I am a fan of racing. I used to do cart racing from ages 5 to about 9, although I had to stop due to financial problems I kind of wish I had the ingenuity and backing team that Capeta had. Although the area that I live is dominated by NASCAR fans, I prefer F1 and Touring. Capeta is about the problems that a rising star in the racing world can face and potential solutions. Although I doubt they will happen as smoothly as they did in Capeta.

Animation

The animation is a little “I mean a little, mostly the CGI” dated by today’s standards and the computer graphics is a little distracting at first, which annoyed me. But I grew accostumed to it as the anime progressed. The character models look nice, especially the adults. The children have rather large heads for their body sizes but luckily, there aren’t too many children in this anime and the time spent with Capeta, Monami and Nobu as children is short lived compared to the length of the series.

The animation is smooth and I didn’t notice too many repeating sequences, although there are a few panning frames when Capeta is about to pass someone or struggling to pass someone, but it adds to the intensity of the scene and wasn’t overly annoying. The quality of the animation is on the good side even though this show is several years old already, the animation holds up pretty well to the standards of present day animation.

Sound

WHY ALL THE SHOUTING!?

That will probably be your first thought in the first couple of episodes, at least until you adjust your volume. It did sound like the seiyuu’s were shouting or talking especially loud but after you turn the volume down a little it sounds just right. I did like the seiyuu’s, the way they characterized the characters fit rather well in my opinion. Quite a few out anime out there that something with the seiyuu’s just seems off, like the character and the voice doesn’t fit. I didn’t really feel that with Capeta.

The sound effects were nice and really played up the scenes. Especially when Capeta was fighting for first place, the combination of the music, the voices, the sound effects of the engines and other background noise really combined well to give you the “edge of your seat” feeling. Although at times, the sound of the cart engines did seem a little weird to me.

Story

Although F1 never really comes into play during the course of the show, it is a goal that Minamoto Naomi has and Capeta, viewing him as a role model/rival, aspires to be as well. Although he doesn’t realize it until the latter half of the show.

Breaking the story down, it is pretty lame and follows a formula…

Capeta is a quiet reserved boy that doesn’t cause trouble for anyone, especially his dad. His dad goes to a go-cart track for his work (pavement laying/sealing) and recalls how Capeta loves his lego race car. He decides to purchase old parts and build his son a go-cart. Capeta finds out and loves it and is a natural genius at it. Which in itself is annoying that everyone is amazed at his talent and his genius, but the show would be rather boring if he struggled like a normal person. Enter him into a race where he has some problem due to poor quality equipment but his genius and talents help him to overcome said problems. Enter in a rival that Capeta is able to improve their racing ability while giving them a challenge… Rinse and repeat.

See? Doesn’t that sound boring? Yeah, I know it does! But it isn’t! If you can believe me, the show is intense and even though it is on the predictable side of things, it is still an enjoyable ride if you are a fan of racing anime, or racing in general.

Characters

The story itself is pretty linear and you know how it is going to end before you even watch it, still it is a nice watch and some of the characters do receive development.

Capeta - The Star

Taira Capeta. He is first introduced at 9 (I believe) and he is a quiet reserved boy that tends to sit on the wayside, not wanting to cause any trouble for anyone. His dad gets him a go-cart and he finds a passion in racing. He quickly becomes a rising star and faces many problems along the way. Through the course of the anime, he comes to realize that no one will do anything for you, you have to be willing to work for your dreams.

Nobu - The Sidekick

Andou Nobu. He is first introduced as some punk kid that dislikes Capeta and has a crush on Capeta’s friend, Monami. Through Capeta getting the go-cart, they become friends and he takes the position as manager and seeks out the finances they need. I am not exactly sure what his revelation in the story is, although I am sure he does receive one.

Monami - The Loud Mouth

Suzuki Monami. She is Capeta’s friend and is the unreserved loud mouth that provides encouragement to the team when they are feeling down. She also helps with finances by giving up items that she wants to help buy newish parts. She is very loyal to her friends and through the course of the anime, she realizes what she wants to do with her life and persues it.

Minamoto Naomi - The Rival

Minamoto Naomi. He is first introduced as a 10 year old Junior League Cart Champion. He happens to be at the track the same day that Capeta is driving his first go-cart. Capeta, getting frustrated that he keeps getting passed comes behind Naomi breaking in a new engine. He gets determined to pass him and when he almost does, ignites a spark inside Naomi that he was previously lacking. Through out the course of the anime, he is shown as cold and uncaring, although he does care about Capeta and wants to battle it out in a race with him on equal footing. Although he is a year older and is always one step ahead of Capeta. Which just adds fuel to Capeta’s determination.

That is all the MAIN characters. There are plenty of side characters that come in and play their minor roles. Although Capeta’s dad could be said as a main character, I don’t consider him one.

Personal Enjoyment

As I’ve said previously, Capeta is a nice anime and I’d recommend it to any racing fan. There are minor annoyances along the way that do detract from the final score but overall, it is a nice anime that should be watched.

There are a lot of emotions shown in the anime and the men are very easily moved to tears. Which does tend to get annoying and you think on several occasions that you wish they would stop crying so much, but ah well. It is what it is. I enjoyed the show and I would watch it again the future and it also reignited my joy of racing. I wish I never got out of it, who knows where I’d be today. Maybe I would be the top of the F1 circuit, battling it out against Michael Schumacher!