Our Wind Breaker episode 5 review talks about Suo getting the spotlight and just how pathetic some Shishitoren members can be in a scrap.
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The Wind Breaker episode 5 review
Since he debuted back in episode 2, Suo (the chipper fella who wears an eyepatch) hasn’t done all that much. Thankfully, that changes with Wind Breaker episode 5.
The Bofurin are taken to the Shishitoren’s hideout, a rundown theater called “The Ori,” meaning “cage.” Given that the Shishitoren members residing within act rowdy and are eager for the one-on-one fights to begin, it’s an appropriate name. The first fight is between Sugishita and Arima, the guy with half his hair shaved off who popped up in episode 3 for a few minutes. It only takes a few seconds before the Shishitoren member gets his ass handed to him and he’s tossed off the stage like a sack of potatoes.
The next matchup is Suo and Kanuma, another character from episode 3 who relished seeing a Shishitoren member get brutalized before being cast out of the gang and left out on the street. The ensuing fight can’t even be called a fight since it’s just so once one-sided, with Suo absolutely dominating Kanuma and dispensing some advice on what it takes to become an adult. Once it becomes apparent that Kanuma is no match for the Bofurin member, Togame orders it to end, banishing Kanuma for his utter incompetence during the match.
Suo: gentleman, teacher, brawler
We come to understand the Shishitoren gang a bit better during this chapter. The district they’re based in is filled with pubs and the place is said to get dodgy after the sun’s gone down. Combined with how wild they act while in the movie theater and you can see that most of these guys are a bunch of punks who don’t understand what “strength” truly means. That punk attitude extends to their own members since they literally toss Arima off of the stage and kick him right in the face, insulting him while doing so. Arima is literally unconscious at this point in the episode thanks to Sugishita.
Even Choji shows how little he cares for his gang by referring to the unconscious Arima as “that,” not “him” when ordering his lackeys to get him off the stage for the next fight. The keyboard, electric guitar, and drums that play during this episode hammer home just how vicious these devotees of strength are thanks to their unsettling notes and brutal beats.
The highlight this time is when Suo steps up to the plate and humiliates Kanuma during their match. Before the match, Nirei mentions that there isn’t any information regarding who he won against in previous fights and Umemiya describes him as a “kind gentleman.” He’s a total enigma to everyone and when the fight begins, he shows he’s got a style befitting a gentleman.
Instead of landing blows to Kanuma, Suo parries and dodges everything he throws at him, never getting so much as a scratch on him. He’s swift, fluid, and graceful, making it look as though Kanuma is simply flailing about during the match, though Suo occasionally lands a blow of his own during the match. Sakura describes it as “being shown your skill gap” by a superior opponent and comments made by Hiragi indicate that Suo is being brutal after seeing how the Shishitoren treat others, hinting that despite his smile, Suo isn’t someone you want to mess with.
That isn’t just a beatdown, but also a lesson for Kanuma as Suo asks his opponent what it takes for someone to become an adult. The answers the gentleman gives are imagination, experience, and empathy. The first answer refers to how the Shishitoren member will be treated by his peers after the match (getting beat up and mocked by them) and the second answer is about going through bad experiences.
Both answers combine to form empathy and being able to understand what someone is going through, clearly pointing out that Kanuma can’t do that and that he’s still a child. It’s a great way of calling out a character’s flaw as well as showing how intelligent someone can be, as well as how proficient they are at martial arts.
Never insult Umemiya in front of Sugishita
There’s also the “fight” between Sugishita and Arima. Like with Suo and Kanuma, the Shishitoren is outclassed by the vastly superior Bofurin. Arima does display some smarts by using how obsessed Sugishita is with Umemiya to distract the latter, shouting at Umemiya to divert his foe’s attention before moving in to strike. That only serves to enrage Sugishita, who grabs Arima by the face and violently slams him into the ground, ending the fight before it even truly begins. Oh, and he tells Arima to address Umemiya as “Umemiya-san” while he’s at it. How do I get this level of respect?
These fights illustrate just how weak these two Shishitoren are and how powerful/skilled both Bofurin are. The sound effect that accompanies Sugishita’s slam attack and the build-up to it looks awesome and the way Suo stops Kanuma by kicking his foes, but stopping mere inches from his face is also very cool and hints towards the restraint Suo is showing in the fight.
There’s also a little bit of character development for Nirei as despite not being as strong as his peers, he still wishes to watch and learn from the fights to become stronger, which is nice to see since he’s a Bofurin and fighting is a given for them. Other characters don’t get much time in the spotlight, but since we saw plenty of them in previous episodes, that’s not a problem here.
There were also the occasional funny moments where a character became outrageously angry at someone or did something silly, like when Togame plopped Choji back in his seat. It’s the usual Wind Breaker humor and I was amused, but the major focus this time was the beatdowns and I’m not complaining about that.
Overall, I’d say these first two matches were a treat to watch, both because of the action and to see what Suo is like both in battle and personality-wise. I’m ready to see who Hiragi and Sakura square up against in episode 6.
Final score: 9/10
Wind Breaker can be streamed through Crunchyroll.
