Manga Review: Yowamushi Pedal 1 by Wataru Watanabe
The Sohoku High School Bicycle Racing Club has several interesting freshman members this year. There’s Imaizumi, a serious competitor whose family is wealthy, so he can afford the finest bicycle racing equipment and training. There’s the fiery Naruko from Osaka, who’s a fine sprinter despite his flashy ways. And then there’s Onoda.
Sakamichi Onoda is an otaku (nerd) who loves manga and anime, and is afraid of jocks since they always treated him poorly in Physical Education for his weakness. He didn’t have any friends in middle school, and is looking forward to joining the anime club in high school so he can finally talk about all his favorite shows. So it’s a crushing blow when he learns the Anime Club has been closed for lack of members!
But unknown to himself, Onoda’s weekly trips to Akiba for manga and anime goodies, a 90 kilometer round trip on a heavy, incorrectly adjusted “mommy bike”, have given the lad superior climbing endurance and pedaling skills. A chance encounter with Imaizumi is about to change his life!
Yowamushi Pedal (“Weakling’s Pedal”), known to its fans as “Yowapeda”, is a shounen (boys’) manga that’s been running since 2008, and has a multi-season animated adaptation.
In this first omnibus volume, Onoda meets Imaizumi when he’s run into by the latter’s chauffeur on the steep back road to school. While at first the serious cyclist dismisses the weird kid on the inferior bicycle, he sees something there that he’s curious about. Onoda also meets Miki Kanzaki, a girl who loves bicycles and racing (though we never see her ride herself) and wants to be the racing club’s manager.
Miki helps Onoda with some vital adjustments on his bike, which is a good thing as Imaizumi has challenged the otaku kid to a race. While Onoda doesn’t win even with a huge headstart, Imaizumi is impressed by his potential.
The next time Onoda goes to Akibahara in Akiba, he runs into Naruko, who’s come to the big city to buy presents for his little brothers. Naruko lassos Onoda into helping him because he likes Onoda’s bicycle and the other boy is clearly familiar with the shops. A hoodlum in a fancy car disses Onoda’s bike, and Naruko drags Onoda off on a chase to teach the disrespecter a lesson.
Onoda learns more about how to ride at high speed, and the two boys become friends, then learn they’re attending the same school. Naruko’s enthusiasm finally convinces Onoda to join the bicycle racing club.
But as it happens, the day they join is the day of the Freshmen Welcome Race, a 60 kilometer course over some of the most difficult roads in the area. Even “experienced” freshman Sugimoto, who was smugly proclaiming his superior expertise earlier, blanches at that one. But Onoda is fearless, and may surprise everyone!
The series has plenty of exciting bike race scenes with lovingly drawn bicycles, and a good variety of faces (though the problem with similar girl faces is mostly handled by having few important female characters.) The main trio are a good set of contrasting personalities and riding styles, which sets up a variety of possible interactions.
But this is, after all, a sports anime, and ninety percent of the plot development and characterization is directly attached to the training and races. We’re going to see little if any of the characters’ lives outside the lens of bicycle racing.
Recommended to fans of shounen sports manga, and bicycle racing fans who would like a good manga to start with.
Here’s a look at the anime!
