Unlike the theme of pretty boys that's undeniable in Free!, Yowamushi Pedal is a tale of self-discovery that I could very much liken to "Ride Back". When one passion doesn't work (anime or ballet), find a new one (cycling) and come out a better person. Although Yowamushi Pedal lacks the serious political undertones of Ride Back, the main theme is the same. It's full of cycling terms as well, simple things like the differences between racing bikes and regular bikes and more complex specialist lexis terms for racing techniques. But don't worry, because everything is explained awkwardly, but clearly.
In general, I think the show takes itself too seriously: so many inspirational monologues; melodramatic back flashes; the makings for some pretty intense backstories. It's all just a bit too much! The characters are so ridiculous in nature that seriousness can only be treated as a joke! It's not a bad plot-it's completely logical and the perfect balance of realistic and unrealistic to make it convincing-it's not entertaining. And that is quite a major flaw considering that the main point of anime is to entertain.
About those ridiculous characters then! Starting, of course, with Onoda. I swear that kid is seeking attention! His desperate hunt for friends is just depressing and his dorky-ness is embarrassing. There's no compromise with Onoda, you get a full hard-core geek who's just begging for sympathy. I hate weak characters!! Get yourself some independence, ok!!
Then there's Imaizumi. How dull! He thinks his so cool and acts really presumptuous but he's really nothing special about him. Clearly in some future episode we are going to be informed about his tragic back story that's lead him to be so secluded, but the thing is: I don't care. Imaizumi has given me no reason to care what he does so whether he is in the anime or not is of no real relevance to me! He also has a very cliched role in the show. He juxtaposes Onoda's honesty the pair of them are going to strengthen each other as people whilst training to be great cyclists. So boring!
Finally, Naruko. At least Naruko is a fun and lively character! It's just a shame the producers took that a step too far. There's a fine line between outgoing and rude; Naruko leapt right over that line. The first thing he done when he met Onoda was borrow money off him. That definitely qualifies as rude! He also has a scarily obsessive personality: he's all over anything red and goes to pretty extreme lengths to protect bikes. He's completely insane!
After all that however, I'm going to conclude that more than the personality of the characters, it's actually through the fault of the animation. The style is rough and too shonen for my liking. I've never understood why shonen's always need to have ridiculous spiky hair and Yowamushi Pedal is no exception to the rule. Just look at Naruko's hair! Not to mention the upperclassman with the stunning long green locks! Wow. Although it should be said that they do animate all the pedaling successfully. A major point of the story is how fast the different cyclists pedal and it is actually visible who pedals faster!
So I have a bit of prejudice against sports anime. I'm not a sporty person and as of yet, the genre has given me no reason to trust it! However, it is as successful as I believe a sports anime can be: informative and motivational. But so dull! The races aren't thrilling in the slightest (despite the producers' best intentions), and they all take cycling too seriously for my liking. On the other hand, one thing I am enjoying is the mini skits at the end of the episodes. Instead of a preview to the next episode, there's always a joke at the characters expense. Just a lighthearted, off-topic joke. But that's probably the only plus!
Pie:
Oh god, I thought I was the only one who thought Onoda was a crap character, everybody seems to like him but man, he annoys me so much during his desperation stages and when he chases his "friends". Like you said, he seems like he's seeking for attention cause he never had friends before. I hate how he looks, his smiles creep me out. He looks like a lunatic whenever he smiles as he climbs up the hill. You probably didn't read the manga but he gets worse, he is like a goody two shoes and very self-righteous. When he gets so optimistic during the race, it is total overboard and you just wanna punch him in the face. Naruko started out well but he is soooo like Onoda with the self-righteous act. I can't with those two. Imaizumi is alright, there's not much to say about him cause he doesn't really stand out.
ReplyDeleteI actually really liked the anime in its earlier stages cause it was pretty entertaining until it got to the point there was too much Onoda. Even in the manga, he gets all the good parts (after his panic attacks whenever he sees he's last) and everybody seems to acknowledge him. This series would have been so much better if someone else was the MC.
Sorry for the rant. Everytime I think about Onoda, I get very emotional. You should try Diamond no Ace (ep1-17atm), I want to hear your opinions about some of its characters and it's pretty decent. A good baseball anime would be Ookiku, it's a feel-good anime.
Thank you for the in depth comment!! It's really nice to hear what others think about an anime I've reviewed!! :)
DeleteI haven't read the manga, and by the sounds of it it's a good thing too! xD
And I agree, them two are getting worse :I I'm still watching it because I want to know more about the cyclists from the other schools but it would be alot nicer with out Onoda!!!
Finally, thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely check out Diamond no Ace so be sure to check back soon!! n_n
Yeah, it's a good thing you didn't read the manga lol. I'm only reading it for the 3rd years and cyclists from Hakone but Onoda shows up all the time sprouting his usual gibberish with those big eyes of his.
DeleteThe manga is unlike anything I have ever read, I'm up to volume 22 (the inter-high started @ vol 10 or 11) and the inter-high is still ongoing... I wish it would pick up the pace but it seems unlikely. ;A;
Haha, just don't have high expectations for Diamond no Ace, it's not really that good, but I'm only watching it for some of characters. I want to see what you think of the MC. Like Onoda, he annoys me a lot but everybody likes him...
A good baseball anime would be Ookiku Furikabutte <- this one I would recommend. I love it but I'm not sure if you will lol
I just finished the watching Yowamushi and was thinking i was the only one who didnt like Onoda! I 100% agree with you on ur review of him, I can see why Yowamushi never gained the same popularity as other top sports series, watching him just gives me second-hand embarrassment tbh, and with his main-character status hes basically untouchable and so self-rigorous and always right its like naruto all over again.
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