(Watched this while I was waiting for the chinese sub of Romeo x Juliet to come out…) ^^”’

This turned out really unexpected… I was imagining a totally different thing from what I saw, seeing as to how it focuses more on the characters’ relationships and feelings (in this episode at least), as the source of the hero’s “drive” :p I loved the OP and ED songs. I found it perfectly fit for the theme “OverDrive”. Both songs are upbeat, and fall into the “soft rock” genre. I enjoyed the opening especially (Winder ~Boku wa Koko ni Iru~ by Shounen Kamikaze), as it made me feel as though I’m listening to a Move + Kotani Kinya combined kind of song :3

The beginning of the episode makes us see a glimpse of this Japanese guy named Mikoto Shinozaki, who’s in the lead of Tour d’France, the grandest cycling race in the world. As to how Mikoto Shinozaki become what he is, we just have to watch and find out~

Scenes from the OP

Screenshots

Summary:

This is the story of a guy named Mikoto Shinozaki, an aloof and spineless guy, who is pretty much treated like some “slave” by his seniors due to his weak personality. Believing that he is a weakling, he has oftentimes asked himself just what is it that he is capable of doing. Actually, he’s quite skilled in drawing / painting, but doesn’t quite take pride in it (since being talented in painting doesn’t quite make him more of a man). It hasn’t been long since he came to his current school, but hopes that he’ll be able to gain friends and fall in love within the span of his stay in high school. But then he hasn’t found any close friends since the time he entered, and worse, most people don’t even notice his presence. Among these people is Yuki Fukazawa, her classmate from junior high, and whom he has a crush on since that time.

Fukazawa has been his seatmate ever since their high school classes started, but didn’t notice that (not even the fact that Shinozaki is her classmate) until one day after class. That day, Fukazawa went back to the classroom, and incidentally saw him (as the only one left in their class). Shinozaki was making a sketch of Fukazawa, and quickly hides it when he saw Fukazawa. He comments on how her hair is longer now, and Fukazawa tells him that he sure pays attention to such details, and teased him about having a crush on her. Shinozaki of course doesn’t deny this and simply blushes. Fukuzawa bluntly tells him that he already has a boyfriend, a boring fellow but a rich kid college student. It seems that Shinozaki already knew of this, and still continued to have feelings for her. Being upfront as she is, Fukazawa also tells him to take a good look at himself (in a good manner), and that he should try improve his appearance for the sake of the one he likes. Fukazawa was about to leave when she remembers about needing some members for the cycling club. She invites Shinozaki, but seemed to have lost her urge to convince him when he seemed to know nothing about the club.

Just when she was about to leave, Shinozaki musters up the courage to ask her to be her model. Fukazawa didn’t mind and told him that thinks it’ll actually be fun. Shinozaki became conscious at first, since Fukuzawa was looking at him (and also because she’s seeing her cute face up close :p) But after a while, he was able to focus on drawing (he becomes too into painting actually), and starts to draw as though he was possessed by someone (an eccentric painter perhaps). Shinozaki realizes what he has done (and the fact that he has become TOO into what he was doing again), and apologizes to her. Shinozaki was astonished by this behavior, not because he was like a lunatic or anything, but because he actually has the “power” to truly focus on what he is doing and excel at it. (though not quite impressed with the result of his painting, because he ended up drawing Fukuzawa in a two-piece swimsuit ^^”)

She saw the resemblance of this aspect of Shinozaki with his brother, Ryousuke, and thought that he has the potential to become excellent in cycling. Shinozaki actually thinks that Fukuzawa has come to hate him because of what happened in the classroom earlier, but contrary to that, she had even more urge to convince him to try cycling. She also tells him about his brother Ryousuke, who is actually the president of the cycling club, and also the one who told her to give him a new recruit for a present. Shinozaki tells her that he doesn’t think he’s suited for it, since he’s a slow runner, and would most likely mean that he would be slow in cycling as well. Fukuzawa corrects this and tells him that being a fast runner doesn’t really mean that he will be fast in riding the bike as well, which means that someone as slow as Shinozaki could actually excel in cycling. She also tells him that what makes a great cycler (or the deciding factor for being a great cycler) is no other than the strength of his heart (something she quotes from his brother). As such, it doesn’t matter whether he’s a coward or is constantly being made fun of, because what matters most is the willpower to reach his destination. And from what he saw in him, she believes that he has that capability. But then Shinozaki confesses that he didn’t know how to ride a bike, and runs away in shame.

On his way home, Shinozaki recalls the conversation he had with her, and was overjoyed by the fact that he was able to talk to her. But despite having this huge crush on her (he regards her as the cutest girl on the planet), he admits to himself that he is totally not suited for her, being dull and clumsy as he is. He remembers the incident earlier, still couldn’t get over the fact that someone actually told him he is capable of doing something (and ends up “drowning” in his bath ^^”). The thoughts still carried on to his dreams, where he not only dreamt that he was riding the bicycle, but Fukazawa was riding with him (in her swimsuit ^^”’). He quickly snaps from his “wild dream”, and decides to go to school late at night to give cycling a try (still unable to get over the words that Fukazawa told him, about having a great “inner strength”).

He sees the bike on the school grounds, glowing in the night (because of the moonlight…?), and for once in his life came to notice the beauty of the bicycle. He goes to touch it, when he was zapped by its static electricity ^^” Seemingly asking permission from the bike, he asks it if he could ride it. As he comes in contact with it, the glow fades (so does the moonlight), the episode “fades” as well… but all this marks the beginning of everything – the making of a great cycler :3

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