REVIEW: ‘Wind Breaker’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “Senpai’s Teachings”

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 offers a welcome reprieve that allows the characters to settle into their roles. Season 2 began with action, and while Episode 3 saw the dust settle, “Senpai’s Teachings” fully allows the show to acclimate itself as it begins a fresh journey. Really, more than anything, it’s necessary downtime that helps them develop. While the series loves to embroil itself in the latest brawls, the best moments come in the human ones between characters and outside of the fighting.

This is to say that Sakura (Yuma Uchida) spends half of Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 with a cold. More than that, Sakura spends half of the episode dealing with the emotions of being cared for and looked after. It’s been a running joke in the series that he is a feral cat in need of being domesticated, but it’s written into the text here. While it doesn’t allow for a ton of plot, it gives the protagonist room to realize all the difficult and uncomfortable emotions he’s surrounded by.

The animators at CloverWorks still find ways to highlight the delicacy of the moment as Suo (Nobunaga Shimazaki) and Nirei (Shōya Chiba) go to visit him. Upon arrival, they realize that Sakura lives alone in a rundown apartment complex for single renters. His home is barren, and when Sakura finally meets them, stumbling and sick, he tells them he’s used to doing this alone. More than anything, though, highlighted later in the episode, is that he’s not used to having help.

Sakura learns he isn’t alone in Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4.

Shimazaki does an excellent job of subtly conveying his concern in this instance. His typical vocal tics, clipped and upbeat, are replaced with melancholy, matched by the lighting and animation as Suo and Nirei walk away from Sakura’s house. As he sagely tells Nirei, Sakura doesn’t yet know how to ask for help or to rely on others. He will need time and space to develop that skill, no matter how hard Nirei wants it to happen.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 emphasizes this with two other crucial interactions. Kotoha (Ikumi Hasegawa) visits with food and reinforcements, reprimanding Sakura for his solo attitude. None of us can do anything alone, so people have friends and communities to help lighten the load.

But it’s Sakura’s talk with Kaji (Nobuhiko Okamoto) that drives the point home. No matter Sakura’s posturing or belief that he needs to be the strongest for any reason, Kaji and the others see through him. Sakura asks how Kaji knows he can rely on his class when he says, ‘How do I trust others?’. It’s a wonderful, heartbreaking little moment that reminds us of the solitude Sakura was used to before joining Furin. Kaji points out that everyone who sees how Sakura reacts to others and their care realizes that Sakura is afraid of rejection.

There’s power in character-driven moments.

It’s a decisive moment that’s equal parts heart and comedy before it’s broken up by the hilarity of Umemiya (Yuichi Nakamura)being unable to restrain his enthusiasm. Kaji’s reaction to his sincerity being overheard—and his speech being one he stole from his upperclassman Hiragi—is also fantastic. As Kaji’s fight or flight kicks in and he punches Umemiya in the face before running off in embarrassment, it’s a reminder that these teens are trying to figure things out. None of them has the perfect answer. They’re just trying to get by with the tools that they have.

The downtime also allows for the animation to stretch with greater emphasis on the scenery and exterior settings. Sakura’s apartment is believably rundown despite the greenery trying to peek in, and Umemiya’s garden is lush, catching the sun. The series often relies on these big, bold moments, but shines in the granular, detailed sequences and artistry.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 succeeds because it allows its characters room for growth, separate from their constant brawls. Allowing Sakura these moments to realize what’s been bothering him without the imminent threat of bodily harm makes any subsequent fights more interesting and high stakes because it’s clear now who and what he fights for.

Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 4 is out now on Crunchyroll.

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