10 Second Anime - Yowamushi Pedal - Grande Road - Episode 16

Yowamushi Pedal - Grande Road - Episode 16



Building on Naruko's work, Imaizumi takes on the mantle of Sohoku ace. Fukutomi acknowledges his strength. Midousuji isn't done yet.

Heh.

Aw, looks like Naruko really abandoned the race. They strapped his bike on a roof rack and they strapped him into a gurney. The race radio said 174 abandoned too. If I hadn't heard that, I would think he might surprise us and come back to finish, but chances of that are looking pretty slim.

 

Ishigaki isn't going to abandon too, right? He collapsed at pretty much the same spot as Naruko, doing pretty much the same thing as Naruko. You never know in sports anime, though.

 

I've been waiting for Imaizumi to hit the front so he can enjoy the silence. This is so satisfying after hearing Mitsuki's version of how Imaizumi used to race. He kind of reminds me of David Moncoutié, who was always at the rear of the peloton or in the breakaway in Grand Tours because he hated being in the middle of the pack.

 

Makishima was right - with Toudou still in the mix, there was no way he could be the designated ace against Fukutomi.

 

Interesting that Fukutomi is so long winded in his internal thoughts compared to how much actually comes out of his mouth. Kinjou and he agreed about monsters suddenly developing in race conditions. Kinjou saw that Imaizumi had that in him, which is why he told him "to grow" in his deathbed scene. Meanwhile, Fukutomi lamented that these monster eruptions are something you can't predict.

 

Chibi Imaizumi had such cold eyes. Sometimes you still see those same eyes in the older one.

 

Kanzaki was funny telling Imaizumi's chauffeur not to call him "young master" too. Hey, it was a sign of ultimate respect and endearment from Takahashi.

 

I have mixed feelings seeing a Colnago frame with all Shimano components...

 

I wonder if that white bike Kanzaki was working on was Makishima's or Tadokoro's.

 

Hmm.

Imaizumi has Fukutomi on the back foot, but Fukutomi has way more experience than he does. On the other hand, you never know what new skills a monster eruption brings to the fore. Imaizumi is showing a lot of power and stamina, especially with his multiple attacks, but with Fukutomi being as quiet as he is, it's not like Imaizumi has extra motivation to run away from him like he would if Arakita were still around. Perhaps Midousuji reaching the front will add some fire to Imaizumi's belly.

 

Left out of all this so far is Onoda and Manami. With all these heavy hitters butting heads, I'm beginning to see the path to their ultimate confrontation for the finish line. Come on, you know it's going to come down to those two for the finish. That's how sports anime works.

Cycling Porn.



 

This week we've got the hardest, most stressful and exciting part of a stage race - the mountaintop finish. When there's only a few teams left and you have a long climb to the end of the race, fans get to see everything and anything happen.  Leaders attack each other, like Imaizumi and Fukutomi did here. Teammates who are still up at the front cover each others' moves and spoil their rhythms to protect their leaders. And dark horses come from behind because nobody is paying attention to them. It's like watching the last 10 seconds of a sprint as if the riders are pedaling through molasses and the drama and tension are drawn out over 20 minutes. It truly is the best way to end a stage because there are no excuses for the riders. Either you're strong enough, have enough left in the tank, and have judged your opponents properly, or you're not and you haven't. Then you lose and somebody else wins.