Days - Episode 4 (Review)

By: AlanVMiss my review of episode 3? Check it out here!A new episode of Days brings in yet another character who underestimates Tsukushi. This time it’s Chikako, one of the girls in his class. She is part of the group that has to stick around once school finishes and clean up along with Tsukushi, but she leaves early and forces him to do all of the work because she knows she can take advantage of him.As time goes by she continually watches him run every day, rain or shine, and learns that he even runs at night after school. She is annoyed and frustrated by the fact that he continues to push himself when she believes he has not shot at ever making the soccer team. As usual, his resolve to keep on running regardless of his future soccer prospects wins her respect, and has her reevaluate the path she is currently on. She eventually signs on as the soccer team’s manager, seemingly to be closer to him.Tsukushi is also afforded an opportunity to gain some respect from his classmates when another boy decides to challenge him on the field during PE. He has gotten good enough to the point where a casual player can’t school him like his talented teammates can, and this gets a positive reaction from his peers. It’s about time.There is a small amount of soccer in this episode, but it never feels fulfilling. The camera angle tends to cut away whenever a player attempts a more complex move, only subtly hinting at what they’re attempting and then going straight to the end result. There are also moments when the camera is zoomed straight on a character’s face while they are playing, killing any dynamic moments.The introduction of Chikako doesn’t add much, either. It looks as if she’s just a standard Tsundere. While she shows how Tsukushi’s actions can inspire others to change their outlook or their actions it isn’t something we haven’t seen from other characters.Days can be viewed on Crunchyroll, new episodes debut Sunday at 3:30PM EDT.