Ah, the break is over, the New Year is here and Kaze Fui has returned once more! This week a few more of our boys get qualifying times, Kurahara loves his team and everyone goes camping! Lets dive in!
Starting off, I have to make it known how happy I am for our boys in black to be back. Kaze Fui is such an all around great production that it is no doubt my favorite of last season. This episode, its first one back, managed to touch on all the progress the group had made in the first cour. From Kurahara being a team player to everyone else leaning into their strengths with their running. The only real complaint I have about the episode are the terrible CGI models you see behind our runners. I am glad that none of the important characters got such treatment, but the difference between characters was very jarring. There was no way you couldn’t notice the CGI competitors in some of these shots, all with the same face and run cycle. Disappointing, but if that’s the worst Kaze Fui does, its pretty good.
Now that we are past the spoiler line, onto specifics! Like I said, it was great seeing out boys working together and interacting as a team. This came in many forms, such as the twins noticing Shindo’s tendency to match other runners pace. Yet right after that, we see that Yuki and Shindo planned around this. Setting up to clear the path for Kurahara as a lead runner to go by, dragging Shindo and Yuki in behind him. With just subtle glances and knowing how the other’s think, they managed to support and pull the others along. This kind of team running would have been impossible at the start of the series, and is going to help them overcome some of their physical deficiencies in running. That’s not even mentioning how far Kurahara has come from the start of the series.
In the beginning Kurahara couldn’t stand running it seemed, even though he was so good at it. Then he got competitive, but still a loner. Now we see him supporting his team, laughing and joining in on group hugs. Cheering the others on. Its like he has truly grasped the team aspect of the sport, which no grates on Sakaki (Droopy Eyes). My personal favorite part though was when he was passing the exchange students. Kurahara didn’t even spare them a glance, like he did for Shindo. He wasn’t running ahead out of competition, he didn’t even recognize they were there. Kurahara was running because he loved to run, feeling the wind in his hair, even if he had yet to realize it. His face was at peace, in joy, unlike the anger or determination of when he raced against Fujioka. This is what I love Kaze Fui for.
To build on this team aspect, the competition times clearly getting resolved, Kaze Fui smartly takes a step back. Heading to the training camp is, I think, a great idea. It lets us get all of the team together in a new environment. One natural and beautiful, compared to the cramped city they were stuck in when the team was still forming. It’s a nice little metaphor. This is also where a good bit of the comedy comes in, and Kaze Fui once again did this well to. Very little of it was slapstick crap comedy. The closest to that was Prince’s motion sickness, but even that informed us of his character. Meanwhile Musa and Shindo’s told us about the Tokyo track team. It was all comedy born of the situation, and not one second physical comedy boob-grab gags. I know its an all male cast, but I appreciated it.
Speaking of the Tokyo team, it looks like Kaze Fui is finally going to address Sakaki. He was introduced all the way back in Episode 4, so I have been expectantly waiting for him to show up again. And boy was this just great. I love Sakaki’s complex motivations here. He is no doubt jealous of Kurahara’s skill and resents him for how their highschool coach treated him. But at the same time, I think he is upset that Kurahara has moved past that.I think that Sakaki is upset, a “Why do you function with this team? What about OUR team?” sort of feeling. You can see this in his comments about how a team is broken up by a selfish runner, or how venomous he is about Kurahara’s “friends”. Add to that how Kurahara has already hit him once, showing a penchant for violence, and this arc looks fantastic.
As for Kurahara’s reaction, I am concerned. Kurahara clearly has problems expressing himself. We saw this in the first cour, as throughout it he failed to communicate his feelings. And the one time he did, it resulted in the bet against Prince. So I would not be surprised if Kurahara actually did hit Sakaki next episode. Considering they already have a history, where Kurahara supposedly already hit him once, it makes you worry. I suspect a plot point about being disqualified to come up eventually, or perhaps the team finally realizes what is up and gets Kurahara to talk it out. This summer retreat could be just what Kurahara needed to open up. Just take his run with Haiji on the lakeside. He is starting to, mentally at least, slow down and enjoy running. Enjoy life, the wind in his hair. Its the perfect opportunity to unload the baggage.
So all in all, I am incredibly happy with Kaze Fui’s return. You know what they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Well 3 weeks sure made me realize how much I love this series. Yes it has some flaws, but so would any production trying something like this. The important thing is that, where it matters Kaze Fui succeeds without a doubt. The characters, their history and their interactions are all amazing. Of course, coming from the author of Fune wo Amu, I shouldn’t be surprised.
But what did you think of Kaze Fui’s return? Did you enjoy it as well, or did you drop it on the 3 week break? Let me know down below and I will see you next week!
