OverDrive Episode 2 – Boy Meets Bicycle Part 2

As we saw from the previous episode, Shinozaki goes to school late at night and decides to give cycling a try. He ends up falling asleep, and doesn’t notice that it’s already morning till Fukazawa hits him to wake him up from his “Fukazawa in swimsuit” dream ^^”’ She was surprised that he came to school at that time just to learn how to ride a bike (and she stumbled from her bike when she saw him there… quite surprised). He told Fukazawa how he has progressed from travelling one foot distance to about one meter, and was quite overjoyed by that little (almost none, actually) achievement he had. She notices the wound on his hands (showing how much of a struggle he did). But that effort was not enough, coz he still don’t know how to ride… >.>”’ But Shinozaki says that he’ll go about practicing and learning little by little, and tells Fukazawa how he has found cycling to be fun.

Fukazawa puts on bandages on his wounds, while telling him just who in this world would have such bruises just by learning how to ride a bike… and tells him “You sure are strange, Shinozaki” Fukazawa turns all bashful, and thinks that he won’t be washing his hands for a while (to preserve the ‘touch’ of Fukazawa’s hand) ^^” He starts telling her that he was a little afraid at the first thought of riding a bike, but since Fukazawa told him that he has a strong mind, he sort of wanted to become just that kind of person. (He turns his back from her in bashfulness, and makes Fukazawa see his underwear He actually thinks it’s an “in” thing, and Fukazawa scolds him for thinking that way ^^”).

Fukazawa sees how he’s working hard and gives him a headband (Shinozaki was of course extremely happy to be handed something like this by the girl he likes). She also gives him some sort of “biking lesson”, telling him that the key for learning how to bike is to keep one’s balance. Heeding her advice, he once again practices with much struggle… but to no avail ^^”” (Well of course it’s difficult to practice all by yourself… not even the least of support x_X). Fukazawa goes to class ahead of him, while Shinozaki continues to learn how to keep his balance.

Noontime comes, and in the midst of his practice, his bully sempais pay him a “visit”, since Shinozaki was so into cycling that he forgot his usual “routine” of buying them lunch. Izawa-sempai kicks Shinozaki from his bike, and orders him to buy them lunch, and it would be his treat since he forgot to do so earlier. Fukazawa’s words comes into his mind (about trying to change himself), ends up going back to his usual self and was just going to do as they say, until Izawa-sempai notices his headband and tries to take it from him. Since that headband was really precious to him, he learns to fight back and this is pretty much how his [thoughts] and his [actions / words] didn’t quite coincide:

*[] = thoughts

Shinozaki: [I should go and apologize... they will most likely forgive me if I tell them I'll go buy them lunch as soon as possible] Please buy your own lunch.
Shinozaki: [Eh? ] I’m afraid I won’t do as you say anymore. [What the heck am I saying?]
Shinozaki: And I won’t let you touch this. [Stop it! You're going to get beaten up!]
Shinozaki: Because it’s from someone special to me.

Izawa was pissed by this cheeky attitude he showed (since he [somehow] learned how to fight back), and gives him a beating. He struggles to not let Izawa get his headband, since he knows Izawa doesn’t understand how important it is for him… but to no avail. Izawa and his gang leave, and Shinozaki contemplates on the fact that he was never beaten up by them before (because he always runs away before that happens). He thinks that perhaps it would’ve been better if he just handed the headband from the start, then he wouldn’t have ended up like that… or so, that’s what his old self would be saying. He decides to change that old self of his, and stands up on his feet, motivated to run after them with his bike. He struggles hard to get it moving, and Fukazawa (who saw the guys from earlier carrying the headband she gave), decides to lend him some help in getting his bike running. She tells him to keep his head up and move forward, looking straight at the path he wishes to go to. The rest is up to trusting his self.

Then we hear this “voice” as Shinozaki goes to pursue the guys who took his headband, saying:

That (referring to the bike) was the only means of transportation before. But 200 years has passed and brought about evolution. Only those who single-mindedly pursued after speed were able to master it (cycling). And up until this time people have been asking just what drived them to do so… If you so wish, if you have what it takes to answer that voice (inside you)… Then you can unleash a great potential that lies within you.

Shinozaki rides with all his might, and catches up with Izawa and his gang (he “drives over” them, and causes them to stumble from the motorcycle) Shinozaki manages to take the headband, and Izawa just leaves without saying anything. Shinozaki who ends up lying on the ground after the incident, could still not get over what happened, and notices the resounding of his heartbeat. Fukazawa who witnesses the earlier incident calls him a fool for jumping out like that (without thinking of the damage it’ll cause him ^^”). Shinozaki tells her that he’s going to treasure that headband with all his life (and be able to pass it on even to his grandsons… ^^”’), causing her to blush a little.

It was only then that Shinozaki realizes that he was able to ride the bike (he’s so slow… ^^”’), and says that the bike is indeed amazing. Fukazawa corrects him by saying that it’s not the bike that’s amazing, but rather him, the one who drives it (because unlike automobiles which are powered by gasoline, bikes are driven [almost] through the biker’s “power”). The two of them walk home together, and Shinozaki tells himself that he doesn’t want everything to end like this (may it be his relationship with Fukazawa or cycling) Because of that, he tells Fukazawa that he wants to enter the cycling club, and be able to ride with her once be becomes a great cycler ^^”” Fukazawa asks him if what he means by “becoming a great cycler” is to become the best in the world, and Shinozaki tells him it is indeed so. He thinks about what he just said and tells himself that Fukazawa will find out he likes her with what he just said (like it’s not obvious ^^”’) Fukazawa tells him it’s alright with her (to ride with him), but gives Shinozaki a sleeping when he request that she wears her swimsuit when she goes to ride with him ^^””

At the end of the episode, Shinozaki thinks how being able to talk to one’s [movie] idol will feel like… “it’ll be merely a yearning and ideal / dream, since their existence is something you could simply look at from afar.”, he thinks. “But that day, I was able to do so with the girl I like”, says Shinozaki (referring to the fact that he was able to talk to Fukazawa now, unlike before).

Popularity: 4% [?]

No related posts.