English Dub Review: RE-MAIN “It’s the Only Way I Know To Win”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Prefecturals are right around the corner and the water polo team isn’t going to be ready. That’s why the new Minato decides to force the team into a brand-new training regime that targets each person’s weaknesses. The team might not be willing to accept this new Minato fully yet, but they’re on board with his ideas once they see how hard he’s pushing himself.

Minato and Amihami are both excited to face off against Ami’s brother, but he winds up with a torn muscle and can’t compete. That means that Ami’s goal of beating his brother isn’t going to happen… but he still agrees to stick with the team and they commit to a plan that revolves around Minato’s skillset.

Our Take:

RE-MAIN is starting to head into the big prefectural arc and as such, things are beginning to heat up. The last few episodes were focused on Minato and his struggle with memories, but It’s the Only Way I Know To Win gets back into the swing of things by putting a lot of the focus onto more of Minato’s new teammates. It’s a solid episode that does a good job building up the tension before the big competition truly begins next week.

As this week’s episode began, the question on my mind wasn’t about the team or the competition, though. It was ‘how did Minato end up such an asshole with such a great, supportive family?’ His mother just wants him to be happy, his father tells him it doesn’t matter whether the team wins or loses, and his kid sister Asumi just wants to watch him play and cheer him on. It’s honestly a little baffling how big the difference is between old and new Minato, and I find it difficult to believe that it’s all because of the way his former coach egged him on.

Despite the shortcomings and personal character flaws of Minato 2.0, it’s interesting to see how his newfound determination is starting to be seen as a good thing this week. Up until now, it’s been nothing but enmity between new Minato and his teammates, but after his outbursts and insistence on a new training regime, Jo, Eitero, and the other guys are seeming to come around to his point of view. I like that the show isn’t writing Minato off completely, and I can see how his newfound fire would enhance the dedication of his teammates—but at the same time it’s a little concerning how envious some of them are of his training. Like yeah, he dedicates a ton of time to water polo, but that also means he’s missing out on other things. It’s all about priorities, and it’s clear that the new Minato has his in the wrong order if he wants to obtain happiness.

That theme is kind of echoed in Chinu’s little scene when she’s asked by the captain of her team to speak with the younger students. She admits that she’s the best at talking to them, but also doesn’t want to let her team responsibilities get in the way of her personal goals and training regiment. For her, however, the overall responsibility of being a good teammate wins out. We’ll have to wait and see if the same thing happens to Minato in the end.

There’s also some really nice plot points with captain Jo and Amihami. Jo is still struggling to tell his father that he’s playing water polo, whereas Ami is still living with the knowledge that his brother doesn’t regard him as someone worth competing with as a rival. I especially liked the scene between the two of them, as it’s clear his older brother cares about him, but still isn’t willing to view him as a rival until he does something noteworthy in a match. At this point I’m rooting more for Ami than I am for Minato!

Watching the team train isn’t exactly the most thrilling thing in the world. There’s only so many minutes you can watch guys swimming laps and holding their arms up before things get old. But there’s enough alternative material to make It’s the Only Way I Know To Win a worthwhile episode for the way it shows Minato’s continued progression with the team, as well as how it illustrates the guys’ own personal struggles to continue with the sport. Even though one of their main competitors will be out for the match, I’m still excited—bring on the prefectural!