“Because I don’t have any friends”
Impression:
Oh man THAT WAS SO CLOSE, Sakamichi was right on Shunsuke’s tail! Major props for Sakamichi not giving up when Shunsuke had passed him three times and managed to catch up every time. I applaud him for his persistence, and it’s great that despite he had lost he still enjoyed himself.
It turns out that Sakamichi’s bike has a smaller front gear instead of the regular standard ones which was something his parents has switched years ago probably to discourage him from riding ALL THE WAY to Akiba instead of taking public transportation. The reason why is that with a smaller front gear, the rider would not go as far or fast with a smaller gear- but it didn’t stop him from accomplishing his rounds despite that it was made to be more challenging. On top of that, Sakamichi has a particular way of cycling by unknowingly using the cadence technique which is the key to climbing since he doesn’t put his weight behind his pedalling.
Shunsuke was taking it easy at one point because he wanted Sakamichi to catch up so that he can compete against him and watch him ride, but he had no idea that the kid was a fighter and even though his legs was starting to feel like jelly and his head is starting to feel light, HE KEPT GOING, FULL SPEED AHEAD. And that just blew Shunsuke away and in the end he acknowledged that it was no fluke for Sakamichi to pull off those slopes. Shunsuke was also really lucky that he didn’t get into an accident, boy was that close call when his bike got caught in the gap of the drain covers. That would have sucked.
At this point I don’t think Sakamichi will be able to revive the Anime Club, but will find himself at home in the Cycling Club because he learned just how much fun it was to race against Shunsuke. I also appreciate how nice Shunsuke was to not only let him keep the cyclocompter and praised his ability despite being an amateur, but had also told him that he will try talking to some people from his middle school to try and help Sakamichi recruit some members for the Anime Club. It’s nice because it was a really sad moment to hear Sakamichi tell him that he doesn’t have any friends. More than anything I am excited to see the friendship blossom between Shunsuke and Sakamichi, and soon Shoukichi who we will learn more about next week.
The red hair kid (Naruko Shoukichi) startled me a bit because I thought something bad was going to happen with his rather upfront tough attitude. But it turns out he was praising Sakamichi’s bike and for the first time, we actually see just how worn out it is. I mean, he had it since fourth grade- that’s a LONG TIME, especially with how often he uses it and how far he travels. Yet the most interesting aspect is that Shoukichi is in Akiba as well, so I am crossing my fingers that this guy will also happen to be an Anime/Manga fan.
Last but not least: OH MY GOD I CAN’T. Sakamichi gave Shunsuke a AHAHAHAHAH LOVE HIME CD AND SOME CAPSULES AS A THANK YOU GIFT FOR THE CYCLOCOMPTER (BEST!!!). You just wait, he’s going to be listening it, he’s going to- calling it now. How could he possibly resist the catchy tune that stays in his head? /Mwahahahaha
