Chihaya Re:Start! - Vol. 2 Ch. 8 - I'll Be Waiting...at Nationals!

[MangaDex]

 

[UdenEmpati]

Chihaya's a peach. I've never loved an idiot protagonist so much before.

Each of them getting dedicated screen time is nice, though. Yes, this is ostensibly Chihaya's "redemption", but the truth is her world intersected with many others'. So showing the stories of every girl from high school, and how they all interplay with one another and the true depth of meaning they all had for one another (good and bad, it would seem).

I'm curious as to whether there will be any romance angle to Chihaya and Mio's story. Rico obviously is in love with Mio, and sees Chihaya as her rival for Mio's attention. But Chihaya's single-mindedness when it comes to running (and cola) sorta leads me to suspect that she's got no romantic attachment, to Mio or otherwise. Mio's her rival, her target, her reason for running in many ways ever since they entered one another's lives. And I think Mio sees her in largely the same way, though from slightly different perspectives.

But I'm excited to see Rico enter the fray. It would seem the severe burnout of "adult corporate life" has sapped something essential for her, so joining in on this running revitalization could reconnect her with Mio, with Chihaya and Ayase, and the world she knew before, and do some real good for herself at the same time.

This being a story about reconnecting with yourself and the things you once enjoyed and the people who meant so much to you, all through the lens of running, is delightful, though.
So thank you for the TL work, as always.

 

[UnvalidUserName]

Fucking Chihaya

 

[ThatNaiGuy]

"Is this a dream?" to "Nope, even she wouldn't be that fucking stupid in a dream."

 

[jackjack9]

Drinking two sodas at the same time? I might want to try that one day.

 

[Serenata]

This modern runner is a menace to society lol

 

[Silfir]

Who better to compete against a NEET on the race track than a woman on the fast lane to death by overwork?

 

[HawkGoggles]

"why would my dream make me so mad? 💢 This has to be real"

 

[V01D]

Chihaya's a peach. I've never loved an idiot protagonist so much before.

Each of them getting dedicated screen time is nice, though. Yes, this is ostensibly Chihaya's "redemption", but the truth is her world intersected with many others'. So showing the stories of every girl from high school, and how they all interplay with one another and the true depth of meaning they all had for one another (good and bad, it would seem).

I'm curious as to whether there will be any romance angle to Chihaya and Mio's story. Rico obviously is in love with Mio, and sees Chihaya as her rival for Mio's attention. But Chihaya's single-mindedness when it comes to running (and cola) sorta leads me to suspect that she's got no romantic attachment, to Mio or otherwise. Mio's her rival, her target, her reason for running in many ways ever since they entered one another's lives. And I think Mio sees her in largely the same way, though from slightly different perspectives.

But I'm excited to see Rico enter the fray. It would seem the severe burnout of "adult corporate life" has sapped something essential for her, so joining in on this running revitalization could reconnect her with Mio, with Chihaya and Ayase, and the world she knew before, and do some real good for herself at the same time.

This being a story about reconnecting with yourself and the things you once enjoyed and the people who meant so much to you, all through the lens of running, is delightful, though.
So thank you for the TL work, as always.

What you said here about the characters getting some equal development is true, it’s so nice to see different characters and all their perspectives and motivations. I kinda hope that with Rico’s meddling added to the mix, since yeah she’s very obviously in love with Mio and is essentially Chihaya’s ‘rival’ for Mio’s attention, that Chihaya will start to realize what and why she’s like this in the first place.

I do genuinely think Chihaya and Mio love each other on some levels, but hadn’t really gotten a chance to explore these emotions due to circumstances. To me, it very much looks like unrealized feelings. Chihaya’s dedication and desires are connected to Mio like a ‘sports rival’, sure, but some of her expressions and a lot of her dialogue indicate she also sees her in other ways.

Aka just two damaged people unsure how to express themselves properly— and Chihaya, especially, is an emotionally constipated person lol

Whether they do decide to explore that? I’m unsure. But I hope they do, I think Mio and Chihaya are exactly what each other needs in this turbulent world with them returning to their passions.

Idk maybe that’s just me self-inserting on Chihaya here as I’m a sporty Lesbian who also gave up on dreams of a sports career due to COVID. I hope they can find happiness.

 

[UdenEmpati]

What you said here about the characters getting some equal development is true, it’s so nice to see different characters and all their perspectives and motivations. I kinda hope that with Rico’s meddling added to the mix, since yeah she’s very obviously in love with Mio and is essentially Chihaya’s ‘rival’ for Mio’s attention, that Chihaya will start to realize what and why she’s like this in the first place.

I do genuinely think Chihaya and Mio love each other on some levels, but hadn’t really gotten a chance to explore these emotions due to circumstances. To me, it very much looks like unrealized feelings. Chihaya’s dedication and desires are connected to Mio like a ‘sports rival’, sure, but some of her expressions and a lot of her dialogue indicate she also sees her in other ways.

Aka just two damaged people unsure how to express themselves properly— and Chihaya, especially, is an emotionally constipated person lol

Whether they do decide to explore that? I’m unsure. But I hope they do, I think Mio and Chihaya are exactly what each other needs in this turbulent world with them returning to their passions.

Idk maybe that’s just me self-inserting on Chihaya here as I’m a sporty Lesbian who also gave up on dreams of a sports career due to COVID. I hope they can find happiness.

I would be more than happy if this got a GL tag for Chihaya and Mio, don't get me wrong - mostly I was thinking of it outside of romance so as not to inject my feelings into my analysis of each chapter, and end up somewhere the author's not going.

I agree that they are very important, if not integral, to the other--there's no escaping that fact. It's just that whether it's as rivals that push one another to become the best version of themselves, or if it's something more immediately intimate, will have to be seen.

 

[alfirizkyr]

… it's surprisingly nice to get a third-person's viewpoint of not only how Mio affected Chihaya (via Ayase's eyes), but now also how Chihaya affected Mio (through Rico's eyes). They thought about each other so much that even Rico felt jealous? As a fan? And a rival? And potentially a romantic interest? I wish I had someone who thinks of me that deeply.

Thanks for the chapter. Corporate life seriously makes you fatter if you're not careful about it. Don't forget to exercise and hydrate, folks.