Overtake! – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap and Review

The Man Who Races

Episode 1 of Overtake! begins with a brief scene of Asahina cycling in cold weather. The scene cuts to Saeko and Kouya traveling to work by car as Saeko scolds him for being late. She also expresses her discontent related to work and takes it out on Kouya while driving.

Upon reaching the venue, Saeko discusses the work schedule and responsibilities with him as it’s an eventful week coming up ahead. She is mildly disappointed at his performance but decides to leave him be. She then takes him over to meet the PR team while he envisions roaring waves in the middle of the sea.

Entering the stands, Kouya is delighted with a view of the circuit and manages to capture multiple pictures of the Super GT cars on the track. He also sees Satsuki talking to a bunch of fans and interviewers in a corner. He lifts his camera to get a picture, but once again sees and hears the roaring waves as Toshiki catches a glimpse.

Later that day, he sits in the cafeteria reviewing the pictures he has taken before heading into the paddock area and walking past the tents of various race teams. He is taken aback by the number of cars and tires in the tents. Just then, he sees Haruka and Koutarou pushing their car through the rush.

Kouya then gets recognized and called by Noritsune and gets introduced to his F4 race drivers Satsuki and Toshiki along with the race cars and support staff. Kouya is surprised by how popular Satsuki is because he is followed to the tent by a bunch of fangirls.

Toshiki then takes him around the F4 paddock, introducing him to the sport and helping him understand the various practices and how F4 cars work. He also takes him through the various teams participating and tells him about the various requirements of the sport. He emphasizes the importance of money in the sport as maintaining the staff and cars is a priority.

Toshiki, however, mentions the teams without money or technique are the best while taking him to the Corleone family team. Seeing Toshiki triggers Koutarou and a heated argument erupts on who is a better team. Kouya intervenes and breaks off the fight. Before leaving, Kouya wishes Haruka well, but Haruka rejects them, claiming he can drive alone.

Just then, Futoshi comes up to the tent with lunch and makes his acquaintance with Kouya. He also appreciates him for stopping the fight that erupted earlier. He also goes ahead to tell Kouya about his team and competitors while using self-deprecating humor.

He also talks about his inspiring story and dream of the small team climbing up the leaderboards, trying to make a name for themselves as Haruka suits up for the race. He offers Kouya a leftover credentials pass which allows him to enter a GT paddock and makes him a temporary member of his team.

He instructs Kouya to leave his camera inside and takes him to the trackside where the F4 cars begin their formation lap with roaring engines. He also familiarizes him with the weaving drivers do to warm up the tires. He also tells him about the markup positions for the cars, pointing out Haruka in the 10th position.

Just then, the lights signal and the cars take off to a roaring start. The battle for position is on right from the start. Futoshi tells Kouya about the yellow flag signalling an accident on the track where two drivers seem to have collided. He tells him about the safety car that tailwinds the others in case of an accident until the track is clear.

The race resumes quickly with Satsuki and Toshiki taking the lead followed by others. In the meanwhile, Haruka speeds through the other cars, overtaking them one at a time to reach the fourth position. The team rejoices as it might finally be their day.

Futoshi and Kouya rush towards the corner to catch another glimpse of the racers. Kouya recalls Haruka’s words claiming to not need cheering, but Kouya cheers him anyway. Unfortunately, right as he is about to overtake into position 3, his front left tire pops, sending him into the escape zone.

Kouya bursts out questioning Futoshi about what had happened and gets to know the tire had been worn out due to the qualifying rounds. Koutarou droops his head in disappointment.

Later that day, Satsuki and Toshiki stand as winners at the podium. Kouya spots Hakura in the corner as he takes off his helmet and mask while sobbing. Kouya empathizes with him and also hesitantly takes a picture. Just then, Saeko sees him and he tells her that he did it. Kouya approaches Futoshi and pledges to become a sponsor of the team.

The Episode Review

Episode 1 of Overtake! opens on a wonderful note, hooking viewers up with an immersive journey of a small F4 racing team trying to reach for the stars. The episode introduces the Komaki Motors team, a small team with limited money and their dreams which ride on their lead driver Haruka Asahina.

The setting builds a strong connection with viewers with an underdog driver Haruka as he represents the team. The story is brought from the viewpoint of Kouya, a photographer who is here to capture some of the moments with his camera. Another thing to be noticed is the roaring of the waves which symbolize a feeling of anxiousness in Kouya. The episode gives a strong feeling that Kouya’s past will be revealed to draw connections with Haruka’s rise to the top ranks.

The animations and choreography are amazing, however, the race scenes do not include shots from the driver’s perspective. It will be an addition should they consider including that as well.