Chiaki Kobayashi, Koki Uchiyama, Nobunaga Shimazaki
24 min
TLDR
This is what the phrase “Boys will be boys” should mean.
What it's about
Uninterested in weaklings, and feeling isolated because of his heterochromia, Haruka Sakura moves to Furin High, a school known for student delinquents, intending to fight to the top on his own strength. However, Furin High shifted its reputation with Bofurin, a group that uses their fighting prowess not for violence, but to protect the town.
The take
Understandably, people get nervous when delinquent boys team up into groups and start beating the hell out of people, but in WIND BREAKER, masculine strength isn’t used for aggression– instead, the boys of Furin High use their fighting skills and penchant for violence into protecting the town. Of course, with this premise, there’s fun fight sequences and all the youthful misdemeanors that kids probably should not do in their real lives, but at the heart of all the action is the question as to how boys can positively grow into the strength they are granted. It also never forgets to show the goofy, endearing side that’s often forgotten and rarely encouraged when talking about young men of today.
What stands out
Shounen anime is no stranger to the idea of the power of friendship, but it’s nice to see how a good friendship can completely change the mindset of an entire school population, and what character traits we should be encouraging within the youth.