What at first comes across as every sports anime in existence evolves to become a character driven story of people wanting becoming better versions of themselves. The anime at the surface brings very little that is new to the genre and it is extremely easy to draw parallels to existing anime and characters but the key thing on which it differs is in the sport it chose, running lacks the inherent action that a lot of the sports have so the anime lacks flashy moves, grand iconic moments and nail biting sports action for the most part. It replaces those traditional aspects by being more about the characters and their journey of growth not just as runners but also as individuals.

A recurring theme of the show was the idea of becoming stronger, the team was pretty much forced to join Haiji and the characters were unwilling to try for his lofty goals that too for a sport that most of them didn't care about but as we progress they find themselves wanting to aim for Haiji's goals too and the underlying reason of why they became willing is because the sport wasn't just a sport, it rather was the means through which they found themselves becoming stronger individuals. Some key attributes about relay marathon running is that it requires endurance, stable rhythms and speed, it serves as the perfect sport for these characters to reinvent themselves.

The anime is realistic is in depictions of the characters but some of the progress made by the characters in terms of running is certainly helped by anime magic.

Characters:

The show essentially has 10 key characters, I will not go into detail about all of them but will discuss them two protagonists and aspects of other characters that moved.me.

Kakeru: Kakeru is the common grumpy talented lead with a sad backstory and I didn't care much for him for a good part of the show, he seemed a bit one note but as he grows closer to the team and actually takes them seriously even trying to help them I began to root for him and by the end he won me over.

Haiji: In the beginning he comes across as a bit overbearing as he forces the team to run for the sake of his goals but as the show goes on his desperation is understandable. His story of getting back up and wanting to run again is inspirational. I particularly enjoyed watching him coach the team, he is just simply a great guy giving his all for the final shot at his dream.

The other characters that made an impact on me are Nico, King and Prince. Their struggles in life were so relatable for me, wanting to be healthy, wanting to succeed in life and have company or just being an otaku who just wants to read mangas. Seeing these people in the setting of a sports anime was something I really enjoyed. Prince's arc in general was very satisfying. The entire cast is very easy to root for even the twins who were not given as much depth as the others.

Soundtrack and Score:

This aspect of the show is very well done, the scores are used well and really effectively at times. The openings and endings are great as well. I personally enjoy ending 1 a lot.

Animation:

The animation was by no means bad and is actually really good at a lot of points but there are also points where I felt it was lacking, I am not an expert on this aspect but there were instances I felt it could have been more fluid. However like I said it is well done for the most part.

Overall I will just say it is at the end a sports anime that is filled with all tropes out there but it has a lot of sincerity and heart and eventually manages to be different enough because of its character driven nature. I really adore the ending of the show as well even if it was bittersweet. On a secondary note if you simply want to watch good looking characters running then the show delivers on that aspect too.