Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART! that focuses on a blue-haired woman sitting in a kayak, as she looks down at an object in her hands. A purple-haired woman sits behind her, wearing a sinister grin.

Herald Anime Club

Early Access: The Herald Anime Club Meeting 169: Battle Athletes Victory ReSTART! Episode 5

Written By Samantha Ferreira

Meeting Date: 5/8/2021

Disclaimer:  The Herald Anime Club discusses shows in a generally unmoderated format. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!

Samantha Ferreira: Hi everyone, and welcome to the Herald Anime Club! I’m Samantha and I’m here with Anthony this week.

Anthony Simpson: Evening.

Samantha Ferreira: Tonight, we’re heading back to the track for another round of Battle Athletes. This week, we’ll be talking about episode 5: “The one with Shelley and Kanata.”

So, right off the bat, I’m genuinely amazed at the total 180 this series has done since that first week.

Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! - A black-haired woman in a track suit stands, staring into the headlights of an oncoming big rig truck.

Anthony Simpson: Same.

Also, Truck-kun strikes yet again.

Samantha Ferreira: Yep… the Isekai Express is getting lazy, though. Used to be that he’d finish the job.

Anthony Simpson: True. Or maybe it’s a testament to the medical field in the series.

Samantha Ferreira: Truth. Either way, I’m glad she survived that. I mean, if not, she wouldn’t have met her girlfriend!

Seriously, I was screaming when they actually went there.

Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! - A brown-haired woman looks back at a black-haired woman with a smile. Text: "Because I love you."

Anthony Simpson: Well, this show hasn’t pulled any punches in that regard.

Samantha Ferreira: Truth. Even in this episode, we got the scene with Yana having a personal crisis regarding the pressure she’s facing from her former(?) friend to murder her roommate.

Anthony Simpson: We had just a little bit of everything in this episode. Yana’s crisis. Shelley’s figurative and literal white whale. Eva showing emotions.

Samantha Ferreira: Indeed. And that little wrinkle at the end.

Anthony Simpson: I wasn’t expecting that either.

Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! - A blue-haired woman looks down in shock at a handgun. Text: "It's Gurtland-made."

Samantha Ferreira: Yeah. My guess is Jeff saw the ghost gun, since Yana’s friend even said “it’s illegal to own these off the Moon.”

Anthony Simpson: That is possible. Or as an out there idea Yana’s friend tipped off Jeff about it or about the bombings.

Samantha Ferreira: I could see that too. She’s an unpredictable one at this point, and really adds a new wrinkle.

Anthony Simpson: She does.

Samantha Ferreira: As does Paglia cluing in on Eva; “she’s not breathing” was an interesting detail.

Anthony Simpson: That was. Also, the glowing part was an interesting tidbit to me.

Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! - A pale-haired woman with a listless expression glows a radiant yellow as she paddles a kayak.

Samantha Ferreira: Same. I honestly do not remember that being a thing in the old series, but I could be wrong?

That said, I like how they handled it – and the fact they started glowing on the run down to the competition.

Anthony Simpson: Well, the show does make some references to the 80’s. It could be a reference to The Last Dragon, but that might be a stretch.

Samantha Ferreira: Yeah… I’m not 100% sure – I’ll have to defer to the Discord’s resident expert on that one when I talk to her.

But yeah… generally, this was such a solid episode – I’m loving how much of a turnaround this series has become. From “the show with the ass-height camera” to this delightfully wholesome sports show with a strong ’90s vibe.

Still from Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! - A brown-haired woman carries a nonplussed black-haired woman piggyback. Subtitle text: "I might fall for you."

Anthony Simpson: So far, I would say that this probably the best episode so far in the series.

Samantha Ferreira: Same. And it keeps getting better.

Any final thoughts this week?

Anthony Simpson: Hoping the show keeps improving.

Samantha Ferreira: Same… there’s half a season left, so this could turn into a real dark horse favorite. Anyway, we’ll leave that discussion for next time. ’til then, remember: stay hydrated and be sure to call a doctor if you start glowing with divine radiance.

Have a great night!

Anthony Simpson: Good night

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About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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