides the exchange students and Kakeru, he had been the fastest on that track. That’s no small feat considering his handicap. To be sure, however, Haiji here is most concerned with Kakeru’s achievement than his own. He’s like a proud dad with his roughhousing. I don’t think KK has ever been subjected to this type of physical affection before. He looks adorably out of his element.

Sakaki on the other hand looks completely jealous. And not just of Kakeru’s time. We’ve seen him interested in who Kakeru has been hanging out with. Safe to say he’s envious of Kakeru’s relationship with his team. I have a long discussion planned for him in the future so that’s all I’ll say for now.

Next, the Kansei squad cheers with all their might for Yuki and Shindo. Here Shindo remembers to fix his posture. When he sees Haiji and Kakeru waiting for them at the finish line he smiles.

Yuki ups his pace as well. The two barely make it: 16: 29: 35.

-It’s was so gratifying to see him and Yuki make their time. The twins and Hana go crazy.

Meanwhile King, Nico, and Prince smile as they run, happy for their friends, even if they still have a way to go to achieve their own records.

At the finish line, Yuki puts his hand on Shindo’s shoulder, as if he’s telling him “I told you you’d get it.”

Shindo smiles in return but their little moment is ruined (or rather enriched, I think).

Watch out behind you,Yuki.

They two are rushed into by Haiji and (gasp!) Kakeru.

Look! This is Kakeru. Running into a group hug!

I love his growth here. Kakeru is so happy he doesn’t feel even a hint of awkwardness.

This is Kakeru in a group hug.

Haiji ruffles the cool Yuki’s hair, careless about catering to his aloof façade. The fact that Yuki allows it is pretty nice, too. Although he can’t handle it for too long ^_^;

Yuki: “Get off me! It’s hot!” he says, glasses askew.

From the looks of Nico and King, Prince must’ve put in a good fight too. Wonder when he’ll be able to walk on his own, after a meet.

As they catch up with the others, the runners are approached by the strange reporter. He tells Haiji that they’ve got an interesting team and that he heard about him from Fujioka.

-Aw. The Rikudo captain respects Haiji’s team so much he’s talking about him to reporters. We had already inferred this from his newspaper article in previous episode. Now we know it for sure.

Haiji seems a bit taken aback by this, like it was unexpected to him. Maybe this is why the Kansei team wasn’t mentioned by name in the article. Fujioika probably wanted to give Haiji the choice on wether he wanted the publicity or not.

The reporter than looks at King, Nico, and Prince and states that while they want to run in Hakone, they still have team members who haven’t yet achieved the requisite record.

Haiji is quick to assure him that it doesn’t matter as they still have plenty of chances. 

The man nods, then turns to Kakeru whom we’d known from the previous episode is his actual goal.

He commends his time, especially as a first year, then asks him: “Are you Kurahara Kakeru from Sendai Josei High School?”

Kakeru’s his eyes widen and he lets out a barely audible gasp. He doesn’t answer. Rather, he looks like his heart had stopped.

His hand may be fisting on that towel

Haiji observes him with knowing concern. His teammates who can’t see his face, wait for him to reply.

These two can tell something’s up.

So can Nico. King, who isn’t blessed with high social intelligence tells Kakeru, worried that he’d appear rude, “Hey, he asked you a question.”

Again, it endeared him to me. His intentions were pure.

Haiji smoothly saves the day by saying, “I’m sorry. Our friends our waiting.” He then leads the way, away from Kakeru’s source of anxiety.

The man stops him to give him his card, “I’ll be back to interview you properly. I’m Mochizuki of Shinjitsu Weekly magazine.” Haiji takes it, and excuses himself once again.

Kakeru keeps his eyes straight ahead, as if afraid of meeting the man’s gaze.

As Kakeru walks past, the man’s eyes follow him sinisterly. The caw of ravens and sunset complete the eerie atmosphere.

-So, we’ve known from the first episode that KK is highly sensitive to the mention of his old school. He doesn’t reply when Shindo asks him where he’s from, and completely panics when Haiji mentions the name of his high school. Something must have happened there that he wants to keep from coming to light.

The next scene takes place in summer, based on the bright sun and the call of…cicadas, I think? At the Aotake, Nico calls out that the Soumen’s almost ready.

Cultural note: these are noodles that are chilled after being cooked, eaten in the summer to help cool the body from the inside to stave off the summer heat. Not all Japanese homes have air conditioning.

The ancient Aotake building doesn’t either. The twins, lying in a sweating heap on the floor in front of the kitchen door despair this fact. They are too hot to move.

Nico tells them to stop complaining and bring him Shiso leaves. 

Cultural note: He might mean from the garden. Some people grow this herb in their homes. I think it’s relatively easy to take care of. It’s also used to garnish Soumen and in other types of food.

As Nico prepares the plates, we see Kakeru at the stove boiling the noodles, wearing Haiji’s apron.

-Love how these two are helping out in the kitchen. The distribution of labor seems to have changed a bit to make Haiji’s life easier after he collapsed.

The twins exposit that it’s the hottest summer in the history of Japan, and that it’s a miracle they aren’t dead. Nico tells the twins that if they don’t eat they will die at evening practice. 

Shindo and Musa arrive, and happily announce the end of the first semester and beginning of summer break.

Cultural note: In Japan, first semester starts in April and lasts until August. The second starts in September with the summer break in between the two. Summer break is between the two semesters around three weeks I think. This is a general calendar I got from the the Kyoto University website. But it matches the (admittedly little) information I have.

Twins: “It’s them. The pair that never fails a class.”

-I’m guessing the twins did fail. Not surprising consider how many classes they skipped/slept through. They then remark “We’re destined to end up on Nico-chan Senpai’s side of life.”

-Oi! No making fun of Nico. I’m sure he fails cause he’s busy working to support himself. 

The man in question, however, takes it in good spirits and teases them right back.

Nico: “Welcome to my side.”

He then asking Musa where the others are. Musa doesn’t know and asks if Haji isn’t there either.

-I love how much Haiji seems to be at the center of this family. Nico, as the eldest however, isn’t too concerned and says that it’s fine to eat without the others.

Kakeru points out that all they’ve been eating recently is Soumen. Nico replies, “Who cares? It’s too hot to think.”

-I assume he means for lunch, seeing as Haiji cooks breakfast and dinner.

As they talk, we see someone hurrying back home. We can’t see his face, but we know it’s Haiji from the scar on his knee. He’s in shorts, and seems to be running carefully in his sandals. The camera goes up a bit and we can see that he’s smiling.

Back at Aotake, Shindo wishes they can go someplace cool, like Hokkaido. At mention of this cool northern island and popular summer vacation spot for those from the mainland, the twins go off in their dreamworld, imagine the cool weather there. The even imagine hugging a polar bear in their shorts.

-I actually looked it up. While endangered, there really are Polar bears in Hokkaido. Though they seem to be mostly in captivity.

-Musa’s patience is once again infringed upon as he’s involuntarily playing the part of said polar bear in their fantasy. I swear, they’d be so unbelievably annoying if they weren’t so childishly cute and funny.

At that moment, Haiji arrives, panting.

Twins: “Reality just came crashing in.”

We quickly find out why he looks so happy and eager. He tells the team, “We’re escaping from this scorching hell!” And tells them they’re leaving for a summer training camp. The twins are besides themselves. “Could it be? To Hokkaido?!”

He bursts their bubble when he tells them it’s to Lake Shirakaba. Not that he seems to notice their disappointment. His eyes are practically shining with glee.

Next scene we have the team members hanging on for dear life as Haiji drives them to their destination. Yuki asks why they’re heading to the mountains, no doubt terrified of the perilous journey made even more so by their Captain’s dangerous driving.

Shindo tells him that the owner of the shopping center’s batting cages is allowing them to use his mountain villa. The vendors there also provided them with groceries for their camp.

-Wow. Nice networking there, Haiji. No wonder he was so ecstatic. Free room and food in a cooler location so that they can train well during the summer.

Kakeru must have taken one for the team as he’s sitting in the scariest place, up front next to Haiji. Meanwhile, King is sitting in the very back while Nira has a full seat to sit in.

King is understandably pissed.

“Why does this guy get a seat when I have to sit in the back?” The twins tell him it can’t be helped, as he’s the one who lost rock-paper-scissors.

Main character.

-Hee! I would’ve loved to see that scene. Did someone (Haiji?) play on Nira’s behalf or was it just loser sits with the luggage?

Only the twins seem to be enjoying themselves and the breeze. At least they were. When Haiji turns around to tell them he’s excited to see the lake….

Everyone: “Face forward!”

….the van tilts precariously. Prince, who had his head outside the window, no doubt to combat his motion sickness, starts hurling. The unaware happy brothers comment, “This is great! Even the wind seems moist.” Then the smell hits them and realize exactly what is what the wind was carrying to them.

Twins: “Hmm?”

Prince: “Ghughughu”

Twins: “No!!!!”

Back in Tokyo, Landlord Tazaki muses to himself: “Escaping the heat? But I’m supposed to be the coach.”

-About time you remembered, old man. Seriously, though. Maybe he feels left out.

Act Two

The team arrives safely to the villa. It seems to have been completely abandoned for a long time.

“Well, this is reality,” Nico says. His favorite line, it seems. And the second mention of the dreams VS reality theme this episode.

Haiji tells them that they’ll start by cleaning the place up. The poor vomit-sprayed twins ask if they can wash themselves in the river first. Meanwhile, the perpetrator Prince is passed out and has been placed on the floor, with his bag supporting his head.

-I absolutely love details like this and how everyone is just so accepting of his weak constitution. You never hear a single word of blame. If only more people in the real world were this kind.

In the next scene the light is darker. The team has presumably finished cleaning up. Musa says that once the sun goes down it gets colder as he puts on his jacket. Kakeru is wearing one too. Haij, in his track suit, is folding his apron as he tells everyone dinner is ready, he just has to mix in the roux (curry paste).

Yuki snarkily asks if he’s making curry, and that it’s such a cliché for training camps. 

-This is true. But there’s a reason for that. It’s hearty and easier to make than a bunch of smaller dishes, and convenient when there are a lot of mouths to feed.

King asks Haiji to stop putting on airs and add the roux already. Haji tells them they’re going on a run first.

Of course. 

Everyone complains. Haji tells them “I don’t mind having a soup of potatoes and carrots boiled in plain water. You can really enjoy the flavors of the ingredients.”

Haiji: “Of course, I’m the only one who knows where the roux is.”

He tells them “Hurry up, you don’t want to be attacked by a bear at night.” To underline his point, we see a sign with a picture of a bear and the words “beware of wildlife” underneath it.

-Well, we got a hint from the OST playing when the group was on the bus (The track is “Demon Seargent”), but it’s official now: looks like the Ogre has come back to join the team for training camp. Yuki says as much: “We’re still in hell!”

-Haiji should give parenting classes.

Even KK, for once, doesn’t look particularly eager.

-The sign warning of wildlife is another example of the reality vs dreams theme. Real bears are dangerous, not like the polar bears in the twins’ imagination.

As they start running Haji tells them the course around the lake is 3.8 kilometers and they can go back after running it three times. They respond wearily, but cheer up when they see the lake.

The sun setting over the water is a truly lovely sight to behold. Everyone smiles. Only Kakeru doesn’t enjoy it, as he suddenly remembers the reporter and the (rhetorical) question (threat?) that he asked him.

Upset, he speeds ahead, to Haiji’s surprise. It’s like he’s trying to run away from the memory.

The movement of his legs was beautifully animated.

As is this silhouette of the team.

Back at the cabin, King is serving up the rice while Haji is adding the final touch to dinner: strawberry flavored protein powder.

Yuki:”What are you doing?!”

Haiji responds, “But, you said it was cliché.” Meaning he wants to give it an interesting flavor. Yuki yells in a panic, “Cliché is fine! Cliché is good!”

-Hee! Love Haiji here. He’s intentionally teasing Yuki, though I don’t think he’s doing this soley for revenge. That powder was probably donated and he doesn’t want it to go to waste, especially since it’s got good nutrients for his boys. And the taste won’t be distinct in the curry. Yuki’s no cook or he’d know all sorts of things are added to Japanese curry (which is sweeter than Indian curry) to give the flavor depth (honey, chocolate, coffee, ketchup, etc.)

We hear Yuki’s panicked cries in the background as Kakeru wonders to King, “Aren’t we missing something?” The older student responds, “What? This should be plenty.”

King: “Just how much are you going to eat?”

-Love King here. 

Kakeru explains that he means someone is missing. The two look around, counting the members.

Prince is reading and Nico grumbling “I’m exhausted” on the couch. King checks in the kitchen to see Yuki and Haiji there.

Yuki: “Huh? It’s not bad.”

-Love Haiji’s knowing, confident grin here. These two really have great chemistry. But then that’s really the case for Haiji with everyone.

Nira’s eating on the floor. The twins come out from the bath, pink faced and eager for dinner.

King and Kakeru look at each other. “Musa,” the older resident says. “And Shindo,” Kakeru adds. Yuki and Haiji look in from the kitchen, wondering what’s going on.

-The fact that KK is the one who noticed the missing members is important. He’s come such a long way.

-I’m probably biased but can we forgive Haiji for not noticing earlier, seeing as how he was busy in the kitchen. Even parents aren’t perfect.

The team goes outside, where it is completely dark. They’re getting worried by the second. King comments that it’s dangerous to wonder around. Prince says “But it’s so cold” meaning it wouldn’t be good to leave the missing duo outside. Jouta wonders if they fell in a ditch somewhere. King admonishes him for saying something so scary. Always practical Yuki wonders if they have their phones, but the tech savvy Nico tells him even if they did they wouldn’t have reception on them. Haiji tells everyone to calm down.

“Let’s split into two groups. Some of us will stay here, and the rest of us will use the van to look for them.”

Everyone: “I’ll stay here!”

Haiji’s response is hilarious: “I said two groups. Why do you all want to stay?”

-ROFL. This was so funny to me. Does Haiji not realize the fear he strikes into the hearts of these boys when he’s at the wheel? His voice actor played the annoyed confusion perfectly. It was utterly charming.

Suddenly the team starts hearing sounds from within the forest. King wonders if it’s wild animals. They eerily come closer. Again, Haji tells everyone to calm down….and brings out a bell.

-Why? I don’t know. Either as a signal for the two he figured out were trying to find their way back, or to scare off whatever was heading their way, or as a talisman to ward against evil, your guess is as good as mine.

It’s probably the first. Two creatures suddenly come out of the forest like monsters in a horror film.

They run towards the sound of the bell…

…terrifying the team.

Missing members or monsters?

And crash into the van.

The only one who kept his wits about him.

Back in the cabin, Musa and Shindo have changed clothes and seem none the worse for wear except for a few scratches, as depicted by band aids on their faces. Musa gushes how amazing Shindo is, easily climbing the steep mountain side and using the stars to help lead them back.

Writing tip: the above statement combines exposition with characterization. We’re quickly told how they managed to return, and get continuity on Shindo being from a mountainous region. Very nicely done.

Adorable bashful Shindo: “Aww shucks!”

-Can he get be any cuter?

Yuki isn’t amused, “Aw shucks!?” he asks incredulously.

King, likewise, is upset. “We were worried about you. I’m honestly mystified you’re not injured.”

Translation note: 

-It’s completely accurate, but an alternative translation to Yuki’s statement would be, “Don’t give us that!” 

-When King says they were worried, he adds the infamous suffix “yagate” to the end. It’s hard to convey, but is usually used by men and isn’t exactly polite. That said, I would have added “We were freaking worried about you” to the translation to depict this. Although I know most official translations don’t usually bother with these nuances. But I felt it would have showed the depth of annoyance, and hence King’s concern here. That would have made sense considering how Shindo seems the closest person to the awkward to King.

The two apologize. Shindo explains that they found a path near the river that looked perfect for cross country running, but that they got lost after they took it.

Haji tells them he’s glad that they’re safe, but that if this were Hakone they would have been disqualified for veering off the course.

The polite duo are properly chastened, “Yes, Sir.”

Yuki, ever a stickler for details points out that the actual race has lead cars, meaning it wouldn’t be possible for them to veer off course. 

-By the way, Kakeru has added an alarming amount of soy sauce and Japanese mayonnaise to his food. So, he probably did like Hana’s cooking.

Musa and Shindo then recall something important. While looking for their villa, they were drawn by a light to a beautiful building where they saw the Tokyo Sport University team. This information shocks everyone.

The two enviously recall how they had been grilling meat. The keen-eyed Musa says: “I’d recognize that marbling anywhere. It’s Japanese black wagyu beef”.

-This is very high grade, very expensive meat. The team looks at their own meal with self-pity. “There’s no meat in this,” King tells us, in case we haven’t figured it out.

-Our poor boys. Food, in particular meat, is very expensive in Japan. Their team doesn’t have an official sponsor, and unlike the TSU team, they aren’t being funded by their university and basically make do with donations from their fan club.

The next morning, we see that the TSU team is parked next to the starting line of the Shirakaba lake track. Their coaches have divided the numerous players into groups and are letting them start running in order.

Meanwhile, our Kansei boys are waiting for Musa next to what seems to be a public toilet. I say Musa because he’s the only member missing, and they are all standing next to a building with a toilet sign on it. 

The twins peak from around it to look at the TSU boys. Jouta says, “I can’t believe we ran into them.” Jouji is impressed, saying they’re like a real track team. Shindo points out “We’re a real track team, too.”

-I get how they’re feeling. With their fancy cars, uniforms, and coaches, the difference between the impoverished Aotake boys and the TSU team is glaringly obvious.

Sakaki catches a glimpse of Haji giving instructions to his team out of the corner of his eye. He has a complicated look on his face, almost sad?

Maybe he’s thinking: Must they be everywhere I go?

At the track Haiji et al are running behind Sakaki’s group who are blocking the running path.

We know that the left side at least should be kept open.

Musa comments that it’s difficult to run like this. Yuki asks, “aren’t they spreading out more than necessary?” Kakeru wants to go faster, saying that their speed is dropping.

Even King recognizes trouble when he sees it and tells him, “Hey, don’t do anything stupid.”

Kakeru retorts, “Then why are we holding this training camp?”

Haiji tells them, “Everyone, maintainin your own pace.” When Kakeru’s protests, Haiji blandly, but firmly says “Didn’t you hear me?” and repeats his instruction.

Kakeru bites down on his frustration, but when he looks up he sees Sakaki looking back at him with a sneer.

Is he challenging him?

Enraged, Kakeru takes off after him.

Yuki, who had been keeping his eye on Kakeru, calls out to him “Oi!”, while King quips, “No one has that much energy early in the morning.”

-Yup. King is really growing on me.

Haji tells his team, “I’m worried about him going off on his own. I’m going with him.”

Haiji has plenty to worry about. He’s seen first hand how Sakaki enjoys taunting Kakeru, and how difficult the latter finds it to ignore him. He even came between them once.

Pictures don’t do justice to the fluidity of the animation.

Kakeru is running with his eyes hyper focused on Sakaki and his team, when Haiji’s voice suddenly brings him back to himself.

“The air is beautiful. It makes me happy just to breathe.”

You can just see him thinking, “When’d he get here?”

Haiji: “Don’t you agree?”

His sudden presence distracts Kakeru, who seems to be trying to comprehend his words.

-As always Haiji sheds light on Kakeru, this time it’s depicted by the flickers of the sun rays penetrating the trees, and falling on his eyes and running figure through the eaves.

The older runner continues: “Feel the wind. Maintain your rhythm. This is training too.”

At his words, Kakeru suddenly starts noticing his surroundings.

He hears the sound of the wind and sees it creating slight waves on the lake.

-Genius Haiji, pure genius. He wants Kakeru to be aware of his surroundings and learn to focus on the more enjoyable things in life. It works.

Kakeru turns to look at Haiji as if wondering what magic trick he played to completely alter his mood.

He smiles fondly at him before facing forward again.

Just in time, as he almost runs into the TSU boys.

It’s such a rude awakening to what had been an almost dreamlike state. More of the dreams vs reality theme?

Since Haji has been focusing on maintaining their speed, it is obvious that Sakaki and company had intentionally slowed down, just to disrupt them. Even Haji is annoyed as they are forced to stop.

Haiji: “How childish.”

-I’d be plenty upset if I were him. Stopping abruptly like that could be dangerous on the even healthy knees.

Kakeru’s angrier than ever. We can tell by how he fists both hands. It’s been a while since he’d done this.

“In the way? We’re not getting in the way, right?” The Tokyo sport boys say when Haiji talks to them. They accuse him of trying to pick a fight. Sakaki, obviously their leader, then tells his friends “Let’s go,” he turns to tell Haiji haughtily, “We still have training left to finish.”

Haiji replies, “I understand your position I’m not going to talk your coaches. I’d just be happy for your understanding.”

-Clever Haiji. Here, he’s actually pointing out that he could make an official complaint, if necessary. Though he’d rather not.

Sakaki understands this.

But, it seems like he can’t help but lash out.

He plays on Haiji’s words and says, “Oh we understand. We’re serious about this. We don’t have time for pleb teams.”

“Pleb?” Haiji seems unsure what he means. 

Sakaki: “You’ll be the center of attention if you run. People will talk about you if you say you want to run. I’m talking about plebs who set unrealistic goals on the basis of such shallow thinking.”

-Hmm. Methinks someone saw the team website. It’s not like they have that many fans, but whatever response they’ve gotten must have been good. How else can you explain his obvious jealousy?

Kakeru, angry at the insults, approaches Sakaki menacingly, only to be held back firmly by Nico’s hand on his shoulder.

Haiji, keeping an eye out for Kakeru.

Sakaki and his team laugh him. The red-head then challenges Haiji to a race. “Just us first-years, ten against ten. Then you’ll see what it means to be serious.”

Sakaki here obviously wants to sabotage the teams’ morale. The TSU guys have probably been running their whole lives. Even if Haiji and Kakeru are faster than him, it would be no match.

Kakeru knows this. “Race me, then,” he challenges Sakaki. “I’m the only one who needs to. They have nothing to do with this.”

-“This” being whatever grudge Sakaki is holding against him. Unlike before, he’s not embarrassed. He’s upset for his team’s sake. He probably thinks racing, and winning, against Sakaki would shut him up and stop him from mocking his friends.

Sakaki: “That’s how you break a team.”

“Break?” Jouta wonders at the word choice. Kakeru grimaces, biting down hard on his mouth as if in pain.

Sakaki continues, “Get good times, receive attention. You don’t feel bad about it, do you? You forget about the sacrifices other people made.”

Sakaki’s getting personal, and Kakeru’s losing it more by the word. It doesn’t help when Jouji asks, “What’s he talking about?”

Haiji keeps things from getting out of hand by interjecting in his mild infuriatingly (to Sakaki) lyrical voice “Were not going to race you. There’s not much to gain from racing against children,” flexing both the fact that he beat Sakaki in their last race, and his senpai status.

It’s the first time we’ve seen him do such a thing and, given the situation, I can’t say I blame him. 

He walks over to Kakeru and tells him, “Let’s go back. We’re wasting time.” He puts his hand reassuringly and protectively on his shoulder. The action seems to enrage Sakaki and he spits venom.

“Are you satisfied running with the friends you finally made?”

Haiji looks really angry now

Sakaki repeats: “Are you satisfied holding hands and running around with your little friends?!”

Kakeru finally loses it. He escapes from under Haiji’s hand and with alarming speed reaches Sakaki whom he grabs and raises his first towards.

Eyes of a “dangerous character”.

The screen turns black and we hear the sound of a loud punch.

Conclusion: There’s not much I can say here except this episode was one of my absolute favorites. It has so many funny moments, as well as uplifting ones. There’s so much going on. The race in the beginning, the summer camp. That absolutely gorgeous montage when Haiji and Kakeru were running together, then to have it all culminate in one heck of a cliffhanger makes it an absolute winner. There is also the new ending theme song (Michi) I didn’t think anything can top the first (Reset). But it’s no surprise seeing as it’s by the same artist (Taichi Mukai). What a voice, what lyrics! I’ll discuss it in detail later. I have a certain timeline I want to stick to. Hopefully it will all make sense in the end. Please don’t forget to give this post a like if you enjoyed it 🙂

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