Haruka and Kouya Return

Overtake! Episode 10 sees Haruka and Kouya both returning to the track. And, thanks to the time they spent together, they have a better understanding of what they need to do. But, what exactly is it they need to do?

For Haruka, he needs to go back to Komaki Motors and win with the team he calls home. Sure, Belsorriso is the team with which he has the best shot at winning. And, racing for them is the best option when it comes to furthering Haruka’s career in motorsports.

But, Haruka realizes that his career isn’t what’s important to him right now. What’s important is succeeding with the team he’s been with from the start. He doesn’t only want to win for himself. He wants to win for Futoshi and Koutarou Komaki, too. That’s why he turned down Belsorriso’s offer.

For Kouya, things are a bit more complicated. He needs to reclaim his ability to take photographs of people. And, while he knows he wants to take Haruka’s photo on the podium, that still seems a long way off. Not just because Haruka needs to win, but because Kouya still doesn’t seem ready.

Something else I want to point out is that Kouya and Saeko seem to have gotten closer in this episode. We saw Haruka reunite with Komaki Motors. So, are we going to see Kouya and Saeko get back together? It seems like their divorce stemmed from them not understanding each other’s feelings.

But now, they’re able to be more open with each other. This could be the start of a new chapter in their relationship. Or, they could decide that being separated is still for the best at this point in their lives. We’ll have to wait and see.

From Fuji to Suzuka

The racing parts of Episode 10 were a bit hard to follow. At the start of the episode, while they’re practicing, they’re at Fuji Speedway. But, later in the episode, for the race, they’re at Suzuka Circuit.

At first, I thought this was some sort of mistake because I wasn’t paying attention. I missed the part when the episode swapped over to Suzuka and showed the Suzuka Circuit signage. So, I was wondering why we saw the front gates of Fuji, but I could tell they were racing at Suzuka.

Well, as I said, I wasn’t paying attention. However, when I went back to check, I was still confused. Yes, the series swapped from Fuji to Suzuka and that swap was intentional. But, it doesn’t make sense within the context of a race weekend. Why did they swap tracks between practice and the race?

It’s possible that I don’t understand how Japanese F4 works. But, practice should take place on the same track as qualifying and the race, right? I mean, that’s how it works in every other racing category. There’s no point to practice if it’s not on the same track.

So, what happened here? My best guess is that the stuff we saw at Fuji was supposed to be testing, not practice. But, the series didn’t make that clear. In fact, it almost went out of its way to make it more confusing.

After qualifying (at Suzuka), Koutarou mentions how it went way worse than practice did. And, what was the “practice” session we just saw Haruka perform well in? The one at Fuji. We cut from Haruka practicing well at Fuji to him qualifying poorly at Suzuka. That’s the kind of stuff I expect from Drive to Survive.

Never Say Never

Alright, so we know Haruka didn’t have the best qualifying. But, how bad was it? He qualified in 14th out of 30, which, honestly, isn’t that bad. Sure, he’s not even in the top 10. However, we need to consider his team.

Komaki Motors is an independent team with a total of three members, including the driver. They don’t have much money. And that means they don’t have the tires, data, and other resources of the better teams. You’d expect a team like this to be closer to the back of the grid.

The only reason Komaki Motors isn’t back in 30th is because F4 is a spec series. All of the cars are basically the same. Teams can make tweaks to the setup, and that’s it. So, because of that, Haruka’s skill is able to come through and carry the car higher up the grid.

Anyway, after qualifying back in 14th, nobody expected Haruka to be able to win this race. Though, I’m not sure why they thought that was possible, to begin with. Why was anyone expecting him to be able to jump back in the car after a break and immediately score his first-ever win?

Of course, the title of the episode, “Never Say Never,” was a bit of foreshadowing here. Despite where he started, he managed to get all the way up to second before his tires gave out. If they had held on, he may have been able to take the fight to Toshiki.

But, from what I remember, this is a new record for Haruka. I believe this is the closest he’s ever been to the podium. So, it’s only a matter of time (there are two episodes left) until he reaches the top step.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Overtake! Episode 10? Do you think Kouya and Saeko ae going to get back together? Did the jump from Fuji to Suzuka confuse you as much as it did me? And, do you think Haruka will win next week or the week after? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

Kouya and Haruka

Overtake! Episode 9 was easily the best episode of the series. And, it wasn’t even an episode about racing. Funny how that works. That tells me that Overtake! would probably be a better series if it had less to do with racing altogether. It could have focused on the tsunami disaster.

In this episode, Haruka locates Kouya in the coastal town where the tsunami struck. It’s been 10 years since the disaster, and the town appears to have mostly recovered. But, the people who live there, and Kouya, still remember the event like it was yesterday.

As expected, Haruka tries to get Kouya to come back. But, that’s not the only thing he’s after. He also wants to get to know Kouya better. He thought he understood Kouya. But, then he learned that criticism wasn’t what made Kouya stop photographing people. It was something else.

Before leaving Kouya’s apartment, Haruka went through his photo albums and noticed something. Kouya stopped taking photos of people a month before he released the one of the girl during the tsunami.

When pressed about this, Kouya doesn’t want to talk, at first. Instead, he deflects by taking Haruka around the town and doing everything he (Kouya) wants to.

They go out to eat “breakfast,” do some sightseeing, eat ice cream, and finally race at a go-kart track. And, it’s while they’re at the track that Haruka proposes a bet. They’ll have a race, and the loser will have to do something the winner wants them to do.

Even with a three-lap handicap, Haruka manages to win. So, what does he ask for? First, he asks for Kouya to take a photo of him. And, when that seems too unreasonable, he asks Kouya to tell him the real reason he stopped photographing people.

The Day of the Disaster

Previously, I assumed Kouya first went to the town because of the Tsunami. I don’t know why I thought that since I don’t believe it was ever stated. But, that’s what I thought, even if, thinking back on it, it doesn’t make sense.

How would Kouya have known a tsunami was coming? It could be that there was an earthquake, and so a tsunami was expected. But, even if that was the case, it would have meant that the townspeople also knew it was coming. And if they knew it was coming, they could have evacuated earlier.

Anyway, it turns out that Kouya had already been in the area for a different photoshoot. He was taking pictures of the people who lived in the town going about their days. I guess the goal of these photos was to highlight some of the less-traveled parts of Japan.

It was during this assignment that Kouya met Shouzou and his granddaughter, Momo. Shouzou appears to be the mayor of the town — or just the old guy who’s in charge because he’s lived there forever. Either way, he didn’t care much for Kouya at first. But, once Shouzou saw Kouya’s pictures, his opinion changed.

Fast-forward to the day of the disaster, and tsunami warning sirens were blaring while everyone was trying to escape to higher ground. Kouya wanted to go back down into the town to help people evacuate but was told it was too dangerous.

He then used the viewfinder on his camera to see if he could spot anyone in need. And, that’s when he spotted Momo on her own. He didn’t intend to take that picture of her. He just happened to spot her and snapped the photo by accident. So, the picture doesn’t tell the whole story.

Nice Photo

Before the disaster, Shouzou had Kouya take a picture with him and Momo. Rather than Kouya taking a photo of the two of them with his camera, he took a group selfie on Shouzou’s phone.

10 years later, Shouzou still has that photo. It’s obvious that it means a lot to him, as it’s probably the last photo of Momo smiling. And, it also includes Kouya, someone Shouzou believes did a lot for the town. Unlike most others in his family, Shouzou doesn’t blame Kouya for what happened to Momo.

In fact, he agrees with Kouya that the photo should have been published. But, why? Why would Shouzou want that picture of his granddaughter out there for all to see? It’s because it’s an important photo. It showed the people of Japan what happened to the town. It made the disaster real for those not affected by it.

Hearing about a tsunami destroying a coastal town is one thing. But, seeing the crying face of a child before the tsunami swept them away is another. It makes people want to act — to donate their time and money to the town’s recovery.

Shouzou knows there’s nothing Kouya could have done to save Momo. So, at the very least, he’s glad that Kouya was able to help the town with this photo. And, that’s exactly the kind of thing that made Shouzou like Kouya, to begin with. He liked how Kouya’s photos brought attention to the town and its people.

I guess I should also mention why Kouya returned to the town now. He wasn’t running away. He was going back to visit Shouzou one last time before his death. And, he was able to. Hopefully, that gave Kouya some closure.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Overtake! Episode 9? Do you agree with me that it was the best episode of the series? Do you think Kouya should have released the photo of Momo? And, would the series be better if it just dropped the racing content? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 10 is available now.

Making the Jump to Belsorriso

Overtake! Episode 8 began with quite a twist. Haruka Asahina is now a driver for Belsorriso — at least temporarily. I have a feeling he won’t be driving for them at the end of the season. But, for now, he’s moved on from Komaki Motors.

In Episode 7, we learned that Satsuki Harunaga probably won’t be getting back in the car this season. And, we also learned that neither of Belsorriso’s reserve drivers are as good as Toshiki is. Toshiki was able to keep up with Satsuki. But these drivers can’t keep up with Toshiki.

Haruka is the solution to Belsorriso’s problem. They’ve seen what he can do in a bad car. So, they figured he’s their best shot at having a second driver who can keep up with Toshiki. But, where does this leave Komaki Motors?

Without Haruka, Komaki Motors will cease to be an F4 team. Their team only consisted of three people. There’s the team owner, the mechanic, and the driver. Without the driver, they can’t race. And, it’s unlikely that Komaki Motors would try to find a replacement. Haruka was their whole reason for existing.

Komaki Motors wasn’t an F4 team until Haruka came along. They were (and still are) a mechanic shop. So, while losing Haruka sucks, it’s not the end of the world. In fact, Komaki Motors won’t have to continue spending money on racing. In that sense, losing Haruka is a good thing.

But, the real reason Haruka moving to Belsorriso is good is that it’s going to allow him to grow as a driver. Everyone acknowledges that Komaki Motors is what’s holding Haruka’s racing career back. They simply don’t have the resources to give him a car capable of winning. Belsorriso can.

From Hunt to Lauda

Because I’m such a genius, last week, I predicted that Satsuki was going to be more like Lauda than Hunt. He liked to think of himself as someone who made his own luck, like James Hunt. But, as I pointed out, his arc is more like Niki Lauda’s.

And, with that in mind, we can assume that Satsuki won’t be winning the Japanese F4 championship this year. Lauda lost the championship in 1976 after his crash. But, he came back to win it the following year.

That’s the path Satsuki is now on. Though, it should be noted that Lauda did return to racing later that same year. So, we might still get to see Satsuki back in the car at some point. And, that may be the catalyst for Haruka returning to Komaki Motors from Belsorriso.

Okay, so it’s clear that Satsuki’s arc is mimicking Lauda’s life. But, if that’s the case, who’s supposed to be Hunt in this situation? Hunt won the 1976 world championship in large part due to Lauda’s crash. So, whoever represents Hunt in this series has to be someone who benefits from Satsuki’s crash.

Could it be Toshiki? He seems like a pretty obvious choice. Thanks to Satsuki’s misfortune, Toshiki got the chance to prove himself as the team’s #1 driver. And, since he’s been driving for Belsorriso all season, he’s likely to be the one to win the championship now.

However, Haruka could also represent Hunt. Like Toshiki, he too benefited from Satsuki’s crash. It gave Haruka the opportunity to race for a top team. But, I doubt he’ll end up winning the championship because of it. Haruka’s current goal is smaller than that. He just wants to win a single race.

Toshiki’s New Teammate

Surprisingly, Toshiki was rather welcoming to Haruka becoming his teammate. I would have thought Toshiki would be against it. After all, Toshiki blames Haruka for the fact that Satsuki was chosen as the number one driver over him.

But, I guess now that Toshiki is the number one driver of the team, his beef with Haruka doesn’t matter. However, there are likely some other factors, as well. For example, if Haruka’s in a better car, he won’t be a mobile chicane. And, Haruka may be able to support Toshiki better than the other Belsorriso drivers.

There’s just one problem, though. It looks like Toshiki underestimated Haruka’s skills. He acknowledges Haruka is better than the reserve drivers, and doesn’t have an issue with that. But, what he wasn’t expecting was for Haruka to be fast enough to challenge him.

Because Toshiki has never been the number one driver, he’s never had to deal with the pressure that comes with it. As the saying goes, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” When you’re on top, you have to worry about everyone who wants to dethrone you.

During their practice, Haruka wasn’t even trying to overtake Toshiki. And yet, Toshiki was getting thrown off by the fact that Haruka was so close behind him. Racing might be a team sport, but there’s always the chance your teammate could pass you. And if they do, they may prove that they’re more worthy of being the number one driver.

Of course, at this stage, Haruka wants to show Belsorriso that he can be a team player. But, what about if a race win was on the line? If Toshiki was in first and Haruka was in second, would Haruka hold back or go for it?

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Overtake! Episode 8? Were you surprised to see Haruka driving a Belsorriso car at the start of the episode? Do you think Satsuki or Haruka is supposed to represent James Hunt in this series? And, are you expecting Haruka to finish out the season with Belsorriso? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out DoubleSama.com/support.

My review of Episode 9 is available now.

Kouya Yukihira’s Legacy

Overtake! Episode 7 follows the predictable plot development of most single-cour anime. Now that we’re passed the halfway point, it’s time for some drama to interrupt things. And, that drama comes in the form of Kouya’s past coming back to haunt him.

Due to the negative press his tsunami photo got, Kouya’s name became pretty well-known. But, he doesn’t go by the same name anymore. Back then, he was Kouya Yukihira. Now, he’s Kouya Madoka. Did he change his name because of the backlash he received due to his photo?

The backlash over his photo might have played some role in his choice to change his name. But, we also know that Kouya used to be married to Saeko. And Yukihira is Saeko’s family name. So, it seems more likely that he changed his name when they divorced.

Of course, we don’t know the exact circumstances surrounding Kouya and Saeko’s divorce. But, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Kouya’s photograph had something to do with it. We know he disappeared for a while afterward. So, his mental state may have contributed to the decline of their relationship.

Anyway, Mikazuki Beverages, the sponsor of Komaki Motors, found out about Kouya’s past. And once they did, they decided to cut ties with the racing team. Kouya’s past hasn’t become an issue for them yet. But, they want to get out in front of any potential bad PR.

My question, though, is, “Would anyone even find out about Kouya’s connection to the company?” He could simply remove his name from being associated with the photo he took of Haruka crying. I doubt anyone would be looking into it anyway. But, if they did, they wouldn’t connect it back to Kouya.

Satsuki’s Luck Runs Out

Back in Episode 5, Satsuki Harunaga told Haruka and Toshiki that he always won because he was lucky. Sure, he’s a skilled driver. But, in his mind, what separates the skilled drivers who win from those who lose is luck.

Now, Satsuki also believes that he makes his own luck. So, you could argue that it is actually his skill that keeps him winning. But, it looks like his luck has finally run out with the big crash he suffered at the end of Episode 6.

Satsuki’s most likely going to be out of the car for the rest of the season. And, one of the things he’s realized since vacating his spot as the #1 driver is that his team doesn’t need him. Toshiki is very capable of winning races. It was only Satsuki who was stopping him from doing so.

Of course, Satsuki knew Toshiki was a good driver. That’s why he didn’t bother giving Toshiki tips, as he does with the others. He knows Toshiki doesn’t need them. So, he gives Toshiki compliments instead. And yet, that doesn’t make seeing Toshiki replace him any less painful for Satsuki.

Will Satsuki actually be out for the rest of the season, though? If he is, that would solidify Haruka’s rival with Toshiki. There wouldn’t be a three-way rivalry anymore. Haruka and Toshiki would be going head-to-head. But, I’m going to predict that Satsuki will be making a return to the track.

Satsuki loves the Lauda vs. Hunt story and previously compared himself to Hunt. But, with his crash, he could do something very Lauda-like. He could come back far sooner than anyone expects and prove that he’s still got what it takes to win. That’s what I’d like to see.

The Missing Photographer

One of the main characters was missing from the majority of Episode 7. We saw Kouya early in the episode when he was meeting with Mikazuki Beverages. But, after that, he was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t answering anyone’s messages and he wasn’t at home.

Where did Kouya go?

As mentioned previously, Kouya disappeared after he took the tsunami picture years earlier. And when Saeko finally found him, he was helping with the disaster relief efforts. Why was he doing that? I assume that it was his way of atoning for taking the picture.

The current situation with Kouya feels very similar to that. Once again, he’s been put into an uncomfortable situation due to the picture he took. That’s why I’m betting his reaction is going to resemble what he did last time. He’s going to return to the scene of the photograph.

By this time, I’m sure the town has recovered from the tsunami, at least mostly. So, there’s not likely going to be anything Kouya can do there to help. But, going back to that town and seeing how it’s recovered could be cathartic for him.

We might see Kouya try to get in contact with the family of the girl he took the photo of. Apologizing to them in person might do a lot for his mental health. And, he may find out that the family never blamed him. Maybe they knew there was nothing he could have done.

Alternatively, or additionally, we could see Kouya make a public statement. It’s unclear if he ever did this in the past. But, a public apology for the photo could win back some favor. It may make him less of a liability for brands to associate with.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Overtake! Episode 7? What do you think led to Kouya and Saeko getting a divorce? Are you expecting Satsuki to make a return before the end of the season? And where do you think Kouya disappeared to? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 8 is available now.

Haruka’s Best Qualifying

Overtake! Episode 6 featured one of my favorite tracks, Suzuka Circuit. Suzuka and the Bahrain International Circuit are my two favorites. They’re both good tracks. But, what makes Suzuka extra special is how it has a figure-eight shape.

As far as I know, Suzuka is the only grade 1 track that crosses over itself. That’s like Mario Kart stuff. But, unfortunately, this episode didn’t talk much about the track. They mentioned the race was at Suzuka and we saw it was at Suzuka. However, there wasn’t anything else said about the track.

This might be my biggest complaint about the series. So far, we’ve seen races at both Fuji and Suzuka, two famous tracks. And we know that this series takes place in our reality. We know that because Satsuki mentioned Hunt and Lauda. So, why isn’t anything being said about the tracks?

It would have been cool if Komaki told Madoka about how Formula 1 currently races at Suzuka. Madoka probably would have made a big deal about how Haruka’s racing on the same track as Formula 1 drivers. And, something like that could lead to Madoka asking Haruka how far he intends to go.

Does Haruka see himself being in F4 for the entirety of his career? Does he dream of making it into Formula 1 someday? We know he wants to win a race. And in this episode, he achieved his best qualifying yet. So, he’s getting closer to that goal.

But, surely, he has a longer-term goal, right? Maybe he doesn’t. But, even if that’s the case, I’d like the series to explore that. It could be that Haruka wants to win in F4 like his father and that’s it. He might not view racing as his career.

Suzuka, Rain

After qualifying, but before the race, it began raining at Suzuka. Rain isn’t a huge deal. It’s definitely more dangerous as there’s less grip and visibility. But, wet weather tires make it so the cars aren’t sliding around like they’re on ice.

Still, it’s understandable why Madoka wouldn’t want Haruka to take part in the race. He only recently learned that Haruka’s father died in a crash in the rain. And, considering Madoka’s own water-based trauma, this is something he feels strongly about.

There’s also something else that could have been mentioned in this episode. The last fatal F1 crash took place at Suzuka in the rain in 2014. Madoka could have brought that up after discovering it when doing research. But, that didn’t happen. And, it’s not like it really would have made a difference, anyway.

Racing drivers understand the risks they’re taking. They know getting in the car is dangerous. And they know getting in the car in the rain is more dangerous. But, the potential danger isn’t going to stop them from getting behind the wheel. Time and again, we even see drivers return to racing after surviving horrific crashes.

Just look at Niki Lauda. His fiery crash at the Nürburgring almost killed him. And yet, he was back in the car only 42 days later. That’s the kind of mindset Madoka is going up against when he tells Haruka not to race.

Now, in the end, Haruka chose to retire from the race. Once he was in the car and experiencing the conditions, he could make an informed choice. Before that, though, there was no way he wasn’t going to start the race. He’ll never know how far he could go if he doesn’t try.

Formula 4 Bumper Cars

Maybe I’m nitpicking here. But, the crash physics in Episode 6 broke my immersion. It was like they were driving bumper cars around Suzuka instead of Formula 4 cars. There’s no way Formula 4 cars would still be in one piece after crashes like those we saw in this episode.

Sure, the monocoque would (probably) be in one piece. But the rest of Satsuki’s car would be strewn across the track. Without going back to rewatch the crash, I don’t believe any of his wheels even came off. That’s very unrealistic.

However, I shouldn’t be too critical. I understand that the animation studio has limitations. Simulating a realistic crash isn’t viable. But, that doesn’t mean Satsuki’s crash seen couldn’t have been done better. They could have drawn attention away from the crash by using a different camera angle. Or, they could have only shown the aftermath.

This isn’t an issue specific to Overtake! There are many anime that would benefit from this kind of reframing. If something doesn’t look good, hide it. There’s no reason to put less-than-stellar CGI front and center. Treat it like a horror movie without a budget that hides the monster from viewers.

Did we need to see Satsuki’s crash happen in real time for it to be impactful? No. The impactfulness of his crash was set up earlier in the episode. It was set up when Madoka confronted Haruka about taking part in the race.

And if you need further proof, look at Haruka’s father’s crash. The first time we saw that crash, we only saw the aftermath. The crash itself wasn’t what made it emotional. It was everything else surrounding the situation.

But, if we’re lucky, there won’t be another scene like this in the series.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of Overtake! Episode 6? Do you wish the series talked more about the circuits and their history? Were you expecting Haruka to take part in the race? And, how do you feel about Satsuki’s crash? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to share it with everyone you know. Also, follow me on your social media of choice so you don’t miss out on any future articles — links are in the footer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and JasonHK for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about supporting this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 7 is available now.