Story:
The plot was just. . .Damn! The anime is split up into three arcs. In the first arc we are introduced to our main character Taira Capeta. He is being raised by his widower father and has basically been taking care of himself. They are poor and so money is tight and he doesn't complain because he knows his father is doing his best (he's such a considerate little kid and wayyy too adult for his age) his father ends up on a kart track and seeing the karts gives him the brillant idea of making one for his son, who he knows loves cars. Capeta ends up so damn excited over the kart and then by some turn of events ends up in his first race, and things take off from there. Fast forward four years from Capeta's first race and you come into the second arc; Capeta has been involved in racing through those years desperately chasing the guy he's dubbed as his rival but, Naomi keeps one step ahead of him. Plus with the money issues that racing raises Capeta and his team are struggling to continue in the racing circuit. And the big race in this arc. . .damn, I thought my heart was literally gonna stop! It was really exciting, but almost too exciting lol. The third arc follows the events after the race and Nobu getting Capeta a huge chance to step forward in the world of racing, Monomi doing her best to assist in Capeta reaching this new goal and finding her own goal in the process, and Capeta struggling to achieve his dream. I really loved the competitiveness and seeing Capeta finally realize that he wanted a career in racing, that he wanted to one day drive a Formula 1 car,not just to compete with Naomi but because he loves racing. Oh and, that last race ... was the BEST! Damn, but I nearly killed over from the excitment! xD The storyline was just fantastic and the races were so damn exciting! My heart was in my throat the entire time and I barely resisted the urge to scream for Capeta's victory numerous time, and wanted to cry right along with the characters those times he lost... The constant To Be Continued ... thing, after every episode made me want to click on the next episode every time but, I had to work so it took me four days to complete. Which is like torture 'cause I would have rather marathoned it straight through. This was definitely one of those anime where you could do that!
Animation:
The animation was iffy. I mean it was good for the most part but they used CG effects in the races and sometimes it was cool but others ... not so much, but good most of the time.
Sound:
The soundtrack was great and I thought it really added tension to the races.
Characters:
The characters were awesome! Capeta, Nobu, and Monami were the most fleshed out as they were in nearly every episode and were Capeta's support during the races but, Capeta's dad, Naomi, Naomi's mom, Ryou, and a few other characters were interesting as well. The main focus was the above three: Capeta, Nobu, and Monami; their friendship, their support, their williness to give whatever it took to keep Capeta racing ... I really loved them both! Oh, and we mustn't forget the monkey Sarukki, I cracked up every time he pulled a banana out of nowhere, I really wanted to know where they came from (but maybe some things are better left to the imagination! xD).
Overall:
I've been a sports anime fan for nearly two years now and I cannot believe I never gave Capeta a try before now ... I'm so ashamed of myself! I honestly didn't think much of it from reading the description or from the screen shots I saw but they really don't do the anime justice! This was a fantastic anime! What a rush! I had the time of my life! Wish they do another season one of these days so I can see Capeta and Naomi race each other in Formula 1 cars! That'd make my day! I mean ... it said 'See you soon' so ... maybe one day...