“It's all about the characters and their trials and tribulations...”
February 14, 2018 5:02 PM Subscribe
The Thrill of the Game: Why I Love Sports Anime [Kinja] “One thing to quickly endear me to sports anime was the fact that characters, even villains/rivals don't die(usually, though I've yet to see a character die in a sports anime that I've watched). This means I get to see something that rarely occurs in shonen battle series, the much anticipated rematch. This is something that carries over from my love of real life sports. When one of my teams loses to a rival or a team I just don't like and I'm left all salty, I greatly look forward to a chance at a rematch later on down the road. [...] It feels odd saying one of the reasons I love sports anime is that they are more about the characters than the sport, but it is true. I am a massive fan of shows that are character-focused, and that is largely what sports anime are.”
• What Makes a Good Sports Anime [World Without Horizons]
• What Makes a Good Sports Anime [World Without Horizons]
“In the past few years, there have been several sports anime which gain popularity that lasts long after the season ends, those that gain the spotlight for a little while and quickly fade, and those that hardly get noticed at all. What makes Haikyuu!! so much more popular than something like, say, Diamond no Ace? Or why is a show that’s full of fanservice, like Free!, still so well-loved? I think the attraction of a sports anime has very little to do with the actual sport. Most fans, myself included, only occasionally watch an anime because it’s about a sport we’ve played or keep up with in “real life”. The pull of a sports anime is very similar to the pull of a good shonen – it’s the nail-biting tension and, frequently, the desire to see the underdogs come out on top. Instead of fighting with swords or fantastic powers (though the Generation of Miracles in Kuroko no Basuke come pretty close to performing magic), they clash through less violent means.”• Sports Anime Like Haikyuu Has More Appeal Than Regular Sports [Fight for Nippon]
“How the viewer interacts with the players is different. As sports anime are a story, the viewer gets to watch the characters grow, often within the context of how they play the game. In an anime, the viewer gets to hear the characters inner thoughts, which builds character and explores their goals. A narrative like anime also allows for it to display it’s characters outside of matches, doing things like practice and just spending time. The audiences get to spend time with the character in more than just the plays, this allows for the viewer to understand what makes the character act in certain ways during the games. Play styles are often made to fit with the character’s personality. A sports anime is about more than just the sports. The sports are the method of delivering a story, and this allows for it to explore different things. Shows like Yuri on Ice! allow for the sports to be used to explore how the people who play grow through action.”• ‘Haikyu!!’ Is The Sports Manga That May Make You Love Volleyball [Comics Alliance]
“Hinata was the only boys' v-ball player at his middle school until his last year, when he scraped enough kids together for a tournament. Unfortunately, they were crushed by a team led by the conceited, domineering Tobio Kageyama, AKA "the King of the court. Hinata vowed to surpass Kageyama, and his first step is getting into Karasuno High, the school that won nationals with the legendary "Little Giant" who inspired Hinata to play in the first place. He's shocked, therefore, to learn that Kageyama is also here and they're now... teammates? If you've read any shonen manga or watched any sports movie, you know where this is going. Even so, this is a blast. These are well-rounded characters with many notes to play. And they bounce well off of each other. In the grand Shonen Jump tradition, Hinata is dumb, headstrong, and determined. But he's not unrealistic; he knows his limits, but they don't stop him. "I know I'm not very tall," he says at one point. "But that doesn't matter! I... CAN FLY!!!" And he does. Besides being a good foil, Kageyama is sympathetic in his own right. His massive ego regarding his obvious talent comes back to haunt him, and when you learn the meaning behind "the king of the court," it's genuinely heartbreaking. You want him to succeed as much as Hinata.”• 16 Strange, Obscure, and Fictional Sports in Anime [Crunchyroll]
“You know the sports anime formula. Plucky kid tries a new thing for the first time and immediately falls in love with it. He joins his school’s club, only to discover that it’s nowhere near the powerhouse it used to be. In a grueling training arc, he develops camaraderie with his teammates, and together they work to beat their rival school and realize their dream of going to Koushien. But say you’re not a fan of baseball, basketball, or soccer. What sports anime do you watch then? Besides, what even is a sports anime? Figuring out what is and isn’t a sports anime might be like trying to decide what is and isn’t a sandwich, but if you’re willing to stretch your definitions a little, there’s a something for everyone. Swimming, tennis, kendo, you name it, it’s there. Heck, even a few made-up sports for good measure.”• The Yowamushi Pedal Phenomenon [Good E Reader]1. Table Tennis - Scorching Ping Pong Girls, Ping Pong: The Animation
2. Horse Racing - Mr. Osomatsu, Uma Musume Pretty Derby
3. Sidecar Racing - TWOCAR
4. Pro Wrestling - Tiger Mask W, Kick-Heart, we do not speak of Wanna be the Strongest in the World
5. Figure Skating - King of Prism, Ginban Kaleidoscope, Yuri on Ice!!!
6. Ballroom Dancing - Welcome to the Ballroom
7. Chearleading - Cheer Boys!!
8. Karuta (Japanese card game) - Chihayafuru
9. Parkour - Prince of Stride: Alternative
10. Butt Wrestling - Keijo!!!!!!!!
11. Tank Battles - GIRLS und PANZER
12. Plamo Battles - Gundam Build Fighters, Frame Arms Girl
13. Robotics - RoboMasters the Animation
14. Quiz Bowl - Fastest Finger First
15. Extreme Cheating - Cheating Craft
16. The Ultimate Sport - Teekyu
“The story follows a character everyone can relate to, an otaku named Sakamichi Onoda. He’s the only anime fan at his school, despite multiple tries to pull an anime club together. Onoda is so friendless that he takes the long back hill to school, just so he can sing his favorite anime theme song. His life takes a change for the better when he’s caught by Shunsuke Imaizumi, a young professional cyclist, who is amazed that Onoda can climb the hill on his bulky bike. Imaizumi makes a deal with Onoda – they will race up the hill. If Imaizumi wins, Onoda has to join the bike club. If Onoda wins, Imaizumi will join the anime club, which is enough incentive to get Onoda really racing. However, in the process, Onoda finds himself enjoying it, and he ends up joining the bike club. From there on out, it follows Onoda’s journey to get stronger and win as many races as he can. Like all sports anime seem to be, Yowamushi Pedal is popular. But the fans of the cycling anime are taking it a step further. While every sports anime I’ve seen makes the blood boil and the body itch to get out there and exercise, Yowamushi Pedal fans seem to be actually doing it. Because of the anime, bike sales in Japan have increased.”• How Sports Manga Got Me Into Sports [Book Riot]
“But when I discovered stuff like Bamboo Blade, Big Windup, and yes even Suzuka in college, I was enthralled. I got into sports more than I had in junior high. I watched the White Sox clinch the World Series in four games on my dad’s birthday, I watched Devin Hester run back a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl (only for the Bears to experience crushing defeat at the hands of Peyton Manning), and I watched Kawazoe Tamaki from Bamboo Blade stare down a girl much bigger than her and win. I loved all those moments, but I only cried during one. Sports anime, and sports manga, touches in a way that real sports can’t, but they disappoint in the exact same way. The final pitch from Bobby Jenks was just as big of a high as the final pitch from Uesugi Tatsuya. Watching Hester run is just as exhilarating as watching Hinata Shoyo spike for a point. [...] Sports anime is more than just the sport. I can sit and watch football all day Sunday but, at the end of the day, I could care less about Jay Cutler, John Fox, and the gang. Who I really care about are characters like Ace of Diamond’s Sawamura Eijun, Haikyu’s aforementioned Hinata, and, right now, Kobayashi Sena of Eyeshield 21 fame.”
Hikaru no Go was not listed, and I find this sad.
Because, how can you not love supense over go? And dramatic stone placement.
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:59 PM on February 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
Because, how can you not love supense over go? And dramatic stone placement.
posted by AlexiaSky at 5:59 PM on February 14, 2018 [8 favorites]
I maintain that Hibike! Euphonium, which is about concert band and which I think I found through MeFi, is the actual best sports anime. But this has given me additions for my watch list!
posted by bowtiesarecool at 6:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by bowtiesarecool at 6:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
okay but Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai tho
posted by halation at 6:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 6:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
I highly recommend Pin Pon in every format its ever come out - anime, manga and especially live action (where great care is taken to capture the spirit of the manga).
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:38 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I maintain that Hibike! Euphonium, which is about concert band and which I think I found through MeFi, is the actual best sports anime.
You know, I've never really thought of Hibike! Euphonium as a sports anime because I generally avoid that genre. But you're right, it would totally work as one. I will say that it's one of the most beautifully animated anime I've ever watched, and I'm looking forward to the two new Hibike! movies coming out this year.
I'll also highly recommend the Girls und Panzer franchise.
Do mountain climbing and camping count? If so, then Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume) and Yuru Camp are also worth a watch.
posted by ralan at 6:47 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
You know, I've never really thought of Hibike! Euphonium as a sports anime because I generally avoid that genre. But you're right, it would totally work as one. I will say that it's one of the most beautifully animated anime I've ever watched, and I'm looking forward to the two new Hibike! movies coming out this year.
I'll also highly recommend the Girls und Panzer franchise.
Do mountain climbing and camping count? If so, then Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume) and Yuru Camp are also worth a watch.
posted by ralan at 6:47 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hikaru no Go is an awesome anime that I've watched twice (once by myself, once on a four-eps-a-week schedule with my anime group) and I cannot say enough nice things about it. It's about a boy, his invisible ghost friend, and rather a lot of go, a board game that's only recently been solved by computer. There is a lot of Dramatic Stone Placement, but the plotting, character growth, voices, yadda yadda yadda... it's really well-crafted. Two thumbs up and it is totally a sports anime, in that it follows the growth of a player (Hikaru) from novice to skilled, along with the other players he meets, plays, and learns from along the way. (I will not pitch the hundred and seventy-eight episodes of Prince of Tennis to all ya'll on the blue because while it is a sports anime, kinda, and while I personally found it adorable, it is definitely fluff and not the level of quality anime experience you'd get from Hikaru no Go.)
posted by which_chick at 6:50 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by which_chick at 6:50 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Here to be the one who brings up Ookiku Furikabutte, a longtime favorite and one which I think belies the point in the article that most of the sports are essentially interchangeable. Yes it is VERY character-driven, but the way the characters interact with their sport and vice versa is very specific to player positions in baseball; most of the protagonist (?) Mihashi's fears and motivations wouldn't make sense, or at least would lack emotional punch, if he were a volleyball server or a soccer player instead of a pitcher.
It's also painstakingly researched, moving (there are a couple of scenes that make me cry every single time), realistic, and sometimes extremely funny. I am, to put it mildly, not a fan of the genre I sometimes think of as Japan Sentimental (in sports anime/manga, see Touch), and Oofuri is very good at avoiding the easy emotional moments while retaining depth.
posted by huimangm at 7:12 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's also painstakingly researched, moving (there are a couple of scenes that make me cry every single time), realistic, and sometimes extremely funny. I am, to put it mildly, not a fan of the genre I sometimes think of as Japan Sentimental (in sports anime/manga, see Touch), and Oofuri is very good at avoiding the easy emotional moments while retaining depth.
posted by huimangm at 7:12 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Eyeshield 21 is my guilty pleasure - it's about Highschool American Football in Tokyo. Yes, it's weird, and it knows it's weird. They have little bumpers before and after commercial breaks to explain some of the basics of the byzantine rules of Grid Iron Almighty.
It is rife with larger than life superhero-esque characters with serious depth to them, and many layers of drama intertwining. One episode's menacing villain is the next's underdog hero with a big heart, and only a simple shift in the story's perspective is the change.
It's colorful and grotesque in a charming way - the Quarterback is literally Satan, his best friend is an anthropomorphic chestnut who literally shakes the earth when walking. There's the lineman who's a shaved koala bear, and his heartwarming relationship with his supportive man's-man ruggedly handsome dad.
And it's only in the context of the sport that these characters are amazing. They get very little respect from the other teams - this is Japan, and Baseball, Basketball and Soccer rule - and some of them are cast-offs from those teams. (Cue the tear-jerker when the baseball coach who benched Monta stopped to watch him practice, because he admires athletic excellence, and man, Monta really found his calling since being cut.) The Devil Bats are seen as pathetic weirdos and misfits and delinquents by their own school, even though they are feared and respected as the fiercest competitors by others.
I mean, really, between Hiruma and the Ha-Ha Brothers, we may not be actually rooting for the good-guy team, here.
Also, while women are not permitted to compete, Mamori is strong, competent and smart enough to where the team does not win without her as Manager. There are sparks between her and Hiruma that are, fortunately, never explored, but the fact they're there is nice.
Also, the protagonist, Sena, is interesting. He's naturally the bully's little toadie, who gets bullied hardest of all, sent to go buy snacks or take the fall. Then he's found by Literally Satan Hiruma, who has plans for a kid this naturally quick and acquiescent. Sena continually sets himself up for failure, and is constantly surprised when he succeeds because of his friends and rivals showing him he is actually this good at this running-back thing, and he pays them back in kind. The kid is eager to learn, he's got a kind heart, and so we're eager to learn with him.
It's just really good. I like the slow-mo play-and-replay of the "special moves" - the action in this is great.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:46 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
It is rife with larger than life superhero-esque characters with serious depth to them, and many layers of drama intertwining. One episode's menacing villain is the next's underdog hero with a big heart, and only a simple shift in the story's perspective is the change.
It's colorful and grotesque in a charming way - the Quarterback is literally Satan, his best friend is an anthropomorphic chestnut who literally shakes the earth when walking. There's the lineman who's a shaved koala bear, and his heartwarming relationship with his supportive man's-man ruggedly handsome dad.
And it's only in the context of the sport that these characters are amazing. They get very little respect from the other teams - this is Japan, and Baseball, Basketball and Soccer rule - and some of them are cast-offs from those teams. (Cue the tear-jerker when the baseball coach who benched Monta stopped to watch him practice, because he admires athletic excellence, and man, Monta really found his calling since being cut.) The Devil Bats are seen as pathetic weirdos and misfits and delinquents by their own school, even though they are feared and respected as the fiercest competitors by others.
I mean, really, between Hiruma and the Ha-Ha Brothers, we may not be actually rooting for the good-guy team, here.
Also, while women are not permitted to compete, Mamori is strong, competent and smart enough to where the team does not win without her as Manager. There are sparks between her and Hiruma that are, fortunately, never explored, but the fact they're there is nice.
Also, the protagonist, Sena, is interesting. He's naturally the bully's little toadie, who gets bullied hardest of all, sent to go buy snacks or take the fall. Then he's found by Literally Satan Hiruma, who has plans for a kid this naturally quick and acquiescent. Sena continually sets himself up for failure, and is constantly surprised when he succeeds because of his friends and rivals showing him he is actually this good at this running-back thing, and he pays them back in kind. The kid is eager to learn, he's got a kind heart, and so we're eager to learn with him.
It's just really good. I like the slow-mo play-and-replay of the "special moves" - the action in this is great.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:46 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
Eyeshield 21 is one of my favorite sports manga (haven’t seen the anime), but here’s your warning that the series portrayal of a minor African American character, while meant to be sympathetic, is tone deaf at best and casually racist at worst. When I worked in bookstores it killed me that because of the racefail I couldn’t comfortably recommend ES21 to young manga fans, because little kids LOVE sports manga and American football. You could’ve been my big manga star, Eyeshield 21!
Back to the main topic: I wonder what the overlaps and distinctions are between sports anime/manga and the larger manga genre of Being The Best At [Thing]. There’s discussion upthread of Hikaru no Go as a sports series, which it totally is. But is it a sports series with a weird outlier sport-subject? Or are anime sports series a subset of a larger genre of “[Activity] regarded as Serious Business” series? I can think of many other series giving other subjects that shonen sports-like Serious Business treatment, like Swan (ballet), Skip Beat (acting), Yakitate‼ Japan (BREAD BAKING).
posted by nicebookrack at 8:25 PM on February 14, 2018
Back to the main topic: I wonder what the overlaps and distinctions are between sports anime/manga and the larger manga genre of Being The Best At [Thing]. There’s discussion upthread of Hikaru no Go as a sports series, which it totally is. But is it a sports series with a weird outlier sport-subject? Or are anime sports series a subset of a larger genre of “[Activity] regarded as Serious Business” series? I can think of many other series giving other subjects that shonen sports-like Serious Business treatment, like Swan (ballet), Skip Beat (acting), Yakitate‼ Japan (BREAD BAKING).
posted by nicebookrack at 8:25 PM on February 14, 2018
I dunno. Patrick Spencer, and all of the "sand lot" football scenes in America is problematic from an American perspective. It's not intended for an American audience, it's intended for an audience where these are horrible villains based on the color of their skin and where they're from, and it upends these assumptions handily. Panther is handsomely depicted, and he is in the upper echelons of competitors, alongside Shin and Sena, and he's a great guy with a good-tho-racist coach who is absolutely supposed to be Lombardi.
Also be aware the only American member of the Devil Bats is a narcissistic idiot with flowing blonde locks and blue eyes and who is only good at playing football and making bad life decisions.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:52 PM on February 14, 2018
Also be aware the only American member of the Devil Bats is a narcissistic idiot with flowing blonde locks and blue eyes and who is only good at playing football and making bad life decisions.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:52 PM on February 14, 2018
The evil white American football players are cartoonishly bigoted and obvious villains, but Panther’s sprinting "superpower" is pure benevolently-racist cringe. "Muscles that only black people have!"
posted by nicebookrack at 9:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by nicebookrack at 9:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
What makes Haikyuu!! so much more popular than something like, say, Diamond no Ace? Or why is a show that’s full of fanservice, like Free!, still so well-loved?
Fujoshi.
The not so dirty little secret behind the success of several of these sports series is not that they're good sports series, but that they're chockful of cute, shippable boys and there's a huge female audience for pairing up cute boys with other cute boys. Free! especially was rather blatant in this.
So while a series like Haikyuu!! looks and feels like a traditional sports anime -- and you can certainly watch it like one--, the real attraction lies in seeing the hot headed protagonist get emotional about his team mates, or the cool, standoffish guy comfort his senpai after a particularly bad match. It's the implied sexual tension.
(Fujoshi aka "Rotten girls" is the generic term for boys love fangirls)
posted by MartinWisse at 9:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Fujoshi.
The not so dirty little secret behind the success of several of these sports series is not that they're good sports series, but that they're chockful of cute, shippable boys and there's a huge female audience for pairing up cute boys with other cute boys. Free! especially was rather blatant in this.
So while a series like Haikyuu!! looks and feels like a traditional sports anime -- and you can certainly watch it like one--, the real attraction lies in seeing the hot headed protagonist get emotional about his team mates, or the cool, standoffish guy comfort his senpai after a particularly bad match. It's the implied sexual tension.
(Fujoshi aka "Rotten girls" is the generic term for boys love fangirls)
posted by MartinWisse at 9:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
there's a huge female audience for pairing up cute boys with other cute boys
Yuuuup. There’s even a big chunk of professional BL (boys love) manga artists I can think of who achieved initial popularity through drawing shippy doujinshi (unofficial fan comics) based on shonen sports anime/manga.
Sidebar: I googled around to find my fave baseball-themed BL short comic, and apparently Internet Archive is hosting bootleg manga scanslations now?? Anyway, “You & Me Etc.” Chapter 1 by Kyuugou, very cute, knock yourselves out.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:46 PM on February 14, 2018
Yuuuup. There’s even a big chunk of professional BL (boys love) manga artists I can think of who achieved initial popularity through drawing shippy doujinshi (unofficial fan comics) based on shonen sports anime/manga.
Sidebar: I googled around to find my fave baseball-themed BL short comic, and apparently Internet Archive is hosting bootleg manga scanslations now?? Anyway, “You & Me Etc.” Chapter 1 by Kyuugou, very cute, knock yourselves out.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:46 PM on February 14, 2018
Do mountain climbing and camping count? If so, then Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume) and Yuru Camp are also worth a watch.
Worth a read as well.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:58 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Worth a read as well.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:58 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
No love for Prince of Tennis? Baby Steps is also good (and much more realistic).
When the fighting spirit is weak, go watch some sports anime.
posted by oceano at 10:02 PM on February 14, 2018
When the fighting spirit is weak, go watch some sports anime.
posted by oceano at 10:02 PM on February 14, 2018
I adore Yowamushi Pedal, even if it does take about as long to show an event as it takes in real life. Sometimes longer. A whole episode to climb one hill, or maybe two or three. Episodes, not hills.
The characters aren't all that interesting, mostly because there's almost no interaction among any of them outside of training and racing. It's hard to get invested in their relationships.
But those kids are just so darn cheerful and dedicated, and the bicycle animation is just so pretty. Probably the best part. My bike is never that shiny.
posted by asperity at 10:04 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
The characters aren't all that interesting, mostly because there's almost no interaction among any of them outside of training and racing. It's hard to get invested in their relationships.
But those kids are just so darn cheerful and dedicated, and the bicycle animation is just so pretty. Probably the best part. My bike is never that shiny.
posted by asperity at 10:04 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yowamushi Pedal, aka we start a race halfway through season three and have the thrilling finale of the first day halfway through season 4.
Perfect background anime for me, because it's so bloody slow you miss little by not paying too much attention. (And I get annoyed fast if I do pay attention).
Baby Steps (2 seasons, a third one coming up) is great if you can look past the not so good animation and CGI spectators. Nerdy egghead decides he has some time in his studying schedule, decides some form of exercise would be ideal, goes to a local tennis club on a whim, gets hooked despite himself, eventually decides to turn pro if he can.
Yama no Susume and Yuru Camp are as much slice of moe/cute girls doing cute things as sports anime, lacking the actual competition (other than girl vs nature) of a proper sports anime. That said, both are great series anybody should watch.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Perfect background anime for me, because it's so bloody slow you miss little by not paying too much attention. (And I get annoyed fast if I do pay attention).
Baby Steps (2 seasons, a third one coming up) is great if you can look past the not so good animation and CGI spectators. Nerdy egghead decides he has some time in his studying schedule, decides some form of exercise would be ideal, goes to a local tennis club on a whim, gets hooked despite himself, eventually decides to turn pro if he can.
Yama no Susume and Yuru Camp are as much slice of moe/cute girls doing cute things as sports anime, lacking the actual competition (other than girl vs nature) of a proper sports anime. That said, both are great series anybody should watch.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yowamushi Pedal fans seem to be actually doing it. Because of the anime, bike sales in Japan have increased.”
Note that Haikyuu!! made volleyball from a niche sport in decline into one of the most popular high school sports in Japan.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Note that Haikyuu!! made volleyball from a niche sport in decline into one of the most popular high school sports in Japan.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Mrs Binaryape has no interested in real sports but loves sports anime, so I tend to walk past a lot of sports anime playing on the TV and get confused about which one she's actually watching, they've all blurred together. There's an orangey basketball one where one match seems to take an entire series.
A recent few I do actually like:
'March Comes In Like A Lion' is probably technically a sports anime as it's about professional Shogi chess players but doesn't follow the template at all, and is so astonishingly good in every way it deserves a Metafilter post of its own to do it justice. It's just utterly wonderful.
'Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club' - I suspect my secret favourite anime genre is "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is decent, and nothing happens". This one is set in an alternative reality version of Kamakura that isn't full of tourists. I can barely remember anything happening in it at all apart from a sandwich being stolen by a bird and someone getting lost. People discuss gears a lot. The enthusiastic-but-daft girl that's in almost everything recently is in it.
(My current top "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is good, and nothing happens" is 'Laid Back Camp' which really pushes the envelope on nothing happening, and the enthusiastic-but-daft girl is particularly nice in it.)
posted by BinaryApe at 1:28 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
A recent few I do actually like:
'March Comes In Like A Lion' is probably technically a sports anime as it's about professional Shogi chess players but doesn't follow the template at all, and is so astonishingly good in every way it deserves a Metafilter post of its own to do it justice. It's just utterly wonderful.
'Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club' - I suspect my secret favourite anime genre is "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is decent, and nothing happens". This one is set in an alternative reality version of Kamakura that isn't full of tourists. I can barely remember anything happening in it at all apart from a sandwich being stolen by a bird and someone getting lost. People discuss gears a lot. The enthusiastic-but-daft girl that's in almost everything recently is in it.
(My current top "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is good, and nothing happens" is 'Laid Back Camp' which really pushes the envelope on nothing happening, and the enthusiastic-but-daft girl is particularly nice in it.)
posted by BinaryApe at 1:28 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Ace of Diamond (Diamond no Ace) was fantastic. It really converted me to giving sports, or rather competition animes more of a chance since something like Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) is pretty similar in its effect.
The thing that really makes those shows work for me is in how well anime can capture a completely subjective space in ways live action just can't. In Diamond no Ace, for example, the ability of the players is seen in relative terms. A player is seen as dominant as long as the subjective mindset of the central character or team remains underdeveloped in terms of their own abilities. Once they achieve success, the relative difficulty shifts to a higher level matching their growth and achievement, yet keeping the feel of the competition as a struggle to overcome.
I also really enjoyed the detailed accounting of all the players and games, where not only each of the teammates are given development time in showing their skills and weaknesses, but the same is true for the teams they face, where their players too are shown as going through a similar process of growth and who have their own balance of skills and weak spots that make up the challenge in the encounters on the field. That a single game can take several episodes as they go through it batter by batter just makes the show all the more binge worthy.
Your Lie in April is somewhat similar in terms of the subjective space and competition, but with the added weirdness of it being almost completely dominated by women characters save for the central male and one of his friends. The effect is that spoken of in the so-called Manic Pixie Dream Girl effect, where the guy is of overwhelming importance to all others in the show beyond all reason, but at the same time that itself is also one of the emotional hooks of the show in its subjective element, looking at the central character from just outside his own perspective, but with emotionally singular investment as if the show itself is so attached to him it just can't avoid taking on deep sympathy for his plight.
In both shows, and others, the animation itself provides the emotional measure of the competitions, where they are able to visually show the effect of a pitch or a song played in ways that aren't easily translatable to live action. It's that element that ties the viewer so strongly to the subjective point of view of the characters, even when it shifts between the central character to his "opponents". It's a unique feature of animes and mangas/comics coming from being able to change the way we see something by changing the features of the space and objects to suit their ends.
posted by gusottertrout at 1:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
The thing that really makes those shows work for me is in how well anime can capture a completely subjective space in ways live action just can't. In Diamond no Ace, for example, the ability of the players is seen in relative terms. A player is seen as dominant as long as the subjective mindset of the central character or team remains underdeveloped in terms of their own abilities. Once they achieve success, the relative difficulty shifts to a higher level matching their growth and achievement, yet keeping the feel of the competition as a struggle to overcome.
I also really enjoyed the detailed accounting of all the players and games, where not only each of the teammates are given development time in showing their skills and weaknesses, but the same is true for the teams they face, where their players too are shown as going through a similar process of growth and who have their own balance of skills and weak spots that make up the challenge in the encounters on the field. That a single game can take several episodes as they go through it batter by batter just makes the show all the more binge worthy.
Your Lie in April is somewhat similar in terms of the subjective space and competition, but with the added weirdness of it being almost completely dominated by women characters save for the central male and one of his friends. The effect is that spoken of in the so-called Manic Pixie Dream Girl effect, where the guy is of overwhelming importance to all others in the show beyond all reason, but at the same time that itself is also one of the emotional hooks of the show in its subjective element, looking at the central character from just outside his own perspective, but with emotionally singular investment as if the show itself is so attached to him it just can't avoid taking on deep sympathy for his plight.
In both shows, and others, the animation itself provides the emotional measure of the competitions, where they are able to visually show the effect of a pitch or a song played in ways that aren't easily translatable to live action. It's that element that ties the viewer so strongly to the subjective point of view of the characters, even when it shifts between the central character to his "opponents". It's a unique feature of animes and mangas/comics coming from being able to change the way we see something by changing the features of the space and objects to suit their ends.
posted by gusottertrout at 1:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
For me it's been about Baby Steps, Yowamushi Pedal, Yuri on Ice!!! and Haikyuu!! These sports anime just found a way into my soul and connected with me on a certain level.
I think it's because I've always been a bit of an underdog and I'm a smaller more scrappy kind of individual, so being that player on the tennis team and working hard and fighting my way up is something I can definitely relate to. I've been that tennis player on my school team. So I know this struggle.
posted by Fizz at 6:23 AM on February 15, 2018
I think it's because I've always been a bit of an underdog and I'm a smaller more scrappy kind of individual, so being that player on the tennis team and working hard and fighting my way up is something I can definitely relate to. I've been that tennis player on my school team. So I know this struggle.
posted by Fizz at 6:23 AM on February 15, 2018
One of the granddaddies of all sports anime/manga, Ashita no Joe, is getting a kind of sequel/kind of remake next season called Megalo Box. I am excite.
posted by Aznable at 6:41 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Aznable at 6:41 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Via: Crunchyroll
posted by Fizz at 6:48 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
The first details on the Hanebado aniime adaptation have been confirmed, with a trailer confirming the initial cast and staff. The anime will be helmed by the following staff and preliminary cast members, with the key visual and trailer following.Badminton Sports Anime!!! Hells yeah!!
posted by Fizz at 6:48 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
No love for Prince of Tennis?
The TeniPuri fandom is so overwhelmingly fujoshi / boys-love fans that I genuinely forget sometimes that it’s a shonen series and not actually a BL show. The adaptation live-action Prince of Tennis stage musicals didn’t achieve "unexpected popularity, especially among girls" because people were excited to watch tennis played onstage.
posted by nicebookrack at 8:25 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
The TeniPuri fandom is so overwhelmingly fujoshi / boys-love fans that I genuinely forget sometimes that it’s a shonen series and not actually a BL show. The adaptation live-action Prince of Tennis stage musicals didn’t achieve "unexpected popularity, especially among girls" because people were excited to watch tennis played onstage.
posted by nicebookrack at 8:25 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Do mountain climbing and camping count? If so, then Encouragement of Climb (Yama no Susume) and Yuru Camp are also worth a watch.
Worth a read as well.
First English volume of Laid-Back Camp is out through Yen Press in March. I've already got it preordered.
I found Yama no Susume via the scanlations of Yuru Camp. The scanlator group used a page with Hinata and Aoi from Yama no Susume as their credits page, so I got curious and hunted down the image. I've enjoyed the manga and both seasons of the anime and I'm waiting on season 3 to be released.
I suspect my secret favourite anime genre is "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is decent, and nothing happens".
Look in my profile for the link to my MAL profile, where you will find pretty much nothing but Slice of Life anime and manga, leaning heavily towards Cute Girls Doing Cute Things moe fluff. My life is stressful enough, so when I want to relax I want to watch something cute and fun.
posted by ralan at 3:43 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Worth a read as well.
First English volume of Laid-Back Camp is out through Yen Press in March. I've already got it preordered.
I found Yama no Susume via the scanlations of Yuru Camp. The scanlator group used a page with Hinata and Aoi from Yama no Susume as their credits page, so I got curious and hunted down the image. I've enjoyed the manga and both seasons of the anime and I'm waiting on season 3 to be released.
I suspect my secret favourite anime genre is "anime where everyone is nice, the animation quality is decent, and nothing happens".
Look in my profile for the link to my MAL profile, where you will find pretty much nothing but Slice of Life anime and manga, leaning heavily towards Cute Girls Doing Cute Things moe fluff. My life is stressful enough, so when I want to relax I want to watch something cute and fun.
posted by ralan at 3:43 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty sure Moyashimon is a brewing and fermentation sports anime.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:49 PM on February 15, 2018
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:49 PM on February 15, 2018
Keijo!! was billed as being really serious -- the people in the sport seem to take it seriously, as well as the people watching it, which is something that makes it... interesting, I think.
I'm a fan of Prince of Tennis and a few other sports anime, despite not liking sports. I also like Yuru Camp.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:58 AM on February 16, 2018
I'm a fan of Prince of Tennis and a few other sports anime, despite not liking sports. I also like Yuru Camp.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 8:58 AM on February 16, 2018
Is Yuri On Ice considered a sports anime?? I know that pro figure skaters LOVE it; a Japanese pair even skated to some of the music at the Olympics.
Everything I know about American sports I learned from Japanese comics.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Everything I know about American sports I learned from Japanese comics.
posted by nicebookrack at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
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