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Prince of Stride: Alternative
Episode 10

by Lauren Orsini,

How would you rate episode 10 of
Prince of Stride: Alternative ?
Community score: 3.7

Not everything can be resolved in one episode, and that's okay. This episode of Prince of Stride: Alternative showed how one character's problems can't always be quickly resolved. Riku is still agonizing over his big brother issues, and this time there's no shaved ice competition and no comedy to cut the tension. But like I suspected last week, that made this episode loads better than the last. It's much easier to take Riku's issues seriously when they're not lightened up at the first suspicion that the viewer might become uncomfortable.

Riku's still wrestling with his feelings of inadequacy compared to his older brother, and his emotional blocks are starting to become physical ones. Anyone who's ever suffered from anxiety can relate to the way Riku's brain is holding him back even when his body is fine. It's NANA who identifies the problem, but it's Heath who orders Takeru and Riku to work together until Riku's able to work through it. Takeru is his brusque perfectionist self, which—combined with his dark locks—seems to remind Riku painfully of his older brother Tomoe. It's the carrot and stick approach, because when Takeru is the most demanding of Riku, Riku's also the most convinced that he can withstand it, while the other teammates are worried he'll injure himself before the race.

But within this angst there's a lot of time for quiet reflection. It's a very atmospheric episode, which works incredibly well. The cool colors of the art are perfect for rendering the summer sun filtering through the trees, the afternoon light bending off of the school windows, and the clouds moving quickly through a bright blue sky as a summer storm threatens. The two most emotional moments in this episode are conveyed through atmospheric visuals. First, there's Riku's dream, where he chases Tomoe on the ocean floor as light ripples through the waves above—a cool effect that demonstrates his isolation from others while he stays trapped in the past. Next, there's the summer storm that serves as a background to Takeru and Riku's feelings. “A storm isn't all bad. It's a sign of change,” Heath observes, like we needed him to spell it out. Really, this episode would have been fine with less obvious dialogue; viewers aren't dumb. When Riku spilled his guts to Asuma, it was almost like a therapy session, and somebody that self-aware about what's wrong with his feelings probably wouldn't be struggling so much in the first place.

The confession scene—not necessarily in a romantic sense, but you can't rule that out either—is perhaps my least favorite part of the episode because it parallels what I consider to be a much better show. This line comes straight from Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club down to the word choice. “I want to run with you,” Takeru says meaningfully, and all I can see is his lookalike Haru saying, “I want to swim with Rin” and earlier, Makoto telling Haru, “I want to swim with you.” But in the end, that's all Riku needed to hear. Unlike his brother, Takeru won't back off, and he won't find somebody else to run with instead. Riku needed to feel like part of the team, and only then could he appreciate how fun and rewarding Stride can be. To symbolize taking their relationship to the next level, they run toward a big old rainbow together. (More atmosphere!) For an otome game adaptation, Prince of Stride: Alternative sure has a lot of BL elements, not that I'm complaining. I'm not 100% happy with the obvious dialogue, but I'm thrilled that this episode knew that there's a time to be serious and sincere instead of melodramatic, and this was the time.

Rating: B

Prince of Stride: Alternative is currently streaming on Funimation.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.


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