A very intriguing episode on multiple fronts. What Musaka said last episode about telling Joe not to have race Oguri in the Chykyo High had to do with Oguri’s ability. Though when you consider an event like Chykyo High, you think, Oh, Oguri will finally be up against real competition. Though Oguri storms through the competition. For one, this really showcases how talented March is. But Musaka could easily tell Oguri’s talent and knows an event like the Chykyo High would have Oguri draw the attention of those that want her to compete in the nationals. Rudolf being here really capitalized on that point.
Of course, for Joe the big issue is he can’t train at the national level. Simply put, just the Tokai Derby was his dream. For Oguri, she never had a dream to reach for, so when March and Joe want to compete in the Tokai Derby, that becomes her dream too. Still, the thoughts of holding Oguri back are very real because it’s clear to him that Oguri can race at nationals.
Belno raises a great point that Oguri has a say in this. A bit frustrating that she gives Joe her answer and he ignores it at the end of the episode. As it is clear that Oguri will throw away the race. At some point it is clear that Oguri will only want to race in nationals if Joe is with her. At some point I believe the best-case scenario is for them to reach the Tokai Derby, but after that, push for nationals. Joe needs to make the effort to do what it takes to be Oguri’s trainer at a national level.
A bit of a fun moment in the episode is when we see Norn and her friends working harder than usual at practice. Also, we see March with a smile, thinking of Oguri. We can easily attribute this to the influence that Oguri has had on these two.
