Episodes 1-3 – Windbreaker

It’s no exaggeration to say that the early bad anime renaissance had its struggles. on the other hand, Tokyo Revengers The anime was a great success as an original work, but as a standalone work it had a lot of problems – mainly the crappy production that made the Namek arc seem lively compared to the Namek story. And pacing.last season’s Butchigiri?! We had all the pieces for a fun brawl, but we put them together with the grace and care of a seriously concussed 10th grader. So I hope third time is the charm when it comes to anime boys beating the hell out of loving each other.

windbreakercertainly got off to a strong start. The first episode was great from start to finish, delivering all the gorgeously animated beatdowns you’d expect while also making us fall in love with the main characters. Haruka is a bunch of age-old defense mechanisms, having been raised to be hostile when interacting with anyone. It’s very funny and charming when the kind-hearted Hulin people treat him like a good young man. The armor he’s built all his life continues to be ignored by kindly old men who give him candy, and local stores continue to greet him like some minor superhero. There’s something inherently endearing about a hyper-cautious kid having to adapt to life as a Friendly Neighborhood delinquent that appealed to me as much as good action animation. .

At first glance, the development of Windbreak being popular and loved by the townspeople seems contradictory to the typical delinquent anime. Our bad boy protagonists have always kept their hearts of gold a secret, but part of the appeal of this archetype is how they resent the condescending conformity of society at large. This is Teruuka. Whether it’s the Pope, a teacher, the police, or a parent, they usually have some kind of authority to fight against while proving that they are righteous. genuine It offers a fantasy of being a good person and doing true personal justice in a hypocritical world. It’s funny to have the villains help an old lady cross the road or paint over some graffiti, but doesn’t that betray the antihero subtext at the heart of it all?

The cliche answer is “probably,” but I think the show has done enough legwork to warrant a more nuanced interpretation. The other half of the appeal of anime delinquents is that the heroes are, well, still heroes. They use their strength and fighting ability to protect people from other delinquents or provide sanctuary to others rejected by society, in ways that corrupt or derelict authority systems cannot. Stand up against injustice. In that respect, what Bofurin represents is just a more organized, collective implementation of that idea. Giving this gathering of meat lovers a sense of unity and purpose, Umemiya became a community organized by wayward young people, for wayward young people. It feels a little cheesy to say this, but it’s a really good direction for the genre, and it does a great job of explaining what it means to “fit in” to a community and how we define delinquency as a society. It potentially contains what you want to say. Heck, there seems to be a shortage of police, or even teachers for that matter, so we can even engage in discussions about community-focused anarchism. I don’t expect to see Bofflins tending community gardens or building apartment complexes, but hey, they could!

How well it will hold onto its antihero, the delinquent half of the anime, remains to be determined, though. windbreaker Rock has violence. These opening episodes feature some great fights, conveying not only Haruka and his new crew’s physical abilities, but also the visceral ferocity with which they wield it. While Sugishita clearly exaggerates the impact, such as turning a school desk into a metal and wooden pancake with one blow, it’s still relatively grounded, making each impact more, well, shocking. It feels like. Even in the more subdued animated scenes, you can feel the weight and gravitas behind a punch or see the nimble agility of a dodge, and through the sheer physicality of each fighter You can feel the power. It’s a pure level of polish, so I hope we can maintain at least some of that energy throughout the season.

It’s also a lot of fun to watch the boys roll with the punches. Haruka and Akihiko form a fascinating dynamic duo, and the protagonists are always tempted to pick fights. At the same time, the shy Ahikiho stands on the sidelines, explaining flavors and trying to make some sense to his punch-happy new friends. While the rest of Bofurin has yet to be fleshed out beyond basic gimmicks, they work as a fun bunch, showing off a variety of quirks while still feeling like believable teenagers. Masu. My favorite non-fighting moment is when Haruka realizes how weird it is to shake people’s hands and have casual physical contact after years of only touching others with her clenched fist. Probably when. It speaks to the level of loneliness he has endured, while also emphasizing how natural it is to literally have someone to lean on. This is a great foundation, so I’m not sure how it will handle bigger ideas yet, but windbreaker There is a solid footing to start from.

evaluation:

windbreaker is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.