In celebration of Silver Link’s tenth anniversary, the anime production company has produced an original TV anime series that is currently broadcasting during this Fall 2017 season. The series, which is titled Two Car, focuses on high school girls participating in motorcycle sidecar racing as teams.
First Episode Impressions
The episode essentially covered an exhibition match between seven motorcycle sidecar teams. During said race, the audience was subjected to frequent flashbacks which provided some insight for both Meguro Megumi and Miyata Yuri, the two main protagonists. Through said flashbacks, the audience learns that Megumi and Yuri are bickering childhood friends who happen to share a passion for motorcycle sidecar racing. After the girls manage to win the exhibition match, Yuri and Megumi talk to each other with their fists and end up knocking each other out.
I have to admit that the series really made me change my mind on the value of sidecars. Before watching the episode, I was under the impression that sidecars were visually unappealing and would cause both individuals to slow down due to the extra weight, which would translate to unexciting races. But Silver Link manages to make the motorcycle sidecars look pretty sleek. Furthermore, the races provided to be very stimulating as we see the person who occupies the sidecar isn’t stationary throughout the race. They have to provide a sort of counterbalance when it comes to twists and turns as well as keeping the motorcycle level during inclines and declines, so the person in the sidecar has to lean out and make use of her own body weight. It’s an active role and I can imagine that the series will feature some striking moments later down the line as girls ride motorcycles while other girls dramatically pose during high-speed races.
That being said, I took issue with the timing of the flashbacks during this first episode. Yes, a degree of exposition has to be expected during any opening episode, which the series did manage to accomplish. However, the high-stakes moments during the race were constantly being interrupted by moments demonstrating the tension between Megumi and Yuri (as well as their attachment to their male coach who left them behind in order to compete in a very important annual motorcycle sporting event). Theoretically, the competitive instances should work well with the moments showcasing the strained relationship between Yuri and Megumi since it shows how the girls are willing to put their issues aside to achieve a common goal. Yet I find myself not overly fascinated with either protagonist since they are given such little characterization. I honestly know very little about the girls, which has indirectly led me to being unable to relate to their childish disputes. In fact, the same disinterest also applies to all the other competitors, who come across as being one-note. Be that as it may, the series has only just started so there’s still time for many things, such as characterization, to improve.
Verdict
Maybe – While the uniqueness of the featured sport makes the series stand out, Two Car is still just another sports show at its core. In other words, some viewers will enjoy the competitive setting and the emotional outbursts that tend to accompany the aforementioned genre while others do not. I envision this series will deliver in those aspects considering what we were shown in the first episode. However, the characters thus far were kept both underdeveloped and uninteresting. I’ll still continue watching this series since I think motorcycles are cool and I want to see if the two protagonists can actually overcome their differences and if I can actually come to care about any of the characters. Surely there will be some yuri subtext, too, considering that Silver Link is the studio behind Two Car. At any rate, this series will likely fail to appeal to most people and will probably be watched for very specific reasons.
