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 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 11 Review: Overflowing Drops

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 episode flew under my radar the first time around. Though, to be honest I went through them all like popcorn. But upon re-watching them and savoring them more like the most decadent Japanese cheesecake I realized that it had so many vital elements. Without further ado…

Prologue

It is raining. A sign tells us that the team is at the Kikui University track meet while a bell alerts us that is the last lap. King, Nico, Kakeru, Prince and Haiji cheer on the twins, Musa, Shindo, and Yuki who are participating in the race. The twins and Musa finish in time and managed to achieve records. They jump in delight.

Maybe it’s the heavy rain, maybe they had already expected it, but the rest of the team’s reaction seems a bit subdued. Except for King who has been endearing himself to me more as of late.

Look how happy he is for them!

Haiji turns to look at the track where Shindo and Yuki are still running with a solemn look on his face.

I know that look and how’s he feeling. It’s when you are so happy for one child but at the same time feel pained because the other isn’t doing so well. Parents want all their kids to do well. And in Haiji’s case all his runners have to all get records if they’re to go to Hakone. Because the celebrating trio’s times were barely enough to make it (Jouji: 16:20: 37, Jouta: 16:21:18, Musa: 16:29:31) we know that Shindo and Yuki didn’t.

Act One

The team is at the Tsuro no yo bathhouse where the team members are all soaking in the baths. Except for the twins who gleefully splash water onto Musa despite his protest that they’ll bother the others. So overcome with joy they do not seem to notice the moroseness of their friends a few feet away; a good thing to be honest.

Haiji quickly cuts through the silence. He tells Yuki and Shindo, “Everyone’s unique. Naturally so are runners.” He goes on to say that different runners do well on different terrains, inclines, etc. How some go for sprints at the end while others maintain a steady pace. “Everyone’s good at something different.”

-Haiji happens to be soaking closest to Yuki and Shindo. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. He probably did so knowing they’ll be needing moral support.

-I like how the rest of the team listens in absolute silence. Perhaps they are also absorbing the information he gives for their own benefit as well. Beside’s Kakeru, they don’t have records either. But I think its mostly because they don’t want to interfere; they realize Haiji is trying to set their friends’ mind at ease.

Yuki realizes this as well. He tells Haiji, “So we shouldn’t worry? Uniqueness certainly sounds nice but doesn’t that mean that some people aren’t suited to running at all?”

Shindo adds that he’s worried.

Haiji again tries to reassure them by telling them that times aren’t everything. Yuki points out that they have a time that they must achieve or they can’t get to Hakone. Haiji starts to say that if they feel what they’re doing is working, but get’s interrupted by Yuki: “But we’re amateurs. Unless you tell us what’s working, we won’t know what is.”

-It’s just like Yuki to be so persistent. This reminds me of Nico’s conversation with Kakeru when he told him it takes courage to face something head on. Yuki (means snow, but also means courage) certainly has plenty of that and so doesn’t want Haiji to spare his feelings. He wants an answer.

Haiji looks unhappy, as if he hadn’t wanted to get into this topic. “True to its name, long distance running is a battle of endurance. It’s not easy to compare results.” But before he can say anything else, Shindo stands up from the bath, scaring everyone when he says, “Sorry, but I’m at my limit.” When he senses everyone’s apprehension he quickly clarifies, “I meant with the water.”

The episode title is shown just then. The timing is foreshadowing that the Overflowing Drops of the title, isn’t just referring to the rain, but also to Shindo.

We next see the team gathered in the yard wearing identical large raincoats. King asks if it’s even possible to run in them. Haiji responds that they have no choice since not all of them have running wear suitable for rainy weather. A twin mentions that they really need to hurry and buy identical tracksuits. Haji points out that these coats are only temporary.

Nira barks excitedly, but Haiji tells him he’ll have to stay home today. The dog whimpers sadly, before shaking off his fur and splashing everyone.

-Like I said, I see Nira as an extension of Haiji. His being sad here is also foreshadowing.

The team runs with great difficulty in the rain. Yuki complains that it’s hot under the coats. King points out that they’re so stuffy they might as well be getting rained on. Only Shindo tries to find a silver lining: Let’s imagine that’s the point of this exercise. A truck with an ogre drawn on it speeds by splashing them all.

In Musa’s room, Jouta says he feels like he just came from the pool. Jouji agrees, saying that he’s exhausted. Musa tells them to dry off properly. The lazy two discuss not showering that day, counting the rain water as their bathing for the day. Their older roommate asks them to please go back to their room. They respond that it leaks when it rains.

-I love how these two just hijack whatever room they want whenever they feel like it/need to. I think they can only do that because their room is always used for gatherings, that, plus they’re so childlike it seems hard for the others to tell them no.

Shindo pops in to greet them before he goes to University, saying he’s got a class first period. After he leaves, Jouji remarks that he never skips his classes. The “unlike us” is inferred. Jouta then asks Musa if Shindo is ok, seeing as how “He seemed pretty depressed after yesterday’s meet. And he’s so earnest.” Musa seems worried, but doesn’t say anything.

A good friend.

-So, they did notice. It’s actually nice of them not to have said anything. Knowing Shindo, it probably would have saddened him for them to be concerned for him when they should be celebrating. That’s probably why Musa didn’t talk to him either, based on his depressed reaction.

-Jouta asking Musa about Shindo is more continuity how everyone knows that the two are best friends.

Jouji then points out that since Shindo has a girlfriend, they don’t need to worry about him. Meaning, he has someone to comfort him. Jouta agrees, annoyed. But then the two wonder when he has time to meet her, seeing how busy he is with training and classes. Musa says maybe during school. The twins ask if he’s met her. Musa says he hasn’t, and that none of the dorm mates have.

The twins then go off on a tangent, scared that maybe Shindo made her up because of the pressure he’s been under. They act a conversation with his imaginary girlfriend, meeting up with him apologizing for being late on a date. They then drop it realizing how scary that would be if it were true.

Seriously, these two

Even gentle Musa has had it with them.

At a convenience store, we see Kakeru buy himself lunch. On his way out he stops to look at the magazine rack.

“Monthly Track and Field Report” catches his interest.

The scene then switches to “Iimura Chiropractic Clinic” where we see Haiji getting a therapeutic massage from the chiropractor (I’ll call him Iimura-sensei).

Language note: Sensei is a title used in Japan to refer to teachers, writer, and doctors, amongst others). It can be used alone or added at the end after a person’s name.

Iimura-sensei tells him “You’ve been protecting the opposite side,” as he checks his non-scarred leg. Haji replies “I’m trying to be conscious of it.”

-I’m guessing he means the weight distribution on his legs? Maybe he’s been hesitant to run on the injured leg for so long that his other leg was starting to get affected, hence the decision to protect it. It’s all conjecture on my part. I’d love to hear what others may think.

Iimura tells him encouragingly, “Once something breaks you’ve got no choice except to take your time fixing it.” Haiji replies with a quiet “Yes, sir.”

-So Haiji isn’t yet fully recovered. He has a far away look in his eyes, like he’s forcing himself to accept that fact. You can’t blame him. It’s been years since his injury. He previously told Kakeru that it’ll take him six months to regain his speed. I guess he still hasn’t. I am glad to see he has someone helping maintain his leg. It’s totally in character. Like Yuki once told Nico, they’ll have nothing if they’re injured.

Back at Aotake, we see Haiji’s shopping bag on the kitchen table, along with a bookstore envelope. He is looking at something with boring eyes and a set mouth. It’s a new expression on him.

He is holding the same magazine Kakeru had been eyeing at the convenience store. But we can now see that it has a picture of Fujioka on the cover.

He lets out a breath through his nose and says, “Damn that Fujioka.”

-This is the first time we have seen Haji express something akin to jealousy. It’s fascinating to me that this emotion isn’t directed at Kakeru, whom we know he reveres as a runner, but rather at Fujioka, someone from his past.

It is still raining in the afternoon. We see that the public track where the team usually trains has been closed due to the rain. Shindo suggests running in the field where they usually do cross country running. Yuki refuses, as the mud makes it hard to run in. Nico points out that he just doesn’t want to get dirty, before glancing at Haiji and asking him what to do.

It’s Kakeru who answers, saying to use the roads, they just have to avoid the cars. Haji agrees, “We’ll choose the safest course we can.”

Prince looks insanely cute here, almost like a child.

When they finish the group once again goes to the bath house. We see Nico get on the scale in the changing room. This time he pumps his fist in happiness. Looks like his body finally started responding the all the exercise he’s been doing and he lost some kilos. Haiji’s advice to not panic and take it slow was on point.

In the washing area Yuki asks if they can’t use the club budget to buy rain-proof running wear, adding that the money should be used wisely. Shindo informs him that they only have 15 members in their fan club. Yuki is shocked to learn that. Shindo then adds that they don’t even have enough money to buy matching track uniforms. Musa points out that everyone in the shopping district is supporting them, but it’s still not enough.

Cultural note: It occurred to me that not everyone might know the etiquette of public Japanese baths. This is what I remember off the top of my head when I researched it many years ago and based on what Japanese people have told me: first you wash, then you soak. That way the bath remains clean and the reason it is so hot is that it’s usually set to boiling so that the heat disinfects the water. The soaking is strictly therapeutic for relaxation purposes, not washing. In family homes, the same bath water is used by multiple people after they shower, and it is boiled in between use for each person. That way the water isn’t wasted.

King wishes there was a Quiz show on that he could participate in, so he’d win them the prize money. Musa wonders if they can participate in something that would gain them recognition, and hence, more sponsors. Yuki concurs, and turns asks Kakeru if he knows of any. Kakeru confirms there is one: The All-Japan Intercollegiate Championship. Haiji, silent through this conversation, is shown soaking alone; hinting that he had been listening the whole time.

-We’ve heard of this competition before. It’s the one Fujioka said he’d be focusing on in his interview at the team’s first meet. Based on the fact that he was featured on the magazine cover, it’s safe to say that he and his team won it.

Love the art in this show.

On the way back home the twins and Musa look it up on their phones, and find out that it was in May. Haiji asks Kakeru if he read Fujoka’s article. Kakeru replies “I happen to have.”

-He must have guessed so based on KK’s answer to the others. Or maybe Haiji left the magazine for him on the kitchen table to see.

Haiji then tells Kakeru that “There was some curious things written in it.” We’re then shown a picture of Fujioka’s interview, and hear it narrated in his voice: “I ran the race I wanted this time. But there are more strong runners hiding in Kanto (their district). We’re then shown the scene of his interview, where Fujioka is telling a group of reporters, “I believe they’ll be ready by the time Ekiden season rolls around. I’ll make sure not to underestimate them as I wait.”

-So we already knew this, but Fukioka really is a straight up guy. Very humble. I’m guessing he means Haiji’s team here, specifically Kakeru who tried beating him the only time they raced against each other.

Haji then asks Kakeru if he knows what the strongest compliment is to a long distance runner. Kakeru guesses “Is it to call him fast?” Haiji negates this.

Haiji: “It’s to call him strong.”

This is the word Fujioka used in his interview. Haiji put a lot of emphasis on this word when he said it. Kakeru is a bit surprised. He repeats the word, “Strong?”

Act Two

After the mid episode break we see Kakeru helping Haiji out in the kitchen.

-While he would do so occationally before, I think Kakeru now has taken this as a permanent role, after Haiji’s collapse. He’s cutting carrots, rangiri style which means he either has some background knowledge of cooking or Haji taught him.

As he does this Haiji elaborates on what he told him previously, “You can’t survive long distance running on speed alone. You hold out through difficult phases to keep on moving your body forward. Every day, you have to push yourself a little harder in practice. What long distance runners need is strength.”

Somehow he seems very morose as he says this. We find out why soon enough.

Haiji continues, “Fujioka is strong, both as a runner and as a captain.”

-How would he know this? Was Fujioka Haiji’s captain in the past? Or is Haiji comparing the current Captain Fujioka is to himself, as Kansei’s team captain?

His eyes seem like they’re looking at an invisible entity as he continues speaking.

“But Fujioka is Fujioka. I regret that we weren’t able to show him your abilities at the inter college. But there’s no need to panic. Believe in yourself. It takes time to become stronger.” 

-There’s a distinct feeling here that Haiji’s addressing himself, whether he’s doing this consciously or subconsciously, I’m not sure.

Kakeru who had been listening quietly finally speaks, and unwittingly points this out. He tells Haiji, “Fujioka is on your mind, too. I understand what you’re trying to say, but why are you telling me this now?”

Haiji is projecting his emotions onto Kakeru. The latter somehow sensed that Haiji’s words didn’t actually apply to his own situation. But he lacks the insightt that would allow him to understand Haiji’s intent in saying them. Hence his question.

Kakeru: “Are you anxious?”

Haiji: “Anxious?”

-For his part, Haiji seems bemused by the question. Well, that answers my previous query. Haiji “doesn’t miss anything” seems like he hadn’t realized his own feelings. It’s unlike him. And sad.

Kakeru answers that half their members still have yet to achieve official records. Especially Shindo and Yuki who haven’t improved in a month, “despite practicing so hard.”

-It’s nice to see Kakeru giving his teammates credit here. He has officially changed for the better as a teammate; no longer making assumptions based on his teammates’ performances. Rather, he is seeing the actual work they are putting in.

Kakeru then repeats his question, “Is that why?” thinking that Haiji must be concerned for the team as well. He goes on to say that after Prince improved, he felt like he started to understand running a bit. But now he realizes it’s still very difficult.

Kakeru: “Honestly, I’m anxious.”

Haiji doesn’t reply. There is nothing for him to say.

– I think the reason is, perhaps for the first time, the cause for his anxiety is Haiji himself. Kakeru was able to pinpoint Haiji’s emotion, but not it’s cause. He naturally wonders if Haiji’s anxiousness, like his own, was born out of worry for for teammates. This makes sense considering Haiji’s conversation with Yuki and Shindo. There’s also the fact that the team has always been his first and foremost concern.

-Kakeru here is being both expressive and honest. He has grown. But Haiji despite being so vocal, wasn’t being honest. I think, again, because he himself didn’t realize what he was out of sorts for. But after talking to Kakeru, I’m sure he now knows. Though I doubt he’ll share.

-Haiji hasn’t yet managed to recovered %100, and is therefore unable to perform the way he wants to. Add to that, Fujioka’s article triggered emotions of unease within him. I’m pretty sure he knows or at least suspects that Fujioka was referring to KK in his interview, not Haiji. I don’t think that in itself upset him. But he does seem to regret not letting KK race in the inter college. Even though he had been the one to decide they’d focus only on preparing for Hakone. Maybe, because KK is on his team, he feels like he can compete against Fujioka, if only vicariously. After all, we’ve never seen him look at Kakeru with anything other than admiration. Never envy. And so, he talks to KK as if wanting to mollify him for not joining the intercollegiate race. Then there is the possibility that he’s also mourning the fact that he himself would never have been able to do well against Fujioka, had he been able to join.

We next see Shindo, Yuki and Musa in Nico’s room. Shindo is giving Nico instructions for, we later learn, a website he decided to make for the team. Musa tells Yuki that this will help get support even from people who live far away. Shindo adds, “We’ll never get anywhere if we just wait.” Yuki, impressed, points out, “And you’ve got seminars tomorrow, too. You’re truly amazing, Shindo.” The humble Shindo is quick to remind Yuki that he passed the bar in one try. Yuki replies, “Well, yeah,” in a blasé tone, suppressing a yawn. Nico tells Shindo that he’s going to bed, and to wake him up if he needs anything. Meaning, Shindo is going to continue working late into the night. before going off to bed. Yuki takes off for bed as well. Musa asks his friend not to push himself before he leaves. Shindo tells him to not worry and bids him good night.

The next morning, Shindo is rushing to meet his girlfriend who’s waiting for him at the entrance of a café/restaurant. Over drinks, Shindo is dealt a huge blow when his girlfriend tells him they should break up seeing as how there’s something he’d rather be spending his time on more than her. The poor boy refutes this, but she’s not changing her mind. He hangs his head.

-It’s like a retake of the skit Jouji and Jouta played earlier in the episode, where they pretended to be Shindo and his make-belief girlfriend. Only we now know she’s real. And unlike in the skit where he managed to charm her into forgiving him, his real-life girlfriend is not as understanding.

Lady, you did not just do this.

Poor Shindo. You deserve better, son. Nothing against her, but it’s not like his training for Hakone is permanent. It might be that she has a needy personality. No problem there. But if she couldn’t support him during a few months then she won’t be able to support him through other things in his future. Life is hard. He deserves someone able to be there for him even if it means patiently waiting for him.

Parental advice: I have to give Shindo’s ex her due credit: she knows what she wants and if he can’t provide the attention that she needs then good on her for recognizing that. Self awareness is possibly the most important factor in making relationships work.

–Cultural note: In Japan there’s a belief, legend, or story (I forget what exactly) that those with beauty marks under their eyes, located on the path that tears take, are destined to be heartbroken. I should have know his relationship was doomed from the start.

It is afternoon practice and has Shindo just finishes being timed. Haiji tells them to cool down, since they’re done for the day, when Shindo interrupts him with an “Excuse me. I want to run one more.” He hangs his head, sweat, and what we the audience know are tears, dripping from his face.

The others can’t see it, however. Haiji tells him that he should stop, since his times are getting worse. “Times aren’t everything. Isn’t that what you said? It’s true that I want to improve my times, but more than that, I just want to run right now! Just until I’m satisfied. That’s all!”

By this point his teammates know something is up, based on the expressions on their faces. Though it doesn’t seem like they know what.

The innocent trio is mostly bemused.

Prince and Yuki seem particularly empathetic.

He repeats his entreaty, “Please!” twice, then takes off without waiting for an answer. It’s unlike the super polite Shindo so you can tell he had reached his limit.

Yuki’s the first to react. After gazing at him for a while, he say’s he’ll join him. Musa follows them, saying that he felt he could run some more today. One by one the others take off after them: Nico, the twins, Prince, King, Kakeru, then finally Haiji, who strangely, seemed the most reserved.

He only runs after Hana says that she’ll time them.

We soon find out why: as they run, we hear him muse: “I feel the same way. I want to run more. Even though I’ve been told not to run, I’m running,” now we know what’s been weighing on his mind. He then continues, “Maybe I’d forgotten to listen to my feelings,” meaning he’s been too worried that he’s been holding himself back.

Overflowing drops 💔

-The whole scene was just extremely sad. Shindo’s broken heart was bad enough, but then Haiji’s words sent up so many danger flags for me. It was, however, heartwarming how all the team members sensed Shindo was going through something, and ran with him as their way of showing moral support. In case that wasn’t clear, we have Prince’s shirt with the word “bond” written on it this time. Then there was the music, track “Reliance” from the OST. Very aptly named and a perfect accompaniment to the heart wrenching scene.

Back at the Aotake, Yuki tells Shindo that he saw his form during their last lap and noticed his center of gravity was different from fast runners like Kakeru. “I guess everyone runs differently. It’s the first time I noticed.”

-We understand that you were worried about him and hence tried to help him. You can just say it, Yuki. We won’t judge you. But it’s not this cool character’s style.

At this information, the two recruit Kakeru and have him observe Shindo as he runs on Prince’s treadmill. He gives him pointers, telling him to imagine his center of gravity higher, and not to curve his chest.

Prince tells them “you could be doing this outside” Yuki tells him “That’s rich, coming from you.”

-This was a nice bit of humor in an otherwise mostly heavy episode.

Shindo thanks Yuki and Kakeru for their help and asks if they’d be willing to do it again. The two agree wholeheartedly, with his upperclassman Yuki saying it was nothing, he just mentioned what he noticed.

Kakeru, looking at the laptop in Shindo’s hand asks if he’s still doing something after this. The shorter man tells him he wants to finish the team website. The two are taken aback at his diligence.

Kakeru immediately says he’ll make some tea and takes off. Yuki smiles and says that he’s becoming a bit more sociable.

-He is, and I absolutely love it. I think it also speaks to his newfound resolve to help the team. Properly, the way he learned how to help Prince in the previous episode.

The next scene is in Shindo’s room. Yuki tells him, looking at pictures on his wall, “I’ve been wondering for a while now. Is this your home?”

Shindo answers in the affirmative. Seeing what look like perilous mountains and a rope bridge, Yuki asks, “What kind of secluded region does your family live in?”

Shindo replies that they do have roads, but that its’ faster to climb the valley to get to his school.

-This explains the 10 kilometers to and from school that Haiji talked about when he said Shindo had potential.

Yuki goes on to ask if his parents wouldn’t drive him. Shindo replies that his family runs a farm and are hence busy in the morning. Ashe speaks, we see snap shots of his family working hard harvesting cherries. He adds, “If anything, they needed my help.”

-The images and Shindo’s words are continuity to how close he is with his family, enough that he first decided to run Hakone because he thought it would make them happy.

-Seriously, just when you think you can’t love him anymore. Yuki must’ve felt the same.

Yuki: “If I had a daughter, I’d definitely make her marry you.”

-Yuki is one smart cookie. I thought he might have suspected before, when he was the first to run with Shindo, but I’m pretty sure of it now: he recognizes a broken heart when he sees one. This is his way of trying to cheer the hurting genius.

Said genius, smiles awkwardly, “What does that mean?”

Yuki tells him, “You’ve really got your shit together.” Shindo replies, self deprecatingly, “I don’t. Not at all.”

You can just tell he’s thinking that if he did, he wouldn’t have been dumped. I could swear that I saw tears in his eyes.

Kakeru seems to sense his mood. He reminds Shindo that he was the first to declare wanting to run.”

“Is that right?” Shindo asks, seemingly he’s forgotten that fact.

Kakeru then apologizes, saying that at the time he was sure Shindo would quit. Shindo utters a mild, “Well, you know,” letting Kakeru that he isn’t holding it against him. Again, being self-depreciating as if he knows that he appears weak to others.

Kakeru goes on to say, “But I was wrong. This team never would’ve have formed without you and it can’t keep going without you. You’re strong, Shindo”

-Okay, Shindo really looks like he’s going to cry now. I sure am. Poor boy must have needed to hear this so bad, considering what he lost in return for investing so much time and effort on Hakone. He must have really loved that girl. It makes sense. A serious guy like him wouldn’t date just to fool around.

On another note, it’s nice to see KK employing the compliment he recently learned from Haiji, “you’re strong” which he now knows is the strongest compliment you can give a runner.

Shindo tells them, “The ten of use will run in Ekiden. It’s nice to dream.” We’re then shown a picture of the team on the website.

Kansei track team

He then continues, “But anyone can just talk about their dreams. It’s not about that is it? Neither is anyone else right? If you say you’ll do it, do it. Haiji’s the same way.”

As he talks, we get a shot of Haiji in his room, massaging his knee.

-It’s a great moment that explains Haji’s absence, when he would usually be the one offering comfort. He must be preoccupied considering the extra running they had done at that evening’s practice.

Back in Shindo’s room, he goes on to say “I’m not strong. I just do what needs to be done no matter what.”

-That, my dear boy, is strength.

KK however, knows when not to contradict his senpais. He just says yes, while Yuki, in a fit of sympathy, tells him, “You’ll definitely get that record.” Shindo replies, “This, again. But you’re normally so cool.”

-Cool-headed, he means. Also, the word “again” means that this isn’t the first time Yuki has reassured him. Nor will it be the last. Yuki immediately tells him, “Shut up. I said you’ll get it. Everything I’ve said would happen has happened.”

Shindo seems to have given up fighting his tears. He tells Yuki, “Then I’ll trust you.” And bows his head in gratitude.

When Yuki tells him, “What’s that?” He quickly raises his head, high enough that he’s looking at the ceiling, as he says, “Man working at night isn’t good for my eyes.”

Yuki seems to be going along with it. He smiles, telling him, “Seriously?” Kakeru, too, gives a knowing smile. But they both don’t say anything else.

-Seriously? Two of the most distant (Yuki, by choice, Kakeru, by nature) members of Aotake are the ones hanging out with Shindo, wanting to be near him to give him emotional support. Excuse me while I grab some tissues.

Music: the track playing is “Onward to Hakone” from the OST.

The scene changes. The rainy clouds have finally dispersed revealing a glorious morning.

Symbolism. Also, this show has the most stunning visuals.

We see that Yuki and Kakeru have spent the night on Shindo’s floor.

-Musa enters Shindo’s room to wake him up for his class, when he sees that someone has joined their fan club through their newly developed website.

Excitedly, he wakes up Shindo, who in turn wakes up Yuki and Kakeru to tell them the good news.

The next scene shows the team wearing their fan club recruitment t-shirts as they run through the shopping district, calling out that they have a meet at Tokyo Sport University, and asking people to come out to support them.

Shindo leads the procession

-It’s nice to see that they have all gotten over their initial embarrassment. Shindo, as always, leads the recruitment procession.

At Yaokatsu vegetable store, a reporter (we recognize him as being one who had interviewed Fujioka) is asking Hanako’s father about the Kansei team. He shows him a picture of their website. Hana’s dad is about to ask her to take him to the Aotake when the team passes them on their run. He points them out to the reporter, who watches them pass by with interest, particularly Kakeru.

At Tokyo Sport University, we see that the whole team, except for the twins and Musa who just got their records, is going to run. Haiji does his Hakone cheer with all the members. This time, they all join in immediately. The team is melding together nicely.

The cheering squad starts their encouraging calls early on. Unfortunately, the aggravations start early as well. Sakaki approaches the Kansei team, “You still haven’t given up?” This time, he’s in a running uniform, meaning he’s going to participate in the race as well. He says as much, telling them, “Please don’t get in our way. Our regular spot’s on the line.”

-As always, he seems to be showing off the fact that he’s in a prestigious athletic school to Kakeru.

But before he can rile him up, Shindo comes to stand in front of Kakeru, and tells him, “Don’t worry. We don’t intend to compete with you. Our battle lies elsewhere.”

At his self-assured tone, Sakaki is vexed. Haji smiles in pride that Shindo can hold his own. His interference isn’t necessary, and he tells his team to go.

On their way to the starting line, Yuki pats Shindo’s shoulder. I think he, too, feels proud. And it’s been canon that he expresses his respect for the others whenever the occasion arises.

We see the same sketchy looking reporter at the meet. When he sees Kakeru, he mouths something eerily. Unfortunately, I can’t lip read Japanese. Might be our boys name.

Conclusion:

This episode shows just one more reason to love the show: realism. Shindo’s relationship falling apart was done very realistically. It was nice to have him be the focus of this episode. Though the best thing about the show is how most of the time characters get equal screen time, mini arcs like this are great too. Then there’s the fact that Haiji, while present in the episode, was emotionally unavailable. It’s definitely a first and it allowed other characters to grow and fill in the supporting role he usually plays. This, too, is a realistic depiction of what healthy relationships should be like. Not one person being relied on for everything, rather, different people depending on each other at different points of their lives. No one is infallible or untouchable.

As much as I loved this episode, it was also very sad to me. Even its title is sad. At first, we suspect it’s referring to the never-ending rain. But soon we find out it’s actually referring to Shindo, crying in spite of himself at the pain of being dumped. Even the lovely scene where the team ran with Shindo was darkly overcast by Haiji’s internal soliloquy. When he says “despite being told not to run” it sounds like such an ominous statement. As if his knee can give out at any second. Seriously, I’m no longer young enough to enjoy angst the way I used to.

But seeing Kakeru and Yuki praising Shindo’s efforts and personality was lovely. He really needed that. 

Then there was the race, and how Shindo confidently stood up to Sakaki. The bright blue skies were also a welcome change from the rain that had plagued almost the entire episode. But then the creepy looking reporter keeps us from feeling that everything will be smooth sailing ahead.

Grade: 10/10

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Run With the Wind Episode Ten Review: Our Speed

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

Nira in his dog house looks towards the Aotake building and whimpers. Inside the building, we see all the members of the Aotake gathered at the door to Haiji’s room.

King and Yuki sit by his bedside as an elderly doctor examines him. When he finishes he turns towards the tenants whom all hold their breath as they wait to hear the verdict.

“He’s overworked.”

They all stare back in disbelief.

The doctor tells the residents that while Haiji is anemic, at the moment he’s just sleeping.

“Sleeping?” Shindo repeats with wide eyes.

It’s true. We get a close up of Haiji’s sleeping face before the opening credits begin.

This was a such a great scene. Having the ever-cheerful Nira whimper is a reflection of his (surrogate) owner Haiji’s state. Seeing all the members gathered around Haiji’s room, besides themselves with worry, was heartwarming. I would have thought Nico and Kakeru would have been closest to his bedside, but Kakeru is hanging back farthest than anyone else (out of fear, I think). Meanwhile eldest Nico is watching over Haiji at the door while his peers Yuki and King sit closest to him.

-This is actually the first time we’ve seen his room. It’s a reminder of how little we actually know him. We still don’t know much seeing as the only glimpses we got was the shopping bag hanging on a hook near the door, and a single bookcase full of books. We don’t even see what books he has ;_; Probably on long distance races, nutrition, and how to raise healthy and active children who like to run.

-Shindo’s reaction represents viewers as well who have probably come up with all sorts of scenarios on what was wrong with Haiji. But this makes the most sense, given the clues we had gotten in the previous episode.

-I like how the episode immediately dealt with the Haiji issue and didn’t make the mistake of milking it for more drama.

Act One

The team members all see off the doctor in the yard.

-Perfect example of manners in Japanese culture.

After they all sigh in relief, Yuki remarks that even the injection the doctor administered Haiji didn’t wake up him.

Yuki: “He must really be exhausted.”

The twins mention that they can never tell when he actually sleeps “I thought he was fine without sleep.”

Musa adds that it’s not just training. Haiji does all the cooking as well.

At his words, Nico scratches the back of his neck.

The doctor’s diagnosis sparks a discussion amongst the Aotake members, sending them all into a period of pensiveness.

Prince, Kakeru and Nico

In the next scene, Nico, Prince and Kakeru are cleaning up the ruined fried rice.

KK says “It’s my fault. I made him worry.”

Nico tells him “You know that’s not true.” Prince then says that he caused him much more concern. He’s probably thinking about how Haiji has been training him one to one from the beginning.

Nico then states “It was everyone. All of us can think of something we did.” I think he’s not doubt remembering how much he made Haiji run after him to eat, and how much he had been panting. It had been unlike him so he was probably already pushing himself at that point.

Landlord/Coach Tazaki and Yuki

The landlord stands at the door of Haiji’s room praying. Yuki tells him to please stop, since it’s ominous.

Coach Tazaki says “I don’t know what to do in times like these.”

Yuki replies: “You don’t need to do anything.” But he then looks away, as if in regret.

Perhaps he is thinking what he himself should be doing, or what he should have done before things got to this point. Like the other’s he looks like he’s has something he feels guilty for. One thing that comes to mind is how Yuki told Haiji that he was worried about Nico, that he thought he was dangerously pushing himself. Maybe he’s wondering if he should have been more concerned with Haiji, who was essentially looking out for them all, instead of burdening him further with his concern.

King, Shindo, and Musa.

The three are gathered in (I think) Shindo’s room, where he says that they should run practice themselves the next morning. Musa agrees. King then says, “Come to think of the, clerical procedures like registering for meets were all Haiji’s job, too.”

Shindo starts counting on his fingers: “Supervisor-cum-coach-cum-manager-cum dorm leader, huh?

The trio looks solemn.

Cultural note: Managers (stereotypically girls) for sports teams in Japan take care of various things like providing meals and drinks and general support for the team. Remember how embarrassed Hana got when Sakaki assumed she was the manager? That’s cause it’s a pretty big job usually handled by several people. By supervisor, I think Shindo means the registration for the meets and so forth. We already knew Haiji was the dorm-leader and cook. He’s also the (unofficial but literal) coach.

His daily routine must be packed. He wakes up pre-dawn to prepare the team for their morning jog. Then he comes back and prepares their breakfast, goes to university, oversees their afternoon training, prepares their dinner. I had asked in the previous episode’s review when he ever runs himself. I’m guessing he squeezes that in either before their morning jog, or after. If we go by the ending theme song, he basically runs all times of the day, maybe whenever he can, which is why he’s always in his track suit. The only time he relaxes is in the bath house. But even in the evenings he’s the last one to sleep as he’s busy cleaning up after dinner; though we sometimes see Kakeru helping him.

-In the review for A Dangerous Character I mentioned that, after the track meet, Haiji might have not been as vocal as usual because he was tired from cooking. Now we know he was just tired overall. From the meet, from having to deal with unhappy children. I know first hand how exhausting that is, yet I completely missed it here.

Twins

At their room Jouta and Jouji are cleaning up after the party which ended abruptly. Jouji says, “We should at least take turns cooking.” Jouta agrees, but says that all he can cook is ochazuke (rice cooked in green tea). Jouji says that he too only has one dish in his repertoire: boiled pasta. The two realize that they have a more immediate concern than helping Haiji at the dorm.

Twins: “Can we survive without Haiji?”

Prince, Kakeru, Nico (continued)

Nico then takes this opportunity to tell Prince and KK to reconcile, reproaching them: “Quit the team if you don’t run fast enough? This is no time to be saying that.”

-I forgot to say this in the last episode’s review, but damn those twins have loose lips. Did they manage to tell everyone before remembering Haiji’s orders?

Kakeru looks a bit chastened at Nico’s words.

Prince points out that it wasn’t his idea. But Nico doesn’t let him off the hook either. “You’re his senior.”

I guess he means if Prince were more authoritative KK wouldn’t have said it in the first place? Or maybe that he should have shot down the suggestion immediately.

At this point Kakeru becomes defensive saying he was just expressing his misgivings. Nico warns him with an “Oi!” But Prince is quick to answer, “If that’s what you hurled at me then you’re just being a nuisance.”

He’s right. You shouldn’t make complaints without offering possible solutions if you want to be helpful. Especially if you’re on the same team.

But KK isn’t backing down. He attacks Prince with: “Just now you said you were making him worry. You are making him worry, aren’t you?”

Ouch.

That was a little below the belt, using Prince’s guilt. The lit student is visibly upset but can’t say anything. Whereas in their first scene the two were both blaming themselves, they’re now like kids fighting over who’s giving mom more grief.

-Kakeru should know that his attitude is just as troublesome, if not more, than Prince’s lack of speed.

Nico demands they cut it out, “Don’t ruin what Haiji entrusted to you”. Both react angrily.

Prince, KK: “You make it sound like he’s dead!”

Nico asks with a straight face. “You guys sure you don’t actually get along?”

Cultural Note: Unlike the English stereotype “opposites attract” what I’ve gleaned from 30 years as a fan of Japanese anime/culture is that the stereotype there is similar personalities should get along. Nico’s using Prince and KK’S identical reply to imply that they have more in common than they think. This is probably true. They’re both quiet types who only ever speak when it comes to their passions (manga and running, respectively) they’re both somewhat loners, and both care about Haiji.

That being said, Nico’s sentence sort of came out of nowhere and had almost nothing to do with the topic at hand. He was being a bit melodramatic and I’m not sure if this was intentional or not, whether he said it expecting the reaction the two would have, to show that they have something in common.

But, the fact of the matter is, before Haiji collapsed, these two were getting along fine after the whole team came together, runners and cheering squad. I don’t even know why Nico felt the need to rehash the argument. Maybe he wanted to make sure it was put to rest before Haiji woke up, hence the whole “Don’t ruin what Haiji entrusted to you”.

Ugh. I really hated that line. Cause I feel it was just used to set up Prince and KK’s reaction and I can’t seem to convince myself it wasn’t just a piece of bad writing. There. I said it. But that’s fine. Even this show isn’t perfect.

Back in his room Prince is on the treadmill, but it is now set on a higher speed than it was at first. In fact, I think he’s been steadily increasing its speed.

On the first floor, the motion of the treadmill sends dust flying once again through the ceiling of KK’s room. He’s sitting in contemplation, before he looks up at the ceiling.

Kakeru: “That’s not good enough, Prince.”

I’m pretty sure he means Prince’s speed, which would make sense seeing as how Prince is walking, not running, to be able to hold his manga.

We finally the episode title: Our Speed.

A clock shows the time is 6:05 am. It’s next morning. The team should have already started practice. But they haven’t yet.

Shindo asks Nico to take over as substitute Captain. Musa agrees, seeing as he’s the oldest and has most experience in track. Nico refuses saying he can’t afford to look out for others. King mentions that they never actually discussed who would be Captain.

-This makes sense as everyone (including viewers no doubt) naturally assumed it would be Haiji.

Shindo next turns to Yuki who says he expected to be asked but, but “I refuse.” This sends Prince’s heart aflutter thinking he’s referencing Jojo’s Bizarre adventure (haven’t seen it, but recognized the art style).

His T-shirt has “heart” written on it

Jouta, to Prince:”What are you doing?”

Prince: Don’t you know? “I refuse”?

Yuki of course isn’t doing anything of the sort. He tells the others that he still doesn’t think they can make it to Hakone.

King: “You’re still saying that?”

The twins too, are disappointed that even after all the practices they’ve had, Yuki is being skeptical. He doesn’t care, says that he wouldn’t know how to lead the team, and that he won’t do it.

-This completely fits Yuki’s perfectionist personality. He’s not the type to take over something just because he was asked. One thing I thought/felt is that he seemed annoyed as he said this. We know that he started reading up on running. Maybe he wishes that he did know enough to take the job, in light of how much pressure Haiji has been under.

Shindo then asks Kakeru to take over, much to King’s disappointment. Shindo points out that he knows King would never want to do it. The older man says that he would at least like to be asked, to be able to refuse, as a Senpai.

Jouta (under his breath): “I can’t respect him even a little bit.”

King’s obsession with the Senpai/Kouhai hierarchy rears its head once again. Methinks, outside of it, he has a hard time dealing with people.

Kakeru says that he doesn’t mind taking over practice, but adds, looking at Prince, “I may not be gentle.”

This sends the team into a frenzy, with the older ones getting angry and the younger ones excited. The twins look like they might be mocking him, though.

Everyone has something to say, except, ironically, Prince, who knows that Kakeru’s words were directed at him. His shirt still says “heart” on it though, so he might be nervous.

Meanwhile, Haiji tries to leave his room only to find out that he can’t. The door has been blocked from the outside with heavy cardboard boxes.

A sign has been taped to his door “Absolute and total rest.” And some tea flavored rice porridge left on his bedside.

Haiji: “Is this torture?”

Hee! It would be to someone used to being up and about most hours of the day. But next to the food is what looks like a white board propped up with books with messages written on it from the boys. Also an African mask which looks a bit eerie and could be the reason for Haiji’s apprehension.

The messages were very interesting to me. The twins tell Haiji, “Have some porridge!” and that’s it. It’s probably the only thing that came to their mind and I can’t hate them for it. They sign with their nicknames which we know are a mashup of their first and last names and probably what they’ve been called their whole lives. It’s as endearing as they are.

Prince wrote: “I’ll lend you some of my comics.” So the books behind the whiteboard might actually be his manga. By now viewers should know that to him this is the ultimate expression of love. He signs his note using his last name, Kashiwazaki. This fits his manner of speaking; polite, if a little distant. Also fits his character: I think Prince is a name given to him by others based on his looks, not something he chose himself.

Kakeru’s message is very simple and to the point. “Take care.” I can see him agonizing over what to write before finally settling on those two words. Knowing him, they’re actually very expressive. He also signs using his last name, Kurahara, despite Haiji always calling him by his first name. Like Prince, he’s being formal, maybe too formal for friends. Another similarity between these two.

King’s message also has Haiji’s well-being in mind. Not surprising as we saw how worried he was sitting by Haiji’s bedside: “You need to rest!!” But the rest of it isn’t too helpful, “They said eating meat when you’re sick is good for you”. If you’re going to recommend meat, you should provide some, King. This awkwardness and him signing using his “self proclaimed” title matches his personality.

Musa tries to be helpful: “This African mask will protect you from evil!” It’s a lovely gesture from the considerate exchange student who signs using his given name first then his family name. I think he does this because it’s probably how he signs all his exchanges, like they were official memos. At least in my head he does.

Cultural Note: In Japan first names always come second. Of course Musa knows this, so it was a personal decision. Subtle but nice characterization.

Language Note: Musa is Moses in Arabic, Kamara is the feminine form for the masculine word Qamar (which means moon), so Musa might be from the Arabic speaking regions of Tanzania.

Shindo, likewise, signs with his first and last name, though like all Japanese his family name comes first. It matches his serious personality. It also shows that he doesn’t have any particular attachment to his nickname, which means “genius” or “prodigy”. He’s humble and his message reveals his trademark conscientiousness: “I’m sorry for always relying on you for everything! Get well soon.” This remorse from the only member who went out of his way to do something for the team, thinking of the budget and making T-shirts to help create a fan club and jogging evenings to promote the team. Like Yuki always says about him, Shindo really is a “damn honor roll student” which I’m guessing is Japanese for “goody two shoes” but in the positive sense. His parents sure raised him well.

Yuki’s message touched me a lot because it shows what I’ve been suspecting for a while now: “Sorry. Get some rest!!! Sleep well, rest well.” He’s a very caring individual and he actually feels guilty for not having done more to help Haiji. I like how he signs his message with his nickname. Unlike the others, it’s just an abbreviation of his actual name. Like the twins, it’s probably what most people call him. He’s also close enough to be on a first name basis with Haiji and isn’t concerned about showing it. And why should he be? They are the same age and have been living together for four years. It’s normal.

Last but not least is Nico: “Get well soon!” Well, maybe least on the board, but surely not emotionally. He didn’t even bother signing his name. Nico is a private person, so I think what’s not being said is as important as the generic message that is there. And Haiji would probably get that.

Back to the team: It looks like Kakeru won’t have time to make any changes to the training menu, as he takes over Haiji, tagging along with Prince during morning practice. Not that I think he had anything planned. Like I said, his “I may not be gentle” was mostly directed at Prince.

Prince tells him “You don’t have to do what Haiji does.” Kakeru argues “If I leave you alone, you’ll fall farther and farther behind. Everyone’s else’s pace is increasing. Their efforts will be ruined because of you. Buck up and take this seriously.”

Prince and the Zombie. Which is which?

Well, he didn’t lie about not being gentle. Though his tone wasn’t cruel either, just matter of fact. Actually, that might be worse. Being dispassionate could be interpreted as being uncaring.

Prince takes it pretty well, however. He asks Kakeru how long he’s been so fast, and guesses since he was a child, since he’s a genius at it. KK tells him that’s not true. Prince replies, “Then try talking at my speed”.

In one sentence, he managed to silence Kakeru completely. Everyone knows Kakeru isn’t good at talking. Just like Prince is terrible at running. Him asking Kakeru to talk at his speed is his way of reminding him that different people have different talents…and weaknesses.

Kakeru stops for a bit and studies Prince as he runs. When they return to Aotake, he berates him for going to read manga, and tells him he has to change out of his sweaty clothes first. Prince snaps back “Freshness is everything!” Much to Kakeru’s confusion.

A feminine voice agrees and the two looks towards the door to see that Hana-chan has come to Aotake. After hearing that Haiji collapsed she brought ingredients from her father’s store, knowing that he won’t be able to go shopping that day. As soon as she arrives the twins run up to her like she’s a savior, and ask her to cook for them.

We’re taken to mid episode break and the adorable Nira.

Act Two

After the break we see the Aotake members outside the WC, holding their stomachs in pain and waiting desperately for Musa to finish so that they can have their turn in the bathroom.

– I love how there was a shot of a flower in the garden giving us a hint of how this mysterious case of food poisoning come about.

Burned and drenched in seasoning.

The culprit can be seen occupying the kitchen. Hana apologizes and wonders if her cooking is not to the team’s taste.

She asks Prince and Kakeru what they think of the food. The two reply simultaneously.

“It’s good.”

Then glare at each other, annoyed that, for the second time they had the exact same reaction. The thing is that they really do look like they’re fine with her food and not just being kind. It’s a unique thing to have in common. They must like strong flavors.

Hana is glad, and tells them her family loves her cooking, so much that her dad cries every time he eats it.

-Dear sweet unsuspecting Hana doesn’t know the rest of the Kansei team has turned into dried up husks. Or that her dad probably cries out of misery as he’s eating.

That evening the twins check in on Haiji thinking he must have had enough rest. They find his room empty.

The two inform Nico and Yuki that he vanished. Their elders panic, but when they learn that the twins forgot to account for Haiji’s window, and the fact that his room is on the ground floor, they in turn realize that they forgot to account for the twins’ stupidity.

-This scene where Jota and Jouji were analyzing what must have happened like it was a great mystery from Detective Conan was fun. As were the reactions of Yuki and Nico.

The would be lawyer says,“We were stupid to let them handle it,” meaning that the window should have been blocked, too. Nico wonders where Haiji went. The twins don’t know but tell them the Ochazuke they’d left for Haiji was finished. “So, he’s well enough to eat and escape through a window?” The older two conclude that he must be fine, then.

-Yuki is hanging out in Nico’s room. This is progress. I like to think they were talking about Haiji and how to lessen the burden on him.

It’s almost sunset and Kakeru is running by himself. Afternoon practice must have been cancelled due to most of the team having food poisoning and dehydration.

He’s surprised when he sees Haiji, with his shopping bag and Nira, at the doctor’s clinic. He’s thanking him for his house call. Nira’s bark, as always, alerts him of KK presence.

The doc tells Haiji he shouldn’t have come just to thank him and puts a hand on his shoulder, telling him he’s a fine young man.

It only lasted a second, but the shot felt poignant, somehow. Like it was meant to show how those living outside the Aotake see, and are able to support Haiji, in ways those closest to him can’t. Particularly Kakeru, who was in the center of shot.

Or he may just be considering how respectful Haiji acts with the adults. I wonder what other fans think.

The next scene shows the two runners sitting at the park bench with Haiji laughing after being informed of Kakeru and Prince’s conversation. “You totally lost that argument,” he tells his unamused companion. He then adds “There’s no beating Prince when it comes to sophistry,” before adding that it’s not actually sophistry, meaning Prince does have a point.

Kakeru surprises Haiji when he asks “Will he be all right?” Then points out that he saw Prince properly for the first time, and that he has no form at all. “He needs to be corrected.

Haiji doesn’t respond to this. Rather he repeats Kakeru’s words: “You got a proper look for the first time.” 

Caught, Kakeru starts to respond, but doesn’t know what to say. Haiji saves him the trouble and kindly says,

“I’m not criticizing you. You had your own problems. But I think he was watching you and waiting to see when you’d look his way. You’re always looking forward.” He then adds, “Prince isn’t the only one. Everyone is running behind you. Until you turn around, you’ll never see them from where you are. You won’t see who is running where, and how.”

It’s a continuation of their conversation before Haiji collapsed. At Haiji’s words, Kakeru remembers the meet the day before, and how, for the first time, he saw how hard his teammates were running.

I think he understands what Haiji is saying. Prince, like the others, is trying just as hard in his own way. He’s not running “half-assed” any more than the others were. But Kakeru had been treating him as if he was.

I love how Haiji seamlessly switched the topic from Prince’s form to Kakeru’s attitude. He knows, even if KK’s concern is genuine, he won’t be able to help Prince if he doesn’t change the way he sees him. Before correcting Prince, Kakeru has to correct his misconception about him.

Kakeru takes in Haiji’s words silently and thoughtfully. There is tangible remorse in his contemplation, even. I think he realizes that if he hadn’t been forced to sit out the meet, he might never have considered, or even bothered, looking at his teammates.

Kakeru in the light, for once. Symbolic of enlightenment

This was such a gorgeous scene drawn and voiced perfectly. Then you have the wind slowly swaying through Kakeru’s hair, again hinting at a coming change, with Haiji calmly watching over him, and the background music. These are the type of scenes I search for in entertainment: intimate, revealing, thoughtful, and above all, beautiful.

Haiji smiles gently in satisfaction, as if he knows something is shifting for the better within Kakeru. He gives him a moment to gather his thoughts before telling him it’s time to go home. And that he might actually get sicker, seeing that he only had Ochazuke to eat all day.

Music: The title of track here is Meteor and I think it refers to Kakeru. They’re both beautiful when they move. They’re also fast and never stop till they’re done.

Back at Aotake, the Kansei track team members have gathered for dinner and are in tears upon seeing the glorious spread Haiji has set for them.

He apologizes for worrying them and tells them to eat as much as they want. Everyone cries in happiness. The uninhibited twins even hug him.

He then mentions that he learned that Hana cooked for them, with her own ingredients and how he has to thank her.

-Kakeru really must have been fine with Hana’s cooking. I’m guessing he’s the one who told Haiji, as the dorm cook obviously hasn’t yet heard of the collective case of food poisoning. At his reference to the incident, everyone suddenly turns to ashen mannequins, remembering their ordeal.

Later, Kakeru visits Prince in his room, asking Prince if he can borrow some manga.

He’s so delighted he can’t breathe.

Kakeru misunderstands Prince’s reaction and becomes defensive, saying that he doesn’t have anything in his room.

-Oh, boy Kakeru, you’re in for a ride. Basically, you have just fulfilled every otaku’s dream: the chance to introduce/talk about their favorite fiction. Just so you know, there’s no going back here.

But I think Prince may be a bit skeptical as he asks Kakeru if he’s fine with romance, like he’s testing him. Or it could just be what he’a currently into.

Later, We see KK sitting on Prince’s futon (the only space available) with a manga in hand. He watches as Prince reads while walking on the treadmill and tells him he’s good at that.

Kakeru here is making a genuine effort to get closer to Prince and make amends, after giving him so much grief. He probably remembered how excited Prince was when he tried to recruit him for the manga club. It’s such a Haiji thing to do! Remember Haiji telling Yuki he’ll go clubbing with him as teammates need to respect and understand each other.

As he sees Prince on the treadmill an idea occurs to Kakeru.

He exclaims “That’s it!” Surprising Prince and causing him to hilariously fall.

The next day he tells Prince he’ll hold his manga for him as he runs, seeing how on the treadmill Prince’s form is much better than on the road, because he stands straighter to be able to read. “It brings your center of gravity forwards. “

With Haiji leading the way, to keep them from running into anything, they conduct the experiment. It works! Prince then asks them to wait as he puts up his hair so that he can see better.

-Like girls cutting their hair, this is symbolic of a new resolve.

Prince explains that he couldn’t see before because of his bangs. Haiji ruefully asks “What were you looking at all this time” but not loud enough to be heard by anyone.

When they arrive at the river, Kakeru ask Prince to try running, only this time alone without a volume in front of him, using his imagination alone. The others observe and they all notice the bizarre way his hands swing, even though his posture is better.

Shindo says quietly, “There’s a lot I want to say about that.” While the younger twin points out, “I bet it would be fun if we put bells in his hands.”

-LOL!! It would.

Their collective reaction is priceless.

Jouta tries mimicking him as he thinks, “Why does he do that?” Before coming to a realization, “I know! It’s like when he’s reading comics!”

Kakeru agrees that Prince arms are fixed in a reading position even when running. Yuki states how amazed he is that Prince could run like that.

-You and everyone else, Yuki.

Kakeru says, “We’re not short distance runners so there’s no need for sweeping arm movements. But I’d like to fix his habit of holding them in place.”

The problem is solved by putting a few manga volumes in each hand and asking Prince to pretend he’s running to his room to read.

Prince: “I can’t wait to go back to my room and read.”

As they watch Haiji tells Nico, “You’ve got your color back.” The older resident responds, “I’ve been eating. I don’t want you worrying unnecessarily.”

I always knew he cared.

Haji thanks him. Nico then tells him “You really don’t miss a thing,” then looks at Kakeru and Prince, “What about them? You could have intervened anytime. Did you stay out of it because you knew this would happen?”

Haiji says “No way. I intended to fix things if I had to. But I didn’t think it would ever really be his if he’d learned to run that way. A truly fortunate error.”

-It’s just like Haiji to want Prince to discover his running form on his own. Though I think it wouldn’t have hurt to give him more pointers. Even Haiji isn’t perfect. Like he said, it was an error on his part, but it worked out in the team’s favor.

Next, we get a wonderfully edited montage that depicts how KK has taken a genuine interest in Prince. Even after Haiji gets better he continues training with him, holding manga up for him as he runs on his treadmill and helping him stretch.

We even see them reading manga together, though Prince is, of course, the faster reader as shown by how quickly he flips his pages. It’s not just about running anymore. They’ve become friends. During training, Prince starts watching Kakeru’s form as he runs and tries to copy it. He can do this now because Kakeru is no longer running ahead, he’s running close to him.

Prince’s form becomes better. So does Kakeru’s reading. The scene ends with the two, finally, flipping their respective manga pages at the same time.

How beautiful and uplifting. I love this show.

At their next meet, when Prince’s exhaustion has him reverting back to his improper form, Kakeru yells at him from behind and stops next to him to encourage him: “Forward!”

Zoom in to see the reflection in his eyes.

Prince is as shocked as everyone. But KK’s words pull him up, he straightens his back once again and tells Kakeru “Seriously, you never shut up!” He then says that he’s fine and to go on ahead.

It is an extremely touching moment. Especially given that KK had been about to break his old record. A few onlookers exclaim at Kakeru’s action, saying that he was going to get a great time. Even his teammates are touched, but none more than Haiji. I wonder if he was hoping for this, given that he only registered Prince and Kakeru for the meet.

More than Prince’s corrected form, Kurahara looking out for his teammate, rather than be obsessed with his time, was the greatest achievement. You see Haiji’s hand quiver as he holds the timer, obviously overcome with joy at KK’s emotional growth.

Even when he crosses the finish line KK doesn’t even look at his watch. Instead he turns and immediately starts cheering for Prince. The entire team is doing so and Prince manages to put in the smallest increment of speed.

The Kansei members all meet him at finish line. Kakeru, who was in the race, is naturally the first by his side.

Kakeru: “You did it. You made it!”

“Don’t make a fuss. I still have a long way to go.” Prince gasps out as he’s stretched on the floor. Kakeru replies, “Yes you do. You can go much faster.”

“Shut up!” Prince shouts, hilariously angry. I don’t know why he’s so pissed but it’s funny. Maybe because he’s already dead tired but is being told he has to go even faster (though he knows at well, but it might grate coming from “faster than the speed of light” Kakeru). I think he’s also still astounded at how Kakeru matched his speed during the race and that while it must have made him happy it must have also frustrated him somewhat, having to be looked after like that.

To further ingrain just how amazing this team is, we see the confused expressions of random onlookers trying to figure out why they are making such a big deal over Prince’s time: (29:26:26).

“What’s so great about that?”

His companion replies, “Who knows.

The cheerful twins quickly yell out “To celebrate breaking 30 minutes!” And to the random pair’s astonishment they see Prince’s teammates flinging him in the air in absolute joy.

The terrified Prince yells with tears in his eyes the entire time.

Conclusion

The title of the episode, Our Speed, refers to Kakeru’s understanding that, for better or for worse, the team’s speed is what really matters. Whereas he used to see this as a weakness and expected everyone to just be serious and become faster on their own, he now knows speed is a goal for the team to work at together.

This is one of the best parts of the show. It’s not about comparing yourself to others, rather comparing your progress to yourself and celebrating even the smallest of gains and using them to push yourself further. And to have people close to you who are able to understand that and celebrate it with you is one of life’s greatest gifts.

Kansei may not be the fastest team, but you know that they’re the most special one.

Grade: 10/10.

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Run With the Wind Episode Nine Review: Mismatched Runners

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 get a recap of Haiji and Kakeru’s argument and KK’s ultimatum to Prince.

Act One

The episode starts with the last two people who should know about the incident exclaiming “No way!” in disbelief: The twins know.

-I don’t think anyone told them. Neither Haiji nor Prince seem to be gossips nor thoughtless. We know Prince is slowest to run, and probably slowest to arrive at Aotake from their morning jog. Since he is just being served his breakfast by Haiji, the twins likely overheard the two talking about it in the kitchen before they joined them for breakfast.

Haiji says “That kind of talk is ineffective. I told you.” So he has already discussed this matter with Prince, perhaps the night before. He then adds that Kakeru went too far.

Jouji jokes “Well, he is fast,” and he and his brother nudge each other.

Haiji ignores them and points out Kakeru h zi

Haiji then tells the twins “I don’t want you two having weird biases,” and orders them not to tell anyone else.

-Kudos to Haiji. The gag-order keeps the matter from getting out of hand. He’s also tacitly asking the twins to not take sides.

They seem to understand. Jota points out “Well, we know he’s not a bad guy.” Jouji qualifies: “But he can be really irritable.”

Prince says he was so upset he stayed up all night reading manga. 

-I feel you Prince. I too drown my sorrows in fiction.

For some reason the twins feel the need to confirm it was manga that he was reading. I say, does it matter?

After the episode title: Mismatched Runners, we see Haiji opening the rice cooker and seeing that it has rice left over.

Haiji: “Someone besides Kakeru isn’t eating”.

-So not only did KK (presumably) go on his morning jog alone, he also skipped breakfast. To avoid the team? Or was he just too into his training that it ran late?

Prince asks if Haiji thinks he’ll actually acquire the required record.

Prince asks this haltingly, like he’s afraid of the answer.

-Its obvious Kakeru’s words were a huge blow to him, especially considering his genuine efforts and how supportive everyone else is being. But because KK is an actual runner, his opinion has more impact; like it did with Nico. So, it makes sense that he wants Haiji’s opinion, who is also a runner.

Wait. What if this is why Haiji was silent most of the last episode when it came to KK’s behavior? We know KK comes from a (presumably strong) running school. Bram mentioned in a comment to the previous review that most of what Haiji does is deliberate. I think so too, but I couldn’t figure out a reason for his silence in the face of Kakeru’s aggressive assertiveness. What if, like Nico, and Prince here, he too is was influenced by KK’s opinions as a runner, especially considering that Haiji isn’t a real coach. Even as he became increasingly worried about KK’s health, Haiji silently let Kakeru express his opinions because he thought they might help push the team forward. It is only after KK hurt Hana that Haiji intervened because he saw that, in his zeal, KK was starting to hurt others as well as himself.

Back to Prince, Haiji is quick to encourage him. He tells him that his time is improving. At Prince’s doubtful silence Haiji reveals he enjoys running with him, truly. “Running next to you makes me feel like I can reconsider what it means to run.”

Continuity: this is a topic we know occupies Haiji’s mind. Now we see exactly how much.

As he continues, we get a flashback of Haiji in physical therapy: “Right foot forward, left foot forward, slowly increasing your pace. You used to walk, but before you know it, it looks like you’re running. I’m re-experiencing the excitement of running.”

High school Haiji.

In contrast to Present Haiji’s words, Past Haiji looks like he’s suffering immensely as he forces himself to walk, while supporting himself with handlebars. I loved this scene. Haiji’s so mysterious that any backstory on him is interesting. This scene is also incredibly well done with gorgeous music (In a World Where Running Is from the OST) and just a hint of Past Haiji’s pained, shuddering gasps being heard through Present Haiji’s narration.

Admirable Fortitude.

The flashback reminded me of something Nico asked Kakeru about Haiji a while back: “Why is he so confident?” This might be it. When you overcome adversity, it leaves you stronger. Haiji sees his recovering self in Prince. But probably feels Prince has an advantage in that he is healthy and not recovering from an injury. Conversely, he sees Kakeru as himself pre-injury, presumably when all he cared about were times. I think this puts him a wonderfully unique position where he can emphasize with both. It is also probably why he was careful to tell the twins to not have a “weird bias”.

Prince says he’s not sure he understands Haiji’s words.

-Well, yeah. Unlike us, he didn’t see the flashback. As absorbed as he is in his manga. does Prince even know about Haiji’s injury? Haiji doesn’t seem the type to talk about himself, either.

But Prince then goes on to say that he thinks he does, however, understand enjoying doing something together. “We read the same comics together at the same time.” He describes the joy of counting down to start, flipping the pages in tandem and having their thoughts synchronized. “Even if we don’t share our thoughts, it feels like we’ve thoroughly discussed the content.”

Haiji hears him out, then says “I see. He then goes on to say that it is difficult for him to understand Prince. The bookworm replies, “Of course it is,” as if he never expected Haiji to, in the first place. 

Language Note: These last two quotes are my own translation. Not that it makes much of a difference. But I though viewers might be interested in how it could been translated.

-This conversation reminds me of Yuki trying to understand Nico’s reason for running. I said it at the time, and it seems especially true here: even if you can’t reach complete comprehension of another person, sometimes just the effort is enough. Prince and Haiji here are a perfect example

At the university cafeteria, our beloved idiot brothers have already spilled the tea to Yuki, Shindo, and Musa.

Shindo is horrified while Yuki, after logically arguing that it would be impossible for Prince to suddenly get faster, sighs carelessly that this means he’ll be their first drop-out.

-Oi! Stop acting flippant, Yuki. I saw that sweatdrop. You’re actually as worried as anyone else.

Zoom in and you’ll find it on his cheek.

Musa is quick to say that Haiji will never accept it. Shindo eagerly asks what Haiji had to say. The two recall his orders: not to worry, not to be biased, not to tell anyone.

The twins realizing they disobeyed Haiji.

Yuki speaks for everyone when he says “You guys are such idiots.” They are, but there are so freaking lovable. You can’t help but forgive them. It helps that the other teammates are all mature so we know they’ll heed Haiji’s instructions. No harm no foul.

Later we see Prince reading manga while on the treadmill. Despite what happened he doesn’t plan on quitting. Good for him.

We also see Nico for the first time at the Kansei University grounds. He has dark under eye circles and is drinking milk from a carton. As he laments his growling stomach he’s approached by Haiji, still in his apron.

Haiji stops to catch his breath. It takes him a while. We then see him hilariously chasing Nico through a flower field with a lunch box, like they’re in some sort of skit or commercial.

Nico yells at him to stop chasing him. Haiji’s pleased he found him despite Nico hiding in the last place he’d look; that place being the university.

-Lol! No wonder he fails his classes. This also explains why Haiji was panting so hard. He’s been running all over looking for Nico. Did he forget to remove his apron? And how much cooler can he get that he doesn’t care about how funny he looks?

He’s pushing Nico to eat the bento (boxed lunch) he made. Nico replies, “I don’t want it! It doesn’t look good for a grown ass man to accept a lunch from another grown ass man!”

This is because in Japan the stereotype is that homemade bentos are usually made by wives or girlfriends .

Haiji tells him not to worry, his food looks perfect.

Nico: “That’s not what I mean!”

Haiji says he knew something was up as there was exactly one extra serving of rice left over.

-I don’t get it. Earlier in the episode Haiji said someone “besides Kakeru wasn’t eating” , now he’s saying there was only one serving left. If Kakeru isn’t eating either wouldn’t there be two servings left? Unless, maybe KK had told Haiji before-hand that he wouldn’t need breakfast? That would make sense; despite his awkwardness he tries to be polite so it seems like something he’d do.

-I do wonder why Kakeru isn’t eating. The only other time he refused was when he first came to Aotake and told Haiji he didn’t want to owe him anything. Maybe after the fight he feels too angry/awkward to eat with them.

Nico comments on how close Haiji’s watching them. Haiji explains that he plans their meals carefully down to volume and nutritional value. Shocked, Nico finally stops his escape to ask how long Haiji has been doing this. The younger tenant tells him since he took charge of the cooking, so four years now.

After finally catching his breath, Haiji tells the astounded Nico not to rush and that there’s no reason to panic. “You’ll probably get it eventually.”(Kito)

Nico calls him out on not saying “definitely,” (Zettai) Haiji says he’ll change his mind if Nico eats properly. Then shows him the lunch which features bento art of Nico.

A man of many talents: Haiji’s instagram worthy bento.

-Incidentally, I think this is actually the first scene we’ve had of these two alone together. We’ve been told that they’ve known each other the longest. We’ve heard Nico talk to Kakeru about Haiji. We know Nico is older, but that he’s used to being looked out for by Haiji. Here, we see that even as a former member of track, he allows himself to be guided by the younger athlete. We also see them interact as equals with mutual respect and regard. No wonder Yuki approached Haiji about Nico in the previous episode.

At afternoon practice, Yuki impresses everyone when he overtakes both Nico and King on the track.

-Now that he’s decided to run seriously, he’s improving very quickly. This fits his perfectionist personality.

On the other hand, Kakeru’s times have been steadily decreasing, presumably due to him going overboard with his practice and not resting enough.

We also (finally!) see Haiji running during practice, and not just to supervise Prince. Rather he’s running off the track the same time as half the team is racing, with Shindo taking over the stopwatch to time the others.

Blink and you’ll miss him.

At their after-practice meeting, Haiji tells everyone that in three weeks their times have improved due to their sticking to his menu, which means they have a chance of doing well at tomorrow’s meet.

-Well, everyone except KK but then he isn’t listening to Haiji’s advice that he needs to rest too.

Haiji then states that the team needs all members to make it Hakone, since they do not have any substitutes.

He’s talking to you, Kakeru. You too, Prince.

-It’s interesting that these two ended up sitting next to each other. Prince’s posture however hints that he still feels a bit sad and/or uncomfortable, despite Haiji’s encouragement. He’s probably worried about what will happen if he doesn’t run well the next day. Conversely, Kakeru is looking up, so he’s probably looking forward to the meet.

Haiji adds “Let’s all attend tomorrow’s track meet so we can participate together.” But seemingly contradicts himself when he says he’ll announce which members will be running. 

Everyone is confused. Jouta asks “It’s not everyone?” 

Haiji tells him “It’s everyone. We’ll all go. Running isn’t everything.“

Prince and Kakeru become antsy. No doubt KK is recalling Haiji telling him that he won’t run while Prince is wondering if he’ll be chosen or not.

Haiji names Jouta, Jouji, Shindo, Musa, and Yuki as the participants.

-Well played, Haiji. Despite telling Kakeru in the previous episode that he’ll only let those without records run, Haiji splits the team in half.

Shindo, Musa and the twins have always done well, from the beginning, so it makes sense for them to be chosen. I think Yuki looked quite shocked that he’ll be running but it fits. This is probably Haiji’s way of encouraging him and rewarding his progress.

As to those not chosen, we already knew KK won’t be. But by keeping Prince out as well Haiji effectively voids Kakeru’s ultimatum. As to Nico, he has obviously overworked himself with exercise and dieting so he isn’t in the ideal shape to run. Then by keeping both himself and King from running (even though they’re probably fine) Haiji keeps the trio from feeling singled out. He also successfully diverts KK and Prince from thinking his choices were driven by their fight. Although I’m sure that was the case. Haiji is a loving parent putting an end to an argument between his children.

Said kids are all visibly shook and confused. Prince’s expression then becomes contemplative while Kakeru’s contorts in anger. He stands up and looks at Haiji menacingly.

Act Two

It is now the next day and we see the members preparing at the track meet.

Haiji is signing the team in, Musa and Shindo change, Nico and King are preparing drinks while Prince is helping Yuki stretch. Kakeru stands apart from the others, closest to the track with his arms crossed.

-As pissed off as he looked in the previous scene, I’m actually surprised to see Kakeru there and wonder how Haiji convinced him. He seems like he’s interested in the other teams but he might just be feigning interest because he feels awkward.

Jouta and Jouji, sitting closet to him ponder where the Rikudo team is. They talk about how strong and cool Fujioka’s team looked in all-white, highlighting their team’s strength. They then compare them to their team, Kansei Uni, that doesn’t even have matching track suits and how no one can even tell who they are unless their racing uniforms are in view.

Kakeru listens in on their conversation discussion and it gives insight into his mind. It reminds us how upset he was when he heard Fujioka will be skipping future meets. But the fact that even the twins are lamenting how lacking their team is makes it more likely that KK (who was in a strong team) is as well. Though I think he’s more concerned with the team’s overall inexperience rather than uniforms. Looks like Sakaki might have been right after all.

At the starting line, Shindo says that despite it being their second time, he’s still nervous. Musa points out that it’s because its their second time. Yuki says “Practice should be just as hard.”

–Language note: I felt the phrasing of this to be odd. Even if the translation is correct it would be easier to understand if it had been “It shouldn’t be harder than practice.” As I suspect that was the intended meaning. A literal translation isn’t always best.

While Musa ponders if they’ll lever get used to the atmosphere, Shindo says they probably shouldn’t. Yuki admires his sentiment.

Yuki: “Nicely said.” Indeed.

I like how vocal Yuki is with his praise to Shindo here. And in the previous episode he admired King’s energy. I want to say that Yuki’s a closeted supportive-type but that would be inaccurate. He stood up for Haiji when King wouldn’t train with them, he reassured Musa he was just as strong as his fellow exchange students, and he tried making KK feel welcome his first night. He also warned Haiji about Nico exerting himself. But he does most of this so smoothly that it’s easy to forget.

The twins plan their run, with Jouta saying he’ll run on the inside, and Jouji telling him he’ll create space in front of him, and that he should run ahead if he can. They discuss how similar races feel to their soccer games, when they would take each other’s positions to confuse the opposing team. They call the race a “game” and mention how they like it.

These two exchanges serve to show how invested our runners are.

The remaining members watch in anticipation the beginning of the race. King mentions that he feels nervous. Nico says it’ll be fine since “they’re the elite team.”

-Nico seems to have realized that Haiji chose the athletes who are at their best.

As Kakeru watches his participating teammates, he recalls what happened the previous day after Haiji’s announcement.

He had stubbornly declared that he will run, but Haiji takes the wind out of his sails by telling him that he registered in advance.

Kakeru angrily asks what he’s training for, then. Haji responds with what he’s been telling them all along: “Hakone. You’ve already got your record.”

Kakeru is infuriated. “That’s not what this is about! You should understand better than anyone how it feels not to be able to run when you want to!”

I live for these details. Kakeru’s in the dark.

-Ouch. I think this is the first time Haiji’s injury has been alluded to so openly.

-Kakeru here is directly quoting what Nico told him about Haiji. I wonder how Nico feels about that. A collection of sighs and low groans is emitted from the group at Kakeru’s desperate appeal.

Check out the sunset.

Haiji remains calm. He tells KK with an inward smile that he does understand, and he knows that he wants to run more than anything. But then adds more firmly that he also knows “you don’t see what running is about”.

Haiji’s in the light. Symbolism, anyone?

He tells a shaken Kaeru to stop and take in the view, then slowly start running again. He ends it what is perhaps the most surprising statement of all: “Be like Prince and Nico-chan Senpai,” shocking all three men at what he could mean, since Kakeru is obviously infinitely faster than those two.

– Haiji here is referring to both Nico and Prince’s mental strength. While Kakeru is fast, he is also emotionally fragile. This has been proven by how much the first meet damaged him.

Nico can’t believe he’s being used as a example for Kakeru

Neither can Prince. Both are partially highlighted by the sunset. Meaning is open to interpretation.

And here I was wondering how Haiji calmed Kakeru’s anger. By telling him to be like Nico and Prince, he forces him to recognize their tenacity. He also encourages these two who had been collaterally damaged, though in different ways, by Kakeru’s fixation.

– Haiji is a master at knowing what to say and how to say it. Also, him not getting angry even when attacked where it hurts, probably made an impression on temperamental Kakeru. But what makes his advice truly effective is the care behind it. He’s stern, but kind. He assuages KK by empathizing with him, but pushes him to grow past his obsession. The fact that he has Kakeru’s best interest at heart is what makes his words stick.

Back in the present, Prince’s shirt has “why” written on, undoubtedly reflecting his mood. He tells Kakeru “I don’t think I’ve narrowly escaped. If anything you could say I’ve got no way out now.”

-He’s talking about KK’s challenge and how his not being chosen to run is enough for Kakeru to demand he leave the team.

KK is perturbed at Prince’s depressed tone and words. Overhearing their conversation, King chimes in to say, “Oh, right. I hear you said something to Prince. You’re a first-year, right?”

-King, you’re the only one who cares about the senpai-kouhai hierarchy. Also, no one asked you to take sides, so don’t.

Thankfully, Nico warns him to not stir things up by simply saying his name in his usual mild tone.

KK seems a bit abashed, and, by way of apology, says “That was the heat of the moment.”

But when Prince asks if he takes it back, he stubbornly refuses, saying that he’s taking things seriously in his own way. Nico sighs and says “you finally said what was on your mind.” When Kakeru starts, Nico assures him that he’s not blaming him.

-Nico here makes Kakeru realize that he’s been expressing himself more. And even though his style leaves much to be desired, it’s still progress. Which is why Nico made a point of telling him he’s not blaming him. Otherwise, KK might go back to being his silent emo self who only shouts out his frustrations when they bubble over.

Before the race starts, Prince comments that he can’t believe he’s watching a race, and that he never would have imagined this a month ago.

-It wasn’t intentional, but Prince’s statement reminded KK that Prince, like the others, is completely new to this world, and that he hadn’t entered it on his own.

Meanwhile Haiji is looking at his watch, getting ready to time his runners, only to have his vision blur. Haiji’s eyes widen in shock, before he furrows his brows.

This is very concerning.

-I noticed here that Haiji too has under eye circles. We also recall that he was panting very heavily when he caught up with Nico to bring him lunch. What’s wrong with him?

The race starts. KK hears King say that, in the previous race, he was so focused on running he couldn’t even think about his time.

-Again, hopefully this serves to remind Kakeru that his teammates are all amateurs, and he should go a bit easier on them.

The race progresses, and the Kansei members manage to hold on even as the group of runners increase their pace. Kakeru, perhaps for the first time truly sees how hard his teammates are trying.

So hard, he recalls the wind in his own ears as he was racing against Fujioka. So hard, that their expressions remind him of the Rikudo champion’s. It’s like something finally clicks in his mind. So overcome is he that his mouth drops open.

And its not just the runners. He sees Nico, King, and Haiji cheer with all their might. It spurs him to start cheering as well, shouting as hard as he could. Even Prince stirs from his corner and stars mouthing something to his friends.

The cheering squad catches the attention of the runners, and they all give open mouthed smiles.

After the race, we learn that none of the team members got records, although they were close. King really thought they would, as close as they were. Nico points out that Yuki even achieved a new best time, and that it wasn’t bad at all.

Yuki: “When I think about how I have to run again it makes me want to puke.”

-Nice to see these two as friendly as ever in their own quirky way.

Shindo seems most down about it. The ever alert Haiji tells him it was too bad, and that he was close. Shindo admits “I waited too long in the middle. I should have gone sooner.” He also adds that he realized he isn’t someone who can win at sprints.

Haiji tells him “You sound like a long distance runner,” making Shindo smile in pleasure. After all that’s what they’re all aiming to be.

Dedicated Shindo.

-Seriously, how does Haiji always know just what to say? I want that super power.

The twins then mention how Haiji’s cheering made them laugh mid race. And that, despite feeling embarrassed, it actually made them run faster.

He looked absolutely insane. It was hilarious. And moving.

Musa concurs, saying that support is really truly essential.

Haiji is touched that his boys came to this understanding. He gives a small genuine smile.

Nice. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one.

Musa continues saying “Just thinking that these two were saying something to me made my vision blurry.”

Musa is such a sweetheart.

Which two? He means Prince an KK. He bows his thanks in their direction, much to their consternation.

But they can’t run from the truth. The twins inform them that Musa’s has amazing eyesight, he can even see the apartment building from the Skytree (look it up). Yuki yells that they souldn’t lie.

–Writing tip: this was a great way to slip in some characterization.

Prince doesn’t miss this opportunity to embarrass KK by telling the others that he was calling thei names.

Kakeru, mortified, counters “So were you!”

Prince: “I was barely speaking.”

Prince points out he was just barely speaking. But that KK was shouting. He adds, “I was so embarrassed I didn’t know what to do,” before walking away.

Prince is such a troll.

I love Prince here. His teasing is a bit petty, but I think, in his own way, he was also sticking up for KK. Letting the others know that Kurahara was cheering for them is his way of showing that he isn’t harboring any grudge against him.

Of course, this goes over our dear Dunce Kakeru’s head. He thinks he’s being mocked as revenge for telling Prince to quit. He’s conflicted, and reaches out like he wants to say something to Prince but doesn’t know what. But Nico gets it. He happily grabs him, rubbing his head as he laughs, and says “He’s a good guy at heart.”

Nico is such a Dad.

I think this is Nico’s way of letting KK know that Prince wasn’t actually being malicious. But again, it goes over KK’s head, instead, he’s annoyed at Nico’s roughhousing and feels upset and embarrassed at being teased.

Kakeru’s such a teen.

-It’s a beautiful moment and while no one got records, I think Haiji considers it a great victory for their team

He says as much. Haiji happily thanks those who ran and those who cheered, and says that because of everyone’s efforts their times improved a lot. He reiterates that they took a huge step forward, and they should have faith. They have plenty of chances.

Smiles all around. Except for KK.

Shindo gives an energetic “Hai!” (yes) while Yuki coolly says “Well, it’s not my style to end on a loss.” Damn straight, Mr. “Passed the Bar on my first try as a third year”.

As always, it takes a while for Kakeru to react. But Haiji’s words seem to finally resonate with him. He slowly gives a tiny smile.

Nice to see this. Again, it’s been a while.

The smile also gives hope that, after regressing a bit, KK’s starting to move forward again.

At the Aotake, the team is having another after-meet celebration in the twins’ room. Haiji is cooking dinner in a wok. It’s fried rice and we’re reminded of his culinary prowess. Those things are HEAVY.

My favorite place, where poignant conversations happen.

Unlike with their first after-meet party, where Kakeru was so annoyed, this time he’s helping out in the kitchen, as he was prone to do, before that cursed TSU meet rattled him.

-This, too, hints that he’s returning back to normal, or his new normal where he had been slowly but surely starting to fit in at the Aotake.

As he cooks, Haiji asks Kakeru what it was like, watching from the outside. “Did you see anyone run half-assed?” he says gently, quoting Kakeru’s unfair accusation. Without waiting for an answer, he adds “I didn’t. Everyone was running as hard as they could. Not just us. Everyone was.”

Kakeru’s reply is sincere: “I understand what you are trying to say. When they failed to achieve official records, I was as disappointed as if it was me.” He adds “I felt for the first time the earnestness of the people cheering around me.”

I do not doubt this. We’ve seen Kakeru’s old coach cheer for him, but that was for his own selfish reasons. And his high school team members, jealous as they were of Kakeru’s talent, probably never cheered for him so honestly.  

Kakeru repeats that he does understand Haiji, but adds “I still don’t think we can do it. Even if everyone achieves an official record.”

-Like Nico said earlier, he’s finally able to say what he thinks, what has truly been bothering him all this time. He wants to go to Hakone, but doesn’t think they can.

Haiji continues cooking silently. It’s unlike him, and we see him sway a bit. KK continues expressing his fears, looking away, perhaps in sadness, when a sudden thud interrupts him. Haiji has collapsed on the floor.

A stunned Kakeru can only watch as the wok follows the same path, dropping on the floor, and spilling all the rice.

Kakeru: AKA “slow at everything except running.”.

Damn. That was unexpected. It was so good. Having Haiji drop off-screen was genius as it adds to the intrigue of what’s wrong with him. The symbolism of the spilled rice creates feelings of apprehension to viewers. Then there’s Kakeru who was paralyzed with horror.

Symbolism.

Poor boy can’t even save a wok from falling off a stove. All joking aside, it just shows how affected he was. The fear and concern on his face and in his voice were genuine. Loved it.

Kakeru: “Haiji-san!”

Grade: 10/10

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Run With the Wind Episode Eight Review: A Dangerous Character

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 evening when Kakeru arrives at the Aotake building. From the outside, he can see light and hear laughter coming from the twins’ second floor room. Inside, he sees Jouji carrying a plate of Karaage chicken up to his room. The younger twin tells Kakeru he thought he’d reach the apartment building before them.

-Kakeru had been running, while the others were in the van. Either Jouji thinks that highly of Kakeru’s speed or Haiji’s driving is just that bad. Probably both. In the previous episode, Haiji had mentioned the trip took longer than he’d thought.

Kakeru asks what they’re doing. Jouji tells him they’re having an after-party.

“Not a review session?” Kakeru asks. The blond first year tells him with a smile, “You could call it that.” He tells Kakeru to join them after he changes.

– Maybe Kakeru arrived later because he just ran until he felt better. It must have taken a while. We’ve seen him run as a way to deal with his frustrations before. He seems much calmer now than when he took off in the previous episode. Speaking of which, Jouji is acting as if that never happened and treating Kakeru normally. Nice.

At the twins’ room, Prince talks about how disappointed he was at the lack sportsmanship amongst the runners, and that he was elbowed as soon as the race started.

-Methinks real life doesn’t hold a candle to the blood, sweat and friendship depicted in his beloved sports manga.

The twins say they know how he feels. King too, says someone shoved him from behind.

-We actually saw this happen to Shindo as well, in the previous episode.

Prince adds it made him lose all desire to run.

-This is very interesting to me. The way he speaks implies that there was some desire, to begin with. Or maybe he’s just giving an excuse for his performance. Not that he needs to, but maybe he feels that he does.

Haiji is uncharacteristically silent. He seems somehow down, and lost in his own thoughts as he chews his food. Nico studies him for a bit, I think to see if he plans on saying anything (i.e. to Kakeru) after the awkwardness at the bus.

-At first, I thought Nico been looking at KK, but his eyes shift slightly more to the right when he starts talking to him. He was definitely looking at Haiji first.

At Haiji’s silence, Nico addresses Kakeru himself, telling him that he must not understand everyone’s complaints.

Yuki is quick to back him up, and points out that Kakeru was running so fast, he was completely alone.

The newest member of Aotake is quick to refute this, but everyone else chimes in on how amazing he was. Musa mentions it was impressive that he got third place in his first race and how he heard people asking about him. The twin’s add, “especially the girls.” King goes as far as to say he felt sorry to be wearing the same uniform.

Haiji finally speaks, to tell Kakeru “good work” and give him a toast. Everyone does as well, clinking their glasses to his. Kakeru looks silently as the liquid in his glass sloshes around.

– Like Jouji, I like how no one mentioned KK’s burst of anger. It’s like they all tacitly understand he’s upset and are giving him space. More than that, they’re trying to help him move past it.

-The scene of the toast is very telling. Everyone moved towards Kakeru, who sat put in his seat. They eagerly hit his glass with their own, while his own hand remained still, his drink dancing around in it gently. I found it all very symbolic as to how accepting they all were of him, and how they’re all on the same wavelength, but he isn’t. It’s a continuation of the isolation theme. It’s not like Kakeru’s trying to be a jerk, he’s just not good when it comes to social situations. This has been canon for a while now. At the same time, the liquid being pushed around could hint at his inner turbulence; and that he feels pressured by an outside force.

I am worried about Haiji though. It is unlike him to not be proactive. He was too quiet. Maybe he’s worried about his knee which was bumped into by another runner during the race. Or maybe he’s just tired from double frying the Karaage. Either way, I’m glad Nico and the others were there to help ease whatever tension was left.

Act One

After the opening credits Shindo asks Haiji how they did. Haiji answers with a question of his own:

“What do you think?”

Prince hides his face in his bangs and book.

King calls him out on not wanting to respond.

-To be fair, Haiji had already applauded their efforts at the meet. It’s natural to want to know how they rate their own performance.

Musa is the first to give an honest response, that it didn’t go as well as he hoped. Jouta says it was fun at first, but Jouji then admits he couldn’t find a proper pace. Shindo seems unhappy and says it hurts when there are winners and losers. Even the usually cheerful Jouji says he couldn’t beat his best time. The ever-analytical Yuki says that since none of them achieved official records, the meet was a failure. Unlike the others, he doesn’t count Haiji and Kakeru’s time as an achievement probably since he thought it was a given for them.

-I disagree. Maybe it’s true for Kurahara but we had no idea how Haiji would do seeing as how we never saw him run before then. But Yuki’s opinion here shows that, except for KK and maybe Nico, the others probably don’t know about Haiji’s injury. Or if they did, they probably think he’s already back at %100.

Haiji consoles them: “Practice and races are different. If anything, experiencing that was a major achievement.” He starts saying that the more they get used to races, the better their times will be, but Kakeru interrupts: “Practicing like that, will we make it in time?”

Haiji is quick to assure him, adding that they’ll attend another meet in two weeks at the Kikui Uni, and starting tomorrow they’ll practice even harder with a new training menu. The twins recoil. King asks to take a day off. Prince who had been mostly silent chimes in to say that they need to “cool down” after a race.

-Oh, Prince. You’re just dreading the practice, aren’t you? Also, you were reading this whole time, probably to avoid discussing your own performance, but you were also listening.

Coach Haiji patiently tells him that there’s no need to take the whole day off, since long distance running is about running every day. Prince gives his standard grimace, but doesn’t complain anymore.

Kakeru says that he doesn’t mind starting now; that’s how seriously they should be taking the results of the meet. He gazes intently at Haiji, “We’re going to Hakone, right?”

His eyes and tone are firm. Hard, even. Almost challenging.

Haiji doesn’t reply. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, but if I were him, I’d be “Oh boy. A beast has been awakened.”

Nico is too stunned at Kakeru’s change of heart to say anything. Remember, he and Kakeru had both agreed they won’t make it to Hakone in a previous conversation.

Yuki, however, who has proven to be just as dependable as Nico in diffusing tense situations, asks with a mollifying smile what’s up with KK. Shindo is also quick to appease, saying to not worry, they plan on making it to Hakone.

Kakeru then accuses them of having a party instead of a review meeting.

Again, Haiji stares back at him, but doesn’t reply.

Shindo mildly ventures that he thought they was reviewing. Nico agrees, but Yuki quickly points out that he had too much to drink for that to be true for him. The twins say that both reviewing and relaxing are important and that they’ll work hard tomorrow. Prince checks his phone and mentions that it’s raining tomorrow. When Yuki jokes that his jeans would absorb a lot of water, Kakeru finally loses it.

“Stop fooling around!” he says, slamming his glass on the table and effectively ruining everyone’s mood.

-The prologue ended with Kakeru’s drink gently swaying in his glass. This scene ended with him slamming that same glass, spilling its contents on the table. Forget different wavelengths; the difference in their points of view is greater than that. They’re doing their best to try help him relax, he’s doing all he can to make them more serious. And it’s not like they don’t want to try for Hakone. But achieving the level of tension that would appease Kakeru is probably impossible for the Aotake members. Knowing the kind of team Kakeru used to be in, it’s no surprise that he finds this environment lacking. But is that really a bad thing?

After the episode title, we see Kakeru getting a drink of water alone in the kitchen. Nico joins him and says while he knows how KK feels, he also sympathizes with the others, adding that it takes courage (yuki, in Japanese) to face things head on.

Kakeru says that it’s something they should already have, when they decided to race. Nico responds “Sure, you do.” He points out that KK is amazing for being able to compete with Fujioka. KK responds that he wasn’t at all, since he couldn’t do anything at the final lap. Nico points out that there was nothing the rest of them could do from the first lap, to which the younger man points out that’s exactly why they should all be serious about training.

-This here is the main reason why he’s upset. He lost. Like Shindo said, it hurts when there are winners and losers. This might even be Kakeru’s first loss ever, since he was such a champion in Sendai, his old town.

Nico then asks KK for advice, since he’s so heavy, he doesn’t feel that he can be a good runner.

-During this conversation, Kakeru’s slightness seems to be emphasized. I think this was an artistic decision to contrast his build with Nico’s.

The older tenant says his high school coach told him his build wasn’t meant for long distance running. He points out that this truth hit him once again when he and King got similar times,even though King had taken several days off practice.

Someone sneaks in the hall, walking carefully so as not to make noise. It is Yuki, who probably realized Nico had followed KK, and got worried. He listens in on their conversation. Kakeru points out that the reason Nico confided in him was that he was actually frustrated, when he quit track; that he can’t give it up. Nico say’s that’s probably true. When he overhears this, Yuki hangs his head a bit, and looks low, like he lost something.

Nico then tells Kakeru, with a smile, that, as frustrated as he was when he quit track, it made him that much happier to once again stand at a starting line. “I never thought I’d get to taste that again.” KK encourages Nico that he should then keep running, and that they’ll both do their best.

The next morning Kakeru and Nico opt out of the morning jogging session. They leave a message with the others to Haji that they want to run at their own pace in the morning.

Yuki hears this without commenting.

-I said it before, but I think Yuki feels especially close to Nico. Despite his complaints, perhaps even, despite himself, he looks up to him and takes his cues from him. He kept bugging Nico using multiple methods to try to find out his reasons for running. But even after he finally opened up to him, Yuki couldn’t emphasize with the reason Nico gave him. He hadn’t even known Nico did high school track before Haiji mentioned it. Seeing how easily Nico was discussing the same topic with Kakeru, who only joined Aotake recently, must have hurt a bit. But I think he probably understands that, unlike him, it’s because running is something those two have in common.

Hanako, on her bike sees both Kakeru and Nico on their morning training.

She calls out to “Kurahara-san” but he’s so focused that he doesn’t even hear her.

-Still on last name basis. I suspect she’s being set up as a romantic interest. We’ll see.

That evening, the twins are hanging out in Nico’s room, doing their stretches together, since they’re too tired to walk up to their own room. Prince is there as well, using his computer. Nico is fiddling with his wire (voodoo) dolls as the twins groan in pain. Nico first yells at them that it’s making him feel creepy, like the doll is being tortured. When their groans turn into cries of pleausure he yells at them again for being gross. Confused, they ask why he’s in a bad mood and wonder if it’s withdrawal.

Even Prince is feeling awkward .

-The fact that they can’t figure out Nico’s complaints show their lack of experience. The girl-crazy duo is actually pure. I like them better for it. It’s cute.

This is one of the funniest scenes in the entire show. And it keeps getting better when Prince sees Nico’s cigarette case wrapped in wire and goes crazy.

You know it’s about manga cause that the only time Prince becomes so expressive.

This time it’s the twins’ turn to be creeped out. It looks like witchcraft. Senpai explains he only did it to keep from accidentally smoking. Prince attacks him with an an otaku-geek rant on how Nico Senpai is like boxer Rikishi (from Joe), a manga character who went to great lengths to train himself before finally dying in the ring. The twins are only mildly impressed by this story.

Prince:”That’s it?!” I totally get you Prince. Non-otakus can’t understand.

They tell Nico “Don’t die while standing during the Hakone Ekiden.”

-This may be a flag (foreshadowing).

Prince, moved by Nico’s dedication, decides to go ahead and purchase a treadmill (his original purpose for being there and using Nico’s computer) despite how expensive it is.

Prince: “The button is so far…”

As the cursor wavers over it, the twins cheer him on loudly until Yuki bursts into the room angrily at their noise, and yells at them to go to their own room. Nico in turn yells at Yuki to stay out of his room.

– So. Freaking. Hilarious. I love these guys. But there are also important things to take away from the scene: Prince is serious enough to want to spend his precious money on a treadmill when he hasn’t even bought running wear yet. He says it’s cause “he’s always telling us to practice” so he at least wants to read manga while he does, but this progress is admirable. I’m super proud.

– It makes total sense for Yuki to be annoyed by the noise. But I wouldn’t be surprised if another reason is also how easily everyone is just hanging out at fatherly Nico’s room. Meanwhile he’s probably playing it like the cool kid who couldn’t care less. It’s interesting how Nico instantly kicks him out, especially consider how he was much gentler earlier when he tried to get the younger members to leave. To me, there might be a very logical explanation for this. When Nico tells Prince to use Yuki’s computer, Prince tells him Yuki would never allow it. Nico agrees and adds especially with the twins accompanying him. Meaning, Yuki’s room is probably off limits to everyone. I think Nico treats others the way they treat him. Everyone’s always hanging out in the twins’ room, so he lets them into his. When Kakeru questions him, he asks clear direct questions so Nico gives him clear answers. On the other hand, he kicks Yuki out of his room and evades his roundabout queries, only answering when asked directly. He probably does this unintentionally. Or it might be his way of teaching Yuki to be more tolerant of others and forthcoming. It matches his fatherly personality.

While all this ruckus is happening, Kakeru arrives at his room, panting heavily. He has always been training on his own, in addition to running with the others. But we’ve only ever seen him this exhausted when he runs as a coping mechanism when frustrated. This time, there is also an almost manic glint in his eye that hadn’t been there before

A dangerous character.

Act Two

After the mid-episode break we see the others at the park preparing for their afternoon training sessions. King and the twins study the new menu, and comment on how Haiji had increased both the length of their fixed-pace runs as well as the build ups. Haiji informs them that he considered their individual levels, but that he plans on increasing the intensity of practice any way he can.

KK would usually be warming up closer to the team. Distance is symbolic.

-Poor Prince’s mouth is agape in horror. He looks at Haiji likehe’s spelling his doom.

Yuki asks Haiji if that’s safe, as build ups, which are speed training, are both exhausting and hard on the legs.

-Someone has been doing his homework. The other members are all very impressed, and ask if Yuki finally feels like running. Yuki is defensive and tells them he’s just worried about them.

When Nico teases him, Yuki tells him meaningfully:

Yuki: “If we injure ourselves, we’ll have nothing.”

– Yuki’s been good to run for a while now. But this spike in motivation is new, and, like Yuki’s decision to run, is a direct result of Nico. Now that the elder is more serious about Hakone, Yuki is too, but he seems intent on making sure Nico doesn’t go overboard.

Haiji admits that’s Yuki’s concerns have merit, and says that he’ll take care of it by adding interval runs. The others aren’t appeased at all, realizing that just means more exercise.

-I think what Haiji means is that, if they can’t do build ups, he’ll have them do intervals instead, which will give them a break in speed. I do it myself when I jog, only, I go from walking to jogging, being only around twice as old as these guys >_<

Kakeru tells them impatiently to start. As they run around the path, he almost runs into a staggering Prince. He asks him to clear the path and stay on the left side. He speaks in keigo (polite speech) but his tone is impatient. Haiji, who as always is running with and encouraging Prince, watches Kakeru in concern.

• Speaking of Haiji. He’s always running at Prince’s pace, and managing everyone else’s training. When does he himself train?

After training they continue running even on the way back to Aotake. Kakeru who is far ahead of everyone, stops at a crosswalk to wait for Shindo and Musa to reach him. As he runs in place, he asks them if they’re going on their nightly jogs that evening. The two say that they’re too tired to do it, after the new training menu. KK is annoyed, and tells them if they decrease training after just adding to it, they would have gained nothing. Shindo points out that their nightly jogs were for getting members for their fan club. Interested, Kakeru asks how that has been going. He’s told that they’ve been slowly getting members, but Shindo’s too exhausted now to recruit. Kakeru is frustrated, and as he’s lost in thought he almost gets run over by a lady on a bike, despite Haiji warning him from behind.

The others catch up, and stop to take a breather. Kakeru immediately tells them to keep going and that they shouldn’t quit once they’ve started.

Everyone looks at him, but what’s he looking at?

-KK seems to not only be pushing himself, but the others too. He also seems to be acting like a leader. The others don’t seem to mind, although Haiji does seem to be worried about him.

At the Tsuro no yo bath house the twins are enjoying the hot bath (which they seem to have gotten used to by now).

-I was glad to see them there as they seemed to have been neglecting their hygiene for a while, based on what Nico said about them deferring their bath two days in a row. With all the running they’re doing, I doubt they can afford to skip even a day of washing.

Nico stands on the scale of the bath house and tsks in annoyance.

-I feel you all too well, Nico, believe me 🥲

Haiji and Yuki are at the sauna. Yuki comments to Haiji, “The bath is hell, but the sauna’s is pretty bad too.” Haiji tiredly tells him to make sure he hydrates himself. After a few beats Yuki tells him “I’m sure you know, but Nico-chan Senpai’s pushing himself too hard. Kakeru’s egging him on.”

Haiji’s wonder what he means, Yuki clarifies “He used to run track. Having a fast guy tell him he can do it probably makes him feel like he can. I think it’s dangerous.”

-I love Yuki here. His behavior shows a high level of maturity. He has realized that KK, as a runner, has more influence on Nico than he does. So, he goes to the other runner in the group, Haiji, who is also their (unofficial) leader with the information, knowing that he too can effect Nico and help him in ways that he, Yuki, cannot.

-The way Yuki gave this information was considerate as well. Him telling Haiji, “I’m sure you know” is very socially intelligent. It prevents the listener’s feathers from being ruffled. Not that Haiji is that type, (rather he seems very easy going) but it shows that even blunt analytical Yuki can be subtle when giving someone a head’s up. His assumption that Haiji knows also implies that maybe Haiji’s closer to Nico than Yuki is. It’s another possible reason why he thinks Haiji can help whereas he can’t.

-Maybe Yuki followed Haiji into the sauna just to tell him this.

At dinner, Yuki’s concerns are immediately made legit when Nico quickly gets up, after partaking very little of Haiji’s cooking. Yuki asks him if he had enough, Nico says yes, and that after quitting smoking food tastes better.

-Er, if that were true, you’d be eating more, not less, Nico.

King’s in high spirits, as he got a good response at his most recent interview when he mentioned training for Hakone. Meanwhile, Kakeru takes off to practice some more. Haiji, who had been feeding Nira, sees him on the way out. He tells him in his benign lyrical tone that he needs to rest his muscles as much as he trains them.

Kakeru replies that he had plenty of rest the past month.

-I assume he means the month before the track meet. It could also be a dig at Haiji’s training menu. I don’t want to assume that, though.

Again, it’s hard to know what Haiji thinks, just that his concern for Kakeru keeps growing.

More distance. Also, same moody colors as in first few episodes hint at a regression.

As he runs, Kakeru remembers Fujioka’s words that he should lead the team with Haiji. He also remembers Fujioka telling him “Aren’t you going for Hakone?”

-So we’ve got two possible reasons for KK’s motivation: wanting to lead the team and going to Hakone, and wanting to face Fujioka at Hakone. While he didn’t seem to care or think they’d make it before the meet, he’s obviously looking forward to it now. He probably wants a rematch with Fujioka.

Back at Aotake, Shindo tells Prince that his family has a treadmill they don’t use, and he’ll have them send it over. Prince is ecstatic, and shouts praises to God at this miracle.

-Poor guy. I knew he didn’t want to spend all that money. Speaking of which, it still doesn’t seem like he bought running wear yet. Maybe he will now.

-Seeing how the team members are interacting and helping each other is wholesome. It also highlights Kakeru’s isolation further by contrast.

The treadmill is delivered the next day by “Ogre express”. That logo is hilariously cute.

The noise caused by the treadmill infuriates Kakeru, whose room is below Prince’s. He takes off before the others to start afternoon practice.

-You’d think he’d be happier with Prince’s initiative.

At afternoon practice, Yuki asks Nico how he feels. Nico banters if this is an interview, then replies that he’s getting into shape. Hana times Kakeru, but when he hears the result, he exclaims angrily that it’s the same as the week before and accuses her of getting it wrong.

-This time that he doesn’t like, is actually called crazy fast by the others.

Kakeru tells her he’ll run again, and to “time it properly this time.”

You did not just do this KK.

The befuddled girl doesn’t know what to say, but seems hurt.

King: “What’s his problem?”

Haiji quickly intervenes. He firmly tells Kakeru to stick to their training menu, and that Hana’s times are good.

Kakeru apologizes.

-I’m glad he did. I think he realized he was unfairly taking out his anger on her.

Sweet Hana smiles awkwardly

– Call me crazy but I think these two would be good together. Hana handled herself maturely. She was also quick to forgive. I think she understood that his outburst wasn’t about her, and that, as an athlete, Kakeru is just frustrated about his own performance. She might have also noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Fatigue would cause most people to become easily irritated.

More distance.

I think this is when Haiji must have decided that enough is enough. In the next scene he tells Kakeru he doesn’t need to participate in the next meet, and that only those who haven’t gotten records yet will run.

– Haiji and Kakeru are sitting at the kitchen table, directly facing each other. It’s the first time in this episode. Unlike their usually mild interactions the air is tense.

Kakeru asks why, before immediately assuming its because his times haven’t gotten better. He adds that he needs to run to help him get back into shape.

-Oh, Kakeru. This assumption is very telling of the environment you used to be in. I feel sorry for him.

Haiji tells him running would be pointless, as he can’t see himself at the moment.

Kakeru’s brows furrow in anger and defiance. Haiji’s expression becomes sterner, as well, but relaxes a bit when Kakeru asks “Where should I leave my record?”

Haiji tries to appease him, with “there will be other meets” and starts reminding him that they’re focusing on Hakone, but before he can finish KK bangs his fist on the table in anger, and asks him if he wants him to waste an entire year (until Hakone, that is).

Here, for once, Haiji appears angry. He asks Kakeru if running to him is only about achieving records and abandoning those who fall behind. Kakeru is defensive. He reiterates what he told Haiji before, that running is competitive. He then points out that the team isn’t guaranteed to run in the Hakone qualifier. “Matching their half-assed speed won’t make me any faster.”

Haiji loses it here. He yells out “No one here is running half-assed,” stunning Kakeru into silence.

He’s like a parent upset that one child is belittling the efforts of another.

-It’s the first time we’ve ever seen Haiji lose his temper, and I must say it really ramps up the drama.

Frustrated, Haiji asks KK why he can’t see that everyone is doing their best.

“Is it because they’re slower than you? Is speed the only thing that matters to you? Then there’s no reason to run. Ride a bullet train Ride a plane. They’re faster.”

Kakeru stunned into silence at Haiji’s anger.

I think it’s because he’s never seen infinitely patient and kind Haiji angry before. He also doesn’t seem able to understand the words coming from his mouth. It’s like Haiji is speaking in an Alien tongue.

Haiji goes on to say: “Wake up, Kakeru. It’s not enough to just chase speed. It’s futile.”

Here, the camera pans to Haiji’s knee, so we viewers know Haiji speaks from experience.

Kakeru on the other hand, has gotten over his initial shock at Haiji’s yelling, and seems like he’s trying to comprehend Haiji’s meaning.

Given a few more seconds, he might have managed to put Haiji’s words and his injury together. Unluckily, Prince enters the kitchen at the most inopportune time, and asks if they’re fighting.

-It’s exactly like a child walking in on a adult’s argument.

Haiji calms down, and asks Prince if he wasn’t sleeping.

Prince responds that he came for a drink.

-He was probably reading, seeing as he’s still in his jeans.

Kakeru, who seems triggered that someone heard him being berated, excuses himself and takes off, like the angry teenager that he is. Haiji tries calling him back, telling him that they’re not finished.

Prince steps aside so KK can walk out, but at the door, Kakeru turns back and tells the unsuspecting Prince: If you’re only able to achieve the same time at the next meet, will you quit the team?”

You did not just do this, too.

Poor Prince’s eyes widen and mouth drops open in shock. As does Haiji’s. Kakeru then reiterates his request: “Please. For the team.”

-Kakeru’s ultimatum has nothing to do with the good of the team. If Prince leaves, they’ll be missing a member. Does he think they can somehow easily recruit someone else? I think he was just lashing out and Prince, as the weakest runner on the team, was a convenient outlet. It really is counterproductive, unfair, and untimely. I mean, it might have made more sense in the beginning, but Prince has just gotten a treadmill and seems to be making sincere efforts to get better. His shock here shows just how invested he is in the team. But Kakeru hasn’t noticed.

Best Scenes:

The entire episode was fantastic, start to finish. Both the humor and the drama were solid. But if I had to choose it would be the last scene in the kitchen. An angry Haiji isn’t something we normally see. And it was completely righteous anger. But it’s important to note that he was angry for Kakeru just as much he was angry with him. His advice was given in desperate frustration, like he’s seeing a train wreck about to happen and wants to stop it. Of course, he also hates how unfairly Kakeru is judging the team’s performance.

Best Lines

Haiji’s entire speech to Kakeru has a place here. But a few other lines got my attention due to the characterization they provide:

Prince: “My alphabetical order!” Prince, rearranging his manga perfectly in order to make room for the treadmill.

King: “Teacher says the field trip lasts until we get home.”

Yuki: “You’ve got energy to spare.”

King: “I’m really thinking about quitting today.”

It wasn’t so much the line, as it was Yuki’s expression when he said it. Yuki seems to respect hard work and dedication. Also, it’s nice to see that King has a sense of humor.

Twins: “You cursed us!” When Nico throws a wire doll at them. These two were fantastic this whole episode. The voice actors were wonderfully entertaining.

Conclusion

A few episodes ago, Kakeru asked Haiji to not let the Aotake members race at the TSU meet. He had been worried that they would get “hurt”. And yet, he’s the one hurting them now. Considering what Fujioka had told him, Kakeru may be trying to lead the team, but the “with Haiji” part doesn’t look like it got through at all. Instead, like Yuki commented, he’s gone back to how he was in the beginning. He used to run alone, then he started enjoying practice a bit, now he’s back to running solo. But this time it’s due to his newfound ambition, not because he’s still uncomfortable with the others.

Despite encouraging Nico, he’s only focusing on himself. Instead of finding ways to help the team, he’s just criticizing it. He’s impatient and curt. And like Yuki said, he might even have done damage to Nico, who’s exercising more and eating less. It’s a contrast to how intelligent Yuki is supporting the team from behind the scenes. Then there’s Haiji, who is as usual, taking care of them all. In every way. We’ve seen his unlimited patience with Prince, we’ve seen him give Kakeru his space, but when it comes to having him make light of his “brothers’” efforts, Haiji, being the fair parent that he is, won’t stand for it.

On another note, I love how we never see Haiji seem like he’s bitter or jealous of Kakeru’s talent. It could be possible that he does feel that way, but never shows it, but I don’t think so. He’s mentally strong. And kind. He knows his limits, and is willing to work within them. This awareness helps him set realistic expectations of the others, as well. Like Bram said in a comment to the previous review, “Haiji is a patient guy who has demonstrated that he’s good at celebrating small gains and how they chip away at the big picture in a measured and consistent way.”

The themes for this episode are, as usual, isolation. We also have friendship. We’ve seen how Yuki tries to look out for Nico. Then there’s how Nico, Shindo, Haiji and the twins encourage Prince. Another I’m going to add is influence. People have individuals they care about, admire, and look up to. They are therefore easily influenced by them. Yuki first brought it up when he said he won’t be “peer pressured” but joined the team anyway. Kakeru was influenced by his defeat and Fujioka’s words. And by Haiji. I think, Kakeru’s ultimatum to Prince here, was a direct result of how shocked (and hurt) he was by Haiji’s censure particularly because of how unexpected it was. If Prince hadn’t shown up, Kakeru would have probably thought a bit before apologizing, but having Prince show just then made him more oppositional instead. The last theme is the one Haiji and Kakeru discussed a couple of episodes back: what running is. Haiji didn’t have an answer then, and he doesn’t answer it now. But it’s clear that he knows what running isn’t.

Ironically the one who was hurt the most from the meet was Kakeru. The others only seem inspired to do better. Likewise, while the title obviously refers to Kakeru, I think the person he poses the most danger to is himself.

Grade: 10/10

*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.

Run with the Wind Episode Seven Review: Bear Your Fangs at The Summit

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 predawn at the Aotake. An open notebook on the kitchen table with the date and the words “Tokyo Sport University Meet” written on it alerts us that the day has come for the team’s first race. We see Kakeru sitting up in his room, already dressed, with a contemplative expression on his face.

I’d commented in the previous episode review that he might actually be nervous. This scene seems to support that.

Act One

The apartment tenants are all waiting in the yard of the building. All, except Haiji. Yuki tells us “He’s late isn’t he?”

A large van speeds into area, terrifying the members with the driver’s recklessness. Haiji has come to pick up them up and plans on driving them to the meet. Yuki barks at the others, asking if any of them have a license. Everyone shakes their heads no. He yells that they should all get one, to which Nico mutters “You too.” Hadji pushes him into the van and cheerfully tells him “I’ve got mine.”

Only Prince, busy reading, is unbothered…yet.

At the TSU parking lot the Aotake members try to regain their bearings after Haiji’s terrible driving. Prince in particular is suffering immensely from motion sickness and is vomiting continuously.

Why is a miserable Prince so hilarious? And how can I love the guy so much and yet enjoy watching him suffer?

The group immediately gets the attention of Sakaki who seems to be preparing items for the event.

He makes a big show of introducing Kakeru, or rather pointing him out, to his teammates: “That’s the guy I told you about.”

Previously we’ve seen him flaunt his big shot sports University in KK’s face. Now he’s showing off his posse and basically letting Kakeru know that he’s been badmouthing him.

Sakaki also wastes no time in making fun of the Kansei University team and assuming one of them is already dropping out due to nerves (i.e. Prince).

When he tells them they’ll just embarrass themselves Kakeru approaches him threateningly, much to Sakaki’s delight. It’s like the red-head is intentionally trying to rile him up, maybe to get him into trouble. But before Kakeru can do anything Haiji’s teleportation powers are once again activated; he suddenly comes between the ex-teammates.

Protective Haiji.

Just as he starts to speak a tall man in a white uniform calls out to him.Twice.

“Kiyose!”

The first time was an affirmation that it really is Haiji. The second, was said in unveiled delight.

Haiji answers “Fujioka” with a smile of his own.

Despite the fact that they call each other by their last names, we quickly learn that they are old acquaintances. First “Fujioka” asks if Haiji is running. When Haiji confirms this, Fujioka then asks, in a low voice, if Haiji’s better now, to which Haiji replies with “Finally.”

Here, Fujioka’s low tenor makes me think he’s being considerate, in case Haiji doesn’t want anyone to overhear them and find out about his injury.

We also quickly realize that this guy is a big shot based on how Sakaki and his friends immediately recognize him and are completely in awe of him and his team. After Fujioka leaves, his teammates bow respectfully to Haiji in tandem, prompting Yuki to ask “What army are they a part of?”

Deference to their friend’s friend.

Like the TSU team, not only do they all have the same track suits, they even have matching shoes. Their team probably gets a lot of funding. It’s a stark contrast to Haiji’s team in their mismatched jerseys. But despite the so called different “levels” of their teams, the way Haiji and Fujioka conversed was as old friends who are equals. Their reunion is completely different from Kakeru’s with Sakaki.

Haiji tells Kakeru that Fujioka Kazuma is a fourth year from Rikudo University, and that he should remember his name.

Haiji then addresses Sakaki: “Sorry, but we’ve got to get ready. You must be busy too, with your chores.”

Haiji’s referring to how the Tokyo Sport Uni first years are all holding various equipment and therefore won’t be participating in the race. He’s being a bit petty here but I can’t say I hate it. He wasn’t overtly rude, but by putting Sakaki and in his friends in their place (as first years who probably are currently used for grunt work) he keeps them from harassing his team.

The Kansei members heads off. As they pass Sakaki and his friends King glares at them while the twins make faces at them. Meanwhile Nico and Musa support the still afflicted Prince. The rest simply ignore them. It’s interesting to see how King and the twins seem to be on the same wavelength (i.e. childish).

What makes Haiji’s jab even more satisfying (to viewers) is when an upperclassman at Tokyo Uni berates Sakaki and his friends for standing around.

When our protagonists see the track they are excited (twins) astonished (Yuki, Shindo, King, Musa) and happy (Nico, who actually breathes in the meet’s air contentedly).

Prince is still mostly passed out while Kakeru looks like he’s in a bad mood. He probably hasn’t yet recovered from his run in with Sakaki.

Musa sees a group of fellow exchange students and feels lacking, since, unlike him, they are all in Japan on athletic scholarships. Yuki encourages him saying that he’s just as good.

Musa: “Their hunger is different.”

Haiji gives the team their team uniforms which only adds to their excitement.

While the twins happily take pictures, Kakeru looks at them disapprovingly, as if their happy go-lucky attitudes are grating on him. He then finds Prince in a corner indulging in his favorite past time.

“I’m surprised you can read manga now,”

Prince replies : “It’s to lift my spirits.” But even this answer doesn’t pacify Kakeru. Shindo then shows the others a picture of Fujioka he found online, and tells them that he is both the Captain and the winner of the second section of the Hakone Ekiden the previous year and that he’s the “pinnacle of college racing”. King wonders how Haiji knows him. Kakeru seems interested in Fujioka as well, but he’s still mostly annoyed, especially when Shindo asks King what section of Hakone he wants to run. He probably thinks it premature when they haven’t even run their first race.

He angrily calls out to the team and is about to say something when Haiji shows up with their numbers, effectively stopping KK.

Haiji’s other superpower: perfect timing to stop KK from wreaking havoc.

Kakeru is obviously upset the others aren’t taking the meet more seriously, but honestly, what does he expect? They are completely new at this so a little excitement is not only understandable, it’s probably even desirable. It’s better than to have them all be nervous.

As they warm up Kakeru eyes Haiji’s knee, perhaps wondering how well he can run. When he accidentally crowds Fujioka, he stares at him as well remembering Shindo’s summary of his achievements. Fujioka senses this, but when he looks at KK expectantly, Kakeru says it’s nothing and runs ahead.

Before the race, Haiji gathers the members and tells them that while they need to achieve good times, its more important for them to actually experience their first race. He tells them to have fun, and tries to pump them up with his catch phrase: “The Mountains of Hakone….” but at everyones’ blank stares he has to finish it alone: “the steepest in the world” then yells out “Let’s go!” and heads off without waiting for the others. For the first time, everyone is just as slow as Kakeru.

Yuki tells the others, “Someone answer him.”

Yuki, I’ll tell you the same thing Nico said when you demanded the others get their licenses: “You too.”

Joking aside I think he genuinely felt bad for Haiji. It was quite the awkward moment and shows just how disjointed the team still is.

Kakeru catches up to Haiji. “Have fun? Aren’t you being naive?” He then tells him “Sorry but today I’ll be seeing how everyone runs.”

It’s like he’s testing the team, and by default Haiji, to see if they actually have the potential to make it to Hakone.

Haiji doesn’t respond. Before, we had seen him stretch his injured knee out while taking a deep breath. This is probably Haiji’s first race in a long time, ever since his injury, so he might be a bit nervous.

At the start line, we see him looking down, possibly at his injury. Meanwhile KK is looking at Fujioka.

Both Haiji and Kakeru are preoccupied.

We know Kakeru was fastest in his hometown so maybe he wants to test himself against this big shot runner.

Meanwhile, one of the exchange students takes his place next to Musa. When the Aotake member greets him politely, he glares at him. We later learn he’s Manas, from Boso University.

Manas proving what poor Musa already knew: the difference in their motivation.

Act Two

The race starts, with the exchange students and Fujioka leading the pack. Kakeru recalls what Haiji had told him before, “Reality is harsher than that” and that he also needs to prepare for the race. He glances back at Haiji then takes off to join the runners in the lead.

Kakeru eyeing the leading runners like a sniper.

Seeing Kakeru speed ahead, Haiji’s competitive streak is sparked but before he can up his pace another runner bumps into his injured knee, and he is forced to keep his modest pace.

Meanwhile, Kakeru easily catches up to the leading runners. He sparks the interest of the onlookers and puts himself and his university, Kansei, on their radar.

Sakaki isn’t exactly pleased by that.

Prince does as well, but in an entirely different way. He’s lapped by all the others even though it’s only the beginning of the race. Onlookers comment: “He’s from Kansei too. They’ve got a crazy line-up.”

Can’t argue with that. His zombie-like run is also, as usual, a sight to behold. A member of the Tokyo Uni team approaches him with water, thinking that he’s dehydrated, only to be told “This is how I always run.”

Nice to see not all TSU students are jerks.

The Tokyo student’s reaction is priceless. He stops to look at Prince running while waving his hands, as if he’s wading in an invisible pool.

The rest of the team is also struggling. Nico has a hard time breathing. When he sees Kakeru at the front of the pack he’s impressed.

Nico: “He’s on another level.”

Haiji seems to be breathing fine and yet he hasn’t been able to increase his speed. A shot of his knee hints at it being the cause.

Kakeru remains in the lead with Manas, the exchange student, until the last two laps.

Just as he thinks he can win, Manas quickens his pace. Kakeru tries putting forth his own burst of speed but before he knows it, Fujioka overtakes him.

Image commissioned by Reviewbrain. Not to be shared without permission.

Fujioka and Manas race for first place while Kakeru who has been left behind desperately tries to catch up.

He can’t.

Fujioko wins, with Manas close behind. Kakeru is in third place, but a fair distance behind them both.

Their fatigue levels show the difference in their abilities. Fujioka’s breathing is normal. Manas gasps for air. Kakeru seems to be having a hard time breathing.

Unlike at the start of the race, he’s now looking down.

His knees and legs are shaking as well and he’s visibly shocked and disturbed by his loss. Fujioka glances at him in interest, then looks at Haiji who has yet to complete the race.

Later, Fujioka is being interviewed. When KK overhears him say that he won’t participate in any more meets, and will stick to the intercollegiate races instead, Kakeru becomes very upset. Undoubtedly, he wanted a second chance to compete with him.

Kakeru is washing up at the outdoor faucets when Fujioka joins him. He says he recognizes his name as a strong runner from a high school in Sendai.

Fujioka then says: “It’s an interesting team that Kiyose put together.”

Fujioka: “Watch out for him.”

He adds that at his best, Haiji can run better than he did that day. They look at Haiji as he cheers on the last runners of his team. Kakeru’s gaze is contemplative. It’s like he’s wondering if Haiji can even get better.

Fujioka then adds: “Lead the team with him.”

Kakeru questions his meaning, Rikudo’s captain clarifies, “Aren’t you going for Hakone?”

Kakeru reacts strongly to this statement. His eyes first widen, then he bites his lips, and lowers his head.

This reaction initially bemuses Fujioka, but after a second he smiles inwardly in understanding, then leaves.

For some reason, it took me forever to understand this scene. In a nutshell, Fujioka mentioned Hakone as if it were a given Haiji’s team would get there. But Kakeru has no such confidence, which is why he got so upset. I think Fujioka then realized this and that he’d accidentally hit a sore spot. That’s why he didn’t say anything afterwards. It’s not like he can change Kakeru’s mind. And he probably thought encouraging words coming from him, with his powerful team, might not be taken well. So he refrained from saying anything more.

Fujioka comes across as a thoroughly decent and wise young man. He not only looks older than his peers but seems older due to his mature attitude. He also obviously holds Haiji in very high regard, which really piques our curiosity about their history.

Later, after everyone has changed, Haji happily congratulates them on finishing their first race.

Everyone is too drained to reply.

He proudly says Musa and the twins finished in around 17 minutes, while Shindo and Yuki managed to do so in around 18 minutes.

Truly, these are remarkable numbers for first timers.

Haiji adds that once everyone gets used to races they’ll eventually reach the required 16:30 time. Yuki then asks, “What about this guy?” Meaning, Prince, who is now being carried by the twins back to the bus. We learn that he’s the only person who finished the race in 30 minutes, and that he did so badly he was almost forced to stop.

30 minutes is still better than Prince’s previous time. Just saying

The twins then point out that Kakeru and Haiji were the only two who managed to get official records. Meaning, even though he wasn’t in good condition, Haji still managed to get the required time.

Prince gasps out that the Tokyo Uni guy (Sakaki, I assume) called them stupid. He complains, “Where’s their sportsmanship?”

Nico in his usual mild tone responds “Well, this is reality.”

Kakeru finally chimes in, angrily, that they already knew all this. The twins asks what he’s upset about, since he got the required time.

Kakeru: “It doesn’t matter how good my time is! How times do I have to say it?!”

Once again, he’s fisting his hands. The episode ends with him running off alone, not stopping or even bothering to answer when Haiji calls out to him. He probably never even heard him.

Episode themes: Dreams vs. Reality, Isolation, Loneliness, friendship, disappointment, frustration.

Icings in the Cake:

– I love how aware Musa is of the difference between himself and his fellow exchange students. He’s such a humble and great character. I also loved how beautifully drawn the African characters were. Wonderfully realistic, as are most of the other characters in this show. They actually look like real people.

– Seeing how the members were all looking out for each other was lovely. Yuki encouraging Musa, Shindo staying with the hurling Prince, King and Musa, then the twins supporting Prince without a single complaint. Even King and the twins teasing Sakaki. It was all just so wholesome. I wish KK can learn to appreciate this. Haiji, of course, is what my eldest calls “best boy” material. I said it before, and I’m sure I’ll keep saying it: he’d be such a great parent.

Ogre who? He’s so sweet to these guys.

Best Lines

Haiji: I was nervous since it’d been a while. I think changing lanes had my heart pounding harder than the meet.”

Musa: “One of us needs to get a license before we train anymore.” Ok I will concede he drives like a demon.

Prince: “The stories I write are perfect. In my mind, anyway.” Nice insight to his character. As a lit student, he’s both confident in his writing, and self aware that his opinion might be biased.

Prince: “I’m not a hamster. Why do I keep running around, and around, and around and around…”

Conclusion:

Let’s remember what Kakeru told Haiji before the race, that he’ll be looking to see how well everyone runs. It’s obvious that he isn’t impressed. Worse still, he wants to race against Fujioka again, but won’t be able to unless he makes it to Hakone. And he doesn’t think he can, with this team. That’s why he’s so angry.

I think the others understand this, based on the expressions on their faces. I do think KK’s being a bit too negative. For a bunch of amateurs most of them did very well. Haiji said that even King and Nico would be able to make it. As to Prince….well…they can cross that bridge when they get to it. Suffice to say that he completed the race and didn’t drop out even when he could have. There really is plenty to celebrate. What I’m interested in the most is what Haiji thinks. We know he is happy for his friends’ achievements. But how does he feel about his own?

When he and Kakeru met, he had told him he’ll be able to match his speed in six months. I think it’s only been one month since then. How does he feel about his own performance? Elated that he could finally run? Happy he achieved the required time? Jealous that he couldn’t keep up with Kakeru? In the end he might be satisfied with his friends and disappointed in himself. We won’t know if he’s too busy worrying about Kakeru’s tantrum. Considering what Kakeru told Haiji before the race, he might think that, just as disappointed as KK is in everyone else’s times, he might also be disappointed in Haiji’s.

It is also frustrating that we don’t know if he could have gotten a better time if one of the runners hadn’t bumped into him at the beginning of the race.

Finally, like the title of the episode stated, Kakeru did bare his fangs. But he’s the only one who seems to have been bitten. Also, the title might have a double meaning: bearing his fangs could mean they are too heavy for Kakeru. Otherwise its just an error in translation.

Grade: 9/10 Only because the art at times wasn’t as perfect as could be.

*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

Run With the Wind Episode Six Review: The Emperor’s New Clothes

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 get a recap of the last episode where King tells everyone that he won’t just spend all his time running. There are varying looks of shock on everyone’s faces. Shindo especially looks affected while Haiji looks pensive.

Act One

The episode starts with King engaging in his favorite hobby: watching a quiz show. He gets all the questions right and comments that “entertainers suck at sports questions.” As usual, he’s borrowing the tv in Shindo’s room. The younger housemate calls out to him several times to get his attention, finally telling him that he’s about to go for his night jog. King tells him to go on ahead. Shindo then asks him if “he’s sure”. King thanks him for the use of his television, “It was a nice change of pace”, and apologizes for bothering him.

-King is intentionally misunderstanding Shindo, acting as if the younger housemate was hinting he wanted him to leave, to avoid discussing the scene he had made earlier.

Shindo clarifies that wasn’t his intent, then asks King if he’ll show up to practice the next morning. He parrots Kings words back at him with a sincere smile, telling him that it would be a nice change of pace. King doesn’t reply and shuts the door behind him.

After the episode title, the Emperor’s New Clothes we see that it is now the next day where the team, including King, have reached the river bank, having finished half of their round trip. The twins, Musa, and Shindo talk about going on another night time jog that evening.

Yuki calls them “Damn honor roll students,” before warning them “don’t blame me if you burn yourselves out and can’t run anymore.”

Jouta is glad that Yuki cares. Musa invites him to come along with them. He declines, as does Nico when they ask him, saying morning and afternoon jogs are enough for him. Yuki adds “Respect the elderly”, much to Nico’s dismay.

Jouji reminds him that if they don’t get good times they won’t be able to run at Hakone

“As if we’ll get to run in that, idiot. Hakone’s a distant dream.”

-This goes back to the dreams vs reality theme first brought up by Haiji in the previous episode.

-Yuki seems to be showing up to practice now without complaining much. As I mentioned in the previous review, he also doesn’t seem interested in using King’s anger to help him in his resistance against Haiji.

Hana stops on her way to school to greet them. up. King is pulling out grass listlessly. Haiji, trying to cheer him up, announces Haiji’s arrival to King. He doesn’t respond at all.

-I love Haiji, but he was off his game here. That was a bit too obvious. And desperate.

The twins, Shindo and Musa tell Hana about their night jogs and ask her to join them. She agrees to ride her bike with them. Here, King stands up and says he’ll go back first, saying that he doesn’t have time. Haiji says that they’ll return together but King takes off without waiting for them.

-King is obviously depressed over the job thing, but I think seeing how easily Hana gets along with the others didn’t help his mood either. His previous conversations with her seemed forced like he was trying too hard to impress her. I don’t think she realized it or even minded it, but now he might be too anxious to even try.

The scene switches to the university cafeteria where Yuki, Shindo the twins and Musa are having lunch together.

-Yuki is having a steak set, Shindo an Unagi-don, the twins are having ramen (or udon) while Musa looks like he’s eating curry. And now I’m hungry.

Yuki comments that King has completely closed himself off. The twins ask if it’s stress from his job search. Always the pragmatist Yuki replies: “Maybe it’s overall, but guys who can’t handle it aren’t going to do well.”

-Far from using King to quit the team, Yuki’s actually worried about him. Looks like after talking with Nico in the previous episode, Yuki is no loner resisting running.

Shindo is worried as well, but he says he’s also concerned about how their track club doesn’t have any money. They’re an official club, but aren’t even allowed to use the track field.

The scene switches over to the landowner’s Tazaki’s home. The first image we see is a statue of the money bringing cat, Maneki-neko.

This is symbolism.

Haiji is there, sitting in a respectful seiza as the old man cuts his toenails.

The contrast in their moods…

The coach tells Haiji that he doesn’t have money, or he would’ve fixed up Aotake from being the decrepit building it was.

Haiji respectfully says, “Of course,” then takes his leave when the old man stays him by saying “Since you said you’d do it, I’m allowing it…”

-He means aiming for Hakone. As suspected from the very first episode he must trust Haiji enough to give him free reign of things. 

He goes on to say “but this world isn’t just about who’s fast and who’s slow. Naturally you need money as well. And there is no guarantee your peers will acknowledge you. That’s also part of running.”

-Haiji concurs but nonetheless looks troubled. I’m guessing he was hoping to get advice on how to obtain necessary funds. And because the team hasn’t proven themselves yet no one will recognize them; either to give them time on the university track field or to help them financially.

Meanwhile Kakeru is in Nico-chan’s room.

The oldest resident types rapidly on his computer and asks Kakeru not to tell Haiji that he’s working, “He’ll get mad at me. I’m supposed to be older than him though”

-Nico here mentions the reversed senpai/kouhai relationship dynamic he and Haiji have. What makes it even more noteworthy is that it’s not a cliched reversal where the older person is hopeless and irresponsible. Nico’s pretty mature and the fact that he failed a few times is probably because it he works for a living, unlike the others who are most likely all supported by their families. Haiji probably worries about Nico’s finishing his graduation requirements; we’ve seen him reprimand Nico for working even before Haiji forbade all members from doing so to concentrate on Hakone.

Nico then asks KK what he needs from him. Kakeru asks him about Haji, “What kind of person is he? You’ve been living together since his first year, right?”

More symbolism. Kakeru is trying to see through an unclear window.

-This is continuity on KK trying to figure Haiji out, ever since he asked him if “only the chosen once are allowed to run.”

Nico answers, “What he’s like? Exactly what the way he looks.”

-Furtive as always. I think Nico knows Haiji a lot more than he’s letting on but wants to protect his privacy.

Kakeru then asks “How about as a runner?”

-It’s a valid question, and one we viewers still do not know the answer to.

Nico pauses a bit to look at KK shrewdly.

It’s like he’s gauging the intent behind those questions, to decide if he should answer. He then says: “I think Haiji was a good runner. I’ve never seen him run all-out, though. Apparently, he was told to stop for a while. He must’ve wanted to run even though he couldn’t. His first year, when I told him I ran track in high school, his eyes were glittering. It was a pain. I’d completely quit running.”

As Nico says this, Kakeru remembers a conversation he previously had with Haiji: we are show images of when he saw Haiji’s scar in the park, and hears explanation for it.

Nico continues, “It’s been four years since then, and his eyes are still glittering. Surprising, isn’t it? It’s only gotten worse since you showed up.”

-Haiji just started his fourth year so wouldn’t that normally mean he spent three years in Aotake? Does this mean that Haiji moved into Aotake even before university began?

-Nico’s word choice here seems intentional, like he’s indirectly encouraging KK to live up to Haiji’s expectations. We saw in the second episode that he feels sympathy towards Haiji.

Kakeru response is not enthusiastic: “Even with me on the team, we can’t win.”

Nico’s replies matter of factly: “I know. I feel bad for Haiji, but I don’t think we can make it to Hakone, either.” He adds it’ll become clear enough once they run in the scheduled track meet.

-This matches what Nico told Yuki, that he’s not taking Haiji seriously, and is taking this opportunity to become healthier.

-At this admission, KK seems a bit sad too. Maybe he’s starting to sympathize with Haiji as well.

– It should be noted that it took Kakeru much less time than it did Yuki to get information out of Nico. This is because, unlike Yuki, Kakeru, from the start was asking sincerely. We’ve seen now for the second time that when asked something straightforwardly, Nico tends to answer. It’s a good life lesson. If you want direct answers ask direct questions. This actually makes me wonder why Yuki, who has known Nico much longer than Kakeru, doesn’t follow this strategy. Maybe it’s a personality thing. Some people click much faster than others.

At afternoon practice, to half of the team’s dismay, Shindo is handing out t-shirts he and Musa made for the team. They are plain white, but on the back have the following written:

We’re trying to make it to the Hakone Ekiden. The Kansei University Track and Field Team Fan Club is now recruiting!!

Shindo explains that they want to form a fan-club that will support them so that they can focus on training. He adds “we appreciate your cooperation” with a sweet encouraging smile.

-My eldest (who’s the same age as the first years) got second hand embarrassment watching this. It was hilarious.

Yuki and Kakeru must have felt the same. Kakeru’s face is dark in mortification when optimistic Musa innocently attacks him with his shirt. Yuki’s reaction is much louder. He calls the proactive Shindo and Musa “Damn honor-roll students” then yells out, like he can’t help it: “God, these are lame! These are so lame!”

-It makes sense that Yuki, with his piercing and medallion, and who seems to always want to project a cool demeanor, wouldn’t want to wear these. I also just answered my own question from the previous scene: maybe the reason why Yuki beats around the bush with Nico, instead of being forthright, is because he always wants to appear aloof. Nico probably knows this and doesn’t want to cut him any slack. It’s probably his way of wanting to teach future lawyer to be more honest, at least with his friends.

Speaking of Nico, his concern with the shirts is more practical “These won’t run when we sweat, will they?”

The twins happily tell him it’s oil-based ink so it should be fine.

The difference in their moods 😂

Haii is happy with this initiative. Makes sense. We know he and Shindo have previously discussed the club’s finances, and seeing as how the landlord/coach didn’t come up with anything, he would be happy with Shindo’s plan.

King shows up Jouji cheerfully greets him with “Did you find a job?”

For his lack of discretion, he gets a kick in the behind from Yuki and falls face first on the floor. Nico then saves King from having to answer by saying it’s too early for anyone to reply.

-I love how merciless Yuki is here. Poor Jouji never knew what hit him. Also, it looks like he started writing something on the dirt, probably the first character of an apology.

King asks about the shirts, Haiji tells him “Surprisingly they’re not bad,” he and the others then all turn around to show off the message written on the back, everyone except KK who only puts his on after realizing everyone else already has.

Jouji teases him.

Jouji: “You’re slow at everything except running.”

-Nice bit of continuity there. It takes awkward Kakeru a bit longer to comprehend what’s going on around him.

King tells them good luck and makes to go inside, with no apparent desire to join them. Shindo and Musa invite him to afternoon practice, to which he replies, “I told you, I’ve got my own shit to do. I’m real busy right now.”

Haji easily replies that he should forget it and run.

-Yuki tries to intervene here, as if he knows Haji’s going to rile King up.

King asks if he’s telling him to run from reality, Haiji replies:

“Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that…What you need to do won’t ever change. Reality will always be there in front of you. So instead of running from it, why not try running with reality?”

Best quote of the episode, and possibly the entire show.

King doesn’t respond to these pearls of wisdom. Instead he asks Haiji

“Will running help me get a job?”

-Here he’s referring to how Haiji convinced him to run in the first place.

This time Haiji answers sincerely, “I don’t know. But standing still will make you anxious. I was like that once.”

-Another wise phrase. King has already applied for jobs. Why just sit and worry while he waits for an answer?

-Based on the reaction of the others, they seem to realize the gravity of the information Haiji had just given about himself.

Haiji: “I was like that once.”

King however, is too upset to comprehend it. He calls Haiji a dreamer. Then asks him “Why am I here.”

-Wow. It’s like King’s job search has him questioning all sorts of things, including his very own existence. I wouldn’t want to be in Haiji’s shoes.

But said Haiji is completely unfazed. He instantly replies: “For us,” to King’s shock, and even goes as far to ask “What’s wrong with that?”

King angrily snaps back, “It’s my life!”

Yuki intervenes by resting his arm on Haiji’s shoulder and saying, “I know this guy says some crazy things, but you shouldn’t freak out so much. Yuki goes on to tell King what I’ve been wondering all along “It’s only April. The battle’s just begun.” Meaning, he still has a lot of time (almost a year, I assume).

-Haiji seems shocked at Yuki’s strong show of support here; both physical (the arm on the shoulder) and verbal.

His mouth literally drops open.

It’s no wonder. This is the same guy who, when Haiji recruited him, told him “I don’t exist for your purposes!”

The twins seem skeptical, too. They say that coming from Yuki, the words sound sarcastic.

Nico then hands King his t-shirt and tells him: “At least wear this. We’ll all suffer the punishment together. You can decide for yourself.” He then walks away and tells everyone to start running.

-Nico here is trying to make King feel included, despite himself. Him ending the topic was a wise decision as there wasn’t anything that would be said that would have taken the discussion any further.

Image commissioned by Reviewbrain. Not to be shared without permission.

Everyone leaves, except Haiji, who apparently still has something to say. He tells King: “Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not just you. I’m here for you guys, too.”

King angrily says “That’s just lip service,” before throwing the shirt on the floor and disappears into Aotake.

Haiji is as impassive as ever, while Shindo who had stuck around, looks saddened.

I don’t know what it is about Haiji that King finds insincere, here. Maybe he feels that he’s just being used. But this emotion only came about after his job search started. Yuki, as a lawyer, seems to feel his future is set. The others still have time before graduation, while Haiji only cares about running. Maybe King feels that no one can emphasize with him at this point.

Act Two

After the mid-episode break and the adorable dog Nira, we see that the “busy” King is wiling away his time in a Mah-jong parlour, and losing.

-What is it with gambling and depressed people in this show? Kakeru wasted his entire apartment deposit there as well.

-I said in the previous episode review that King is taking out his frustration at Haiji and the others. But seeing him gamble reminded me that when people feel out of control of their lives, they try to exert control whenever they can. King refusing to run with Haiji and the others, even gambling here, is just him turning towards behaviors that make him feel in control. It’s understandable, but unwise. He can just as easily turn towards something that will not ruin his relationship with the others, nor deplete his funds. Like running.

On his way home he sees Musa and Shindo on their nighttime jog while wearing their “Please join our fan-club” t-shirts. Unbeknownst to the two, a couple of high school girls laugh at their attire and wonder if they are being forced to wear them. On the other hand, Haiji’s bath-house acquaintance sees them and says he’ll be the first to join. Likewise, Musa’s kind employer (er, ex-employer) sees them and says she’ll join as well. The twins then join them with Hanako and say they manged to get more members, too, and that Hana’s presence makes it easy for people to approach them.

King sees and hears all this while hiding in what seems to be an alley to stay out of their sight. Upset, he goes home alone.

Back at Aotake everyone is gathered in the kitchen. Everyone, minus King. At Shindo’s query, KK replies that he hadn’t seen him since they returned. Haiji is explaining his new training menu for the boys. He tells everyone that he found the perfect place two kilometers away for cross-country runs.Yuki asks him when he had the time to do that.

-It’s true. Haiji is so busy training the others, we haven’t even seen him run himself. Hmm. Maybe he’s running on that cross-country place. Though I don’t know when that would’ve happened. He seems to be at Aotake all the time.

The boys start panicking when they realize that they’ll all be running 6 laps of 2.6 km (!) but are stunned into silence when they realize that Kakeru will be running 8 laps of the same distance. Everyone looks at him.

Awkward Kakeru: “Sorry, I think.”

Jouji points out “No, you’re the one who has to run it,” enlightening Kakeru that he has nothing to apologize for.

-I think Kakeru’s reaction here is a result of him always being the envy of others (i.e. Sakaki in his previous team). Haiji giving him more training is due to him being more capable and experienced than the others. But unlike in his old team, the boys here are all amateurs, and therefore have neither the ability or desire to compete with him.

Yuki laments how Aotake has completely turned into the track and field team and adds “I feel so small.”

Yuki, admitting his defeat, has joined the team.

Haiji good naturedly tells him that he’s keeping up with the others. Yuki then accuses him of going easy on him.

-I loved this exchange especially after Yuki’s earlier show of solidarity with Haiji. It’s like he’s officially announcing that he’s decided to seriously join them.

The others joke around but Shindo feels bad that King isn’t with them. He goes to King to tell him that he recorded a game show for him. King turns him down and at Shindo’s disheartened demeanor tells him not to worry about him, it just makes him feel awkward. Nonetheless, when Shindo bids him goodnight, King calls him back to ask him why he’s running with Haiji, when he’s never been to the Ekiden before.

Shindo admits that he’s not sure. When King asks him if he considered not doing it, Shindo admits he hadn’t. King then points out that he doesn’t have to run if he doesn’t even understand why he’s doing it.

Shindo answers that he thought he’ll come to understand once he starts.

-In the previous episode, when Yuki asked Nico his reason for running, he had sarcastically warned Nico, “don’t tell me I’ll understand once I start”, meaning he had wanted a more concrete reason. We know he never got it, as Nico’s “I feel clean when I run” wasn’t something Yuki could understand. But I think the fact that Nico shared this information with Yuki in and of itself became part of his reason to run. Like he owes it to Nico, after getting him to share something he felt was so obviously private. Or maybe it really was peer pressure.

-But here Shindo is trying to find his reason to run from the act itself, a method which Yuki had scorned. It shows that running is highly personal, as personal as peoples’ motivations. And, genius that he is, Shindo manages to present this in a way that King can relate to:

Shindo admits that he doesn’t know what it’s like to search for a job, since he hasn’t started yet, then asks King why he wants to work, if he loves it so much that he’s desperate to find a job. King naturally negates this, saying he’s just doing it because he has to. Shindo points out that this is common ground. He says that he first ran because he was forced to by Haiji, but he then thought it would be more fun if he chose to run instead, that he might even start enjoying it.

-This completely fits Shindo’s earnest personality. Basically he’s saying since he’s going to be doing something, he might as well give it his all. I swear to Allah I’ve been saying this to my kids for years now. I remember telling my eldest when she started the first grade that school was a “fact of life” and since she was going to go no matter what, she might as well learn to enjoy it. Not saying Haiji forcing everyone to run here is the same, but people who make the most of, and indeed, learn to enjoy situations they otherwise cannot avoid, are truly smart. I have no doubt Shindo is going to become very successful in his life. He’s a fantastic character.

King’s reaction to Shindo’s words is telling. He eyes the t-shirt that he had previously thrown; Shindo had brought it with him, and eventually interrupts Shindo’s incredibly polite and delicately given advice to gripe, “why am I being given advice by an underclassman?” before getting the flustered Shindo in a headlock to cover up his own embarrassment.

-King here seemed incredibly insecure. He holds on to the label of “Senpai” (upperclassman) that Japanese society automatically bestows him, possibly because it gives him a sense of security; like with it, he knows where he stands in the world. I think Shindo sort of senses this which is why he was quick to apologize when King complains. He seems a bit immature, especially when you compare him with Nico. Earlier in this same episode Nico brought up his and Haiji’s reversal of the Senpai/Kouhai relationship to Kakeru, and he didn’t seem to care. Nico’s maturity is due to his acknowledging both his and Haiji’s strengths and weaknesses. He also doesn’t mind when Haiji berates him from working because he knows he’s just looking out for him. He isn’t hung up on labels because he doesn’t need them to feel comfortable. Unlike King.

The next morning, King shows up to practice wearing the fan club advertisement t-shirt, to everyone’s shock and pleasure. Nico tells him he’s late, nobody’s wearing theirs today, Shindo (who unlike Kakeru is very quick on the uptake) immediately put’s his on. He encourages King with his kind smile. The embarrassed man then goes on to make excuses, saying that since he’d already promised to run he had to go through with it. Everyone gives him wide, knowing grins (except Prince, who’s as always expressionless and KK whose face is conspicuously absent from this montage).

We get it later after they finish practice. Hana is telling everyone how their times have improved, even Prince’s. (33:13:13). Everyone is in high spirits and the twins suddenly notice that Kakeru is smiling.

Twins: “Did you just smile?”

When he notices their stares, he takes off, and they follow him, teasing him mercilessly when he denies smiling.

-I think it’s the first time since the series began. It only took KK six episodes. Better late than never, I guess.

Back at Aotake, Kakeru is helping Haiji clean up after dinner. Haiji asks him if he wouldn’t rather go jogging with the others: “You finally found friends to run with.”

-i don’t know how Haiji came to this conclusion. He probably figured, based on Sakaki’s cold interaction with Kakeru, that he wasn’t popular in his old team.

Kakeru explains that the difference in their paces makes it difficult for him to run with the others. He then takes the opportunity to ask Haiji the question he couldn’t in the previous episode:

“Why did it have to be these guys? Remember what you asked me. You asked me if only the chosen are allowed to run. You’re right that anyone can just run. They can run all they want.”

-At his words we get a montage of Nico (working), Yuki (listening to music), Prince (reading), and King (watching a quiz show). These four are probably the slowest amongst the Aotake members so it makes sense to have their images shown as KK speaks about “chosen ones” seeing as they are probably the opposite of that.

Kakeru then goes on to say, “But is that the kind of running you’re talking about? Not everyone can run in the Hakone Ekiden. I don’t understand. What kind of running are you talking about?”

Haiji answer’s “That’s it. I want to know, too. What is running? What does it mean to run?”

Kakeru is astonished, “You mean you don’t know?”

“Not yet. I don’t have an answer yet,” he then adds happily, “we just finally started running.”

Kakeru is now visibly upset.

“I’m amazed you were willing to get us involved.”

– He means that Haiji would dare to have them all set their sights on Hakone when he doesn’t even have a clear understanding of what running is.

Kakeru then adds, “You finally got them all together. If we just keep having a good time training together, they don’t have to get hurt.”

-Once again, I like how Kakeru’s reasons for wanting to stop Haiji have shifted, from thinking the attempt is ridiculous, to wanting to spare the others the hurt of realizing it can’t be done.

Haiji then tells him “We can’t expect to stay unscathed if we’re going to run at Hakone.”

Considering Haiji’s scar, he might mean this both physically, as well as emotionally. It could also serve as foreshadowing.

At his unconcerned tone, Kakeru tells him that reality is hard, and that if Haiji insists on having the guys run at a track meet when they are woefully unprepared, it could be the end of the team. Haiji answers, “I believe they can overcome it.”

-Throughout this conversation, Kakeru’s words were delivered in an unchanging crystal-clear voice, matching the rigidness of his ideas. On the other hand Haiji’s tenor is more throaty, full of conviction, mirthful at times, deceptively low, and even languid at others. But then he asks Kakeru if he doesn’t need to prepare, adding, “Reality is harsher than that, right?”

It almost sounded like a challenge. Kakeru certainly takes it as such, based on the subsequent determined expression on his face.

Best Lines:

Shindo adorably asks “How is this a punishment?!” When Nico tells King that they’ll suffer wearing the shirts together. I love how he, Musa and the twins are completely unaware of how self-conscious everyone (minus Haiji) seems to be over wearing them. Only Prince seemed to not care either way.   

Yuki: Why am I running first thing in the morning?

Prince: Should we flee together, Yuki?

Yuki: They’d catch us. You’re too slow.

Prince: You’re right.

This was probably the funniest scene of the episode. Prince was once again tied to Nira. Now that he’s come around to running, Yuki’s complaining here was good natured.

Prince: Your attire doesn’t matter.

Haiji: You can’t wear denim.

Seriously, I get that Prince probably doesn’t want to spend his precious money on running wear when he can spend it on manga, but how the hell can he run in jeans?!

Best Scenes

I love intimate conversations and there were so many in this episode: Haiji with the landowner, Nico and Kakeru, Shindo and King , then finally Haiji and Kakeru. The tracks were all fantastic as well (numbers 13, 4, and 11 in the first CD). But I think my favorite moment was when Kakeru was caught smiling by the twins. It’s like, for the first time, we get to see him acting and being treated like the teen he is.

Icings on the Cake

I already mentioned several instances but there’s one major piece of symbolism that needs to be discussed: when Shindo is talking to King, he sits just outside his room, with the door being open. Afterwards, when he eyes the t-shirt Shindo brought, King headlocks him and they both end up inside the room. Earlier in the episode, Yuki had commented how King had closed himself off completely. And in the previous episode, we saw King looking at the floor of the twins’ room, at the magazine covered hole with what could be a wistful expression. So we’ve seen him be completely isolated, with a number of barriers (of varying sizes) between him and the others. The theme of loneliness and isolation that had been prevalent with regards to King in this mini-arc is finally resolved when he puts on the shirt Shindo gave him, hence the title of the episode; “the Emperors’ New Clothes”. It’s also ironic that by putting on the t-shirt, he actually removed the wall he had set between himself and others.

Shindo is what my eldest calls a Cinnamon roll. Apparently, that’s Gen-Z speak for “sweet and precious”. He’s also wise beyond his years, clever, and proactive.

Yuki is quickly becoming a favorite character. Which is funny, because I love every single character in this show. Yes, even Sakaki (I’ll explain, eventually). But him supporting Haiji here really earned my respect. Especially since he could have used King’s dilemma to cause more friction and therefore avoid running. The fact that he didn’t shows that he’s a decent person who values the greater good over his own comfort.

Grade: 8/10 The art quality dipped a bit in this episode, especially in the scene in King’s room. It’s a shame especially considering the gorgeous track that was playing in the background. Otherwise, the episode was perfect.

Conclusion:

It could be that this whole time Kakeru has been projecting his own concerns on the others. It might be that he’s feeling worried about facing Sakaki, since the track meet will be at Sakaki’s University. The red-head has already made fun of the team once, when he saw them train. Maybe Kakeru asking Haiji to delay having a meet was just so that he can avoid the meet at Sakaki’s school. It might also be that Haiji realizes this, and is calling Kakeru out on it.

I don’t know. It’s most likely that KK knows the team isn’t ready, and wants them to avoid confronting reality. Haiji’s last line was just a reminder that he should worry about himself, since he’ll also be running at the meet.

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Run With the Wind Episode Five Review: The Ones Not Chosen

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 morning. We open up to a shot at what looks like a convention center. It is full of people in suits. Amongst them is King who jots down notices for career opportunities in a notepad.

-This is continuity to the first episode where he, Musa and Shindo were discussing proper interview attire. So, he is actively looking for a job now.

Act One

After the opening credits we get a gorgeous shot of the monorail moving, its lights cut through the darkness.

-Is this a metaphor for the state of the residents?

King only comes back in the evening. As soon as he enters Aotake he hears the sound of the rest of the residents coming downstairs from the twins’ room where no doubt everyone has gathered as usual. At their cheerful noise he comments:

“What a carefree bunch.” He then gets a message on his phone that reads “Initial application screening results.’ But he doesn’t open it and instead looks up at the magazine covered hole in the ceiling, that also serves as the floor of the twins’ room. Haiji’s voice comes through.

Symbolism

-I think King wants to join the others but feels that there is a barrier between them.

The scene then switches to where the residents are gathered drinking, and where Haiji is singing Prince praises: “What you said was truly remarkable. I understand the fondness you have for Aotake,” he says in high spirits.

Akane (Prince) points out what viewers have by now heard, that Haiji has already said this statement several times.

Musa adds he was moved as well, and that though he usually ignores Akane’s words because he uses difficult Japanese, he understood him perfectly that morning.

Haiji nods in happy satisfaction.

-Love this reminder that Musa is a non-native speaker and so might not understand all that Prince says. It makes sense, what with him being a literature student who probably only ever talks about manga analysis.  

Prince, however, is surprised: “You’ve been ignoring me?”

-He probably never even realized that Musa found his vocabulary difficult. Which shows just how good Musa’s Japanese is. It’s also in character for polite Musa to be reserved in expressing that he didn’t understand Prince. He probably didn’t want to be a bother.

Yuki then points out “He said he wasn’t sure if we were friends, though.”

It’s very interesting to me that the same person who told Haiji he won’t run because he didn’t need to make memories with the others, seems like the person most affected when Prince mentioned their friendship status wasn’t clear to him. He already complained about it in the midst of Prince’s speech with an annoyed “Hey”, and he’s bringing it up again here which could mean he’s still bothered by it or wants it addressed.

Nico does address it, though perhaps not the way Yuki wants. He says they’re not sure if they’re friends either, to which Yuki quickly replies, with a laugh, “Oh, right!”

-I can’t help but think that these two may not be on the same page. I mentioned before that their relationship is more ambiguous than Shinodo and Musa’s friendship, but it’s being said clearly here. Yuki might value it more than Nico. His banter felt a little forced to me, as depicted by the tone of his voice actor.

Nico: “We’re not sure, either.”

-Or it might be that Nico’s reply here is just his way of lessening the faux pas of Prince’s words, and Yuki, recognizing the intent, is going along with him. Nico comes across as being not only reticent but also a fatherly sort who wants everyone to get along. Or the exchange might just be friendly banter and I’m reading too much into this.

Jouji then recalls how much of a jerk Sakaki was. Jouta adds “We have to at least beat him”.

KK apologizes. The twins, confused, ask what for? It wasn’t his fault that Sakaki’s a jerk.

Nico explains that because Sakaki is Kakeru’s acquaintance, they twins should go a bit easy on him.

-This also explains why Kakeru felt the need to apologize, like he feels responsible for Sakaki’s demeanor.

The twins disagree. “That doesn’t matter. KK is our friend now, right?” Jouji declares. But Kakeru, lost in thought, doesn’t respond, to the duo’s annoyance.

Twins: “You’re supposed to agree!” to bewildered Kakeru

A drunk Shindo, like the good boy he is, raises his hand for permission to speak. Once Haiji gives it he says, “I’m gonna try to run in the Hakone Ekiden!” He then admits that he first wanted to do it to make his parents happy.

-Called it. Not that it was hard, seeing as this was the bait Haiji dangled in front of him. But he hadn’t wanted to admit it at first.

Shindo then goes on to say that with fast guys like Kakeru and Haiji, he feels like they really can run the Ekiden.

-We haven’t actually seen Haiji run as he’s been busy taking care of Prince. So we don’t know if he is fast. But seeing as how he’s orchestrated this whole thing it’s a safe assumption on Shindo’s part.

Shindo’s drunken tirade fizzles a bit when he recalls Sakaki’s jeers but ends strong when he says that he’ll make his own choices, and wants to get to Hakone on his own power.

-The expressions on everyone’s faces are telling. Haiji is delighted, of course. Nico and the twins are pleased, Kakeru and Musa are riveted, while Yuki and Prince look wary.

Haiji, to Shindo: “Well said!”

The twins happily tell Shindo that they’ll all get a lot of girls together, only to learn the shocking fact that he already has a girlfriend.

Yuki, pissed, warns them not to get excited since he’s still against it. He looks to Musa to help back him up but is hilariously disappointed. Musa, moved to tears by his friend Shindo’s words, says that he too will run in the Ekiden.

“You’re so moved you lost your mind.” Yuki, to Musa.

Haiji declares another toast to which everyone declares their goals: the twins restate that they won’t be beat and will get a ton of girls, Shindo says he’s going to Hakone, Musa declares that he’ll start by getting shoes. Nico toasts “For my health!” while Yuki snaps “You can’t peer pressure me!” Meanwhile Prince, in his low voice, interjects “Um, I never said I’d run…”

Haji then asks Kakeru what he’s toasting for. Everyone looks at him expectantly. It’s fitting, considering he was the most vocal about not wanting to run. Kakeru thinks a bit before saying “I’d like to become a better speaker.”

-This shows that his conversation with Sakaki, and accidental challenge, is still weighing heavily on Kakeru’s mind. I think he genuinely wanted to clear the air between them, maybe even become friends. But it backfired due to his inability to properly express himself.

Kakeru reveals how inept he feels.

Haiji smiles here. And says “Then says I’ll toast to the resolve of my friends.”

Once again, Haiji’s look is one of endearment. Like he’s a father proud his child recognizes his limits, and is setting a goal to resolve them.

He then starts his catchphrase, “The mountains of Hakone,” to which those sold on the idea answer, “are the steepest in the world!”

Meanwhile, poor Prince quietly repeats over and over to whomever is listening (apparently no one) that he never said he’d run.

-Technically, he also never said that he won’t run.

Episode title: the Ones Not Chosen

Affter things settle down Musa asks Haiji about the track meet he mentioned to Sakaki. Haiji tells him that most schools have University or corporate sponsored races. track meets almost every week in spring and summer, either corporate or University sponsored races, and that track meets are part of them. When the twins ask why, KK reminds them (and viewers) that he already explained it before: they need a record of running 5000 meters in at least 16:30 minutes to qualify for the Hakone qualifier.

-I love how organically these expositions are integrated into the show without coming off as boring. We were also shown KK’s initial explanation through a flashback, at the entrance of the bath house.

The twins tell him at the time, they didn’t really understand what he was saying. Just that he was angry. The look on KK’s face when he hears this is priceless.

Nico tells him he really should become a better speaker.

-It’s like how I keep telling my kids, when you yell, I can’t hear words, just decibels.

A list of everyone’s most recent times. As I suspected, Haiji’s is nowhere to be found.

Yuki comments that Haij’s down almost half of his members. Prince adds it might be faster to change the flow of time then have them run faster.

Nico jokes that if Prince can do that, then could he please extend his deadline. At this statement Haiji asks if Nico is doing software development work again. At the dissaporoval in his tone, Nico turns away and doesn’t answer.

Haiji once again acting like a parent, even to the older Nico.

– I assume that Haiji’s problem is the fact that Nico’s work interferes with his studies. It would explain why he failed so many times.

Haiji then explains that the first one they’ll try will be at the end of April, but that they’ll continue in May and June until everyone gets their targeted times.

We then get a montage of everyone sleeping, the twins sprawled, Yuki neatly with headphones on (the man is addicted to music). Nico with a sheet of paper nearby, probably his work. Shindo and Musa both sleep quietly but the décor in Musa’s room is impressive (what looks like a handwoven tapestry and African masks). Akane, with a manga in hand, surrounded by his beloved manga piles. We see that even his futon is placed on top of boxes, no doubt containing more manga. Finally, in the kitchen we see a dish rack with freshly washed plates, and Haiji who is rehydrating after consuming all that alchohol. KK joins him and Haiji instantly recognizes his footsteps even without turning around.

“Can’t sleep?” he asks.

Kakeru asks him if he really plans on having them run at the sports meet. “They’re no match for them.” He then asks Haiji to wait until May at least. 

When Haiji asks what the point in waiting is, Kakeru replies that the residents aren’t ready, and that they’ll just get hurt. “Why force them to face reality? They’re amateurs.”

-Kakeru’s point of view here has changed. It’s like, whereas before he was only concerned with the absurdity of Haiji’s plan, now he’s worried about the team members’ feelings. Prince’s speech really helped bring the team closer together.

Haiji then asks Kakeru “Are only the chosen allowed to run? Is that what running is about?”

Haiji’s question was asked without any particular intonation, but Kakeru is taken aback by it. After some thought, he answers “We’re talking about a competitive sport.”

I guess he means, why compete if you’re no good?

Haiji concedes the point. “You’re right. But that’s why we need to face reality. Otherwise, we can’t even try. Hakone isn’t a dream. Its reality.”

Speaking of reality, a clock on the wall tells us it is after 1 am. We then see King in his room. Unlike the others, he isn’t sleeping. Rather, he’s looking at his phone, and frowns.

-Looks like he hasn’t been accepted at whatever job he applied for.

In the next scene we see everyone at breakfast. Yuki yells in protest. Haiji is telling them that in addition to their morning jogs (which he is now calling a warm-up) they’ll be holding “proper practices” in the evening at five. And that they’re “officially starting”.

KK’s face is hidden by his hair while King’s is obscured by the standing Haiji.

To me this reflects their internal conflicts, as of yet, unknown to the rest.

In contrast Yuki, despite his loud protests is facing forward. So is Prince, although he looks a bit nauseous at the thought of the extra practice.

Jouji wonders if they’ll be done with classes by then, to which Jouta says it’s probably fine to ditch. Musa then asks Shindo to help him get shoes. Yuki stands up angrily and tells everyone “You’re crazy! You’re acting like a track and field team!”

The twins, Musa, and Shindo reply, “But we are.” At this Haiji smiles smugly while Yuki appeals to Nico “Senpai, say something!”

He hmms and haws a bit but remains otherwise silent.

King then says he’ll pass, that he has a seminar. 

When Haiji asks if he can reschedule King replies in an oppositional mocking tone: “I’ll have to reschedule my entire life, too.”

“Will you take responsibility for that?”

– Haiji looks bemused at his demeanor. Nico then points out “I’ve rescheduled my life like crazy,” making the twins laugh. As always, Nico knows just what to say and when to say it to lighten a heavy mood. Even at the expense of himself. Here, he’s being self-deprecating and hinting at his multiple failed courses. He’s a great guy.

In the next scene we see what look like small wire figurines resting on the windowsill of Nico’s room. Yuki asks him if they’re voodoo dolls. Nico replies that he makes them to keep his hands busy and away from cigarettes.

Yuki takes the opportunity to ask him when he stopped smoking, and correctly guesses it was after Haiji first talked about running at Hakone.

When Nico points out he should be glad, since he used to complain about the smell everyday.

After dancing around the issue for several days now (and episodes) Yuki finally asks him straight up. “That means you’re running, right?”

Nico, who had been working at his computer stops typing. Yuki then attacks him with the evidence: “Despite staying up all night to work all the time, you’re participating in our morning jogs because you want to run in the Hakone Ekiden.”

Now that Yuki has directly asked him, Nico gives a straight answer.

-Well, straight for Nico anyway: he tells him “I don’t dislike running.”

That’s all Yuki needed to hear to spell his doom. He bursts out “Give me a break!”

-He already lost Musa, Shindo, and the twins. King had previously said he’d try it and KK seemed more willingly to participate in practice.

Nico then qualifies his statement and says “But ability is a different matter.”

-He sounds almost wistful when he says that. Rather than not disliking running, it seems like Nico actually likes it very much.

I think Yuki surmised just as much, considering the shocked look on his face.

Nico then adds that Yuki shouldn’t worry since he’s not taking Haiji seriously. Rather he’s just taking this opportunity to get into shape.

Yuki grits his teeth in anger and defeat, then gazes at the wire doll in his hands.

Act two

After the mid episode break, we see that it is now afternoon based on the sunlight. The twins are admiring Musa’s new shoes and wonder if they should get a job to help pay for new shoes as well, since they don’t want to use their allowance. Shindo arrives from university, and tells the others he’ll join them as soon as he gets changed. Musa exposits that third years have seminars and that it must be tough.

-It’s already been established that Shindo is a good student.

Kakeru comes out into the yard where Jouta tells him that Haiji is with Yuki and Nico. Jouji then mentions that King isn’t coming, and that he’s been freaking out over his job hunt. As they have this conversation, we see Haiji stopping in front of the door to King’s room, but then leaves without knocking.

-I think Haiji realized from his peer’s tone that he’s going through something and decided it would be better to leave him alone for now.

Back in the yard, Musa says that Prince is already here.

-He is. He’s also tied to Nira. Literally.

This was undoubtedly Haiji’s idea to keep him from running away.

Prince asks the dog: “Between you and me, which of us do you think is truly free?”

KK is confused, while the twins are amused at this pitiful display.

Haiji completes the skit by coming out and asking Nira if it wants to come along, before adding “Prince, too.” Nira barks in reply, while the otaku says: “Could you please not treat us like we’re on the same level?”

He’s wearing a shirt with the word “feeble” written on it.

-Earlier, the shirt said the word “why?” written on it. I think it’s the same plain white shirt, the text just changes to fit his mood. I’ve seen this technique in other anime but sadly do not know what it’s called.

He confides in the pooch that it is the only one who understands him to which Jouta asks “are you trying to descend to his level?”

Haiji takes the team to a nearby public park, the same one Nico was running in in the second episode. A crow caws ominously and Jouta comments that the place is dismal. Haiji explains that the universities track field is used by many other teams and clubs, and that there’s a pecking order.

He then explains that if they start running suddenly, they’ll get injured, so they’ll warm up by running for an hour before practice. Everyone (except for track veterans KK and Nico) freaks out. Especially Prince whose pale face looks nauseated in dread.  

“He asks Haiji if one hour run isn’t their practice?” He barely finishes his question when Haiji cuts him off to start practice.

“Let’s go.”

Depressed, Prince tells Nira “That’s what’s called ignoring someone. You’re the only one who understands me.”

Jouta then asks him “Are you trying to descend to his level?”

-Prince bonding with Nira is hilarious.

In the next scene we can tell that time has passed based on the fact that the sun is lower in the sky. Prince, once again passed out on the grass, with Nira hovering over him, tells us that the team has finished their warm up.

Haiji then splits them into groups and tells them they’ll do fixed-paced runs to build endurance. As he explains this, Kakeru looks up from where he is stretching on the floor at Haiji.

It’s as if he’s trying to figure him out.

Prince, who has regained conscious is complaining to Nira, only to find out that the dog has happily joined the first group (twins, Shindo and Musa) on their run.

“You’re one of them, too?” he laments sadly.

-God, Prince is too pitiful and hilarious here.

Meanwhile, Yuki is engaging in his own one sided conversation. As he and Nico watch the others run he asks:

“Whats so great about about it.”

At Yuki’s “Huh?” he clarifies, “About running. I don’t get it. I’m an amateur.”

-Translation: “Why do you like running? I’m new at this so I need to know.” Here, Yuki’s using his ignorance to try to glean and answer.

I love this duo so much.
Image commissioned by Reviewbrain. Not to be shared without permission.

When Nico doesn’t reply, he goes on to say: “As long as I don’t, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

-Translation: “If you don’t tell me, I won’t run with you guys.” Now he’s using an indirect threat.

Couldn’t decide which to use, rough sketch or final image so I posted both 🙂
Image commissioned by Reviewbrain. Not to be shared without permission.

He then tells the still silent Nico, “Don’t tell me I’ll understand once I start running.”

-Translation: “I want a real answer. Don’t brush me off.”

When it becomes their turn to run, Nico says, “Everyone’s different.” Yuki thinks he’ll finally get a reply but before Nico can say more Haiji signals for them to start, much to Yuki’s annoyance.

Kakeru, who’s in their group, looks at them and remembers Haiji’s words “Are only the chosen allowed to participate? Is that what running is about?”

More time has passed. The lights in the park turn on as Haiji tells them they’ll stop for the day and to keep in mind that he’ll incorporate “build ups” the next day.

Yuki yells in disbelief that Haiji is adding more to their practice, while studious Shnido takes out a tiny notepad from his pocket to note down the point of tomorrow’s exercise.

Even Musa is astounded at Shindo’s diligence.

Haiji explains it’s to work their hearts and lungs.

“There’s no point unless you’re having trouble breathing.”

The twins mention that he’s actually smiling as he says this. Prince points out it’s because he’s an ogre: “An ogre doesn’t understand how people feel.”

The bookworm is lying face down in the grass and looks positively ashen. Jouji asks if the thin Akane has lost even more weight. Jouta rubs his eyes and says that Prince looks semi-transparent to him.

Prince explains: “I’m trying to become incorporeal. It’s the only way I can survive in this world.”

As he chuckles lifelessly and eerily, Haiji picks him up like a paper doll. “Stand up, Prince. We’re jogging back to Aotake.”

Damn, Haiji. Way to prove Prince’s point.

As Haiji carries him off, Prince tells the brothers “I’ll explain the rest to you tonight.”

“No, thanks.” The twins reply.

As they leave the park Yuki comments to Nico, “Despite everything, even Prince is going along with it.”

Nico points out that Yuki is, too. At this Yuki says, “You never told me your answer.” That is, why Nico likes running.

-As is his modus operandi, after using multiple tactics and getting nowhere, the lawyer finally asks Nico straight out.

Nico calls Yuki out on his persistence.

-Basically, he’s asking him why he cares.

Here, Yuki awkwardly looks down.

The lighting is poignant. It’s like Yuki expects Nico’s answer will enlighten him somehow.

Nico seems to take pity on him and finally answers “Well, when I’m running, only when I’m running, I feel clean. Pure white. I can leave all the stuff I’m carrying behind. For just a moment, I feel perfectly clean.”

Yuki looks at him in interest, before he jokes “But I’m already clean.”

Nico, without malice, comments that Yuki pisses him off, before he leaves.

“That’s the reason?!” Yuki asks in disbelief.

I loved this exchange for so many reasons. It’s clear from the very beginning that Nico didn’t want to answer Yuki. But the latter’s insistence wore him down. Nico, despite seeming careless and laid back, is actually respected and well liked by everyone. I think Yuki might even see him as a role model, a fact that embarrasses him. That explains the cool character’s awkwardness (for the first time ever) when Nico calls him out on his nagging. His relentlessness betrays a desire for a deeper understanding of Nico’s motives, hence Nico himself.

The older man might even realize this and, accommodating individual as he is, gives in despite wanting to protect his raison d’être. If he hadn’t, Yuki would’ve have continued wondering about it. Now that he knows, he will realize that truth does not necessarily equate to understanding. Knowledge doesn’t equal comprehension. But the desire for it can, and might, bring people closer. It may even be enough. Not sure if that happened here, however. Although Nico gave an honest answer, Yuki can’t relate to it.

Back at Aotake, we see a bunch of fliers and brochures scattered on King’s bed.

-He must have been sending out job application emails all this time.

We also see him reading an email from a company which has turned down his recruitment application. The phone’s light is reflected on his face. He throws it on his bed and lays down when he hears the others arrive downstairs.

Shindo is telling the others that he wants to go on a jog since there isn’t much time before the meet. He also wants to try “something”. Haiji gladly gives him permission but tells him to be careful of cars. The twins and Musa say that they’ll join him as well.

“If Jouji’s going I am too!” Older bro Jouta is on thr left. He’s usually the one in blue.

Yuki, however opts out saying that he’s overworked. Likewise, Nico says he wants to relax.

Haiji is happy that his runners are becoming independent when Shindo suddenly asks “Where’s Prince?” Haiji’s eyes widen, saying that he forgot him in the yard.

Haiji’s “Oops!” face.

“He’ll catch a cold!” Shindo worries, as he runs out to get him.

-Poor Prince! He must have passed out again.

On his way to his room Nico asks Kakeu if he won’t run with the others, “It’s written all over your face that you haven’t had your fill.”

Kakeru furrows his eyebrows.

-I’m guessing he’s upset he’s so easy to read.

But before he can decide if he’ll run Haiji asks him to help make dinner. At this KK starts asking Haiji a question but stops when he hears King coming down the stairs.

King asks Haiji when dinner will be ready. Haiji replies soon then asks Kakeru what he wanted to say.

Kakeru says “it’s nothing.”

-It’s obvious that he wanted to have a private conversation with Haiji, but the latter has, uncharacteristically, not realized it.

King, however, seems to have picked up on it.

After Haiji goes into the kitchen, King tells Kakeru, in a sarcastic tone says “You’re lucky to have guys who want to run. Well, I’m sure you have plenty of time. Run as much as you like,” while gesturing dismissively at him.

Kakeru looks upset at King’s words, but doesn’t say anything in reply.

-Maybe he’a used to being taunted.

-King was being kind of a jerk here. It’s like he’s flaunting his senpai status, and the fact that he’s already a fourth year. But I think, in reality, he’s resentful of how Kakeru, a first year, doesn’t have to worry about job hunting yet. But more than that, his mentioning of how KK has others who want to run with him also hints that he’s envious of the common ground between the other residents.

– It might also be that he was insulted that KK stopped whatever it was he was going to say when he saw him. Maybe he thought KK was going to bad mouth him. Heck if I know. It’s kinda hard to get a read on him.

King goes off to take a bath and we see KK pass the kitchen door, presumably to go to his room.

At dinner, Haiji tells everyone that they can’t work part time, since all their spare time will be used to practice and rest. Musa, in particular is upset.

He also tells them to get running clothes, and that Prince’s jeans are out of the question. Prince points out that he never needed a track suit. Haiji says even track suits aren’t proper attire.

-I’m confused. Then what is? Shorts? What about in colder weather?

Yuki has a lot of great reaction shots. He keeps an eye on everything.

-Now that Haiji has the majority in agreement he seems to be tightening the reins on everyone.

-Prince’s face here is hilarious. You can just see him wondering how much money that should be spent on manga will go towards running wear.

King suddenly yells out “Hey! I’m not doing nothing but practice every day. Sorry, but I have my own life to live.”

He walks out without finishing his dinner.

Everyone is shocked, especially Shindo who he seems particularly close to.

Best Scenes:

As low key as this episode was, these were many great scenes. I love character interaction and the discussions between Yuki and Nico, and Haiji and Kakeru, respectively, were very well done. The format was great and shows that even with a large cast, with proper writing and editing you can give most everyone proper screentime. Despite this, Prince basically stole every scene he was in. I had to restrain myself a lot when choosing the pictures for this episode or he would’ve been in every single one. But I tried to choose images that were relevant to the analysis.

Conclusion:

While I understand King’s point of view, I don’t like how he’s lashing out at the others. On the one hand, it’s understandable, but on the other, I can’t help but feel that if he talked to them, in particular Haiji, who is a fellow fourth year, it might help him deal with the pressure. For one thing, he just started his fourth year, so I don’t get why he’s in a hurry to get a job. Wouldn’t he have a better opportunity of getting hired after he finishes his classes and earns his degree? I mean, maybe he wanted to get a head start, but it only makes sense that those who have already graduated would be hired first. I hope someone can help explain this.

Anyway, with regards to themes, we have a repeat of Isolation (with King, this time), Dreams vs Reality (practice vs Hakone) Peer pressure (brought up by Yuki and possibly the reason why he and Prince are running) Understanding and lack of understanding (Kakeru and Haiji, Nico and Yuki), Priorities (school vs running vs job hunting : the twins, Shindo, Musa and King, respectively). We also got Nira established as a main character, practically human. A return of Haiji the Oni (Ogre). Finally, a repeat of the “what it means to run” theme first stated in the previous episode. (When KK tells Haiji to run alone and “isn’t that what it means to run” to which Haji told him “even if you run alone, you aren’t really alone.) In this episode, Haiji asks Kakeru “are only the chosen allowed to run? Is that what it means to run?”

We got Nico’s motivation, but the general question hasn’t been answered yet. But I think, Kakeru was going to bring it up again, when he tried talking to Haiji, and before King interrupted them.

One thing I found compelling is that not one person, not even Prince or Yuki who are still against running, seem happy about King’s behavior. Even though his rebelling here might make it easier for them, giving them an opportunity to also ditch practice, but it doesn’t seem like it. Like the others, they seem mostly concerned about him. I find this incredibly wholesome.

On a side note, I’d love to get reader’s opinions on which of the fanart styles (sketchy, colored) posted in this review do they prefer. Thanks!

Grade: 9/10

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