Yowamushi Pedal Episode 4: Switching Gears

Impression:
It was great to see Sakamichi bonding with Naruko today despite the fact he appears he isn’t an anime fan, but he always wanted to visit Akihabara since up till now he was living in Osaka. Although Naruko isn’t flawless, I do I appreciate his character’s personality for both respect for bikes, cyclists and people in general. He didn’t turn a blind eye when the douche drive in the Yellow car (don’t ask me about cars I know NOTHING) threw his cigarette butt onto Sakamichi’s bike and was like, “YOU LITTLE SHIT, PAYBACK TIME!”. It was so much fun to watch Naruko and Sakamichi pursuit the car after they had caught sight of him on the way home, and gave Sakamichi the courtesy to throw the cigarette butt back at the guy (but Sakamichi was too caught up in the moment of speed to throw it at him ahahaha. It was also nice to see Naruko helping Sakamichi out, from giving him a helmet, guiding him on the street and helping him understand the purpose of shifting gears.
It was also awesome to see him freak out and be mind blown once he stepped into the shop where they were an abundant of (which I assume were) Gundam Models, but he had bought them for his little brothers and not so much for himself (but was short a thousand yen so Onada ended up paying for that and ended up no being able to pick up the Love Hime OST- DARN YOU NARUKO). Naruko also claims himself as Speed Star of Naniwa since he excels as a Sprinter.
I am also so proud of Sakamichi for mustering up his courage to ask if he could join Naruko riding home to Chiba when his hopes for his dream of exploring Akihabara with a friend for the first time went down the drain no thanks to that rude driver. But best of all as he is doing this; Sakamichi is embracing the world of cycling, taking ahold of the opportunities it has been giving him ever since he had raced against Shunsuke. Although the people he is meeting are not/will not  necessarily be Anime fans like himself, he is still getting to know nice people who have been nothing but kind and helping him boost his self esteem. This is why it’s so wonderful because Sakamichi never had friends and he doesn’t always feel too good about his athletic abilities (which is why he avoids athletics club) because he always gets a D in Physical Education. For the first time, he can feel good about his athletic ability because cycling is something he is good at. I think after having rode with Naruko today and learning so much about the bike, along with the upgrade Kanzaki had applied to it (a front derailleur aka Second Gear (double gear used on race racers)), I am sure Sakamichi will be submitting his form to join the Cycling Club shortly.
Finally to wrap things up, I really wanted emphasize how damn well they are explaining things. Like I have said before, I have watched Overdrive, another cycling anime and compared to that one, I feel that Yowamushi Pedal have so far been giving us a better explanation about the rules and giving us more knowledge about the functions of the bikes (the more you know!). I, myself never could understand the how gears worked, which ones were best for situations, so typically I would switch them around until I find the one that I feel most comfortable with varying on the terrains. But now, I actually UNDERSTAND the bloody functions.
Also bless you Naruko for giving Sakamichi a helmet! MAJOR PROPS and some bonus points because it looked absolutely ADORABLE on him.