Kora
“I remember now. So this is what it means… to do your best.”
When I was scouting out the anime this season and picking shows for my shortlist to potentially review, I’d counted on Overtake! airing before MF Ghost, and based on the visuals, it was the one I was more interested in checking out. While that isn’t how the release schedule ultimately played out, I think it’s fair to say that Overtake! was the show that came out ahead (Oh no. Are the driving puns back!? I guess it’s time to shift gears). Overtake! does two things its competition this weekend didn’t. It takes the necessary steps to get the viewer invested in the subject matter, and it ensures the presentation of the underlying drama benefits the narrative instead of splitting the viewer’s focus in different directions. There are some mild pacing quirks, but this is shockingly well-constructed and grounded for an anime-original sports series. Those commonly feel the need to turn the pace and action up to 11, like with SK8 or Birdie Wing, so I’m pleased this show bucks that particular trend. I’m not going to put Overtake! down as a “must watch” for the season, but it’s a solid entry that I’ll consider when I formulate my viewing schedule in a week or two.
Our lead in this episode is Koya Madoka, a photographer with a fashion magazine, who is roped into getting pictures for a story that his magazine is doing on Super GT, a sports car racing championship in Japan. It’s clear that Koya has deep-seated trauma, which has begun to derail his work, as trying to take a picture of a person triggers anxiety and symptoms of a panic attack in him. The show doesn’t elaborate at this time, but it’s restricted him to the point where he solely focuses on capturing pictures of inanimate objects, such as articles of clothing. However, his interest is stoked when he encounters an F4 (Formula 4 is the entry level for Formula Racing) section of the event. From there, his interactions with one of the smaller teams and his exposure to their passion, even in the face of disaster and failure, lead him to open up and face his own shortcomings. The use of Koya as a point of view character is an inspired choice, as he makes for a good layman to whom the basics can be explained, even if the logic that gets him to the track feels a bit forced. The presentation of him as a man who has lost his ability to perform even the basics of his trade makes him a good narrative tool for exploring the drive of others. It would be hard to construct a narrative where a character just stumbled into Formula racing, due to the amount of money involved, so having an outsider serve as our eyes while the actual participant is already ingratiated is a deft compromise. My one criticism about the structuring of the narrative is that the show starts on an awkward foot by beginning with Koya and his boss in the vehicle on the way to the event, only to then switch to a flashback and explain where they’re going and why. The show doesn’t convey the shift in time frame effectively, so it can be disorienting on first viewing, especially since this is how it introduces both the characters and the premise for the episode. There are a few moments where scene placement or transition seems odd, including an inessential after credits scene that comes after a full minute and a half of credits on a black screen, but that opening section is the most notable offender.
Overtake! is being produced by Troyca, a studio whose projects haven’t always impressed me with their writing (*cough* Aldnoah.Zero *cough*), but has a remarkable level of visual polish for a company that is only a decade old. Plus, they produced Bloom Into You, which gives them a lot of leeway in my book. Still, with the staff on hand, it was hard to guess which way this chassis would steer. Ei Aoki has directed some prominent shows, but his quality can be inconsistent even if it errs on the side of pretty good. The head writer, Ayumi Sekine, hasn’t helmed many projects, but they’ve contributed to series that have certainly left an impact on me. I don’t mean that in a good way. Regardless, having viewed this initial entry, I’m feeling less dubious about the project. I mentioned in my review of MF Ghost that grounded auto racing shows aren’t that common outside of Initial D titles, and it’s nice to see that we have two options this season that don’t call for any prior familiarity with that particular franchise, even if MF Ghost is technically a sequel to it.
Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:
- There is a gag where the character Kotaro Komaki insists on singing a questionable rendition of The Godfather theme when pushing the car. It got a legitimate laugh out of me, but it does lead me to wonder how well the jokes would land for people who haven’t seen the film. Now excuse me while I watch Slash perform his rendition of that theme again, because that track is going to refuse to leave my head for a while.
- I was going to use the “spoiler” as part of a pun, but the slats on Formula cars are wings, not spoilers, aren’t they? This is getting significantly outside my wheelhouse, and makes it a little difficult to find good puns… though technically “wheelhouse” qualifies… even if Formula racers don’t have those.
- I’m struggling to pin down a rating on this one. It’s seated neatly between 3.5 stars and 4 stars, and I keep talking myself out of which rating it gets. I think I’ll default to the lower rating, but I could see myself looking back at this tomorrow and wishing I’d been more forgiving.
Overtake! is an above average take on sports anime that tackles a niche subgenre that is rarely represented. Combine this with a well-established and interesting POV character and crisp production values, and you have a show that is certainly worth sampling if you get the opportunity.
Score: 3.5/5
Above Average
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