REVIEW: ‘Overtake!’ Sets The Ground For An Excellent Sports Anime

Set in the fast-paced world of Formula racing, Overtake! takes a deeper look at the lower tiers of the popular motorsport. Animated by Troyca, this original video animation series explores the world of Formula 4 and one team’s quest to overcome the odds and win it all.

Overtake! introduces viewers to Kouya Madoka, a freelance photographer whose life is a bit messy. Divorced and down in the dumps, it’s clear that Kouya could use a pick-me-up. He is sent on an assignment to photograph a Super GT racing event when he discovers the Formula 4 paddock and meets an old friend. Amidst all the professional teams, Kouya crosses paths with the family-run Komaki Motors, which sets him on a path he never expected.

Kouya falls in love quickly with the sport, which isn’t too surprising given how high-octane Formula racing is at every level. While the sport itself is a big factor in his newfound excitement, Overtake! tries to highlight the human side of it too. Futoshi Komaki, the owner of Komaki Motors, is a kind and passionate man in a world full of cutthroat individuals. Futoshi draws Kouya into the sport even more, but it’s his relationship with Komaki’s driver Haruka Asahina that really takes center stage.

Haruka is extremely hesitant to accept Kouya’s approach to help sponsor the team. He calls out Kouya for being poor and unable to be of much use, and it starts their relationship off on a really rocky road. What is so impressive about the storytelling in Overtake! is that both Haruko and Kouya are extremely passionate about racing, even if it is a newfound passion for Kouya. Kouya’s earnestness slowly wins over Haruka, as does his ability to actually get a few sponsors.

There are some really great character moments for this duo as they start to work together. The iciness slowly fades away as Haruka realizes Kouya isn’t just blowing smoke, he really wants to help Komaki Motors succeed. Formula racing is all about who has the most money, so Haruka needs Kouya’s help if he wants to stand a chance against the best of the best. That dream starts to get realized over the course of the first three episodes and is building into a partnership that appears to be working out on both fronts.

Even though it is a series about racing, it’s Kouya and his relationships with the team at Komaki Motors that get most of the screen time to start. It would have been nice to see more of a focus on the actual racing from the start, but the character development could make the racing results matter more. It’s similar to the effect Netflix’s Drive to Survive had for Formula 1, proving that when viewers care about the individuals involved they are more likely to be invested in the sport itself. I am a huge fan of this approach and the way it works in Overtake!, shining a light on the lesser-known aspects of racing.

Beyond the character development, Overtake! is already succeeding as a sports series. There is plenty of attention to detail to make sure the sport is portrayed accurately while also being approachable for those who have never watched it before. Kouya is new to the world of racing and needs it all to be explained to him, giving viewers a chance to learn more alongside him. It’s a great approach that gives added context and information in a way that fits in perfectly with the story itself.

While there isn’t as much actual racing as I would like yet, what is there is a joy to watch. The CGI animation allows the cars to feel fluid as they zip around the track and fight for first place. The quality of the animation is the biggest reason the lack of as many on-track moments as possible is a bummer. The character moments are great, but so is the racing. If Overtake! continues to build into showcasing that more as we learn more about the people involved, the payoff will be worth the wait.

Overtake! is a sleeper hit this anime season and does a great job of balancing focus between the sport and the people who make it happen. It is slowly building into one of the more exciting sports anime in recent memory and should hopefully keep the momentum up as it reaches the finish line.

Overtake! is streaming now on Crunchyroll.