Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line

Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line contains some of the franchise’s best moments, but also shows occasional signs of stagnation. With the previous season of YowaPeda (New Generation) being a pretty straightforward transitional affair, more focused on following the aftermath of the 41st InterHigh and introducing new characters now that the third years graduated, I wish I could say Glory Line dives instantly into adrenaline-heavy, fast-paced cycling action. It does just that… for the most part of its run. The show still invests too much time on characters I couldn’t care less instead of jumping right into what matters: hot, sweaty 2D boys battling for dominance. Still, this seasonstarts with a bang. The first five episodes are classic YowaPeda: the main teams send out their aces, homoerotic interactions occur between them, pure cringe mixes with total badassery very naturally, twists happen at the blink of an eye and then we have one zillion flashbacks mere meters before the finish line. So far so good, and if you ignore the slow pacing (I couldn’t hold my laugher when one member of the audience shouted “they are going so fast!!!”, while the riders seemed to stay in place since the pacing was so goddamn slow) and a new emphasis on some characters’ “super-powers” (you can call this season Yowamushi Formars if you want), there’s plenty to enjoy. Personally, at this point, four seasons in, I treat all these characters as good friends, so even in the down time between the races, there’s always something to look forward to. Drama and comedy blend together very well at these particular moments, and we get to see what exactly is at the stake for each of the powerhouses. Hakone Academy has four new members and looks like a totally different team, but keeps the “total victory” motto of the previous members alive. Sohoku seems like its barely hanging on most of the time; with no apparent ace or a strong captain like before, they struggle to even sustain their underdog status. Kyoto Fushimi is the one I feel like changed the most; they still rely on Midousuji Akira to get the job done, but the team isn’t the one-man-army it used to be. The problems I have with this season arise when the second day of the race starts. It seems like the author ran out of ideas as some events from the previous Inter High are reprised, only now with different characters and very minor tweaks. It feels cheap, because the enjoyment one could get from these situations depends a lot on how invested you are with said characters. It’s very hard to care for a character you know for 20 episodes against one you know for over 50 and who has waaaaay more charisma. We’re over 100 episodes, some repetition is understandable, but it’s still frustrating nonetheless. And while there’s plenty to like from the new cast (except Yuto, fuck that guy), some more Onoda moments would be nice… I forgot he was the main character of the anime for a good chunk of the season. Still, this season, as much as it falters, contains some of my favorite episodes ever. Episode 14, a bound-to-be-divisive episode, is one of these personal favorites. Not only because it ended a stream of subpar episodes, but also by how boldly the show delivered its message. I won’t spoil what happens, since half of YowaPeda’s fun is getting to know who races who for the sprint/mountain/finish tag, but let’s just say this episode did more for the LGBT+ community than all the whining on social media could ever hope to achieve. It’s the simple story of a young man coming to grips with who he is and how he truly feels inside. I haven’t re-watched an anime episode as much as I did with this one in quite some time. Then again, it’s a polarizing episode. Some may claim it to be obvious fujoshi-bait, or be bothered by the lack of any thrilling cycling. And while the climax of the second day can’t compete with the first episodes of the season, episode 23 still packs quite the punch. Episode 24 may dwell too much on nostalgia; but is another highlight of the season. If the story line wasn’t always top shelf material, the visual and sound department remains some of the genre’s best. Both the races and the slice-of-life moments are well-animated, and the art hardly ever dips in quality. The CGI is barely an issue like on the first seasons (although I may have grown used to it), and the voice acting is engaging. It’s a shame Onoda doesn’t get much screen time this season, as his voice actor Daiki Yamashita is turning out to be a shonen king; both his work here and on Boku no Hero Academia is stellar. The original soundtrack is on the same level as the past seasons, I liked some of the new additions, but the old, classic tunes stand out more. I can’t get enough of the creepy tune that pops up whenever Midousuji makes a move. The opening and ending songs took more time to grown on me compared to the previous seasons. First opening has great animation and blends well with the above-average song, while the second one is a bit uncreative with its visuals, but makes up for it with a catchy song. First ending is an upbeat track by the voice actors of the Sohoku team, and the second one finds the cast of Hakone Academy delivering this jazzy, horn-heavy song that is a far cry from any other OP/ED in the series. It’s a bit of an acquired taste, and I'm still left craving for something from the guys voicing Kyoto Fushimi, but it does its job. Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line changes almost nothing in its formula, which is a double-edged sword. In music, when a band sticks to what it knows best, the fanbase will likely take its side. Not the same applies for long-running anime shows. For me, it’s a win, but I recognize why some people have lost the interest in it over time. This series started as something to kill time while Haikyuu wasn’t airing and now I can hardly wait for a new episode/season. A fifth season is bound to come eventually, and as much as I like the show, some variation is going to be necessary if Yowamushi Pedal wants to keep racing for 100 more episodes.

I put off watching New Generation and Glory Line after reading the reviews of how these two seasons didn't stand up to par with the previous two seasons. However, after watching Yowamushi Pedal the Movie I felt hyped to watch the third and fourth seasons. I like this anime series because it reminds me of Hanna Barbera's Wacky Races but instead of big personalities riding ridiculous race cars, they are riding ordinary bicycles. I felt that Glory Line actually did a good job in carrying over the spirit of the first two seasons with the well-animated imagery the riders use to compare their riding styleswith. What I like the best about the third and fourth seasons is how they remain consistent with the themes of passing the torch and standing out from a large talent pool. Hakone Academy has the reputation of being the elite of bicycle racing and so has the resources to foster the growth of various riders. Sohoku on the other hand has a shallow talent pool that has to be led by two riders who couldn't make it to the Inter High until their third years. Finally, Kyoto Fushimi has only one rider acting as the driving force to get himself to win with a team of average riders. I felt that the competition between these three schools make these two seasons compelling by having viewers remain constantly unsure of who is going to win the race and how. Another thing that made this season interesting is the fact that Kaburagi is the only first year in Sohoku competing in the Inter-High and so has to deal with the pressure of keeping up with the team. This adds to the responsibility and growth of the second and third years since they have to constantly balance consideration for their team members with the desire to win the race. To have a better appreciation of the third and fourth seasons, I recommend paying attention to how the third of the various teams interact with their juniors. I also recommend paying attention to the characters entering the race for the first time and understanding what they had to overcome to enter the race. I personally enjoy shows where the main characters have to grow to support their juniors and do whatever they can to pass down the spirit of their predecessor to the new generation while doing their best to maintain it and refine it. Please give seasons 3 and 4 a chance.

For a sport that emphasizes pacing, it feels like they reeaaalllyyyy stretched this one out. Glory Line picks up where New Generation ended—about a quarter of the way through the Inter-High bike race—and ends maybe three quarters of the way through the Inter-High bike race. It's not like they haven't done this kind of thing before, but at this point we don't need a 3 episode sprint when we already know the backstory of one of the two characters involved. One advantage of having basically the same crew at the same studio is that the music has remained pretty much remained consistent throughout all four seasons.This allows certain themes to become associated with certain emotions or moments. I like seeing my man Teshima lead the team, but it's pretty clear that the Yomamushi Pedal franchise peaked with the YowaPedal movie. Still, this season does manage to capture at least some of the intensity and comedic charm that the earlier ones offered.