I continue to celebrate Disability Pride Month with a Blade Girl Vol. 3 review. For anyone who needs a quick review of the series so far, check out my review of volume 1 and volume 2.
Chapter 11
Kazami-san, Rin, and the research and development squad are working hard on Kazami-san’s new blade. Everyone is happy for Rin as she has shaved just over a second off her typical running time. This is wonderful, as such a drastic improvement typically takes athletes years. Kazami-san and co’s home base is a garage instead of a high-tech lab, but the dedication remains the same.
To dedicate herself to Kazami-san’s blade research and earn a spot to compete at the Paralympics, Rin temporarily leaves the school track team. Her teammates, including Kei-chan, supported her decision. Rin aims to get her time down to approximately 13 seconds to qualify for the Paralympics. She discovers that to reach this goal, she’ll need a special athletic socket (A device specially made to fit her prosthetic to her limb.)
Unfortunately, the special socket is 800,000 yen, which is over 5,000 USD. When Rin goes to speak to her parents, she is disappointed that they tell her they cannot afford it. Since it is an athletic socket (different from the one she would use for her everyday prosthesis), Rin’s father feels it is a bit frivolous. Rin’s parents ask if she really feels she will still be running years from now. (I, along with many other differently-abled people, understand the frustrations and difficulties associated with paying for assistive technologies out of pocket.) Rin’s mother explains that they are thinking about her future. As parents, they feel Rin should be thinking about things like college entrance exams next year.
Kazami-san continues his research with Rin and the team. Rin does her best to give proper feedback regarding the blade prototype. When Rin gets flustered because she doesn’t always know how to explain her feedback, Kazami-san reminds her how much he appreciates everyone’s efforts.
Rin’s parents arrive to pick her up and are moved by her efforts and love of running.
Rin’s father declares that the family will work hard to budget to afford the special athletic socket for Rin. The chapter ends with a cut to the chairwoman of the former company that previously funded Kazami-san’s research. The chairwoman and her goons have been watching Kazami-san and Rin’s progress.
Chapter 12
Rin’s new athletic socket has arrived, and she’s excited. Kazami-san and the team decide to surprise Rin by taking her to see a new team of runners. The first group of runners Rin observes are visually impaired runners running alongside their guides. By watching the runners, Rin realizes the runners must be in sync with their guides, similar to how she moves in sync with her blade.
The next group of runners that Rin observes are within her classification. (The women’s T64 100 meter race.) When Rin sees only three runners, someone reminds her that female athletes with lower-limb deficiency are not that common. One particular runner makes eye contact with Rin, and Kazami-san explains that her name is Kaoru Hyuga. Kaoru represented Japan in the last Paralympics, and she would be the one for Rin to beat.
Hyuga-san clocks in at under 13 and a half seconds. Rin is excited and inspired and decides to introduce herself.
When Rin tells Hyuga-san how much she admires her, Hyuga-san says she is just moving naturally. Hyuga-san’s comment reminds Rin of how natural Hyuga-san looked while running. For Hyuga-san, her prosthetic isn’t a tool. It’s a part of her. Rin tells Hyuga-san that she aims to run alongside her in the Paralympics. Hyuga-san thanked Rin, saying she was hoping to have a reason to get faster.
Rin runs into the chairwoman of Kazzami-san’s old company. The chairwoman does not reveal her identity, so Rin believes she is a “Granny” out for a stroll.
Chairwoman Granny decides to observe Rin as she practices with her blade. When Chairwoman Granny sees Rin trying to record her run, she volunteers to record for her. Rin clocks her time at over 14 seconds after several attempts. Chairwoman Granny asks Rin why she is so determined to get her time under the 14-second mark. Rin explains to the chairwoman that she wants to be a participant in the Paralympics. She further explained that she was more determined than ever after watching the amazing athletes at yesterday’s competition.
Rin starts talking smack about Chairwoman Granny’s company, unaware of her identity. She talks about how much it upsets her that the company pulled Kazami-san’s funding. After listening to Rin talk about the importance of her blade, she spurs her on when the chairwoman sees she’s tired. Determined to show her skill, Rin finally clocks in at under 14 seconds during her run.
Rin is overcome with joy when she realizes she has her time under 14 seconds and hugs the chairwoman. The chairwoman is reminded of her younger days when she first started out with her company.
Kazami-san and the development crew immediately recognize the chairwoman and introduce her properly. Chairwoman Granny decides she likes Rin’s determination and will cover Kazami-san’s initial costs with her personal assets. This means that she will help regardless of what her company says.
Chapter 13
Rin finds Kazami-san sketching and brainstorming about his next potential blade design. Since the chairwoman’s funding will only cover a single blade’s design, Kazami-san, and the team are determined to make the best blade to date for the next competition. If Rin and the blade perform well, it will hopefully get Kazami-san real sponsors.
A few days go by, and everyone around Rin, including her parents, notices that Rin is pushing herself a little too hard. Everyone encourages Rin to take breaks when necessary, but she ignores their well-meaning advice.
Kazami-san and Shira-san (the prosthetic repair/maintenance expert) note that Rin has gotten her time down within the 13-second mark, but she’ll need to shave almost another full second off her time to be competitive. The two experts say that to do so, Rin will have to improve her start off the line. This means that her first stride will need to be forceful and strong.
Luckily (for plot purposes), the World Para Athletics junior championships are being held in Japan this year. Rin will have to compete against Hyuga-san in this prelude to the Paralympics. Kazami-san is surprised when Rin suddenly asks to learn more about carbon fiber, the material from which her blade is made. Rin has been studying carbon fiber and physics to understand her blade better. Kazami-san learns that Rin wishes for a thicker blade that is still lightweight.
The research and development team members still worry about Rin pushing herself too hard. Kazami-san runs after Rin during a training session to remind her that her blade does not define her existence. It was made to help her.
Rin admits to Kazami-san that she’s afraid of not winning the race. Even so, Rin has decided to give it her all no matter what so she can live without regrets. Kazami-san tells Rin all about the person who inspired him to make blades, his little brother, Sora. Sora was a talented sprinter who dreamed of returning to running someday after losing a leg. (It is not specified if it was due to illness or accident.) Kazami-san says he is happy that Rin is now his blade runner. Kazami-san hagn s a unique idea for a new blade design for Rin
Chapter 14
The chapter takes a short detour to introduce us to a young boy named Eiji. Mizuhara-san (Rin’s former physical therapist and member of Kazami-san’s research team.) is trying to motivate Eiji to use his prosthetic. Rin learns that Eiji was a soccer player, and she invites him to watch her next race. Eiji makes no promises but seems interested.
The day of the big race has finally arrived, and everyone is ready to cheer for Rin. Kazami-san notices that Rin has drawn little faces and everyone’s names on her blade for good luck. Rin’s parents are a nervous wreck. The school track team and Eiji are also there to cheer for her. Chairwoman Granny is also in the crowd.
Before the race starts, several onlookers notice that Rin’s newest blade has a hole in the bottom. Even Hyuga-san is interested in Rin’s blade design. Eiji seems nervous for Rin when he notices she is smaller than the other runners. Rin starts off strong, and everyone is excited. The research team knows the real test is the race’s second half. Kazami-san explains that the hole in the new blade reduces air resistance, making it easier for runners with a smaller frame to swing the blade forward while running.
Everyone and their mother is cheering for Rin, who has 30 meters left to go in the race. Rin and Hyuga-san are neck and neck.
Hyuga-san ultimately wins the race, but Rin does well enough to make Hyuga-san nervous. Hyuga-san tells Rin they should race again sometime.
Eiji tells Rin that she has inspired him to go for it. Even though he doesn’t know what “it” is yet. Kazami-san says that Rin stirred up a storm with her determination. Rin reminds him it is “our storm.
Overall impression. 10/10 Would I have liked for there to have been a time jump to Rin being featured in the next Paralympics? Yes, but there is always hope, which is its own happy ending. Even as a differently-abled person, I learned a lot while reading the series. I learned about Rin’s condition, some of her challenges, and about racing and the Paralympics. I learned from a young age that no disability defines your capability. Happy disability pride month, everyone!
