Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road

Episode 22

Now this is the episode of Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road that we've been waiting for! In the final two kilometers of the episode, Onoda takes his rightful place in the spotlight, “Hime”-ing his way to the front of the race. About 60 episodes ago, cheerful and dorky Onoda was the first character we were invited to bond with. Now he's taking ownership of the show once again, while also taking ownership of the race.

For the past few episodes, the show has been myopic, focusing on a showdown between Imaizumi and Midousuji that had nothing to do with who claimed the finish line in the end. Not only that, but this standoff was peppered with an excessive number of recaps that only served to slow it down. It's a far cry from today's episode, which segmented the action between brand new character-building flashback material and plenty of cameos from all the characters we haven't seen in forever.

On the sidelines, we got to check in with our favorite two couples—Miki & Aya, and Teshima & Aoyagi. Okay, I'm partially kidding here, but the scene where they pair off with side hugs was pretty hard to miss. I think Sugimoto's purpose in the show is to ensure that viewers root loyally for Onoda, even with his tendency to be the series' Manic Pixie Dream Boy. We can't help but love Onoda in the hopes of proving Sugimoto totally wrong. At least he was more supportive than Onoda's mom, who's still hopelessly clueless about the race!

It's been seven episodes since we've seen Tadokoro or Shinkai, eight episodes since we've seen Kinjou, and even more than that since we last saw Arakita. If you missed them, you're in luck today. Except for Izumida, everyone from Sohoku and Hakogaku make an appearance, even characters like Kinjou and Naruko who are no longer even racing. The show has been missing its strong ensemble cast lately, along with the interesting interactions that come from tossing these incredibly different characters together. Everyone seems to have such different beliefs about road racing. Fukutomi believes in planning, Imaizumi believes in faith, and Arakita believes in lucky breaks. Toudou tells Fukutomi that he doesn't understand climbers, and his irrational but impassioned explanation makes me question whether Fukutomi would even want to.

Of course, the most important of all of these relationships is between Onoda and Manami as they race for the finish line. Yowamushi Pedal isn't the most complicated anime; I predicted that Manami and Onoda would be the last men standing in my episode four review. Until now, Manami's ability to sprout wings as he climbs has been depicted as unstoppable, leaving me wondering if Onoda would grow wings of his own. What happens is a lot more believable, as we discover the trick behind Manami's wings is actually just shifting to a higher gear. What Manami doesn't realize is how his speed merely encourages Onoda, who grows faster whenever he's chasing someone. If Manami is a “winner,” as Fukutomi believes, Onoda shines when he's losing. He's been in second place this entire race, always chasing after somebody else, and I won't be surprised if it lands him in first.

Rating: A

Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.