Prince of Stride: Alternative Episode 1 Review

Nana Sakurai love Stride, the street-running team sport. She chooses to enter Honan Academy, based on an awesome internet video she saw of the Honan Stride Club. However, choosing an academic path based on an internet video may not have been a good idea.

When I went to Funimation.com to see the latest simulcast and read the synopsis for the show. The first thing that enter my mind was oh boy not another save the club anime. Immediately I pigeonhole the show as a we have to save the club and it will be very cliche. Thankfully that wasn't the case with Prince of Stride: Alternative. What this show offer me was a fun, thrilling story with some cool characters. The story sets up as Nana Sakurai to be the main focal point of the show. However that is not the case. This show has more than one focal point character and it blends in all of their subplots nicely together. Riku is this fun loving lighthearted guy who you will easily gravitate too. He's the typical squeaky clean type of character but you know beneath that image there is some layers not yet explored. Takeru is they typical mysterious, quiet type who some may view as scary or a creep. The way he's introduce is kind of cliche, but I'm curious to see where they will take his arc. Nana is a one of favorites and she really is the heart of this episode. Her passion for the Stride team and the symbol it represents is full on display. She travels to this school just to join this team but she finds out that it's not the way it use to be.

While the show does have some of the save the club elements. The cliche is not the full focus. Instead we get an impressive start to a group of characters who will have to become one in order to succeed. The show also manages to pull off a wonderful score in the first episode. There is a nice mellow relaxing tune during the race the scenes and I will be looking forward to the OST just for this song. The animation is also great with clever character designs. Although Takeru reminds too much of Kyoya from Ouran High School in mannerism and in look. The run scenes are great and grounded in reality. Anyone who does any kind of running or crossfit will like this show. I will definitely keep my eyes on this one.

Final Grade 8.5/B+