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EP. REVIEW: Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road


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therau05



Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 11
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 6:44 pm Reply with quote
So glad this is back. It feels like (sorry in advance) getting back on the bike. The only problem I've had so far, although a very minor one, is since the Inter-High started, it seems like the series wanted to focus on Hakone Academy as much, if not more than Sohoku. If it was only the two schools as rivals in a sort of mirror way, it would work well, but instead we have a greater adversary with Midousuji. But it's just me. Still loving it and can't wait to see more.
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:01 pm Reply with quote
therau05 wrote:
The only problem I've had so far, although a very minor one, is since the Inter-High started, it seems like the series wanted to focus on Hakone Academy as much, if not more than Sohoku.


It's so great to be back watching Yowapeda after a wait that felt SOOO much longer than a couple of months. Like many long-running manga, Yowapeda is amassing an enormous cast and as a result, we don't always see the people I want to see every episode. Luckily, I'm pretty sure next episode will be a respite before Day 3, and we'll get to see how Onoda is coping!
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ImpassionateK



Joined: 20 Oct 2014
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:52 pm Reply with quote
I'm not sure if the flashback did COMPLETELY explain what kind of headcase Midosuji has become today. It seemingly explained his need for victory, but his vehement attitude toward victory is seemingly something even more than satisfying the desires of his sickly mom (beyond that, I interpreted it as being the child Midosuji wanted to give something to his mom, as if that would help her heal - taking nothing away from a parent wanting to feel the accomplishments of her child).

The flashback didn't work for me as a result. I felt like it was only a partial piece of the Midosuji hole. Perhaps we'll get more - I hope we get more! But for now I'm left unsatisfied because the conflicts we've been so focused on, at least regarding the final stretch of this race (Kinjou v. Fukutomi, Midosuji v. Iwaizumi) are left unsatisfied.
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Razzuel



Joined: 27 Dec 2009
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:04 pm Reply with quote
No, the flashback didn't completely explain why Midousuji is such a weirdo. He doesn't even look like his mom, for one. Anyway, that didn't really bother me so much. It wasn't perfect, but I got what it was going for and I was empathetic.

What I really have a problem with is the end of the race. Midousuji has a four second lead, which is huge. He let's go of his handlebars for a split second, but that shouldn't matter much. He only really runs into trouble with 50 meters left, but pushes forward anyway.

Fukutomi and Kinjou just "magically" catch up and pass him. From what the show has shown before, Midousuji is the better rider here. Fukutomi and Kinjou shouldn't have been able to catch up like that. They didn't even use a "special power" or whatever. They just pedaled real hard or something stupid.

I think Midousuji should have won or he shouldn't have had such a seemingly assured victory. It broke all believability for me. Also, Midousuji breaking a tooth really bothered me. It seems unnecessarily mean after what's supposed to be a heartfelt flashback, and it's in-your-nose symbolism that is kind of insulting.

Everything was going fine until the race ended.
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 9:25 pm Reply with quote
I am interpreting it as Midousuji lost BECAUSE of the shock of breaking a tooth. That's exactly the kind of thing that would really unnerve him, especially since his teeth are so psychologically important to him.
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 1:38 am Reply with quote
laureninspace wrote:
I am interpreting it as Midousuji lost BECAUSE of the shock of breaking a tooth. That's exactly the kind of thing that would really unnerve him, especially since his teeth are so psychologically important to him.


Same here actually I took as he got unnerved thanks to his tooth but also that he pushed to hard earlier on and thus ran out of energy to keep Petaling unlike the other two.
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:22 am Reply with quote
How can you not feel sorry for little Midousuji?! He's not that irredeemable of a villain IMO (are there even irredeemable villains in sports anime? Certainly not of the megalomanic mass murder level...), he was also strangely cute back then in his very own way... Embarassed

The whole breaking tooth business was rather silly, though. I guess it was supposed to be "symbolic" for him not being as strong as he thought he was? But still...on the other hand, this is a show where people give names to their pecs, so nothing should be surprising anymore.

Anyway, that race finished faster than i'd expected. I've got hope again that we'll actually make it to the end of the Inter High this season. Wink
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 2892
Location: California
PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:51 am Reply with quote
Felt sorry for Midousuji and even shed a tear at his back story but I still think he's a creep. At least we learned the story behind him showing his teeth all the time.

Quote:
Machimiya will be voiced by Tomokazu Seki, by far the most famous talent the show has featured to date, indicating that as Yowapeda grows more popular, production values will only go up.

I must interject here. The quality in the voice cast has always been there. Perhaps SekiTomo is the easiest name to recognize by people who don't follow seiyuu, but pretty much every main cast member, with the exception of Yamashita Daiki who was a newcomer coming into the series, is an established, well-known seiyuu. SekiTomo is just icing on top of an already AMAZING cast.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 12:38 am Reply with quote
As someone who broke a molar from clenching my teeth while filling out my taxes, I can definitely relate to Midosuji's situation! Very Happy

But for me it really did explain why he's such a creep now, and made me feel sad for him. Most bullied kids have some kind of support system, whether they take advantage of it or not, which helps them come through it still as decent people. Midosuji had nothing, except his absent mother. He had not one friend to commiserate with, no encouraging teachers, and no family who cared about him (whoever he was living with barely seemed to care about his mother either, and appeared to just be doing their job looking after him). He was emotionally totally on his own, except for his mother, and then she was gone, and all he had left was his bike and his teeth. If just one person had stepped in to guide him with a caring hand, I think it would have made all the difference, but apparently no one did, so he coped the only way he knew how, by devoting himself to winning at any cost.

It's hardly surprising that he would view his team as tools to use to win, and treat their emotions like toilet paper, since that's the only way anyone except his mother had ever treated him (well, aside from those nurses who brought their race to emergency treatment to a dead stop in the corridor to let him chat with his mother. Very Happy). So while he didn't turn out well, he could have turned out worse, and he's not yet irredeemable. I certainly didn't feel any schadenfreude watching his story. oO
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navycherub



Joined: 26 Oct 2007
Posts: 233
PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:01 am Reply with quote
I think they may have even said in the episode that the last leg of the third day is a climb? I may be misremembering, but in any case, this episode made it clear that Onoda's place as the main character is still solid, even though he hasn't gotten as much focus as one might expect from a sports show. Reminds me a lot of how Diamond no Ace treats Sawamura, actually - being the main character doesn't mean the world revolves around you!
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:29 pm Reply with quote
I think you don't have to be clairvoyant to predict that the 3rd stage will moslt likely end with a Onoda vs. Manami battle. Not only did the talk between Toudou and Manami heavily foreshadow it but pretty much the entire series - or at least the parts where Onoda and Manami met - were a build-up for this. They are fated rivals~.

The interactions between Kinjou and Fukutomi always amuse me to no end for some reason. They might as well be in Jojo or some other over-the-top-manly series... Laughing
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RestLessone



Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Posts: 1426
Location: New York
PostPosted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:23 pm Reply with quote
There was something really refreshing about seeing Midousuji ride alongside Onoda. He didn't have any disturbing facial expressions (partially due to the mask) and was generally subdued. He felt more like a character than a supervillain, especially after last week. Onoda treated him like a regular guy. I also have really come to like Ishigaki; I hope he and Midousuji find themselves, if not friends, on good terms later on.

All that said...I find Onoda to be one of the least compelling in the series. He is pretty much a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, and I've never been overly fond of those character types, at least in lead roles. He mostly overcomes all odds to save his teammates (who are forever charmed by his presence) and to look *aghast* when something bad is even alluded to. He's not an awful character or anything, but I wish he was a little more layered.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2857
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:47 pm Reply with quote
you grab a woman's boobs and nobody cares, you grab a man's boobs and everybody loses their mind.

well how many anime women name their boobs after all ?
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laureninspace



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:26 pm Reply with quote
maximilianjenus wrote:
you grab a woman's boobs and nobody cares, you grab a man's boobs and everybody loses their mind.

well how many anime women name their boobs after all ?


Well to be fair, I was also pretty upset at oh, EVERY INSTANCE that Machimiya has touched people without asking them. Didn't anyone teach this kid about personal bubbles?
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:06 pm Reply with quote
I'm sure he's well aware of people's personal space. He deliberately invades that space to rattle them. One of these days he'll push too far and someone's going to say screw the race and relocate his teeth for him.
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