Nasu: Summer in Andalusia

In professional cycling, a support rider's entire job is to sacrifice his race so someone else can win, and that's exactly the role Pepe Benengeli finds himself in today. But today's stage of the Vuelta a España runs straight through his hometown in Andalusia, and back there, his brother is marrying Pepe's ex-girlfriend. So he's pedaling through scorching heat, past the town he grew up in, on the worst possible day to be thinking about anything other than the race. That's the whole setup, and it's enough. This is a 50-minute movie, one tight, focused story with no padding and no filler. If you've watched Yowamushi Pedal or Initial D and wondered what cycling looks like rendered with real weight and emotional stakes, this is the answer. Directed by a Studio Ghibli veteran and notable as the first Japanese anime selected for Cannes, it treats professional cycling the way a good sports documentary would, the tactics, the team dynamics, the physical misery of racing in summer heat. It's not trying to be epic. It's small and personal, which is exactly why it lands. Think less shonen tournament arc, more quiet character study wrapped around an athletic competition. If you liked the grounded, melancholy side of Initial D over the racing spectacle, this scratches that same itch in under an hour.