REVIEW: ‘Wind Breaker’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “Re:start”

Despite the brawling and bloodied knuckles, Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3 proves its real mission statement is that it’s all about the friends we make along the way. Sure, KEEL has been defeated (for now, at least), and there seems to be a new threat gearing up to cause some trouble, but what really matters is that Sakura (Yuma Uchida) is slowly learning that he cares about the people around him. That he’d consider them his friends.

Sakura’s inability to embrace his emotions and absolute chagrin when others post out his softer side is one of the series’ most charming aspects. The domestication of his wilder instincts gives Wind Breaker its heart and is the main lifeline to caring about these characters. Especially considering the rate at which the writing asks viewers to care about newcomers.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3 sees the end of the battle with KEEL. With their antagonists defeated, Nagato (Anna Furuya) has ample time to apologize to Anzai (Shogo Sakata) and explain just how he became entangled in KEEL and the abuse the leaders subjected him to. It’s a bleak story with some nicely deployed animation, such as the pretty, if heavy-handed, shot of the sky turning stormy the moment Nagato joins. Ultimately, Nagato’s selfless kindness leads him to KEEL, where the leader feeds him lies before manipulating and bullying him into staying.

All of which leads to his reconciliation with Anzai. These characters still don’t deserve the level of time and attention given to them. But the voice actors, Furuya in particular, give it their all to make the emotional moments resonate. In Season 1, Togame and Choji’s relationship got the spotlight, and now it’s Anzai and Nagato. It seems as if the series is incapable of letting its protagonists breathe and develop on their own before throwing them headfirst into someone else’s drama.

Sakura is learning not to shoulder blame in Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3. 

Which is a shame because there are peaks into Sakura’s headspace that are worthy of exploration. Throughout the series, Sakura has struggled with teamwork and, subsequently, his role as a team leader. In Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3, that all comes to a head as Furin walks back following their fight. He feels guilty and wrong-footed but struggles to understand why. That confusion makes him lash out at his team, telling them they should blame him—to “just say it’s my fault.”

For a series that loves itself some melodrama and engages in full-on dramatics when friends fall out and reconcile, it sometimes misses the heartbreak at its core. And it’s all the better for it because moments like this with Sakura land, because the show isn’t overplaying its hand. (There are no obnoxious needle drops.) Instead, it highlights a lonely kid who is used to being blamed and left behind. Here, he gets reassured that the blame isn’t his alone to shoulder. Each member of Furin needs to be able to shoulder the responsibility of getting stronger.

Uchida really sells the moment, too. He injects enough raw confusion and frustration into his performance, increasing the affection for this character. He’s already lovable, but these moments and peaks into his psyche make him easy to root for. Instead of just rooting for him in battle, though, we’re rooting for him to make friends and understand the value of those relationships. Baby steps.

The post-credits scene teases the next big bad.

All of this is driven home to him when, while debriefing Umemiya (Yuichi Nakamura), the upperclassman tells him that it’s clear what his frustration was and why he hesitated mid-fight. It’s because he likes his team. It’s a simple acknowledgement that Sakura can’t seem to handle. But most of “Re:start” is about the significance of friendships. Nagato joined KEEL because he wanted Anzai to think he was cool. Suo (Nobunaga Shimazaki) reprimands Nirei (Shōya Chiba) for being reckless when he’s really just worried. And Sakura grapples with what it means to have something to protect other than himself.

Once again, CloverWorks excels with color and atmosphere, as the sun hangs low in the sky to effectively convey the passage of time since the fight commenced. While there are some bizarre and jarring camera movements, the series remains consistent overall. The fights can become repetitive depending on their duration, but the visuals are always crisp and clear, featuring fine line work and aesthetically pleasing colors.

The only major fault is that a pair of less interesting characters dominate a significant portion of the runtime. Now that their storyline is ending, here’s hoping Wind Breaker will pivot back to Sakura, Suo, Nire, and co.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3 is a solid closer to a mini-arc that teases what’s to come. As the next antagonist is teased post-credits, the series is ready to launch into a more sprawling story. This time, let’s see if they can remember who the focus should be.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 3 is out now on Crunchyroll. 

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