Koutarou exudes positivity in "Never Say Never"

We’re back in the race in Overtake! this week. “Never Say Never” brings formula racing back into the fold after “The Day of the Disaster” focused solely on Haruka and Kouya. The two of them have finally talked things out and have a game plan for what they need to do individually to grow. Throughout the episode, both of them tackle that growth head-on in ways only they could do — even if the results aren’t in their favor.

“Never Say Never” starts with Kouya doing what he needs to in order to take pictures again. At first, it seems like a silly exercise but as soon as he reveals to Saeko that the first picture he wants to take is of Haruka on the podium, it makes sense. In order for him to take that photo, he has to prepare himself for the inevitable: him seeing Momo’s eyes in frame in place of Haruka’s own. Seeing Kouya stumble a bit in this process was a narrative choice that works in the episode’s favor. Progress and healing are not linear things. It takes time, hard work, and a lot of stumbling before we’re able to reach the “finish line.” Kouya is certainly on the right track, but it will definitely take more time before he’s able to take photos again. Let’s just hope it’s before the end of the season.

Something special about this episode was the way that Haruka trusts Koutarou. It’s a small moment between the two, right before the race, when Koutarou holds an umbrella over Haruka to block the sun. Koutarou warns him about the track being hot and when he gives him an unsure answer — “On a scale of one to three, it’s pretty hot” — Haruka takes the information to heart. It’s easy to forget that these two are still in high school since we only ever see them in the same vicinity of formula cars, but this moment shows that there is a huge amount of trust between them that goes beyond their age. The two of them have a bond that not a lot of people in high school have and I think the pairing is an underrated relationship in the show.

If there were any worries that Haruka would go to Belsorriso, “Never Say Never” puts them to rest. Despite the advantages Belsorriso has over Komaki Motors and all of the reasons why he should drive for them, Haruka makes it clear that he turned them down. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, the Komakis are his family and he wants to stand on the podium with them supporting him. So it wasn’t surprising to see that play out the way I assumed it would. It was definitely the obvious route for that plot point to play out which made the episode a bit weaker.

On the other hand, it was surprising to see Toshiki flail the way he did without Haruka behind him. It was already obvious over the last few weeks that being the first driver might be too much pressure for Tokumaru. This only gets worse now that he is the one to lead the pack instead of Satsuki. I wouldn’t go so far as to say he goes through an anxiety attack while racing, but it’s definitely close to one. His worries juxtaposed with Satsuki’s own thoughts make it a high-stress situation for both of them until we see Toshiki on the podium.

It’s pretty impossible to follow up an intensely emotional episode such as “The Day of the Disaster.” But, “Never Say Never” is a strong episode that brings the track back to the forefront and reminds us that Haruka still has work to do behind the steering wheel. It builds the groundwork for the last two episodes of the season to hopefully come to a successful conclusion. I can’t wait to see Haruka win a podium at the end of all his hard work and growth in such a short amount of time.