Haruka gets a troubling call in "Birds of a Feather"

It’s time to pull out of the pit and get back on track with another review of Overtake! “Birds of a Feather” is a lesson in circumstances. It starts with a shocking first scene, with Haruka behind the wheel of a Belsorriso car, and it sets the tone for an emotional episode. With Kouya still missing in action, the focus turns to the future of the cast. They’re forced to face the things that have been hanging over them throughout the season.

Watchers are well aware of one thing: formula racing is an expensive sport. But, we really get to see how much of a difference it can make through Haruka’s eyes. Ena-san contacts Komaki Motors about having Haruka replace Tokumaru as their secondary driver, a decision that would kick Komoki Motors out of qualifying to race at all but one that would further Haruka’s career. It’s a tough decision for him to make, but one that ultimately shows Haruka his own potential. With Belsorriso, he can have top-of-the-line cars, metrics, and a chance at going beyond F4. Ena-san even mentions that Haruka will have to get used to fancy dinners when the two of them go out after his first day with them.

I’m not sure what the over/under odds for Haruka sticking with Komaki Motors are, but I’m going to say he’ll go back to his roots. Even with the money advantage behind Belsorriso, the Komakis are his family.

Later, we learn that it was actually Koutarou’s idea to have Haruka drive for Belssorriso. I think it’s safe to say that Koutarou’s logic throughout the series has been subtle, but a driving force behind a lot of situations. Not only does he realize just how far Haruka could go with a team with more money and sponsors, he is also the one who pushes Arisu to visit Satuki.

If “Underexposure” had you questioning what the future holds for Satsuki, “Birds of a Feather” answers that through Arisu. When she goes to visit him at the hospital, he’s lifting heavier weights than he should be in his current state. Building off of last week, he reveals just how scared he is of being replaced and no longer being of use to Belsorriso. One thing that Overtake! does extremely well in this episode is juxtaposing this conversation with the one Ena-san and Haruka are having. Satsuki repeats the same question that Ena-san posed to Haruka and it shows just how deep his influence on the drivers is. We already know that Ena-san cares about the drivers, but this moment makes it clear just how deep that care and influence runs.

Still missing from all of this is Kouya. This time, he doesn’t show up at all during the episode. His presence speaks volumes even more since we know Kouya and Ena-san are close enough that Ena-san invites him to take photos for Belsorriso. It also feels as if Haruka is the only one who is actually worried about Kouya with how he’s still visiting the apartment. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that for him, it feels like he’s losing another father figure. That emotional turmoil pays off at the very end of the episode when both the audience and Haruka realize where Kouya has gone.

“Birds of a Feather” gets us back on track with Haruka’s formula progress and just how far — or fast — he can go as a driver. Even with the mini jumpscare at the start of the episode, it’s one of the strongest episodes we’ve seen so far. Not only that, the show doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the latter half of the season, which only works to its advantage. Overtake! is checking every box for me as anime of the year. Each episode builds on the foundation from the weeks before and comes full circle with foreshadowing that was peppered throughout the entire first season.