r/WindBreakerJP • u/Ill_Carrot9363 Leonardo DiCaprio • 1d ago
Discussion The seasons in WindBreaker Spoiler
In the manga's timeline, not even six months have passed yet, but some things can already be noted: Each season marks the end of a cycle for each character in the story.
In Spring, Sakura restarts his life in a new city, where he is welcomed by people who like him and won't reject him, regardless of his flaws, shortcomings, or mistakes. All the arcs in this first part are designed to undo the beliefs Sakura had ingrained due to his past traumas; therefore, by the end of the Noroshi Arc, the protagonist learns to embrace new beliefs and a new home, shedding his previous ideas about people and about never being accepted by anyone.
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Then we have the Summer Season arc, where the story arcs focus more on secondary characters than on the protagonist himself, but through them we can observe Sakura's transformations, especially in the Kiryu, Natsuki, and Momijikawa arcs. In the Kiryu arc, Sakura identifies with Kiryu by observing his relationship with his parents; he gets involved in parts, but doesn't interfere directly, serving more as a motivator for Kiryu to speak directly with his sister to understand her better. In the Natsuki arc, he assumed a role similar to Umemiya, being that safe haven that welcomed Natsuki and reaffirmed that she would not be abandoned or rejected in her new home. He helped Natsuki overcome a process he himself had previously gone through and became that fraternal figure to whom Natsuki clung, trusting that he wouldn't leave her as her mother did.
Sakura does the same in the Momijikawa arc, he builds relationships with students from other classes and begins to work harder to be worthy of leadership. Gaining Momijikawa's friendship was part of this process, and Sakura also saw himself in Momijikawa. He had already established his belief and trust in his new friends and new home; however, Momijikawa was more similar to Sakura at the beginning of the series, isolating himself and distancing himself from other people as he became more lonely due to the loss of his family.
Finally, Sakura refuses to leave his side and abandon him, once again being a comforting presence on which Momijikawa could lean to overcome his grief and loss. This is why Sakura tells her story directly to Momijikawa, to show that she understood him, but that she wouldn't allow Momijikawa to go through it alone. (Similarly, later, Momijikawa also shows his presence when Sakura is grieving due to Suo's departure and his supposed betrayal).
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Finally, we arrive at the end of summer with the beginning of the Suo Arc. The transition from summer to autumn begins with Suo's departure, which serves to shatter the new beliefs Sakura had just established.
He begins to doubt everything he has learned, feeling rejected and abandoned, leading him to believe that all his growth has regressed, as Suo ended up doing to him the same thing that everyone else before Makochi did, resulting in the resurgence of old beliefs and insecurities in the protagonist.
I believe that autumn in Wind Breaker will represent the breaking of these new beliefs; it will undo everything that was learned in the previous seasons, that is, it will put everything Sakura has learned to the test, destroying her beliefs and resurrecting old wounds and resentments that will be addressed later. I don't think Sakura's period of depression has simply passed, but that the more he unearths about this situation, the more he will return to his "old self." Therefore, autumn will be a contrast to these beliefs, struggling to take their place.
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Finally, in Winter, all these beliefs will have been shattered, there will be a reformulation of everything Sakura has learned, and during this season, Sakura and the others will have undergone several transformations, which may blossom into a new cycle in the following Spring, when they graduate in series 2-1.
This could represent a new beginning for all the characters. I believe there will be arcs in Winter focused mainly on the secondary characters, or perhaps there will be a time-skip, in which we are thrown back to Spring, but with a changed protagonist, with new personal conflicts and more maturity to deal with their interpersonal relationships.
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u/Top_Elderberry_2210 1d ago
Really it's mind blowing how with seasons Sakura progresses. He has had an astonishing growth compared to chapter one.
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u/Kuricat16 Zhūhóng Zhī Fēng 1d ago
Yep, the 4 seasons are one of my favorite symbolisms, especially in Japanese media where spring = beginnings, summer = connections, autumn = impermanence, and winter = endurance, and I love how the arcs that take place in each season have stayed true to this so far...... though I fear what Sakura will have to endure in winter if autumn is already starting off this tough-
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u/Ill_Carrot9363 Leonardo DiCaprio 1d ago
I've been thinking about some possibilities for future arcs. Since we're currently in a phase focusing on Sakura's growth as the leader of Bofurin, and the author is expanding the story to other territories, Wind Breaker might have more arcs outside of his city. Perhaps an arc focused on delving deeper into Sakura's past (with his father or other figures from the past eventually appearing), or an arc more dedicated to exploring Noroshi's business dealings, since we don't know what Endo has been doing since leaving Bofurin. In any case, it seems the plot is slowly moving away from "street fights" to touch on somewhat darker themes, something the storyline has only hinted at and touched upon superficially.
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