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Jun 21, 2024 10:22 AM
#1

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Jul 2017
15100
Rin only has the King to fight against for the winner's position in the final race, though the others are not lagging behind either. And amidst all that pressure, Hikari giving her a boost of encouragement, it works to relieve Rin's psychology and act as if like she's a ballerina dancing on the stage, the same way she's racing on the heats. And if that's not enough, a sudden burst of lightning cut power to the surroundings, even the race cars themselves.

Everyone being forced to pit while the drivers get some rest, and as bad as Rin's tyres look, the race thankfully got back to a restart with 6 laps to go. And with the pits reverting to the manual F1 style teamwork for the race going forward, it sets all the difference as Lorenzo is set back due to a fault that loses him precious seconds, but it's not a problem, even with Alice blocking them, only to be out of the race on old tyres. And despite the tight racing, Rin eventually makes it to the finish line with a photo finish of her very first win.

Thanks to the win, Rin may have more people chasing after her now, but at least she got to pick her own nickname: Highspeed Etoile.

This 3DCG show is actually not all that bad, but it sure took one hell of a journey to get to this predictable, but exciting finale.
For once, studio A-Cat did not fumble and delivered as promised, colour me surprised.
KANLen09Jun 21, 2024 6:39 PM
Jun 21, 2024 11:02 AM
#2

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Apr 2010
9767
Rin winning a race for ones well it's the final episode so it was expected.
The question is can she keep it up, i guess we will never know seeing as there probably won't be another season.
All i can see is that this anime was pretty mediocre in general but it wasn't bad to watch it.
The could have made it more exciting tho, i think this and the previous episode did a good job at showing a exciting race but most episodes didn't show a exciting race at all.
Watching Rin and her antics was ok tho.
Jun 21, 2024 11:46 AM
#3
elk sensei

Offline
Oct 2013
8599
This one is a strange scenario. I've seen so many anime that were good but ultimately got dragged down by a bad ending.

Highspeed Etoile on the other hand, which was a marginal anime at best, literally had one of the best endings I've seen in an anime in years.
elkensteyinJun 21, 2024 11:49 AM
Jun 21, 2024 11:50 AM
#4

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Mar 2021
1975
Congratulations Rin on getting her first win and what a last lap battle it was.I have really enjoyed this show and am not sure if will get a second season but I hope we do.
Jun 21, 2024 12:25 PM
#5

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Feb 2007
6291
Ah, King, sucks to be racing for Ferrari and their tendency to occasionally fail at one wheel in their pit stops.
Jun 21, 2024 1:27 PM
#6
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Nov 2023
1123
The actual racing was a joke from start to finish, but despite that it was a really fun series with likeable characters and some clever twists. The use of real locations gave it some grounding and the feeling of speed was excellent. I have thoughts on ways to make it more believable, but it wasn’t a documentary. Just great quality entertainment!
PS the Osaka circuit is set on Yumeshima, an island in Osaka bay not far from Universal theme park.
Jun 21, 2024 3:41 PM
#7

Online
Jan 2009
102244
congrats to rin for winning the final race that is awesome everyone on her team did great

and yep the green haired prima is hikari too

so rin calls herself highspeed etoile as her driver title thats the title drop there

but ye if king did not get bad luck on changing his tires im sure rin will lose but as sophia shows luck is a skill too

im gonna miss our dork main character rin and the other sexy girls like chitose, youran and queen
Jun 21, 2024 6:33 PM
#8

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Nov 2010
1342
Character design, machine design, 3D CG race scenes were beautiful. But story was lame. There were a lot of rotten episodes from the beginning to the middle of the show.
Jun 21, 2024 11:00 PM
#9

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Jun 2024
743
I am really happy that Rin got to win the final race.
It was great to se a rookie like herself work really hard and gain the respect of the others by the end of the year.
Rin had a fun personality, and I enjoyed her interactions with Ami.
I have ADD, ADHD & AUTISM, but this won't stop me. Let's keep having fun together.
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Jun 22, 2024 1:07 AM

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Sep 2021
111
6/10, maybe low 7/10. Might have been better if it were not for the extremely shallow storytelling for all the characters. In fact, I think the 2 blue-haired girls didn't even have much of a story other than being new racers like Rin. Would have been even better if they did not leave all the exciting race scenes for the last episode and final race.

I feel like they might have tried to sequel-bait with the "claim the Driver's Champion title next" but I do not see this doing well enough for another financial investment into a second season. There is a visual novel focusing on the 2 girls that do the opening intro in each race (I think) so I guess future projects might consist of something other than anime?

If the AI is sentient enough, it should theoretically be able to reason itself out of the "put human's life as number 1 priority" limitation (kill-switch be damned), I think...
yhagniJun 22, 2024 1:10 AM
Jun 22, 2024 1:15 AM

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Nov 2023
586
The ending was actually pretty good, but everything else wasn't, which is honestly a shame.
Jun 22, 2024 2:05 AM

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Mar 2022
68
Honestly a great finale, it makes me wish the early story was better all the more. They should've portrayed Rin's talent and hard work better and make her feeling more promising, instead of only shining in the final episode.
Jun 22, 2024 11:22 AM

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Mar 2019
3337
This anime didn't go anywhere, it just kept going around...
Jun 23, 2024 6:15 PM

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Aug 2022
503
- So a lightning strike managed to EMP the cars' automated systems. I get that the episode wanted to have Rin duel against Lorenzo without Ami's help, but... talk about convenient.

- Lorenzo's pit stop crew are the worst. As if being unable to change the King's tires in less than 3 seconds wasn't bad enough, one of the wheel nuts had to fall off and exacerbated the delay. I don't see this pit crew being assigned to an actual F1 race anytime soon.

- Why did we get a surprise reveal that Hikari was not only a mechanic, but one of the idol commentators?

- Shame that the other drivers couldn't further spice up this final episode. Alice's tires flattened out. Youran gave up too easily. Towa and Kanata get left behind in the dust. Richard... well the show forgot he existed. And despite ending up in third place, we barely got to see Sophia in action.

- The last 4 minutes managed to wrap things up on a decent note.

- So after chasing her car in the ED, Rin manages to catch up and get in. Did not expect this change at all for the ED.

- Rin does the Title Drop trope in the post end credits scene. Now we know the significance of the title in universe....

--------------------------

Man, this show ended up growing on me as it went on, and it ended on a far better place than where it started out. To the point that I can somewhat understand why the current rating suddenly went up from a 4.8 to a 6.

Too bad that before getting to where it ends up that Highspeed Etoile was held back with inconsistent writing, undercooked characters, and mixed bag of race sequences. Rin's backstory as a failed ballerina felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

The 3D animation undersold the unique looking cars and decent character designs. The presence of real world brands featured in the series such as Yostar, VR Chat, King Records, Sega and Honda makes me wonder if the studio had better used those resources in polishing the animation... or the writing for that matter.

Unlike your typical mediocre isekai, Highspeed Etoile had elements that could have made it good... had it been made with more capable writers behind the drivers seat.

While I personally do not regret watching Highspeed Etoile, I honestly do not know whom to recommend this series to. Motorsport fans may not enjoy this series as the technical inconsistencies might drive one mad. CGDCT fans might find most of the races boring. Maybe if you're morbidly curious as I was, perhaps it's worth checking out if you have spare time.

Overall, if you ask me Highspeed Etoile is a series that started out "Horrible" that ended up being "Average".
Jun 24, 2024 2:59 PM

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Mar 2012
19
Good ending but very predictable. This should have been a 24-episode show for better pacing, not 12. Anyway it was a fun time and now i have to find something else non-serious to fill this void :( I also need a sound clip of Rin's humming ;_;
Jul 3, 2024 12:27 PM

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Dec 2014
524
praying for season 2, best anime, I want more. T.T


Jul 8, 2024 5:57 PM

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Jun 2019
6765
My 284th completed series chronologically.

For the record, I extended it a 6/10 rating.
Jul 24, 2024 12:41 PM
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Sep 2020
1
I've finished this series and I have some questions:
1. Rin is the only racer assisted by AI. Isn't that cheating?
2. After Rin had an accident which badly damaged her car, Rin used a new car with a manual transmission (has a clutch) while the other racers didn't have a clutch (automatic transmission). Why does Rin become even better after using the clutch pedal? Doesn't the clutch pedal make controlling the car more complicated?
3. At the Osaka circuit during qualifying, Rin's car lost control and hit a wall, Rin fainted and Ami (AI) controlled Rin's car and got the pole position, beating King. Why is that allowed and Rin doesn't get a penalty?
4. Every car has a boost, I don't know what it's called, let's call it Nitro.
How many times can Nitro be used on each circuit by each racer? Can Nitro be used at any time or are there special conditions, for example having to be a certain number of seconds behind another car?
5. Generally Nitro can only be used after the 3rd lap but there are 2 circuits where Nitro can be used immediately after starting, so why is it only Sophia who uses Nitro when starting? Why didn't the others use it at the start?
(thanks to anyone who can answer my question)
davidvankyJul 24, 2024 12:57 PM
Jul 25, 2024 10:49 PM
🍅 Tomato 🍅

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Feb 2020
104232
Decent finale.

Well, the races looked impressive, but otherwise an average show.
Jul 28, 2024 1:45 PM

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Oct 2019
1205
Reply to Alpha-Nine
- So a lightning strike managed to EMP the cars' automated systems. I get that the episode wanted to have Rin duel against Lorenzo without Ami's help, but... talk about convenient.

- Lorenzo's pit stop crew are the worst. As if being unable to change the King's tires in less than 3 seconds wasn't bad enough, one of the wheel nuts had to fall off and exacerbated the delay. I don't see this pit crew being assigned to an actual F1 race anytime soon.

- Why did we get a surprise reveal that Hikari was not only a mechanic, but one of the idol commentators?

- Shame that the other drivers couldn't further spice up this final episode. Alice's tires flattened out. Youran gave up too easily. Towa and Kanata get left behind in the dust. Richard... well the show forgot he existed. And despite ending up in third place, we barely got to see Sophia in action.

- The last 4 minutes managed to wrap things up on a decent note.

- So after chasing her car in the ED, Rin manages to catch up and get in. Did not expect this change at all for the ED.

- Rin does the Title Drop trope in the post end credits scene. Now we know the significance of the title in universe....

--------------------------

Man, this show ended up growing on me as it went on, and it ended on a far better place than where it started out. To the point that I can somewhat understand why the current rating suddenly went up from a 4.8 to a 6.

Too bad that before getting to where it ends up that Highspeed Etoile was held back with inconsistent writing, undercooked characters, and mixed bag of race sequences. Rin's backstory as a failed ballerina felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

The 3D animation undersold the unique looking cars and decent character designs. The presence of real world brands featured in the series such as Yostar, VR Chat, King Records, Sega and Honda makes me wonder if the studio had better used those resources in polishing the animation... or the writing for that matter.

Unlike your typical mediocre isekai, Highspeed Etoile had elements that could have made it good... had it been made with more capable writers behind the drivers seat.

While I personally do not regret watching Highspeed Etoile, I honestly do not know whom to recommend this series to. Motorsport fans may not enjoy this series as the technical inconsistencies might drive one mad. CGDCT fans might find most of the races boring. Maybe if you're morbidly curious as I was, perhaps it's worth checking out if you have spare time.

Overall, if you ask me Highspeed Etoile is a series that started out "Horrible" that ended up being "Average".
@Alpha-Nine
Alpha-Nine said:
So a lightning strike managed to EMP the cars' automated systems. I get that the episode wanted to have Rin duel against Lorenzo without Ami's help, but... talk about convenient.

- Lorenzo's pit stop crew are the worst. As if being unable to change the King's tires in less than 3 seconds wasn't bad enough, one of the wheel nuts had to fall off and exacerbated the delay. I don't see this pit crew being assigned to an actual F1 race anytime soon.

- Why did we get a surprise reveal that Hikari was not only a mechanic, but one of the idol commentators?

- Shame that the other drivers couldn't further spice up this final episode. Alice's tires flattened out. Youran gave up too easily. Towa and Kanata get left behind in the dust. Richard... well the show forgot he existed. And despite ending up in third place, we barely got to see Sophia in action.


-I agree, it was very convenient. Obviously weather happens and all but man, very convenient.
-Ill be honest this was something i wanted to see in a show, just pit crews performing their best as these things can hinder a race. It made it feel like the whole series everyone was on an even playing feel at times when having a manual pit crew can spice things up. I only say that as i watched some pit crew fails or near deaths online and they have been quite interesting to see.
--I have no clue. Ill be honest, i didnt even put the two together.
-It be like that, the show focused more on her fighting against the King.

Alpha-Nine said:
Rin's backstory as a failed ballerina felt inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

1000%. I wanted to see where this was all leading up and as to how she even got into this stuff but we never saw it happen. Really makes me want to deduct a point from the show.

davidvanky said:
Rin is the only racer assisted by AI. Isn't that cheating?
2. After Rin had an accident which badly damaged her car, Rin used a new car with a manual transmission (has a clutch) while the other racers didn't have a clutch (automatic transmission). Why does Rin become even better after using the clutch pedal? Doesn't the clutch pedal make controlling the car more complicated?
3. At the Osaka circuit during qualifying, Rin's car lost control and hit a wall, Rin fainted and Ami (AI) controlled Rin's car and got the pole position, beating King. Why is that allowed and Rin doesn't get a penalty?
4. Every car has a boost, I don't know what it's called, let's call it Nitro.
How many times can Nitro be used on each circuit by each racer? Can Nitro be used at any time or are there special conditions, for example having to be a certain number of seconds behind another car?
5. Generally Nitro can only be used after the 3rd lap but there are 2 circuits where Nitro can be used immediately after starting, so why is it only Sophia who uses Nitro when starting? Why didn't the others use it at the start?


1)Im pretty certain everyone has AI to assist in safety of the vehicle and driver. However, it seems Rins is the only unique one with an AI personality i guess. From what we seen, maybe they just have their AIs on mute
2) Anime logic, I think its because she is more natural to it. They had that whole episode to say that her driving style is "old school". The AI said "You change gears so quickly, a hydraulic clutch cannot keep up", "You pump the gas pedal six times a second, a delicate engine rotation adjustment that even an AI cannot do", "At top spped, you brake so hard, the force threatens to do damage to your head and you drive with the throttle wide open."
Based on what we see in the Grandmas restaurant, she may have been taught how to drive manual and is best with it, i dont know tho. I do not know the basics of cars if that wasnt evident.
3) She actually had to rerun her laps which did change her position.
4) Unless someone pointed it out, I swear they've only done it once per racer per race. Maybe thats why its a gamble to use it at the starting line since you just used your one boost. Additionally, i believe the cars ai will restrict you from using nitro based on whats in front during the intial setup phase as we see her ready to use the boost but when King gets in the way, it locks itself (also one scene shows her with her hand ready to press the button but the next scene shows her hand on the steering wheel and the thing just locks by itself.)
5) I can only think its a risky move for those behind other vehicles. They said she probably calculated the acceleration of it (lol, somehow) and weaved between cars to do it. We do see Richard actually do this in ep 11 albeit he was second to use it that early.


yhagni said:
Might have been better if it were not for the extremely shallow storytelling for all the characters. In fact, I think the 2 blue-haired girls didn't even have much of a story other than being new racers like Rin. Would have been even better if they did not leave all the exciting race scenes for the last episode and final race.


I agree. I wanted to learn more about them but they remained as comic relief/rivals. I would have liked to learn more but sadly we didnt get that from them.
"Perfection is perception. For me, humanity's imperfections is what makes it perfect"

Aug 26, 2024 10:10 PM
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Dec 2022
2
i fully enjoyed the racing aspect cant wait for a SEASON 2
Aug 26, 2024 10:26 PM
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Oct 2019
2313
Reply to WatchTillTandava
My 284th completed series chronologically.

For the record, I extended it a 6/10 rating.
@WatchTillTandava me it was my 913th chronologically. End up at 7/10 I liked more that I would have thought.

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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