Asics Kinsei Blast 'Black Glow Yellow'
Colorway: Black/Glow Yellow · Style code: 1011B203-004 · Release date: September 8, 2021 · Price: $266 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Asics Kinsei Blast 'Black Ice Mint' (1011B203-001) · Asics Kinsei Blast 'Black' (1011B203-002) · Asics Kinsei Blast 'Black Island Blue' (1011B203-003) · Asics Kinsei Blast 'Sheet Rock Glow Yellow' (1011B203-022) · Asics Kinsei Blast 'White Cilantro' (1011B203-101)
The Kinsei was Asics's showcase shoe for years: the most expensive thing in the line, carrying more Gel than any other model, and often special-ordered rather than stocked. The Blast is the modern rebuild of that idea. It keeps the maximal stack and the visible Gel at the heel and midfoot, but the cushioning work is now shared with a layer of the company's bouncier foam and a Pebax propulsion plate set into the midsole, racing-shoe hardware fitted to a shoe built for comfort rather than speed. The result is heavy and unusually protective: a tall platform with a ten-millimetre drop, aimed at long, easy miles rather than at anything quick. This version runs black across the knit upper with a glow yellow accent. It released in September 2021 at $180, near the top of the range, and reviewers were consistent that it is a great deal of shoe: durable, deeply cushioned, and not for anyone counting grams.