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☆☆☆ Heya guys! Heya Otakuuuu~!!!☆☆☆
☆☆Tegoshei desu! ☆☆
Being a sports anime addict, I really got excited when @djynn told me about an anime entitled, "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru" or "Run with the Wind" in English. She recommended me to watch this because the main character looks like Kageyama Tobio, the main character of a volleyball anime called "Haikyuu!!". We both love "Haikyuu!!", so she thought I'd enjoy watching this new anime, too. And guess what? It didn't fail me. I guess I'm really a sucker for sports anime.
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"Kaze Ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru"
Have you guys heard about ***"Hakone Ekiden"***? Well, the Japanese word *ekiden* means a long distance relay marathon. Such relay race is done on the roads. For this *ekiden*, the course starts from Tokyo going to Hakone, then back to Tokyo. Let me show you a map of the course which I found online below.
Basically, the long distance relay marathon happens for two days. On the first day would be the *Tokyo-Hakone* course and on the second day, the *Hakone-Tokyo* course. Each day, five members of each team will participate. As you noticed above, there are five blue stars. They represent the relay point where a player passes the sash to next player.
In normal relay races, they usually pass a baton... right? In *Hakone Ekiden*, the pass sash. According to my student who is studying to be a tour guide, the reason why they use sash is because it's much closer to the heart. Wearing the sash represents the totality of that person and when the next runner wears the sash, he carries the previous runner's heart with him.
I also heard from my student that this *ekiden* is very well-sought after. People tend to grow emotional watching this marathon because they all want to feel the hardships and the success of every runner. I personally want to watch it in the future. It would be a nice experience.
## Why did I ask about "Hakone Ekiden?
It's because the main characters of this anime are aiming to join the *Hakone Ekiden*. The anime started when Kakeru was caught stealing food. He ran away really fast with is superhuman speed *(that's an exaggeration, but he does run faster than normal people)*. He was saved by Haiji who happened to be a runner as well and invited him to live with him together with other University students. In *Chikuseisou*-- their old apartment houses 10 different individuals with various personalities.
Haiji made all ten people part of the team, but actually, only him and Kakeru are experienced runners. It was a struggle for all of them. For one, Haiji tried to convinced everyone to join and unsurprisingly, they were all reluctant to join. They even didn't know a lot about running, how much more the *Hakone Ekiden*.
I personally like every character in this anime. They're really interesting individuals. They have their own strengths and flaws. What I love the most is their growth. This is among the many reasons why I like watching sports anime, ***character growth***.
## Let's Get to Know the Characters:
I'm going to introduce you to the members of Kansei University's representatives. I want to take my time and tell you what I think about every member, so I hope you enjoy it.
#### Youhei "King" Sakaguchi
He's more known as "King" and is into quizzes. In the anime, he was also very busy job hunting which made it difficult for him to participate in practices. He wasn't interested in running at all, and was kind of depressed because of the constant rejection he got from the companies he's applied for.
In the end, with the help of the others, he tried to change his perspectives. Instead of trying hard and failing, he decided to have a change of pace. Instead of dwelling on his failures, he decided to run and enjoy. He embraced the hardships and the positive vibes he got from running. In the end, he became more optimistic and is ready to face every challenge ore even failure there is.
#### Joutarou and Joujirou Kizuki
Jouta and Jouji are really fun-loving and hilarious. I super love this twin. Jouta is the older twin, while Jouji is the younger one. It's really difficult to tell them apart, but thanks to Jouji's necklace, we're able to point them out.
Before joining the track team, they were part of the soccer team. It's interesting how easy it was to manipulate these two. They aim to be popular with girls, so Haiji told them that a lot of girls enjoy watching *ekiden*, so they'll truly find a lot of fangirls. *wwww* And so, they willingly joined.
#### Musa Kamara
Musa is such a darling. <3 He is an international student from Africa. Despite being from a country with lots of fast runners, Musa doesn't have any experience running. He is usually just studying and working part-time jobs in order to get by.
Because of his sweet and friendly personality, a lot of people like him. He played a great role in the promotion of their team. They were able to get more sponsors because of his connections near his part-time job. Of course, the whole team helped to gather more sponsors.
#### Akihiro Hirata
Better known as "Nico-chan/senpai", he's the oldest among the members. He used to be a part of the track team as well, however, his coach told him that it wasn't for him. From then on, he felt discouraged and started smoking and drinking. He gained weight and lived a somehow sedentary life.
Truthfully, he has great passion towards running... so when he was invited to join the track team, although reluctant, he agreed to it. There was a time when he felt kind of agitated because he couldn't improve his time. He thought it was because of his weight, so he decided not to eat. He lost energy and looked very pale, so Haiji forced him to eat... but healthily. His passion for running made him stop his vices and live healthily.
Yukihiko Iwakura
[IMAGE SOURCE](http://kazetsuyo-anime.com/story/images/11/11_5.jpg)
Talk about *"ikemen"*!!! He is Yuki, a law student who's actually pretty intelligent. Ugh~! His visuals is the best for me *(because he's a friggin' kuro-kami megane-danshi and a smarty pants)* and I have this strong feeling that he's a tsundere. I really like this character, though he's only a support role.
He usually bickers with Nico-chan-senpai, but I truly believe they're the best of friends. He's also really good at analyzing. He's almost perfect... he's a A-grade law student with a very bright future, he's handsome, he has an interesting personality... but he has had family problems. Well, there'll always be a flaw somewhere... even in real life, right?
Takashi Sugiyama
Also known as "Shindo-san" is an angel, well, except when he's drunk. *lol* He's the only character in this series who has had a girlfriend, but because of his busy schedule, they eventually broke up. He is among my fave characters. He takes care of the other members to the point of forgetting himself. He's so kindhearted and lovable.
I was really touched by his performance in the *ekiden*. He was literally burning during the event... "literally burning with fever" and the route he was assigned to was like a death sentence. In *Hakone ekiden*, once a member of the team fails to pass the sash to the next person, they'll lose their chance to continue. This guy here went beyond his limits for the team and to find the answers.
Akane Kashiwazaki
Oh my Prince! Yes, he's called Prince/Ouji because he looks like one. This character is the most relatable for me because he is an otaku and just want to stay inside his room most of the time. He was zero stamina at first, but he has improved immensely. I think he was not only encouraged by his teammates but also by main characters of every sport anime/manga there is.
Among the characters, he has the biggest growth and I feel so proud of him. He was always complaining, yet he always tries his best. Prince is a really admirable character. Imagine someone who's literally on the verge of death every time they run, but in the end he ran at an impressive pace during the *Hakone Ekiden*. If he were a real person, I would definitely hangout with him. I want to read manga with him, talk about manga-related stuff and perhaps, go for a run? ^^ If Yuki is an ikemen, this character is bishounen. *I love pretty guys, too. hahaha xD*
Kakeru Kurahara
Everyone, meet *Kageyama Tobio's* long lost brother. *haha* This guy here is Kakeru. He's an amazing runner and I really admire him for that. Somehow at first, he appeared to be very aloof, as if he hates people. However, there's always a reason as to how people act, right?
Kakeru has always been a talented runner, however, he has a very short temper that he often acts before he thinks. When he was in high school, he got into trouble by punching their abusive coach. Because of this, he wasn't allowed to run. In a way, he was hated by the other runners in that school and was tagged as a violent guy.
Since then, he doesn't like connecting with people, moreover, trusting them. All these changed when he met Haiji and the other guys though. They were able to thaw his icy heart and made it beat the way it should again.
Haiji Kiyose
Although he's usually considered as the deuteragonist of this series, I personally think he's equally important as Kakeru. The *"devilish"* guy who can transform into everyone's mother is the main reason why everyone became united and willing to run in the *Hakone Ekiden*.
To be honest, I like his character more than the main character Kakeru. He used to run in high school under his father's guidance. Unfortunately, his body physically failed him that he had to stop running and undergo a surgery. He was too devastated that time, but with conviction, he decided to continue his dream of running the *Hakone Ekiden*.
I am truly delighted that he didn't give up. He is an inspiration to a lot of people and the way he handles things is really interesting.
He sees potential in people, even the most dormant ones. He's keen on taking care of them and *"manipulating"* them in a good way. He sees Kakeru as admirable, but little did he know that Kakeru admires him more than anyone. *Ohh yes! Let this mighty ship sail~!!! -- Oops, pardon my fujoshi self. xD*
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What does @tegoshei think of the anime as a whole?
Above is a screenshot of my tweet last night before and after I watched the last episode. All in all, I really enjoyed the series. I love every character especially their growth and development both as a person and an athlete. It's the kind of anime in which I'm willing to watch over and over again.
At first, I was kind of disappointed that it ended with only 23 episodes, but as my tweet reveals, the anime ended better than I expected. I thought it would be a *"Prince of Stride"* kind of ending, but to my surprise, it wasn't. I love the ending as much as I love the anime.
The story line was great, the character development was exemplary, the art style is so good... even the sound track is amazing! I really had a great time watching it. I'm gonna watch it again in one go... sometime in the future. <3
Aside from the fact that I enjoyed the excitement the anime entails, it introduced me to one of the big collegiate events in Japan. I was able to talk about it and gained more information about *Hakone Ekiden* with/from my student. It was a good topic for conversation.
I recommend you watch "Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru" and enjoy everything the same way I did. *Ohh! I never skipped any opening song and ending song. They're really good~!*
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That's all for this post! I hope you enjoyed reading it~! ^^ Let's keep watching anime! Baibai~! @tegoshei
