Ranked #561

Capeta

Capeta is a blue-collar, work your hands to the bone sort of sports anime about racing (mostly go karts). Personally, I'm not big on racing in real life, but I found it really fun and exciting here.

Story:
It's not an unfamiliar story: a humble working class kid (Capeta) with a natural aptitude for a sport struggles to climb to the top. Toss in the additional weight of a bunch of financial difficulties with his never-die attitude and you've basically got Rocky (or Hajime no Ippo) in a go kart. It starts with Capeta in elementary school and follows him through his mid-teens. It feels a little young and simple, but there's plenty of action and drama and excitement.

I'm kind of a sucker for this sort of story so I don't know how much you should trust me, but I found the story entertaining and heartwarming. It doesn't even come close to original or unique and it's pretty repetitive (how many obstacles and disadvantages does one kid have to face?!?!), but it's loaded with fighting spirit and nail-biting races.

Art:
I'm not a huge fan of the way the characters look, but it's fine. The character designs remind me a lot of Hajime no Ippo. The action of the races and the backgrounds are done well enough and I thought the general style was really appropriate to the atmosphere of the story.

Sound:
I thought the music was good and well-used. There was something about the song they used for the end credits (and for those "special" moments ;)) that appealed to me even though I can't put my finger on what it was. I also thought that they did a good job of putting the sound on the races: when to emphasize the shouts from the crowd, when to focus on the roar of the engines, the squeal of the tires. The sound of the races really added to the overall enjoyment and emotion of the moment for me.

Unfortunately, some of the voice acting got on my nerves. There were just one or two voices that really disagreed with me (especially the younger characters) and it annoyed me enough to reduce my overall enjoyment of the scenes they were in.

Character:
I think in any story like this, you need to really be able to buy into the main character. If you don't think he's admirable, charismatic and heroic, then the whole premise of the story doesn't work. Because of that, I think they really shove what a great, amazing guy Capeta is down your throat. I wouldn't be surprised if some people found it overbearing or hard to swallow. He's a little too perfect and it feels like he's more saint than man. Luckily, I was pretty willing to accept their characterization of him.

There was a point when I started feeling like everyone in Capeta's support system were getting a little silly: has there ever been a bunch of grown men who cried together more easily or more often? And some of the minor side characters (and their episodes) felt somewhat superfluous to me. But, generally, the supporting cast does a good job of narrating Capeta's struggles and voicing the audience's feelings.

Enjoyment:
For all it's flaws, I still really enjoy watching this series. I understand it's melodramatic and generic and somewhat heavy-handed, but I still get caught up in the tension and the drama of the races and Capeta's struggles to do his best no matter what the circumstances are. I didn't take the non-racing moments of the show too seriously and just had fun watching the show.

While I don't think that this is a must-see for people, I think that people who enjoy sports animes and like stories about rising to the challenge and overcoming the odds can have a good time with Capeta. It's just wholesome, good-natured fun. ^.^ read more

Story: basically the story is about a boy that has a dream reaching for his goals and encounter obstacles along the way. What I like about this anime is there is no really "bad guys" even the rival of Capeta. By the way Capeta is the protagonist in the anime. Throughout the anime it shows how Capeta overcome all the obstacle inside and outside of the race track with the help of his friends. And how he surpasses his limitations.

Art: nothing to say much. I like how they show Capeta grow from a gradeschooler to adulthood.

Sound: great sound effects I can almost here the sound of the engines revving up....

Character: I like all the characters maybe except for the guy who considers Capeta as his eternal rival. note: I am refferring to the fat rich kid .

Enjoyment: I enjoyed all the races scenes.

Overall: I really enjoyed the series. It awakens the "Wanna be Driver" in me. ^_^ read more