Prince of Stride: Alternative

Episode 9

After a downer of an eighth episode for Prince of Stride: Alternative, there's nowhere to go but up, right? Sort of. Riku and Takeru's disappointment has manifested in an acute inability to get along, so their teammates try whatever they can to get the pair acting happy and friendly again. The episode teeters between angst and comedy in even sharper contrast than last week, and it's awkward.

Ayumu and Kohinata are the first to get over last week's epic loss and return to their old antics. The visual gags are turned up to 11 this episode, reducing them to super-deformed mode and even literal stick figures to convey their ebullient mood. Even the usually stoic coach performs his part of the comic relief in a rapidfire recitation of the four-character phrases he adores, which I'm sure would be a lot funnier if they weren't so lost in translation.

Humor is on one end of the spectrum, and on the other is pure angst. Nana can't stop thinking about the reunion she had with her absentee dad, who is abruptly back in her life and asking her to join a new school and Stride team. Riku can't stop thinking about his brother, and Takeru can't stop thinking about losing. In short, our three main characters are a mess, resulting in melodrama with lines I can't take seriously. It's like play-acting when Kyosuke scolds them, “You're both looking at someone who is running ahead of you,” and Riku and Takeru grow pensive like he's just hit the nail on the head.

What makes this melodrama hard to stomach? Honestly, it's the comedy. Just like in the last episode, there's a weird disconnect where we wobble between extremes—featherlight comedy versus the depths of despair just feels strange, not balanced. It's as if each extreme cuts at the other and makes the whole product less sincere. These depressive scenes simply ring false when I know they'll all be joking together again soon.

Anyway, when everyone's upset, what's there to do except go to the pool? Ayumu and Kohinata show off their Relationing while tubing down a waterslide, and Kyosuke and Heath do some relay laps while all the while the onlookers yell in stage whispers, “Boy, this healthy competition and comradery sure looks like fun, doesn't it, Riku and Takeru?” This is the most superficial attempt to get Riku and Takeru back together, but it's also the most charming because it shows how the other characters are trying anything to reunite their friends. That said, I can't help but notice how this show's animation pales in comparison to other sports anime when they're doing the exact same activities. This volleyball doesn't have the punch of Haikyuu!!, and this lap swimming doesn't have the careful rendering of Free!

But of course, it's Nana herself that gets her two freshman friends back together, by using herself as bait! When she puts herself in a vulnerable situation she's unable to resolve by herself, Riku and Takeru can't resist working together to help her out, cementing that core three-person friendship and possible love triangle at the center of this story. Since Prince of Stride: Alternative originated as a dating sim starring Nana, there's probably a lot more canon to go on there, and that's why their relationship continues to grow while others fade into the background. There's more promise in this show going forward, if only they can figure out how to find a way to keep the mood balanced without going to awkward extremes.

Rating: B-

Prince of Stride: Alternative is currently streaming on Funimation.