Yowamushi Pedal - Limit Break - Episode 25 [END] - 10 Second Anime

Onoda and Manami race the final meters of the Inter-High course. Series Finale.

BREAK.25 — “The Man Who Raised His Hand Up to the Sky”

Hmm.

It’s finally over. This final season should have aired four or five years ago.

One theme that came back for the last episode was how powerfully emotional a hand on a rider’s back can be. Notice how Manami and Kuroda put palms on Onoda’s back during the podium ceremony. It was more than a congratulatory gesture. Manami knew the measure of Onoda’s character, and Kuroda learned how deep it was in the last three days. They support his efforts but will also face him again next year. For now, Onoda is THE NATIONAL CHAMPION OF JAPAN. Will that change? I doubt Yowamushi Pedal will get more seasons. So, the nerdy rider will stay the champion in my heart.

Cycling Porn.

This episode should be the last time we see these 3D CGI bicycle models for a long while. We see Onoda’s BMC, Teshima’s Cannondale, and Izumida’s BH.

Heh.

As expected, THE NATIONAL CHAMPION OF JAPAN repeated his title.

The younger Sugimoto wants to win next year’s Inter-High so that high school girls can hug him, too.

All the other Sohoku kids made it to the awards ceremony. That’s the end!

Final Thoughts.

The five-year hiatus between seasons affected how I felt about Yowamushi Pedal. Back in 2018, the race tactics and technology were already old. Fast forward five years with no changes, and the differences between the modern peloton and these bikes from 2006, 2009, and 2011 make the anime a period-piece sports anime. Considering how much Wataru Watanabe, the mangaka, focuses on race strategy and psychology, there would be less time to concentrate on the characters we love. I want to see Onoda interact more with Imaizumi and Naruko, as they did in the first year of Onoda’s cycling career. Not once did THE NATIONAL CHAMPION OF JAPAN sing the “Hime, Hime!” song for his team during this season. Disappointing.

Yowamushi Pedal continues in the manga, so it’s possible to see another season of anime covering Captain Onoda’s third year in high school. Will it be another five years? I would be okay forgetting this show for another ten. There have been lengthier absences than Yowamushi Pedal for other cycling anime. 2016 and 2017 brought us two cute-girls-do-cute-cycling shows in Long Riders! and Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu. But after a dry seven-year wait, we’ll have cute-girls-do-cute-track-cycling this spring. Watch out for my coverage of Rinkai! in April.