English Dub Review: Wind Breaker “A PLACE I BELONG”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Sakura deeply feels that he wasn’t able to do much during the battle with KEEL.  When Sakura goes to Kaji to seek some advice, Kaji bluntly says, “You need to trust them based on what you have seen.”  In addition, Umemiya encourages him to “Jump right out there with everything you’ve got!”  After recovering from his cold, Sakura enters the classroom determined.  He faces Nirei, Suo, and the rest of the first-year class, and begins to share his honest thoughts about being grade captain…

Our Take:
Sakura certainly has much responsibility weighing on his shoulders regarding his new role as the first-year grade captain.  But it’s not just that he needs to worry about.  Sakura also needs to overcome his phobia of abandonment and discrimination to improve his social skills with those who accept him.  This week’s episode has Sakura attempting to conquer this difficult part following his conversation with Kaji.  Unsurprisingly, the classmates already knew about Sakura being pushy, but despite that, they accepted him as one of their own.  It’s the same path we’ve been on numerous times throughout the series.  But, that doesn’t make it less sentimental, as it serves as a turning point for Sakura due to his conquering of his fear of losing trust.  The animation for the metaphorical tightrope sequence also helped in conveying the show’s emotional core.
However, that’s not all this episode has to offer, as we’re introduced to one of the school’s Four Kings that many people had been excited to see. After watching the episode, I can see why.  That member is Tasuku Tsubakino, who crossdresses as a woman, much to Sakura’s shock.  So, it definitely appears this anime will respectably portray its LGBTQ+ themes if it plays its cards right.  More importantly, Tsubakino is voiced by queer POC voice actor Kiba Walker, emphasizing the authenticity of both the character and the actor providing the voice.  Regarding my first impression, “THE PLACE I BELONG” provided a strong introduction to an LGBTQ-type character that benefits profoundly from the comedy and Walker’s enthusiastic vocal performance.  Of course, I can’t forget about the episode’s first half, which delivered another heartfelt and comical moment involving Sakura’s gradual development backed up by some great animation from CloverWorks.