Run with the Wind

Depending on what kind of person you are, you may consider the first few episodes to be slow or you may be immediately sucked in. I was the former and I'm so glad I continued watching this because it was so worth it. I read that this is the same studio that animates Haikyuu (another favourite of mine) and the animation in this is so wonderful, but the stories are vastly different.

Run With The Wind is slower-paced which means not as action-packed as Haikyuu but it's also more emotional for having only 23 episodes. I enjoyed immensely the character development and growth of all 10 of them and the progression of their friendships. I loved the diverse characters and I really appreciate the inclusion of Musa and the way they highlighted the racism he faced as a foreigner in Japan. I honestly didn't want this to end so I cried during the last episode, but to be fair, the final few episodes were really emotional to me because I had grown rather fond of the characters.

(Not putting a spoiler tag on this only because there's very, very minor spoilers) I just finished watching Run with the Wind, and I'm in complete awe. This show makes you feel so many emotions at once it's insane. Run with the Wind is a lot more than just running. This show's about growth, and it does an incredible job illustrating how much each character develops. By the end of the story, each character's backstory is explained, showing what motivates them to run, and what they've overcome. Even during the final few episodes, the characters continue to grow. Of course, the two main characters have a bit more backstory than the others, which is to be expected, but you really get a feel for why each character continued to run, regardless of how they didn't want to in the beginning. Along with this, they all have realistic goals. Not everyone thinks they can make it to the top, and not everyone does. Even within the epilogue, everyone is still moving forward. They know that their goal might seem unrealistic, but they continue reaching for it anyways. They constantly beat minor goal after minor goal, bringing them further and further towards their main goal. The difference with this show from others is that it lets the main team lose. It lets them learn from their mistakes, and helps them to keep pushing forward. And each character makes mistakes and learns from them- it's not just the main characters. The soundtrack is pretty calm for the most part, letting the animation itself do most of the emphasis on scenes, but there are a few tracks that definitely stand out. The CGI for some of the background runners can be a bit distracting at times, and I've seen a few others complain saying the same thing. Other than that, I really enjoyed the story, and would definitely recommend you watch it!

I started watching this anime because honestly there was nothing to watch. Anime were filled with isekai,harem in the fall. It caught my attention as it was produced by Production IG(same as Haikyuu,Psycho Pass etc). Watch the 1st episode and it looked okay, there weren't any cliched character and typical friendship troupes as we see in sports anime. So, I watched episode 2 and then 3 and then I knew I loved this anime. So people dont forget the 3 episode rule, watch till episode 3 and then decide for yourself. About the anime- Beautiful aesthetics, beautiful ost and beautiful characters. Everyone was unique and they felt so real. The biggest character development would be of Kakeru(the protagonist) who was an angry and detached college newbie. He developed into a matured and calm person. Also, Haiji Kiyose(the 2nd protagonist) beautifully ties the whole cast together. He has a seemingly impossible goal( which you will learn as you watch the series) Also the rest of the cast Shindo, Musa,Yuki,Nico,King,Hana,Twins and Prince were amazing. There aren't any cliched anime tropes, so please give it a try. It is my personal favourite anime of the year. It is a visually pleasing and a heart touching story which is quite simple yet powerful.

I was skeptical of this show because I figured I didn't want to watch a bunch of guys running when they would probably follow the typical sports anime tropes where they win after monologuing about hard work and the like. Essentially, I didn't think there would be any suspense or point to it. Interestingly, I now believe that running actually adds a lot to the anime that other sports maybe couldn't. Largely an individual, mental sport - running allows everyone to compete against themselves. If winning is your goal then you run to win, if mental fortitude is what you want you run to build that up, if you want to be fit, if you want to gain a hard work ethic, if you want to prove you can do something hard, if you want to build your resume or beat addiction or meet friends - running can do that for you. Running allows each member of the team to face their own issues while also working as a group to conquer a larger goal which really allows this show to shine. Hard work genuinely and believably pays off in this anime while the team also comes together as close friends. Also, this show is hilarious - especially the first few episodes had me laughing out load. I also appreciated how realistic each character was. They had their own unique goals and wit and charm. This anime is definitely worth your time. The animation and soundtrack are well put together - which is to be expected from the studio that brought the world Haikyuu and Psycho Pass. It's a quality, well paced plot with characters that you want to root for while they develop and change. Please give it a watch.

This anime left me with a special feeling when i completed the first season. The OST and visual are very nice. Netflix has done a great job by adding this title to their shows. The first three episodes are kinda different comparing to the remaining episodes as i felt like the main race started from episode 4, so please be patient till that. It's Yuki Hayashi who has composed the background scores and he's famous for his previous works with My hero academia and Haikyuu. The anime was produced by Production IG, the same company which produced Haikyuu and Psycho Pass. They're so good in creating sport animes. I'm unable to compare this anime with Haikyuu. I feel both anime has something unique which I'm unable to describe it through words.