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Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road
Episode 6

by Lauren Orsini,

If the excitement of the third day wasn't enough to make me look forward to Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road this week, Machimiya Eikichi did the trick. Through extended character development scenes, this fast-paced and uneasy episode confirmed he's even worse than we thought, and that Yowamushi Pedal is as good at creating unlikable villains as it is at portraying unbreakable friendships.

Machimiya has replaced Midousuji as the series' primary bad guy, but the two characters are actually quite similar, both drawing on Yowamushi Pedal's ultimate definition of awfulness—a complete lack of the sincerity that characterizes the protagonist, Onoda.

Both Machimiya and Midousuji use cunning and dishonesty to manipulate other people to a favorable end for themselves, but while Midousuji is a despot who rules his team through fear, Machimiya's strategy is more insidious. He creates the illusion of mutual interest, getting people to follow him by convincing them it's a group decision and not his own design.

As Fukutomi aptly observes to Kinjou: “If [Machimiya] can catch up to us, he really is a magician, or a con artist manipulating people.” However, while Midousuji psychologically torments his rivals, Machimiya's assaults are physical. This kid can't keep his hands to himself.

Machimiya dilutes his aggression with a gentle voice and calm demeanor, creating the uncomfortable illusion that his victims are the ones being unreasonable. There's an especially tense scene when Machimiya continues to massage Fukutomi's biceps, despite Fukutomi's calm but firm requests that he stop. Machimiya's response is a lax “Just a little more please,” as if he has every right to touch Fukutomi without his permission. While this interaction was perhaps less sexually dangerous than his actions toward Miki last episode, his aggressive gestures combined with his polite voice is chilling.

Indeed, commonplace and everyday occurrences take on ominous new meanings when Machimiya is thrown into the mix. Animal imagery is a recurring theme in Yowamushi Pedal, and nearly every character has an animal associated with them from Shinkai's pet bunny Usakichi to Kinjou's nickname, “Snake of the Stone Path.” In this episode, the pack (aka the huge clump of cyclists who ride in the back of the race to keep up) is personified as a venomous snake under Machimiya's machinations.

Weakened and cornered from two straight days of racing, the cycling pack easily falls to Machimiya's wheedling that they all work together to reach the finish line. To outsiders, the group of cyclists riding in tandem appears like a cobra, snapping up competitors. This is where Machimiya is at his most malevolent, because at first glance it really does look like he's helping out the rest of the pack, even allowing the injured to rest in the center. This occurs parallel to Sohoku and Hakogaku's teamwork, as both teams have called a ceasefire, using their mutual strength to catch up to the front more quickly.

Good or bad, everyone in Yowamushi Pedal wants to win—and generally they use the same tactics to do so. Conserving strength, working together, and advising teammates to play to their strengths are all things we've seen every leader from Kinjou to Midousuji do in a race. It doesn't matter if Machimiya's technique is perfectly reasonable; the show wants us to believe that it's Machimiya's sly scheming that transforms the pack into something venomous.

Machimiya is at his worst when contrasted with Onoda, who continues to be perfect. His charming earnestness lands him the best line of the entire episode—I won't spoil it but you'll know it when you hear it. I'm certain Machimiya will eventually convert over to Onoda's side, but for now the best benchmark for determining who's no good in the Yowamushi Pedal universe is seeing how little the character likes adorable, awkward Onoda.

Rating: A

Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.


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