10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - New Generation - Episode 4

Onoda gets his mojo back. Ashikiba reflects on his place at Hakone. Tadokoro and Kinjou celebrate their last season at Sohoku Cycling.

Ride.04 - "The Fastest Man on Minegayama"

Heh.

This was really three episodes in one. We had the resolution of Onoda's race up Minegayama. Then we had Ashikiba's origin story with Fukutomi's usual laconic inspiration. And finally, we had the last race of the season with Sohoku's sprinters vying for the victory which turned into a retirement party for the remaining seniors. The time for the New Generation begins next episode.

It took two pushes for Onoda to cross the finish line first. One from Imaizumi to bridge up to the Ashikiba and Teshima and a second from Teshima to push him past Ashikiba's surge.

We hadn't seen that determined look on Onoda's face all season.

Teshima played it right. Onoda's initial blast of nakama power came from Teshima's inspirational performance. The second blast came from Teshima reminding him that Makishima was faster than Ashikiba and if Onoda could keep up with him, why couldn't he get past Ashikiba?

It also reminded me that Onoda is the type of rider that follows orders and Teshima ordered him to win. Yes sir!

Not only that, the title of the episode really referred to Makishima since he still held the record for the Minegayama climb by 34 seconds over Onoda.

It's not surprising that Teshima collapsed. He turned himself inside out for a kilometer and a half on the steepest part of the race.

Ashikiba's sulking on the train ride home was a good opportunity to see where he came from.

Almost all his problems on the bike came from not adjusting his seat height and stem length as he grew up. These are teenage men who are still growing. Onoda had a similar problem with his mamachari in his race against Imaizumi for the fate of his anime club.

Fukutomi always says the same thing for advice on the bike. "Face forward." That's what he told Arakita when he was all wobbly and looking down at his front wheel to steer. For Ashikiba it was advice to stop looking from side to side as he swung back and forth. His body type was unique so he needed to learn how to use it to be the best rider he could be.

Shinkai is so solid. He adjusted Ashikiba's bike for him and advised him to use his love of piano playing to focus his mind.

And that's the story of how Metronome Dancing came about.

I don't understand what Ashikiba's problem was in his first race. Panic attack from being so close to so many riders? That wasn't explained very well.

Riding the wrong direction in a race is instant disqualification for almost all levels of racing.

I like Hakone's tradition for aces: never lose to the same guy twice. If you're supposed to be that good, you should be able to figure out what you did wrong and what that guy did right so you can beat him the next time. That's what it takes to be Hakone's ace.

I don't know why Ashikiba should be so disappointed in losing to Onoda anyway. He was there just to see how he races. Winning was a secondary goal.

The Minegayama Race was supposed to be Makishima's farewell race. The critierium was Tadokoro's last hurrah.

Ha! Tadokoro was sweating so much, it was coming out of his eyes. Sure, we believe you.

Sugimoto was in there somewhere. He needs to step it up. At least he got into one race this year.

Aoyagi and Naruko are going to make a great sprinter tandem. They can speak to each other just by glances and they'll push each other by being rivals too.

I like how disappointed Aoyagi and Naruko look on the podium. They wanted to win!

The farewells weren't complete until the retirement party.

Naruko is pretty good at impressions too! Tadokoro didn't like this version of himself, though.

Imaizumi and Naruko set up some kind of dramatic cliffhanger about replacing the seniors as training partners. Gee, I wonder if we'll meet those two kids we keep seeing in the opening credits.

It's between November and March, so it's the cycling off-season. Will they be going into cyclo-cross or the velodrome? We'll have to see what the New Generation does next time.

In the omake, we had Naruko and Aoyagi having a ramen eating contest. And just like Onoda being unable to beat Makishima's record going up a hill, the two young sprinters couldn't beat Tadokoro's finishing time for a big bowl of deluxe ramen. Still much to learn and much to practice, young ones.

Cycling Porn.

This week we saw the extreme pedaling styles of Ashikiba and Makishima, a good look at Onoda's BMC, a flashback with Ashikiba's huge Willier, the Sohoku sprinters' Specialized, Pinarello and Corratec, Naruko leading the last turn of a criterium next to sponsor logos and Naruko's spinning cassette showing he had a couple of cogs to go to max out his speed.

Apparently, we have four real sponsors in this show now. Subaru, Pocari Sweat, Megane Ichiba the eyeglass wear company and Kameda Seika the rice cracker company. Onoda is starring in a Subaru commercial nowadays, but the kids still can't ride a real name brand bike. I'm still hoping Teshima's Cannondale gets the branding treatment first since he did feature on a bike poster a year ago.

10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - New Generation - Episode 3

The Minegayama Hill Climb Race begins. Teshima and Hakone's Ashikiba challenge each other. Onoda gets inspired.

Ride.03 - "Teshima's Ride of the Soul"

Heh.

We already knew that Onoda needed a transfusion of nakama power. What we didn't know was that Teshima was carrying jugs of it around and just needed to splash the first years with it to get them all hopped up. Considering how Teshima had always set himself up to a be a support rider, this kind of inspirational leadership role is one that fits a gutsy rider that does what he can on effort and tenacity.

We hadn't seen that yellow glow of Onoda's since the finale of the 2nd season. He rode his heart out for Makishima in the movie, but I'm glad they saved his rejuvenation for the 3rd season.

So, let's talk about this short race!

Ashikiba is Tall.

Ashikiba, Teshima's old classmate, is tall. Over 2 meters tall. He needs to ride a tall seat post to pedal his bike.

After Midousuji and Makishima, I thought I was done seeing exaggerated pedaling standing up, but Ashikiba's Metronome Dancing gave something else to look at now that Peak Spider is gone.

Ashikiba used to play the piano and hears different Beethoven symphonies depending on his mood within the race. We heard the 9th at the race start and the 5th when he was attacking.

He also thinks he does his homework, but I'm not sure if he was deliberately trolling Imaizumi by never recognizing him. He (allegedly) confused him with Onoda, then Naruko and even Sugimoto. Of the silky hair! When did ask-me-anything Sugimoto get a reputation for his hair? Sometimes I question Hakone's scouting info. Maybe Toudou was taking notes that day...

Ashikiba claims to be the next ace for Hakone, but they were going to bring either Kuroda or Manami to the last Inter-High. Maybe he's just a strong rider instead of only a climber.

Fan Girls.

This is a testament to how long it took to tell the story of a three day race. We hadn't seen any mention of Imaizumi's fan girls since the 10th episode of the first season. The 2nd episode ever had Imaizumi's fans cheering him on for his race against Onoda up the steep back driveway.

Shunsuke Love...

Onoda is getting some fans too!



Imaizumi seems kind of dismissive of the girls' passion. "They'll like anyone as long as they win," he said.

The omake made light of this situation by Imaizumi feeling bad that Teshima wasn't getting any attention. Teshima said he'd pay him back for his concern by calling him "Elite" for a week. This is great! We're getting all these references to the things that happened before the Inter-High race that had no place in the story thanks to the relations between Sohoku, Hakone and Midousuji.

Kinjou's Glasses.

This is actually important. I'm not kidding!

The first time we saw Kinjou take off his glasses in that iconic pose of his was when he saw Onoda catch up to Naruko and Imaizumi in the Freshman Welcome Race. Having all these kids in the car with the photographers mirrored the support vehicle ride in the first season. This New Generation stuff is borrowing a lot from the Old Generation storytelling.

Naruko and Tadokoro still have the best reluctant mentor-student relationship. Tadokoro had been mentoring Teshima and Aoyagi before the training camp, but Naruko pointed out that he "didn't teach Teshima how to climb!"

Ha! Be quiet like Aoyagi. "He's always quiet!"

Kinjou said that Onoda was only putting out 30% of his power and he knew it was because of Makishima leaving.

Kinjou was heartened to see that Teshima, even though he was a mediocre rider, was going to be the inspirational captain type. This type is where he gives all he can in gutsy displays and his teammates feel the need to repay his effort. So Japanese.

Naruko and Sugimoto were so inspired, they were about to jump out of the car and steal some bikes.

Imaizumi felt the same and Teshima even planned it. Before the race, he told him to gently push Onoda if he feels like attacking. Oh, he felt like attacking alright!

Cycling Porn.

This week we saw the nervousness of a mass race start, some pedaling in a neutral zone, Onoda on his BMC, Ashikiba on his pink Willier Triestina, some sparking on the extreme side-to-side motion of Ashikiba's Metronome Dancing and a tutorial on the challenges a tall rider has with bike frame geometry conforming to the same 700c wheels everyone else has to ride.

This show has a lot of tall climbers, which is a normal thing for Northern Europe to have, but we're in Japan. All the best climbers should be more like a short Colombian body type like Onoda, Toudou and Manami.

10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - New Generation - Episode 2

Onoda struggles with his role as the sole climber for Sohoku while Teshima makes team plans as its new captain.

Ride.02 - "What Makishima Left Behind"

Heh.

Ooh, ooh! Pick me! I can answer the question implicit in the episode's title! Ooh, ooh!

No. Makishima did not leave his climbing soul behind for Onoda. He left Onoda a secret weapon! He left him another climber! No talent, no technique. Just perfect for Sohoku! Junta Teshima is a climber!

I honestly did not see that coming. In the first season, we saw Teshima as the strategist to get Aoyagi across the line first. That suggested that he was an all-rounder. One flashback scene with Makishima telling Teshima he's a climber felt a little ret-conned, but considering how Teshima turns himself into the perfect support rider, first for Aoyagi and now for Onoda, it makes sense.

There were only two scenes that I remember from the first two seasons that hinted that Teshima had the chops to be a good companion for Onoda on the hills. First, when he gave Onoda his pedals and shoes to complete the training camp and second, when he was the first one to embrace Onoda at the Inter-High finish line. I'm getting excited again for all that special team camaraderie. How else is Onoda going to get hopped up on nakama power?

I've talked before about how special is it for a cyclist to have a hand on his back in support, but out of context, Onoda's reminiscing looks straight out of a horror film.

Seeing Onoda's struggles on training rides reminds me of that episode when he lost power going up the team's usual training mountain because of the pressure from being chosen for the Inter-High team. Get that kid nakama power stat! Don't worry. Teshima's working on it.

This Teshima guy is a good mentor! Too bad we didn't get to see more of during the first two seasons, but we were in full tournament style battle mode with that stage race. Teshima has his chance to shine now.

Yeah. Makishima was always that awkward. Just talk with your legs, Maki-chan!

I could hear a little resentment from Onoda, or maybe wistfulness, when he cried out that "I still had a lot to learn!" Feelings of abandonment and then feeling guilty about those feelings is understandable, considering how abruptly Makishima had to leave.

Oho. We have another "weak" rider to add to the title for Yowamushi.

"You'll find the light," Teshima told Onoda. Good. We're getting much more development on this glowing orb of riding inspiration that was just dropped on our heads with Midousuji's featured episode last season.

I just noticed that Teshima started making the same kind of gestures that Makishima liked to make while talking and riding. Cutting between Makishima at the airport and Teshima started the foreshadowing what Maki-chan was about to tell Toudou.

Toudou and Maki-chan Best Couple OTP. Just sayin'.

Sohoku doesn't just have Onoda as a climber. Climbers, Makishima told Toudou. Who!?

Teshima!? That was a good reveal. I really liked that.

This little scene with Teshima's buddy Higashida was a good way to surprise us with who Hakone's new climber was going to be.

Wait, wait, wait. This show is going to try to get one of the characters to date? A girl?

Whew. Of course not! When Teshima closes his eyes, all he sees is Onoda winning the Inter-High. Fujoshi swoon...

That Iwase girl looks cute enough. Maybe we'll see her again.

It looks like Teshima's plans are coming together.

Aoyagi's getting strong enough to beat Tadokoro and he'll have Naruko backing him up in the sprints. Teshima just needs to keep working hard to replace Makishima as Onoda's climbing buddy.

Alright! Let's see what Hakone is up to. Their starting six lost four in one swoop, but they have lots of strong riders to choose from.

Izumida has a nice new haircut. That Kuroda guy had different hair color the last time we saw him.

Ah. That tall kid now goes to Hakone and his name his Ashikiba. He's supposedly a climber. Well, if the Tour de France champion can be a tall skinny guy, why not this guy being a climber? It's another body type suited for the hills. Look at Makishima. But he's not that tall.

I liked this breakdown of their loss by the seniors for Izumida's benefit as the new captain.

Yeah! Arakita the Mad Mutterer is back!

They figured out that Sohoku had gambled on unpredictability, namely Onoda. They still don't know that his secret weapon is singing the Love Hime theme and I'm getting chills with the detail that Teshima is a good karaoke singer. This season's nakama scenes are going to be epic!

Onoda is a marked man. It's like a domestique somehow winning a big race from the shadow of his designated leader but then imploding when he's named the leader from the start. We'll see how it goes with Onoda this season.

Notice the kid next to him taking his own picture with his cell phone!

I don't think Ashikiba is going to get the right look at Onoda who is basically starting over. Maybe this is part of Teshima's plan too.

Ha! Imaizumi had to remind Onoda that he's not alone for this hill climbing race. It's him, Teshima and Onoda. The sprinters Aoyagi and Naruko are sitting out, naturally.

Cycling Porn.

We got good looks at Sohoku's bikes of Pinarello, Cannondale, Scott, Corratec, BMC and Tadokoro's Specialized. Hakone threw in Kuroda's Kuota and Izumida's BH. Ashikiba hit his head on an Anchor. Last season, I couldn't figure out what that brand was supposed to be, so I thought it was a Raleigh playing off a pun on Toudou's Ridley. Nope, it's just Japanese brand Anchor, a subsidiary of Bridgestone.

It's kind of weird seeing Onoda keep crashing from pedaling so hard he janks his bike off the road. I mean, on the first day of the Inter-High, he caught up to his group by riding on the gutter's lip! Like I keep saying, he needs to get his nakama fuel topped up!

Aw. We miss Maki-chan already. Oh. He's just cutting onions in Maki's Kitchen. I love how these omake match the character designs of the manga more closely than the proper episodes.

10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - New Generation - Episode 1

The third season begins right after the Inter-High race with new gear for our main three and new challenges as the seniors step aside for the new generation. Season Premiere.

Ride.01 - "The Last Minegayama"

Heh.

Ahhh. It feels like sitting in an old familiar couch. Yowamushi Pedal is back and it feels like 21 months and 3 movies never happened. Mind you, that last movie incorporated the plot of the first bit of drama Onoda is going to face this season: Makishima's early departure. Read my review of the movie for how their last ride up their home hill of Minegayama played out.

The episode dealt with Makishima leaving very quickly and faded to white to let us know we should watch the movie. Onoda may have regained his composure to ride the rest of that race in Kyuushu because Makishima came back temporarily, but Onoda's main source of tension will be rediscovering who or what to ride for in the mountains. He's always just wanted to ride with his friends, but in a race with a climb, who's going to be his friend in that rarified air? Toudou and Makishima found a way to make it work, so perhaps Onoda will find an answer in his bromance with Manami.

Mrs. Onoda is still a force of nature. A kind of dense force of nature... She still didn't understand that just because Onoda's race started in Hakone didn't mean it couldn't end on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. And she was there! That was the best part of this great way of recapping the last episode from 21 months before.

Sakamichi has Mrs. Onoda's eyes.

Naruko still has his Pinarello musette bag.

The OP gives us some hints at the new characters we'll meet and some of the old ones we'll see again.

Midousuji is shown grabbing that yellow glowing orb tied to his mother's memory. Good. Let's establish that metaphor early instead of introducing it too late to humanize a hateful character.

Midousuji's tongue just keeps getting longer and longer.

The movie covered the main 3 getting their upgrades too. Onoda now rides a yellow BMC, Imaizumi got his new Scott with electronic shifting and Naruko got carbon deep dish Zipp wheels.

I liked Kanzaki scaring Onoda by asking for his loaned chromoly bike back. Eh?! Pfft. I'd like my local bike shop to just give me a new bike too. But then again, I'm not winning races either, so we should think of it as the local bike shop sponsoring a local team.

There were a lot of recycled animation elements from the movie covering Makishima leaving and the kids getting their new gear.

I know this show is skittish about trademarks, but really, they could have kept "Marker" on that, uh, marker.

I liked the fade to white on Makishima and Onoda's scene because it made me think "insert Movie here." And then, boom, Perm-guy and Quiet-guy are now Captain and Vice-Captain.

Fine, I guess I'll have to learn their names now. Perm-guy is Junta Teshima and Quiet-guy is Hajime Aoyagi. I'll just call them Teshima and Aoyagi for the most part.

There are obviously 5 guaranteed riders for the racing team, but who will be the 6th? Ask-me-anything Sugimoto is still there, but is he good enough to race? I think some transfer students in the OP might be making some waves here too.

Aoyagi and Teshima have been working on their strength and sprinting skills, so Naruko and Imaizumi are going to have to improve too. The main problem for the team is their lone climber can't handle social pressure because he's an awkward otaku who just lost his climbing buddy. Drama pills are getting passed all around early in the season.

Cycling Porn.

Imaizumi got a brand new Scott to replace his cracked frame from the race with Di2 electronic shifting. Onoda is now (or has been for about 18 months since that movie came out) riding a carbon BMC. Naruko got himself Zipp deep dish carbon wheels. Probably clinchers with the cork brake pads for the carbon rim braking surface.

I noticed that Imaizumi's chain didn't spark when he shifted electronically, but Aoyagi's Corratec did. Teshima is still riding Cannondale. I'm disappointed that he didn't get to ride an actual "Cannondale" instead of his Cannondate because Cannondale Japan did some cross promotional thing with Teshima on a poster. Ah well. Cute implied yaoi guys doesn't beat cute girls for actual trademarks.

I'm going to put in my short rant against electronic shifting right here. No. Not ever. The only motor on a bike should be the rider. Having a motor move the derailleurs is wrong. Just wrong. Oh sure, people complained about Shimano's index shifting back in the late 1970's, but it was still human powered and better than the previous friction shifting. Motorized shifting just goes against the philosophy of human-powered sport. This is also why I'm skeptical against disc brakes. I understand they make mountain biking and cyclocross safer and less annoying, but it's still hydraulic pressure that's amplifying the human braking force. Alright, that's enough of my old man ranting.

Omake.

Yay! They're back! I enjoyed these immensely when we were in the middle of a racing arc because there was no other way to have fun character development. I'm sure these early ones will be a quick way to see the lighter moments between our new and old characters.

It might be a while before we see a serious confident Onoda. Savor that End Card in the meantime.