And then there were three. What happened to Naruko this week was certainly predictable – I predicted it in the Episode 14 post. Still, it was an important moment for arguably the #2 character in the series, so it had to be handled the right way. It was obvious that […] Read more
At long last, let the final battle begin. I won’t dismiss you if you take some issue with the pacing of Yowamushi Pedal – it’s undeniably taken us a long time to get to this point. Too long? Debatably – but that’s the nature of many sports anime. And all […] Read more
Welcome back, anime. OP2: “Remind (リマインド)” by ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D What better way to usher in the new year than with an old friend, and Yowamushi Pedal certainly qualifies. I’ve been enjoying the break from episodic blogging that the new year provides, to be honest – batteries need recharging, and […] Read more
One thing’s for sure – viewers of Yowapeda better expect the unexpected. I love New Year’s in Japan, but it does kind of suck for sports anime fans. Most series (like this one) take a one-week break, and that can be especially agonizing for a sports series, which love their […] Read more
One down, twelve to go? I remain a bit puzzled about how the rest of the inter-high is going to go. After everything has shaken out, the deck seems to have been shuffled a whole lot less than one might have expected. Some of the warriors have fallen, no doubt […] Read more
Am I crazy, or was there a sense of deja vu here? Am I crazy, or was there a sense of deja vu here? Ah, the flashback – the black sheep of the sports manga family shows up for Thanksgiving again. Admit it – you were hoping he’d stay home […] Read more
Hey, this is Yowapeda – everyone gets a backstory. If I try to pinpoint what makes Yowamushi Pedal a better series to me than Diamond no Ace, the sports manga adaptation with which it’s been in lockstep for most of its existence, one of the more obvious answers is that […] Read more
For the first time, I’m beginning to see why Arakita-kun is so popular among Yowapeda merchandise buyers. This was sports anime done right, with just enough Yowamushi Pedal quirkiness to lift the episode to another level. Getting these sorts of eps right is kind of a Hippocratic Oath for sports […] Read more
Road racing can be a scary sport indeed, but this is getting ridiculous… What an interesting sequence of role reversals and genre-bending we have going on here. The third day of the inter-high has turned into a semi-satirical take on horror films (which makes the omake deliciously appropriate, and the […] Read more
Enter Watanabae Wataru’s cycling geek persona… There are times when I wonder if a keen interest in road race (especially grand tour) cycling isn’t a major component of enjoying Yowamushi Pedal. It’s obviously not a prerequisite given how popular the series has become – I’ve been seeing it advertised at […] Read more