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Introducing Sans Verdict

No judgment, only clarity. Let me kick things off with the racing anime Capeta and explore what stories can teach us beyond right and wrong.

Introducing Sans Verdict

Introducing Sans Verdict

This is Sans Verdict—a space for thoughtful notes beyond right and wrong. No judgment, only clarity.

I love discovering and listening to compelling stories. What makes them worth hearing isn't whether someone is right or wrong, good or bad—it's the story itself, and how each of us interprets it differently.

Let me kick things off with an anime.

Racing Reality

Like a lot of kids, I was obsessed with cars. I used toilet plungers as makeshift gear shifters and spun washbasins like steering wheels. There's something magnetic about racing when you're young.

Most people remember Mini 4WD, Future GPX Cyber Formula, or Initial D from childhood. But the one that stayed with me is Capeta.

You might not have heard of this under-the-radar series—or maybe the art style put you off. Still, if you're looking for a racing anime that actually teaches you what the sport feels like, Capeta is essential viewing.

It has no high-tech supercars and no "protagonist plot armor." Instead, it's one of the rare anime that shows what racing really looks like: the grind, the growth curve, and the process of getting back up after real failure.

And it doesn't stop at technique. The harshest reality is structural: no money for equipment, no team, no sponsors. That's the true barrier. Winning is rare; losing is normal. If you're less prepared than your competitors, you lose.

But the story also shows something more important: after failure, you still get to stand back up.

Reality is even harsher than the anime, but Capeta captures the obstacles ordinary people face when they fall in love with racing. Here are five themes from Capeta's journey that hit differently.

(Spoilers ahead—skip this if you want to watch it fresh.)

1. Racing is a rich person's game

Unlike stories where dreams automatically turn into success, Capeta doesn't sugarcoat it: racing is expensive. Not everyone can afford to enter, and passion alone won't get you very far.

Capeta is raised by his single dad, a road maintenance worker—classic blue collar. His dad salvages a mangled kart frame from the track, fixes it after work, borrows a diesel generator from his company, and that becomes Capeta's first real machine.

After Capeta wins his first race, the track owner doesn't celebrate. He looks worried—because once someone ordinary gets hooked on this sport, the costs ahead are endless.

Contrast that with Naomi Minamoto, born into wealth with elite equipment, coaching, and a team from the start. Capeta envies him constantly. Yet even after Naomi wins the All-Japan championship and moves to European circuits, he becomes "just another driver" there—still chasing sponsorships.

From a driver's perspective, racing looks like pure competition. Zoom out, and you realize money and sponsorships are what keep the sport running.

Before committing to any sport (or any dream), understand what it really demands. Know what resources you have, what you'll need, and what you're willing to sacrifice. If you still want in after that reality check—and you're willing to push through—then maybe you have what it takes to go the distance.

Which brings us to theme two.

2. Real talent shows through, regardless of circumstances

Nanako Minamoto, Naomi's mother, manages and coaches the team. The first time she sees Capeta drive, she recognizes raw talent immediately. She offers him a spot.

Capeta—young and stubborn—turns it down. He's determined to make it on his own.

Nanako doesn't give up. She keeps an eye on him, teaches him techniques, and shares training methods. She often says:

"Real talent shows itself in any environment."

Setbacks don't erase real ability. If anything, talent tends to surface because the world needs it—the people who can actually move things forward.

But beyond talent, there's the "environmental" factor people usually call fairness. Capeta goes surprisingly deep here.

3. Fairness is always relative

Equipment fairness

Capeta finally gets his own kart. On his first test run, he runs into Naomi breaking in his engine. Capeta manages to overtake him through cornering—until Naomi floors it and instantly gaps him.

That's the difference between a professional racing engine and a diesel generator.

Capeta thinks: If the fastest car always wins, what's the point?

Nanako answers:

"I guarantee you—a fast car gives you an advantage. But something else decides who wins."

Material resources are unfair, but they're also movable: what you don't have today, you might earn later. Effort is fair, too—you can always outwork people around you.

The truly unfair part is talent and ability. You can't become gifted overnight.

It's one thing to watch faster cars disappear from your slow machine. It's another to drive an equally fast car and still get demolished. That gap feels hopeless in a different way.

Rule fairness

In the "Team Orders" episode, Capeta is running third when the team ahead starts tactical blocking. Their No. 2 driver interferes with Capeta so their No. 1 can charge ahead uncontested—a classic team strategy.

From a "pure sportsmanship" angle, it feels dirty. Many people watch sports with an idealized belief in clean competition and pure speed.

The anime doesn't moralize. It explains something colder and more real: it's allowed within the rules. If an action complies with regulations, it's hard to argue it "shouldn't" happen. That's the leader's privilege.

In real life—whether in sports or business—you see the same dynamic everywhere.

4. Racing isn't a solo sport

Capeta's best friend Nobu starts out wanting to race alongside him. But once Capeta forms a team, Nobu quietly shifts into logistics and support. He seems to set aside his own driving dream to become something else the team can't function without.

Some people think, "Why not me behind the wheel? I could do it too." Others find the role where they add the most value, and push the whole team forward. Neither choice is right or wrong—it's personal.

That's racing's beauty: it's not one person's sport. It's a team competition. Everyone matters. Miss one piece, and the entire system breaks.

After Capeta's first win, the company president tells his dad:

"Winners must do one thing: celebrate big. Not for yourself—for the whole team. You can't win battles alone. You depend on everyone around you helping out."

5. Life has no arch-nemeses; strong opponents make you better

The first time Capeta gets into a kart, he meets Naomi Minamoto—wealthy, talented, already a youth champion. He looks like the classic "rival."

But as the story unfolds, even when Naomi trash-talks Capeta, he can't hide his excitement about having a worthy opponent.

People who truly want to compete with you hope you show up at your strongest. They want a race with no regrets—where they beat themselves through competing with you, not where they crush you by any means necessary.

Your real goal is beating your past self, not defeating others.

If racing were only about championships, it would be zero-sum: one winner, everyone else loses. But racing's core spirit is chasing faster speeds, which is positive-sum: you can always improve.

The story drives this home with a clever scenario.

In the "Team Orders" race, the leading team's No. 2 blocker stays in Capeta's racing line. That forces Capeta into his personal best lap time. Meanwhile, their No. 1—despite having clean air—doesn't go faster, deliberately letting No. 2 control the pace.

The result highlights two things at once: Capeta's exceptional talent, and how the blocker improves simply by being pushed by stronger competition.

Closing Thoughts

Capeta sits at the intersection of dreams and reality. It recreates racing with unusual honesty, focusing on Capeta's growth and choices—not just adrenaline.

The series' biggest disappointment? The opening credits show Capeta sitting in an F1 car, ready to race—a scene that never actually happens. Every fan wanted to see him finally race Naomi on the F1 stage.

I still believe anime is one of the best mediums for expressing profound truths. When I watched it as a kid, I probably didn't register it as "realistic" or "inspirational." I just obsessed over championships and cool driving.

But influence works quietly. Stories with solid values shape people in ways you only notice years later.

I watched this on TVB Jade in elementary school. Luckily, you can still stream the licensed version on Bilibili. Unfortunately, that version doesn't include the theme song "Never Ever." If you watch it, I strongly recommend pairing it with that opening.

Final Note

Sans Verdict has no fixed posting schedule. Weekly, monthly, or tomorrow—who knows. If I force myself into a rigid timeline, it stops being sharing and starts feeling like obligation.

This channel will focus on life stories—maybe a book, a show, a product, or just random thoughts. This year I'm focusing on learning SwiftUI and building my own projects. That should be interesting.

That's the story I wanted to share. Thanks for reading—and feel free to share your thoughts.

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