“Step By Step”
「一歩一歩」
And so it begins! Basically, Manami has actual wings and, Midosuji, not wanting to be left out, has some wings of his own. And Makishima fangirls about Onoda, but in an entirely mentor-pupil way.
I actually really enjoyed watching Manami and Midosuji race against one another. Their personalities couldn’t be more different but their hunger for the finish line and for taking the win is dramatic and unparalleled. They find themselves as sort of like very intense but oddly friendly rivals, both of them admiring and respecting the other for their skill and their drive. With such immense stamina, skill and strength it’s hard to think that dramatic little Onoda could even prove to be up to their standard, and Toudou makes this known; compared to the others ahead, why does Makishima have so much faith in Onoda? Makishima’s reply is quite simple and so so sweet. He’s never once failed to obey an order given to him. With all the races that he had the chance to witness Onoda has completed everything that someone told him to do and has really proved himself in the eyes of everyone on the team who has watched him grow over the many months.
His growth and sheer determination is proven only by his catching up to Midsuji and Manami with only a few kilometres left, stunning them both into wonder what the heck he’s doing here. I love how simple Onoda is, sometimes, even if I don’t quite enjoy the screechy/screamy sound of Yamashita Daiki’s voice. Not only was he excited to have people ahead of him, whom he could catch up to, but that’s all he needed to do at this point; catch up to two guys who were racing hard and intensely, and even Midosuji is stumped – and understandably annoyed – by the triviality of the declaration.
That’s not all Onoda’s job, though, and he swears that he’s going to stop Midosuji, because that’s what Makishima told him to do. *shrugs* And that’s that.
Well, as much as Onoda can irritate me with his melodrama and his screaming, he’s at his best when he’s all excited and geeky, and when he proves people wrong. And it’s true; he hasn’t failed a single command given to him so we’ll see how long that zeal lasts!
☆ koekara ☆ 