KazeTsuyo starts with one of the best first episodes I've seen, unafraid to play around with nonlinear narrative and doing so effectively, but the rest of the series refuses to take risks in terms of narrative and cliche. KazeTsuyo sucks at creating tension from competition itself, but really isn't trying to do so -- long-distance running, of course, is not the most exciting of sports, a fact that probably turned many fans away from the series. But what KazeTsuyo understands better than most sports anime is that drama and emotion need to be inculcated during the non-sport moments to make the competitions meaningful, that the context and milieu of the team's races is the best tool in a sports anime's arsenal and not, as so many other series have opted for, weaponized backstories delivered just before the finish line. This lets races be mercifully short -- an episode long at most. The actual backbone of the series is fairly cliche: underdog sports team blah blah blah training hard blah blah rival blah success. If you want an original story, look elsewhere; sports isn't really where you'll ever find that anyway. But KazeTsuyo does atypical things within that typical story, and that is where its strength lies.
The real surprise was the animation quality. Production IG have always been capable of great things visually, but are inconsistent at times. I've always felt that too few of their titles actually get the TLC they need and end up looking fairly samey as a result. Not so with this one. Among anime that aren't going for distinctive styles or art direction (and weren't made by KyoAni), Kazetsuyo is among prettiest ever made. This is especially apparent in the forest in eps 12 & 13 and with the qualifier in ep 16; you have to see this stuff to believe it. Sound quality is good but the music is outstanding. Each track balances well with the scene it serves, and if any song repeated during the entire series, I didn't notice it.
Character is extremely important in sports anime, and KazeTsuyo realizes this, giving us ten-plus characters, each with a fair quantity of depth and with none (save perhaps the twins) falling into cliche territory. Haiji is one of the most deeply original and intriguing characters in recent memory; I can't think of another character in any anime that I watched as intently as I watched him whenever he was on screen. Toyonaga Toshiyuki did an amazing job bringing this character such a unique blend of vigor, mischief, and general hardassery. Our protag Kakeru starts out generically angsty (a la Haru or Kageyama), but the gradual revelation of his backstory slowly builds him into something significantly better. His flashback in episode 13 is the most shockingly good moment in the entire series -- masterfully handled, with audiovisual static and color that fades as it progresses, only to shock back to reality at the pivotal moment.
KazeTsuyo is a series a lot of people slept on these past two seasons, and to their detriment. It lies on the border between very good anime and art, and fully deserves its current spot on MAL as one of the best sports anime in recent memory. In fact, it's somewhat restored my faith in the genre itself, after several years of forgettable series since the debut of Haikyuu and YowaPeda. If you're even tangentially interested in sports, or just want a good character-driven story, give this one a chance -- it's a series that will give you a run for your money.
