Who will be The King of the Mountain?
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Things get incredibly interesting in this episode. We see some character background, some character development, and the Welcoming Race for the bicycle club heats up as the racers reach the summit of the hellish mountain course!
Naruko attempts to push himself up the mountain slope but eventually falls behind Imaizumi, as he is a sprinter and not a climber. Onoda falls back to ride with Naruko, but he insists that Onoda race to the top and become King of the Mountain, a special title awarded to a racer who reaches the summit of a mountain first. He gives Onoda a pep talk, and tells him “I’m giving you my spirit” and urges him to beat Imaizumi to the top. Onoda eventually, with only 500 meters to the summit left, ends the episode by closing the gap and rides neck and neck with Imaizumi.
That’s all the plot that is in this episode, but there is so much more that the audience is given as a result. We see a flashback to when Miki and Imaizumi were children, and learned that Imaizumi, much like Onoda, didn’t have a lot of friends and was mostly on his own growing up, though in a much different way than our adorable otaku-turned-racer. He always fought to the first place mark because it was quiet, where it was only himself and the turning of his wheels that filled his ears. But Miki also notices something else, that Imaizumi feels pushed, and also, happy, that Onoda pushes him the way he does. Imaizumi declares to himself, and to Onoda, to “catch me” and turns his cyclometer down, ignoring his cadence, heartbeat, and all the other information he has relied on so often when training. For him – it’s the race with Onoda, and the challenge for Onoda to catch him. For this moment – for both racers – nothing else matters.
In Summary:
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that there has been, at one point or another in our lives, a point where we saw our friends doing something. It might be playing a game, or maybe running around kicking a soccer ball back and forth. Maybe it was going to a movie together, or exploring the wilderness around our houses. Whatever it was, we weren’t a part of it, and rather it was because we had other things that prevented us from doing it, or our friends weren’t able to get a hold of us, we felt left out. But when we finally got to hang out with them, when we got to share our experiences together – everyone was happier for it, and that in turn made the experience all the more rewarding.
That idea, the sentiment that a shared experience with our friends is enriching to our lives and our personal development, is what this particular episode highlights so well. For the first time in a while, we see Imaizumi smile. Not the smug, condescending, “I’m better than you and I’ll prove it” smile that we’ve seen before. But a smile of joy. A smile that tells us that he’s happy – happy posed by the challenge of Onoda, but happy because it is Onoda in particular who is challenging him to the top of the mountain. Winning a tournament, be a sport or a game, is a very rewarding experience. The best experiences I’ve always had, have been when I was against one of my friends in the finals. There’s a shared respect, and a content happiness in knowing that if you lose, it’s to someone who means something to you, and who you want to also see succeed. And that’s what Yowapeda feels like at it’s heart. It’s showing us how scary it is to make friends, how challenging new things can be, and how awesome and rewarding it is to share those things with your friends.
I can safely safe that while I think Onoda might pull this one out, I don’t really care who makes it to the top first. The joy of watching these characters develop, to grow with each other is immense for me, and it makes watching this show one of the best parts of my week every time it’s one. I sincerely hope the creators of the show have more scenes like this in store for us watching. It’s incredibly charming, and I think sits easily in the Top 5 of this Fall Season.
Grade: A+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Intel Alienware laptop, Windows 7, 25” HP2509m screen at 1920×1080 resolution