# Run with the Wind (2018)

> A former elite high school runner joins a ragged group of dormitory residents who are all novices as they aim to enter Japan's prestigious Hakone Ekiden relay.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/70674

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 23
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: Nippon TV
- Cast: Takeo Otsuka, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Miyu Irino, Hideaki Kabumoto, Takanori Hoshino, Riki Kitazawa, Yuto Uemura, Kazuyuki Okitsu
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9402026/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: sincere, uplifting, earnest, sweaty, warm

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate it as an acclaimed sports anime that captures the drive and camaraderie of novice runners training for a demanding university relay.

## Synopsis

Run with the Wind (2018-2019) is a Japanese animated sports drama adapted from the novel by Shion Miura, produced by Production I.G for Nippon TV. Former high school running prodigy Kakeru Kurahara (voiced by Takeo Otsuka) is caught stealing food and rescued by Haiji Kiyose (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga), a Kansei University runner who persuades him to join a plan at the old Chikuseisou apartment. The engine of the story is a ragged group of residents, almost all complete novices, training under Kakeru and Haiji with a single target: qualifying for the Hakone Ekiden, one of the most prominent university relay marathons in Japan. Each episode is built from grueling practice runs, personal setbacks, rivalries, and slow gains in endurance and trust, with supporting characters like Akane Kashiwazaki (Miyu Irino) and Musa Kamala (Hideaki Kabumoto) filling out the house. The single season runs twenty-three episodes as one continuing arc. Set in contemporary Tokyo and the surrounding university world, the series carries a sincere, warm, sweat-streaked atmosphere that favors perseverance over spectacle. Fans of Haikyu!!, Hajime no Ippo and Cool Runnings will find resonance in its underdog spirit and team bonding.

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