The First Year Race Arc (Ride 16 - Ride 34)
Yapping about bike boys below...
Key Characters:
Onoda Sakamichi:
Sakamichi literally learned and grew so much just within this first year welcome race. I feel so proud 🥹
Poor boy he was so scared to be picked up by the car, he's so desperate to catch up to his friends at the front. It always breaks my heart when he makes that hopeless face.
Onoda really showed himself to be a natural bike racer in this arc. There are so many things he did successfully on the first try, like riding on the roller with his granny bike, riding a road racer (up a slope, no less), having control over his cadence and using the dancing technique! Of course, he still needs to learn how to ride and not destroy his bike or himself, but the fact that he unconsciously took the shortest path to the front and ripped up his jersey was sweet. He just wants to ride with his friends! I really love how excited he is to make friends and spend time with them doing something they all enjoy. Sakamichi, you are so precious to me.
Another thing I love about Sakamichi is how scary he can be lol. It always gets me when Watanabe-sensei draws him coming up the slope with Jojo-style aura, and he's just smiling the whole way. That's the smile of a madman, I tell you. Ain't nobody climbs and smiles and sings at the same time like him.
Imaizumi Shunsuke:
Imaizumi's racing philosophy: "It's only quiet when you're at the front" is peak introvert emo boy. While I say he's introverted, his aggressive side certainly comes out when he's racing lmao.
Little Imaizumi yelling at other kids to get out of his way made me laugh. No way he would do that now, but that's because he has more experience and knows he can make it to the front without the extra effort of yelling at people lol.
We also saw his attitude towards Onoda shift when he decided to join the bicycle racing club. LOOK AT THAT LITTLE SMILE!!!!! That's so cute, Imaizumi has a soft spot for underdogs. That much is obvious with the way he takes Sugimoto under his wing later on. It's also funny how Onoda and Naruko's excitement for racing also pushed him to join and do more than necessary. While I love the imanaru rivalry, the trio together is also a great dynamic.
Naruko Shoukichi:
Naruko got to show off his sprint climb. Naruko is a sprinter through and through, but the later decision of having him become an all-rounder is understandable. He has the brains to learn climbing, and if he wants to be the fastest overall, then climbing is definitely a skill he needs. Seeing him so frustrated after the 2 second defeat broke my heart 😭 He really works so hard to achieve his goals, I think that's very admirable.
He also gave Onoda so many tips and tricks to help him win the summit. Naruko you smart bean, you genius. And it's with Naruko's trust that Onoda was able to get the determination to continue without him 🥹 Naruko and Onoda's friendship is so pure, their riding aptitudes are opposites, but they still find ways to support each other. It always warms my heart when I see Naruko and Onoda hanging out and being bros, they are very cute ❤️💛
Kinjou Shingo:
I think it's so funny how stoic Kinjou tries to be lmao. He must be like, "I'm a third year now, and the captain, no less, I need to be more serious." When in reality he's really friendly and kind. Toji knows what Kinjou is like so he's trying to get that side out of him lmao.
The choices he gave Onoda were "finish the race and get 3rd place at your current pace" or "catch up to your friends and retire at some point". He knew exactly what Onoda needed to push himself forward, and he helped him achieve that goal of racing with his friends. I like that Kinjou still gave Onoda motivation to keep riding with Imaizumi and Naruko in the future after he retired.
Makishima Yuusuke:
Makishima's reactions throughout the race were so precious to me, especially towards the end 🥹 In the beginning he didn't really want to believe that Sakamichi is special, he kept refuting the points that others are making about how amazing his cadence and climbing is. But at the end, Maki is the one making the most noise 😭 He is your son CONFIRMED!!! You ARE the father!!!!!
Maki is quite mean to the people he likes, like never replying to Onoda's letters or returning Toudou's calls. That's one frustrating thing about him, but Watanabe-sensei likes to use that social awkwardness to create dramatic moments, so I guess it's fine for story purposes lmao.
Sakamichi's passionate climb to the summit was what captured Maki's heart. While Teshima is also a climber, but he and Aoyagi have a stronger relationship with Tadokorocchi, so this is Maki's first time having a junior he can relate to and teach. They also both have their own unique climbing styles, so that adds more of a connection.
Coach Pierre:
Coach Pierre certainly is a mysterious man. He's just a white guy who showed up in the middle of the race and started giving cycling advice lmao. He's clumsy and old, but he certainly knows his way around cycling. I kinda wish we knew more about him, but I say that about all the characters lol. I also love that he gave Onoda the "King of the Mountains" jersey, he just had that ready lmao. He came straight from the airport what do you mean???
I also love what he said about bicycles here. Every time Watanabe-sensei includes a little monologue about bicycles, you really feel the love he has for them. All of these guys have such passion for cycling, and it's so wonderful to see.
Major Events:
First year race results
Congrats to Imaizumi for winning, and Naruko for that close second!!! Sugimoto did pretty well too, coming in 51 minutes after Ima and Naruko, but we all know he can do better.
Sakamichi had to retire, but he was dubbed "King of the Mountains" for being the first to reach the summit 😊 I love the serendipity of these first few arcs. Sakamichi had his first race on the back gate slope, and gets called "back gate slope senpai" by Rokudai in his third year, and "Mountain King" is a nickname he earns later on at the interhigh. Call it serendipity or foreshadowing, but I really like things like this.
Misc.:
Some of my favorite moments, in no particular order...
The imanaru rivalry. They've been like this since day one lmao.
Onoda getting his first road racer! Came in just in time.
Onoda catching up to Imaizumi and Naruko at the front, and they saw how hard he worked to reach them.
Everyone freaking about about Onoda dancing and winning the summit! Kinjou taking his shades off is a whole meme lmao.
And little Imaizumi in his bad boy shirt lmao. Ima used to be the bad boy while Onoda wears the best boy shirt now.