Reviews

I can't help but feel like this is a show with something of an identity crisis. While at the outset, it pitches itself as fundamentally a racing story; the development of the car, the establishment of rivalries between the competitors, even the early stages of the race, all play out pretty impressively. While it took a couple more episodes than I would have liked for it to really capture me, once it did, I was excited to see the race play out. As a big fan of Formula 1, a proper show about motor racing sounded great.

Which is why I find it a shame that, right as the series draws to a close, it loses its way a bit, and turns from a unique show about racing rivalries and teambuilding into another shounen action show. To give it its due credit, it's an excellent example of those; the fighting we see is energetic, and the characters have distinct styles, just like their distinct cars. But in shifting itself to this dramatic, action-packed finale, it forgets that it was a show about racing.

So, after all of the excitement and development starting out the race, the show stumbles across the finish line having failed to really fulfil the thing it pitched itself as. What it really was, to be clear, was very good; I really did enjoy this show. But I can't help but feel a little disappointed when I think about the potential it wasted to tell a much more unique story in the process.