English Dub Review: Wind Breaker “Succeeding the Past”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The fight between Sakura and Togame continues, but Togame can no longer hide the fact that he’s feeling lost.  He remembers when he met Tomiyama, the fun days he had with Shishitoren, how the team changed when Tomiyama became the leader, and the things he’s done himself.

Our Take:
Sakura’s fight against Shishitoren’s second-in-command didn’t start well compared to the previous battles in the tournament.  While Sugishita and the others survived without getting too beaten up, Sakura wound up getting his ass whooped by Togame. However, he’s still able to hold his ground long enough for Togame to revisit his regretful actions.  However, his trip down memory lane also caused Togame to lose his sense of self, leaving him to question the actions that led to this moment.  In this episode and the previous chapter, the series provides more insight into the Shishitoren clan, showing that they weren’t as ruthless as we initially believed. Although the fight scenes continue to impress with their animation, the moments focusing on the characters should be recognized for adding tension and depth to the action, going beyond pure spectacle.
“Succeeding the Past” is no exception to the cause, with Sakura pushing Togame to put up a fight.  This leads to an exciting conclusion that resulted in Togame receiving closure and peace for his actions and letting Sakura win.  Of course, this doesn’t bode well for Choji, as he kicked Togame down for losing the fight on purpose, triggering Sakura’s empathy toward the second-in-command.  His response to Togame and obsession with “being free” are enough for me to know that Choji deserves a punishment far worse than a time-out.  Thankfully, Umemiya is here to do the job for us, and it’s unsurprising to see that he might hold his ground against Choji’s agility. With just enough character depth to match its animation and storytelling, this episode further proves the series might end up being one of the unexpected hits of the year when all is said and done.