loserlemon

I went into not really caring about race cars, but it actually turned out more interesting than I expected. The racing scenes were easily the highlight, with a lot of energy and intensity that made the sport way more engaging to watch than I thought it would be.

What stood out most was that the story is more about brotherhood than anything else. If someone is going in expecting romance, it’s better to skip it because that’s not really the focus. Trailer made me think there was romance, boy was I wrong. The film centers on two brothers with a strained relationship, shaped heavily by the death of Hiyama Atsuhiro’s girlfriend, who was also Hiyama Naozumi’s first love. That shared history creates a lot of tension between them, especially since it affects how they view each other and themselves. Even though it uses a familiar setup, I wasn’t tired of the trope where the younger brother is in love with his older brother’s girlfriend, she passes away, and it leads to resentment and emotional distance. It’s something that’s been done a lot, but it still worked well enough here because of the racing backdrop and the way their rivalry plays out.

That said, I do wish the girlfriend had more presence in the story, and it would’ve been more impactful to actually see her relationship with Hiyama Naozumi. It would have added more weight to his behavior in the present and made the emotional conflict hit harder.

Overall, Over Drive was surprisingly engaging. The story is simple and familiar, but the racing scenes and the brother dynamic made it more enjoyable than expected.