Nana and Ai train hard as rivals, but their friends and coaches worry. Izumi wonders who will be her competitive partner.
Episode 5 — “Rival”
Hmm.
As I feared, Rinkai! focused on Ai overtraining and injuring herself. I did not expect Nana to fall into the same trap, though. But the pair had declared each other top rivals among the L14 class. I did like how Nana and Izumi cleared the air about Nana’s harsh words. I saw it as a language barrier. The reticent French cyclist slowly became more eloquent in Japanese during her time in Japan. And she even embraced a local Hiratsuka noodle dish, Tanmen. Now Nana can explain herself: she has wanted a sober rival and friendship like Tsutsuji and Remu.
Izumi appeared not to put as much serious weight into defeating Nana as Ai had done. Still, Tsutsuji and Remu act like goofballs around each other, so Nana has misapprehended the champions’ rivalry and relationship. Nana will have to change her approach after Ai’s setback over the summer break.
The other track cyclists in Rinkai! had more time to reveal their character development. Kinusa is the group’s mother hen, which is understandable because she’s the oldest. The former office lady is also a professional yoga trainer and gym employee, so she would know how much recovery — and avoiding injury — means to athletes.
Rinkai! Exercise Program — Train, Eat, Rest, Recover
But Kinusa’s pressure on Ai, combined with the concerns of the coaching staff, was not enough to keep the fiery redhead from overdoing her workload. Ai never got the lesson that training hard means resting harder. So, as soon as she was alone, Ai did not follow her coach’s instructions. That’s not a good mental sign for a disciplined pro athlete. Ai needs more maturity.
Thankfully, Rinkai! did not show the other dark side of endurance sports training: eating disorders. The power-to-weight ratio is a simple math formula. So, if you can’t increase your strength, you can reduce your body weight. The keirin cyclists never skip a meal here, so we have fewer chances of scenes showing dark psychological trauma. Let’s keep the overall story a fluffy one of friendly rivals, shall we?
Rinkai! Makes Me Go Heh.
Uh oh. The girls worry about Nana, who trains with the international track cyclists and returns late at night to the cycling academy. Nana isn’t the only one overtraining in Rinkai!. Ai believes she can catch up to Nana with “hard work.” The next goal for the girls at the Keirin Cyclist Academy is the measurement session after the summer break. Nana had the best time before, so she wears “the golden cap.” Ai aims to wear it next, but Kinusa worries Ai will exhaust herself through overwork.
Not good. Nana is collecting niggling injuries and fatigue too. The trainer told her to rest. Will she? Nope! Not after she saw Ai working hard again. Rinkai! lays the concern about the girls on a bit thick. Friends, trainers, coaches, and the administrator can’t stop these two from exercising instead of resting. Nana and Ai will learn a harsh lesson.
I wondered what classes the cyclists took at the academy. Bike maintenance, repair, and component setup! Oh no. Fatigue finally caught up to Ai. Good girl, Izumi! Save the bike! Her action saved about 3500 bucks. Nana was quick to catch the collapsing Ai, too. Remi Hiroshima also tried to convince Ai to rest.
Aw. Izumi notices how many injuries Nana carries. She realized both Nana and Ai are more than geniuses and work hard for their results. Too hard. Introspection time for Izumi. Step up the motivation, girl! But that’s hard to do right before summer vacation. Kinusa doesn’t trust Ai to properly rest.
Wet, Naked Honesty in Rinkai!
Oops. Izumi has to stay at the academy one night before going home, but the dining hall closed already. Nana saved Izumi’s tummy! With Hiratsuka Tanmen. Hiratsuka has a famous Tanabata festival where Tanmen (loaded ramen using wavy wheat noodles) are the main dishes. All right! If Nana can’t go home to France, why not hang out with Izumi?
Now, the Ito Onsen girl can get nakedly intimate with Nana. Let it all hang out! Why did Nana say she doesn’t like Izumi? Nana explains that she could have used more understandable language and more context. Nana preferred Ai’s focused attitude to Izumi’s non-competitive one. But Nana said all that stuff like a three-year-old would, “I don’t like you very much.” Then, they didn’t exchange words for two months! Nana knows Izumi better now. They’re all stubborn girls. But Izumi will not be Nana’s rival. She prefers Ai, but how long will that last?
A Rival Falls as a New Rival Rises
There it is. Rinkai!’s dramatic turn. Ai will not keep her promise to rest because Nana will finish the L14 term early. Ai will run out of time before she can catch up to her. Aw. Izumi asks her big sister about rejection. Atsumi has never faced rejection because she’s adorable! I have a feeling Izumi won’t experience rejection for very long.
Yay! Izumi missed her friends so much! Oh boo. Ai is covered in bandages, and her performance dropped her down the rankings. How can she be Nana’s rival now?
A professional athlete needs to listen to her coaches. Training is part of the job, as are rest, recovery, and healing. I hope Ai and Nana have learned their lessons and we return to a lighter mood next time. Are you ready for more fun, girly pedaling action in Rinkai!? Let us know in the comments below.
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