[Winter 2017] Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club Discussion Thread

[Buckeye]

南鎌倉高校女子自転車部

Another show about cute girls gone biking.

Airs: Friday, Jan. 6

Studio: J.C. Staff

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Hiromi Maiharu moved from Nagasaki to Kamakura. She begins her new life in Kamakura and her first day in high school by bicycling to her school, but she has not ridden a bicycle since she was young. On the way to the ceremony for the first day, she meets Tomoe Akitsuki, and Tomoe helps her train to be better at bicycling.

Notes
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[Buckeye]

Episode 1

There's a lot to learn about bikes.

I certainly wasn't expecting to see that segment about bikes at the end, but nevertheless it adds a nice touch to this show, and certainly it would have helped if Ami saw this so that she wouldn't just pick a bike based on looks and affordability. Anyway, that was mostly a setup episode here as Hiromi is having trouble riding a bike having been away from it for quite a long time and as it turns out, she previously had been only riding with a training wheel, so it's no wonder she doesn't have it in her. But it's a great thing she has Tomoe to help her out. That was a decent start to this show that figures to be cute and laid-back just like with Long Riders. So with that, I'll give it some more episodes before deciding where this show stands.

[EmperorBrandon]

Re: Episode 1

With the focus on the background scenery right from the beginning, it felt like this was going to have much more of an iyashikei feeling than the other recent cycling shows, and I wasn't wrong on that. Gets right to the heartwarming beginning of a friendship (with this being from the original illustrator of Bodacious Space Pirates, hopefully there will be as tight of bonds as some of the ones in that series ). I do think I"m going to like this one.

Though speaking of those cycling shows, Hiromi has the same VA as Hane from Bakuon, and it's quite appropriate since she's almost as airheaded. Why did she need to ask Tomo-chan if she was a student at the same school? Can't she just look at their uniforms and tell? Haha. And Hiromi for some reason fears she's going to be living the Mokocchi life during the entrance ceremony, as if she didn't have all that sweet bonding with a new friend earlier in the episode. She's right there next to you!

[_PS_]

Re: Episode 1

This was fantastic and adorable. The backgrounds are gorgeous and I loved the iyashikei feel. Hiromi and Tomoe's new friendship is sweet; it takes a patient soul to immediately agree to teach a new friend to ride a bike especially when you're risking being late for school. Tomoe is so calm and easy-going, which I think will play well with Hiromi's airheadedness. I think I would still enjoy this show if it never got more complicated than this, though I'm looking forward to meeting the other characters and getting into competitive cycling. (I realize this is a bit of a recent mini-trend but this is my first cycling anime!)

[GingaDaiuchuu]

Re: Episode 1

Hey, it's just like that other show. And at least as boring. I have absolutely no desire to see any more of this.

[Sensuifu]

Re: Episode 1

I'm liking the mix of iyashikei and technicalities of the biking scene, something that last season's Long Riders seemed to attempt but couldn't quite reach. What's even more impressive is that the actual manufacturers are authentically represented, all replicated with correct design and spelling, something that not even Yowamushi Pedal did, ironically enough. For a show that's basically promoting Kamakura, it's interesting that major names like Specialized, Bridgestone, Pinarello, Cannondale, Trek, NeilPryde, etc. also cross-promote, which I would think for a show like this with seemingly limited appeal, is a bit risky since I doubt there's a wide enough audience. Then again, One Off was essentially Honda, and that was only an OVA.

And yeah, can't get enough of Reina Ueda's voice as Hiromi. Typecasting her for the oblivious, air-headed character was good since I can't really think of any other VA right now that does it best. Also helps that this is one of the better looking shows out right now, despite a vast majority opined it's a cure for insomnia. I'll be watching YowaPedal for drama and action, but this is light, brainless fluff to relax to.

[Yamada2]

Re: Episode 1

J.C Staff's version of Long Riders. At least we can expect this one to air within this season lol.

The only thing I was expecting from this was good use of colors. And I got that. The backgrounds were pretty good too. It has some nice overall artwork. Though Hiromi and Tomo are only part-time cute. There were some nice moments here and there. Overall a somewhat fun episode. Better than most of the day's shows. I'll give it another episode or two.

[Buckeye]

Episode 2

Cyclists help out other cyclists.

Hiromi goes around town cycling with friends and along the way, she gets separated and totally lost. It also doesn't help that she's so anxious to get to the shrine that she ends up getting there the hard way. But in the end, she meets lots of friends along the way, as well as fellow classmates she will be attending school with. That was breathtaking to see the scenery, as well as to get to know the other characters better. Bakery Flat and Cycling Flat, now those are no mere coincidences seeing that they are stores right next to each other.

So with that, I'll give this show another episode before deciding what to do with this show. While it has improved my impressions, it still has a huge hill to climb.

[EmperorBrandon]

Re: Episode 2

Heh, Hiromi has to rub it in (despite how worse of a newb she was ) when it comes time for Tomo-chan to be a newbie at something, having to get used to a cross bike.

I just knew that was going to be an ojousama. And with a rather recognizable voice too. Takamori Natsumi is good with the somewhat prickly but sweet characters. Ah, and Fuyune falls in love at first sight with a cool cycling girl. Actually, once they finally get to seeing each other, Natsumi is the one more cutely embarassed as Fuyune is interested in her skintight cycling outfit.

We also get some imoutos. Shiki-sensei has a sister that's a bakery owner who has a trio of nerds wrapped around her finger. Proved to be quite useful in tracking down the lost child Hiromi even if she was already getting on the right track coming across (unknowingly) Tomo-chan's imouto.

Fuyune doesn't have a bike now, and the shop is closed down, but I guess it won't be long until she has her own rather than having to borrow Nagisa's. She's rich after all, so probably can have one shipped in. So next, with all these girls as companions now, we get to seeing how the club comes about. I guess the foreign girl we have not yet met might come into the equation there.

[Yamada2]

Re: Episode 2

There is some nice animation in the opening sequence and the OP and ED are good enough. That's about the only thing good enough here. The rest is pretty meh. Not sure about the next episode though. I should cut down on animes I'm watching each day otherwise I won't be able to catch up with the older shows I'm watching.

[Sensuifu]

Re: Episode 2

Fuyune doesn't have a bike now, and the shop is closed down, but I guess it won't be long until she has her own rather than having to borrow Nagisa's. She's rich after all, so probably can have one shipped in.

Like how she's also into photography but is dragged into a new hobby just by the sight of freedom passing her by. Funny how the butler was taking photos as she tried out Natsumi's bike... I guess it's really a special moment considering the uncommon scene of an ojousama working up a sweat by riding bikes. :D Also loved how she prompted to buy a bike only to find out they were closed. I'm pretty sure if Nasuno was doing the same, she'd demand to buy out the business and the bike manufacturer for that matter :D

So next, with all these girls as companions now, we get to seeing how the club comes about. I guess the foreign girl we have not yet met might come into the equation there.

Not only her, but I'm wondering when the bear (their version of Raimu?) comes in, seeing that it follows the group, though I doubt it's Sensei since I can't see the point for her wearing that. Curious if this is a Kamakura thing...

[bctaris]

Re: Episode 2

So next, with all these girls as companions now, we get to seeing how the club comes about. I guess the foreign girl we have not yet met might come into the equation there.

Not only her, but I'm wondering when the bear (their version of Raimu?) comes in, seeing that it follows the group, though I doubt it's Sensei since I can't see the point for her wearing that. Curious if this is a Kamakura thing...

Both different manga sources, of course, but funny that Kurasumi Sunayama has adapted both this and Bakuon! to anime. So parallels ahoy. (Though this unquestionably is not playing to the same fanservice ends of that previous group of bikers...) Bonus amusement that Sunayama is also chief writer on Yowapeda's sequel this season.

[Sensuifu]

Re: Episode 2

So next, with all these girls as companions now, we get to seeing how the club comes about. I guess the foreign girl we have not yet met might come into the equation there.

Not only her, but I'm wondering when the bear (their version of Raimu?) comes in, seeing that it follows the group, though I doubt it's Sensei since I can't see the point for her wearing that. Curious if this is a Kamakura thing...

Both different manga sources, of course, but funny that Kurasumi Sunayama has adapted both this and Bakuon! to anime. So parallels ahoy. (Though this unquestionably is not playing to the same fanservice ends of that previous group of bikers...) Bonus amusement that Sunayama is also chief writer on Yowapeda's sequel this season.

Curious to know if he bikes on the weekend. But yeah, interesting to see the gap between the fanservicey Bakuon!! , the competitive sports of Yowapeda, and the sol, tour de Kamakura in Minami Kamakura. All distinctive in their own ways, yet tied closely to the love of the two-wheeled vehicle.

[EmperorBrandon]

Re: Episode 2

Like how she's also into photography but is dragged into a new hobby just by the sight of freedom passing her by.

That caught my attention too. Seeing a girl interestesd in photography in a SOL iyashikei type show will always has me thinking of Fuu from Tamayura (the same as when we got Honoka in Encouragement of Climb). But in this case it was interesting as she's a very different kind of personality and an ojousama.

[Buckeye]

Episode 3

There are some things best experienced through bikes.

Hiromi and Tomoe are looking to join a club as required by the school, so they scout out some athletic clubs like the basketball and swimming club, but they just aren't finding it right for them. So they decide to make a trek up the hill and Fuyune's grandmother happens to be waiting for them and through reflections of all the fun times she had many years ago when the school had a cycling club that Fuyune decides to revive the cycling club that had disbanded with the country being more motorized. While bikes have a reduced role in travel, there is that great feeling that can't be obtained through any other means, so that's what got this club up and running. That was a solid episode there giving the girls a reminder of how great it feels to ride a bike.

So with that, it looks like this show isn't going to make my watchlist as there's just nothing that stands out about this show. I might give it another episode, but I felt that all of the interesting parts of the show just happened and I'm not expecting too much out of the rest to continue on.