It’s time to go for another lap around the track with a new episode of Overtake! “Suzuka, Rain” focuses on a rain-soaked track that raises the stakes in an intense way. It asks the cast the question of should the drivers be racing in these conditions. After weeks of build-up and well-placed foreshadowing, Overtake! finally shifts into the next gear.
Previously “Chariots of Fire” showed us Kouya overcoming the past that was holding him down. This week, we got to see Haruka take that inspiration so he can overcome his own past. This new confidence causes him to butt heads with Kouya over the track conditions; Haruka has driven in the rain before and doesn’t see any issue with it, while Kouya thinks the rain is too dangerous. The argument between them might come off as an obstacle in their friendship, but it shows how much the two care for each other and how far their relationship has progressed. Despite Haruka keeping the regular tires on the car, Kouya’s words reach him while he’s racing and he decides to pull into the pit. This proves to be the safest option choice with what happens next.
“Suzuka, Rain” takes place at the Suzuka Circuit, a real motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City. It’s one of the more dangerous circuits due to the way it’s formatted so combined with the rain, this makes it the perfect track for Satsuki’s crash. The drivers out in front are incapable of seeing much, while the ones being towed don’t suffer as much. This causes Satsuki to think he has the space to go around, only to crash and start the domino effect with other cars. In last week’s review, I mentioned the foreshadowing of the Lauda crash. But, I wasn’t expecting that reveal to happen so soon. It’s an exceptional plot arc that will finish next week and one I can’t wait to watch.
For a sports anime, Overtake! does an amazing job at showing real life situations that people go through every day. After Satsuki’s crash, Kouya attempts to take a picture of him while the EMTs are helping him which triggers flashbacks of the girl he took a photo of during the tsunami. This leads to a full panic attack for Kouya who, once again, can’t press the shutter button. “Suzuka, Rain” is an excellent example of how to show the audience what its characters are going through without any dialogue. Additionally, this scene is where the episode ends, leaving fans on a cliffhanger of whether or not Kouya will fall victim to his past once again or work past that in order to continue taking photos of Haruka.
“Suzuka, Rain” steers the narrative in a direction we’ve been expecting to go for the last couple of weeks. Finally, we got to see the buildup of everything from episode one pay off in, quite literally, the ultimate crash. The combination of pacing in the episode and narrative storytelling is what makes it work so perfectly. Might I be so bold to say that Overtake! should be getting more attention this season? Absolutely. It’s a sleeper hit that more people should be watching before the end of the season happens.
Overtake! is available now on Crunchyroll
Featured image ©KADOKAWA・TROYCA/Overtake！Production committee
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