While many sports anime focus on the spectacle of amazing, naturally-gifted athletes, Run with the Wind (風が強く吹いている) brings the reality of a competitive sport to the fore. Starting from nothing and building up into an elite team is no small feat and Run with the Wind never treats it as such. It never forgets the truth of it all while still pushing its own message that sports aren't just about being the best of the best. If all you ever see are numbers and rankings, does it really matter anymore? Are only the chosen allowed to participate?
These subversions of typical sports anime tropes seem deliberately curated to plant everything firmly on the ground. There are hardships and the sheer difficulty of getting to the top is made clear from the start. None of the characters have any illusions that their journey will be anything but arduous. These also aren't high school kids whose only worries are about whether or not they do well in their sport - managing college schedules, money, and landing a job are a reality to these characters too. The possibility of failure at every step is everpresent. All the same, this story of ten amateurs aiming to run in one of Japan's most prestigious races is encouraging and uplifting. Given its powerful and, perhaps, unique messages, it is hard not to look at things differently whenever Run with the Wind reaches a key moment of introspection.
That nothing is achieved overnight in this story is a breath of fresh air. Simply watching the slow progression of the team, not just in ability, but also their closeness to one another is captivating. The timeline of it all is still questionable, however Run with the Wind paints a clearer, more realistic picture of such an undertaking better than many other, similar anime. The concept of what it means to run is continually put into perspective and reevaluated throughout the series as the team does its best to cope with the reality of their goals. This isn't a sappy story about the limits that can be broken when you put your mind to it. Rather, Run with the Wind is about accepting the truth of those limits and still pushing to do your best.