Run with the Wind | Episode 7 Review

Welcome back to another installment of my Run with the Wind review series. Other than Jojo, this is the show I’m always super excited to watch when a new episode comes out. So much so that I went out of my way to get a bot set up to notify me when a new episode comes out on Crunchyroll. Side note, I really wish Crunchyroll would send me push notifications when a new episode of anime on my queue has been released. Alright, let’s jump right into episode 7 of Run with the Wind!

We start this episode with Kakeru sitting alone in the dark with a look of someone prepared for battle. After our OP, we learn that the gang has a meet today. Though, the guys almost got killed thanks Haiji’s terrifying driving. To add onto that, the first person they run into is Sakiki and he is already talking shit though he is stopped in his tracks when Haiji is greeted by what looks like an old friend but likely our next rival, Fujioka Kazuma.

When everyone gets their new gear to run, they were all pretty excited except for Musa after seeing a track team of black guys he felt that there was no chance of winning since they had to be more hungry to win than he was. Though, Kakeru started to get more and more frustrated before they were about to start and my only guess would be that they seem to not be taking it seriously. But Haiji comes in at the perfect time before he exploded.

With the race starting, Haiji gives a “motivational speech” which essentially was, let’s have fun. Though the whole team knows that they don’t have the privilege to start off on the wrong foot. Kakeru is looking at this as an opportunity to see how everyone does. And like that that, the race begins! I had no idea how this was going to go, mostly because I did not know exactly what kind of race these guys would run but looks like everyone is just running together versus a relay race. Though I think I just have little knowledge of track as a sport. I must do research.

Kakeru was looking super cool going neck and neck with the current fastest initially but when he underestimated him and Kazuma, he was humbled quickly. He seemed to be stewing in the loss he was given but then had a conversation with Kazuma that may have made things a little worse. After the race, everyone got handed a sense of reality due to their results but Haiji believes that they can all improve. Though Kakeru makes another outburst about the team and runs off.

One thing I really liked about this episode was the return of the wind motif. I knew that it works really well during the race and it did. I felt like it helped illustrate how fast Kakeru was able to catch up to 1st place but also how fast he lost it. Also, the animation was very nice when showcasing the battle between first and second place. My only issue regarding animation would likely be the CG during the race but at the same time, I can’t complain too much since it’s a group of racers versus just CGing the whole damn race. So I will let them slide… for now.

Kakeru is starting to become a little annoying. I keep giving him a pass because I know this show is going to be 20+ episodes but I can tell that if anyone else was watching this, they may feel that it is hard to watch. I just can’t wait to see when he becomes a redeemable character and really becomes a supportive member of the team. I also wonder what it will be that will make him change.

The show is still great for me. Minor complaints but I really want to see what happens next. So, I’ll be here sometime next week, will you? Have a good weekend!