The Fall 2023 Anime Preview Guide

Overtake!

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Freelance photographer Kōya Madoka finds himself in a slump due to a certain reason. He goes to Fuji International Speedway to work on a story, and he meets the high school F4 racer Haruka Asahina. He suddenly finds his heart racing after not feeling much for a long time. With that, he starts supporting Haruka and the "Komaki Motors" youth team to help Haruka achieve his dreams.

Overtake! is an original, collaborative project between Kadokawa and animation studio TROYCA. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Sundays.

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Nicholas Dupree
Rating:

Does anyone remember Fanfare of Adolescence? You know, the horse racing show last year that refused to be about horse racing for, like, eight episodes? I couldn't get that particular production out of my head throughout this premiere, as another production about a rarely-animated form of racing, and it perhaps unfairly had me worried for a good while. The good news is that this show seems to be starting on a much better foot (tire?) than the horses, so hopefully, this version of the Industrial Revolution will go better.

For one, the technology and artistry of animating CG cars are significantly more advanced than they are for CG horses, which means the featured racing here looks leagues better. Through the short race we see here, they use the CG subjects and environments to swoop between cars, follow spinning tires, and get you into the head of the racers rather than just the observers. The cars feel suitably fast, and the sound effects of roaring engines and screeching tires do a great job of sucking you into the action. The race itself is more like a tutorial level for Madoka, the audience perspective character who helpfully gets all the details of Formula 4 explained to him, but it's a solid (and likely necessary) introduction that shows the strengths of both premise and execution.

My concern, however, is that this will wind up like Fanfare of Adolescence and be more focused on character drama detached from racing, the way that show's first half was. The first third of this premiere focuses entirely on Madoka trying to overcome undisclosed trauma that prevents him from photographing people's faces. While that's not a bad story in and of itself, I worry that this show's more unique and interesting parts will also fall by the wayside. I'd like it if that doesn't happen, and Madoka's story is just one of several that happens around and within the world of racing rather than taking center stage. If nothing else, the moment he finally snaps a picture of Haruka is a solid way to cap off the premiere. I'm still wary, nonetheless.

For now, though, this is a solid and entertaining introduction that makes itself more accessible to people who don't know crap about cars than MF Ghost's premiere. It's colorful, slickly produced, and introduces its large cast and central premise with a professional kind of confidence. If it can keep that up – and deliver some exciting races to boot – then this should be a good time.

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Rebecca Silverman
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This had exactly what I felt was missing from MF Ghost: actual racing. (And more pleasant character designs.) Although I'm not a car person – at least, unless we're talking about cars from the 1920s and 30s – Overtake! pulled me right in the minute protagonist Koya got to the track. The combination of his overwhelmed expression and the energy of the racers and their teams works well, creating a palpable atmosphere of tension that Koya's (and my) ignorance only enhances. Something's sure going on, even if he doesn't quite know what.

Admittedly, Koya's cluelessness can give the episode a definite sense of being too much about the explanations. It doesn't quite hit infodump, but it treads a fine line, especially once Koya gets taken under the wings of a racer and then a team owner. Each man has different information to offer, and it is a lot. However, the episode makes it feel natural by showing something and having Koya ask about it. Since I typically had the same questions as him, it worked fine for me, but viewers with much more F4 racing knowledge might not be as tolerant of it. Fortunately, there are a few moments when the information comes naturally, such as when Haruka's tire blows on the track. Komaki comments on the tires having barely passed inspection – this gives us the facts and the risks without them being delivered like a lesson. Hopefully, Overtake! can lean into this more than relying on Koya's lack of knowledge.

Koya's issue, which appears to be that he can no longer take photos of people after a traumatic incident involving the ocean, is a little less well-developed. I do like that we don't know exactly what happened and that it takes a bit even to realize what his problem is, but having his first human photo in a while be a sneak shot of poor Haruka sobbing his heart out in a moment when he's trying to find some privacy feels wrong. The idea seems to be that Koya is moved by Haruka's emotional outburst, especially in contrast to his icy demeanor earlier, and maybe he won't do anything with the picture. But it's a misstep in an otherwise pretty decent episode, using one person's pain to heal another's trauma.

The only thing I want to mention is almost strictly for the sound-sensitive among us. The engine noises in this episode have the same basic tenor as a mosquito whining in your ear, which can be very, very grating. It's probably an accurate aural depiction of a racetrack, but it gave me a whopper of a headache, so if that's an issue for you, be warned. But otherwise, this looks like the racing show I wanted MF Ghost to be, so if that disappointed you too, check this out.

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James Beckett
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Overtake! offers a fascinating contrast to MF Ghost regarding how production values and direction can create drastic differences between two stories that focus on similar subjects. While MF Ghost mostly left me asking, "Okay, but when the heck are we going to see some racing?" the premiere of Overtake! is so smartly constructed and well-presented that I was happy to watch a bunch of people talk nitty-gritty about a sport/subculture that I know absolutely nothing about, even if we didn't get to see the cars go "vroom vroom!" really fast around a track before the credits rolled.

The first thing that stood out to me was the journalistic angle that Saeko and Koya give to the story. It gives the informative and expository aspects of the script more room to breathe and feel natural, while Haruka and Koutaro give us our boots-on-the-ground perspective of the Formula 1 sport itself. More importantly, the lively animation and well-written dialogue make all these characters feel distinctly authentic instead of simply functioning as plot elements to arrange them neatly in a row. MF Ghost wasn't poorly written, but its setup-heavy first episode didn't give viewers much to work with other than to wait and see if the premise came together later. On the other hand, Overtake! possesses more of that intangible oomph that can get even a neophyte like me invested in the proceedings.

Plus, it helps that we see some racing in this first episode, which is pretty good! Given that this is F4 racing and not the somewhat more dynamic street racing and drifting you'd see in other shows, there's a certain sterility to it that you might need to adjust to. That said, the CGI and direction work well together to give the cars a sense of weight and speed, which is paramount in this kind of production. All in all, I could see this being one of the season's reliable workhorses. I don't know if it will convert anyone on the fence about the subject matter, but folks looking for a solid sports drama will find themselves very happy, indeed.

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Richard Eisenbeis
Rating:
Confession time: I didn't even know that F4 existed before this anime. Racing is not my thing. Sure, I'd heard of F1 racing and know what the cars look like but that's about the total of my knowledge on the subject. So I appreciate that Overtake! did its best to introduce me to the sport in a way a newbie like me could understand.

However, I can't help but feel that, even though the show went out of its way to help me, it's not really for me. Instead, it seems geared toward those who are super into motorsports. Everything is highly detailed when it comes to the cars and after seeing how they move on the track I have the feeling that it might as well be rotoscoped considering how accurate it seems. Between this and MF Ghost, I think gearheads are going to be extra happy this anime season.

As for the story, much of the episode feels like Koya, our photographer protagonist, asking an endless stream of “stupid questions” to get newbies like myself caught up with what's going on—which is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes newbies feel welcome. On the other, it distracts from the actual story—which, let's face it, is a pretty good one.

Something has traumatized Koya, a successful photographer, to the point he is no longer able to take pictures of people. When trying, he trembles, has flashbacks, and can't seem to push the button. He's been trying to coast by (taking pictures of offices, shoes, and now cars) but no matter how much anyone tells him to “do his best”—i.e., “get over it”—he just can't seem to.

This episode is the story of how seeing the raw human emotion that comes from putting everything on the line and failing allows Kyouya to heal just enough to take that one extra step and snap a picture of a person. It's a tangible psychological breakthrough and so it makes total sense he'd become hyper-invested in not only F4 but the Komaki Motors team as well.

All in all, it makes me wish I cared about motorsports even a little—because, if you have any interest in cars or racing, I can't help but think you'll be in for a good ride with this anime.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.