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As someone who was forced into it often enough as a kid and has never liked football: this was an absolute joy to watch.

Beautifully drawn, with some stunning sceneries and great animation: as expected from I.G at this point, and they don't disappoint. It also manages to keep a rather perfect balance between the sport and the slice-of-life side of things, rather consistently, through all 24 episodes. Where we get sport, we get some really well done scenes with just enough explanation for laypeople to enjoy it as well. Where we get slice-of-life, we get glimpses into people's lives that bring just the right ... kind and amount of drama (or comedy) to give the series that touch of realism. Which is there from the start, by the way, right with the protagonist, Aoi: he loves playing football, but he doesn't really know how to, so he has problems fitting in, except for that one school where he's accepted. He's imperfect the moment we get to know him, and though he has his strength, it quickly dissolves as he moves on in life. It's a joy to watch him grow and get over the obstacles the new environment keeps putting his way. He's far from being a know-it-all prodigy; his skills make him pretty average (if that), something he gets reminded about repeatedly, and his hidden talent is so ephemeral it takes a lot to bring out, so it's not something he can always rely on. Beyond that, he has to settle into his new life and fit in with a bunch of other people, who all have their own baggage, their own ego they bring to the game. That doesn't happen automagically either, as expected, and we do actually get to see it unfold: satisfying not only because it's rather uncommon, but because it's also done very well.

Perhaps the only issue the anime has is not enough emphasis/detail on the supporting cast. Some of them could be a little more well-rounded, some of them feel entirely unnecessary, and yet when looking at their relationships with Aoi, things feel solid and natural. Except for the girls, again - sorry not sorry, but I do wish sport flicks stopped trying to shoehorn in the "romance subplot". It's usually just a trainwreck that feels unnatural and goes nowhere at all at best, and entirely superfluous and tacked on at worst: precious time being wasted instead of used to expand on or show other things. And yet, one of them is the star of ED through the whole second half, for some reason.

All in all though, definitely recommended. In for a ride with Aoi growing up through football: I was looking forward to the next episode every week, without a hint of "oh it's still not over" fatigue, which usually settles in around the 9th or 10th week. And this one's double the standard length, and now I'm looking forward for more! Second season, please!

This is an unfortunate one. The usual 12-episode constraint often ruins anime series, as there's never enough time to really let things/characters bloom, too often not enough to even include certain events at all. Well, now here's one that's double that length, what's more even the source material is, apparently, barely more at just 28 chapters. Should be an easy win, right? Well...

For starters: they join the badminton club in junior high. To cut to the chase (much like the anime itself does): in the last scenes of the last episode, they're in their last year of highschool. If that seems a little like fast ... forward, it's because - it is. The amount of characters that are introduced, the relationships they form, and those they carry from their previous schools, not to mention all the tournaments... Yeah, it shows. Or to be more precise: it doesn't. Skipping months ahead at times, games not even in a slideshow just barely glossed over in a few words that informs us who lost or won what (no joke, some episodes do away with 2-3-4 games like that), and then it's already the next tournament, and we barely even blinked. And oh, yeah, there's also some girls sprinkled in here and there as if to tease some romance "subplot" that never really /is/.

It's a shame, really. Most of the cast is actually likeable, and an anime using the sport as just a backdrop for a coming-of-age story wouldn't necessarily be bad: that's more like what this felt it wants to be. At times. But that's still better than how often it felt like a sport anime, which is basically never. There are some likeable characters, even some relatable situations and circumstances (for example, Sakaki's family and their restaurant and the way Matsuda gets "caught up" in that was rather nice)... But then there's also the "star player" of the series, who has a princely pretty face, but for the most part just a total prickly douche personality to go with it, and he never gets any better. Everyone also seems way too "wide" up to, way too ripped in the scarce few fanservice shots we get, which is weird in itself as that kinda bodybuilder build is not really the right build for badminton players, especially in highschool... Then it's exacerbated by how it also seems rather inconsistent when they do wear clothes, which is of course most of the time.

I tried really hard to like this one, and I actually feel bad for giving it such a low score. But when I'm happy for the last episode because it means the creators won't be able to drag it out any more, or potentially make it even worse...... I suppose it can't be helped.

I waited almost a week for the experience to settle down, so I wouldn't end up writing stuff on impulse alone. So let's see: a sequel to Inuyasha, one of the big "classics" - how bad can it be, right? In short: if the original is near and dear to your heart, do yourself a favour and stay away, because this is a cringefest that's just checking some new-fangled boxes on a to-do list.

Sadly, the answer is anything but flattering. From the very start I had a feeling I stumbled upon some third rate Mary Sue self-insert fanfiction, and that feeling did not go away. ... If anything, it got progressively worse as the series went on. Straight from the start I felt iffy about the protagonists: the very obvious and very cheap pandering to certain more recent mindsets that just had to make this series about three girls, kinda contrasting to the Inuyasha-Miroku-Kouga triangle (where Kouga wasn't even a main character). It doesn't help that none of them is particularly girly, either, in fact one is straight up dressed like a boy in suit and tie, another's just too restrained and more like a strict matron, while the third is sort of a restless, mischievous prankster. The one male character who does appear rather frequently throughout the whole season - looks more feminine than any of the "princesses".

The story isn't exactly anything to write home about, either: instead of a jewel, we're now chasing pearls, fighting mostly monster-of-the-week enemies, while the rhyme and reason for everything remains too obscure for too long, only to come to a messy sort-of-conclusion. No character development to speak of, but hey, at least some of the old favourites show up (not that they've changed all that much despite the timeskip). I'm actually not even sure this entire story adds anything to, or really expands on the original, instead of just existing in its own vacuum. The same goes for the art and sound as well: for a short while it feels nice to settle back into an old atmosphere, but then - that's all. Nothing new there, as if time really did stop somewhere along the way and no image/animation quality, nor battle direction evolved at all in the years since Inuyasha. There's an overhyped first OP song, though. And if going on about comparisons feel pointless, it's unfortunate, but that's just it: you can hardly avoid it, all things considered.

The entire series is baffling. The quality and effort put into it is almost laughably poor across all departments, and consistently so throughout the season. Which season, by the way, is double length - and not only that, but a second season is already confirmed as well. It's baffling to imagine all the money and human resources wasted on a title that's running on nothing but empty nostalgia and some dried-up respect for the creator of an older series. There are too many other anime, with much more potential, that don't even get the 24episode treatment - the constraint serving as catalyst where they do end up buckling under their own weight of inconsistencies and ending up disappointing. Yet, here we have this thing that belongs on a fanfic site, where I wouldn't even touch it with a 10-foot pole, getting all the special treatment, simply because of a name. If it wasn't tied to Inuyasha, it probably would've lasted a total of 12 episodes.

In my opinion, Hanyou no Yashahime is a good showcase for too many things that are wrong with anime.

First things first: I really don't know anything about bandori. Like, sure, it's big music franchise, but apart from that - literally nothing at all. Whatever could be gathered from any other source that exists out there... great, probably. For me though, there's only this anime.

It's unfortunate that if I have to sum it up in one word, that word is "unfortunate". I don't mind uncommon methods, like the CG we had here for pretty much the whole series: personally I'm used to it, and indeed considering the genre it just fits. Granted, at times it could have been better, there were moments where it ... felt awkward, but overall it was perfectly fine. The designs were also great: settings as well as the characters, and even the smaller details. The music, the songs are obviously great, with the energy and emotions one would expect, given what the franchise is. But great music and easy-on-the-eyes characters can only carry a series so far...

And that's where the negatives come in. The characters sure look great, but I struggled to discover much (if anything at all) in most of them beyond that. They just feel more like empty husks that have some basic "programming" to act out, a generic personality and/or issue or problem to move them forward, but it just doesn't feel organic. They aren't "bad" per se - if anything, they simply lack the complexity to be. I couldn't really sense many or strong connections - between them or between myself and any one of them. Sadly, the story is the same: weak, lukewarm, somewhat haphazard, a bit of a hodgepodge that doesn't really know which way to go, and eventually doesn't really go anywhere. A few huge coincidences change the flow, maybe the direction, but for the most part, that's just it: going with the flow. I'm usually one of those people who are really emotionally affected by the story they watch unfold, who can literally laugh and cry together with the characters and worry themselves to death over them. Here I could barely be bothered enough to care. Songs popping up out of nowhere that we never even hear mentioned being worked on, and that's just not the way to make anything believable - yet here it happens more often than not. And while those songs themselves aren't bad in any sense of he word, not seeing them being "born" makes them, makes the whole "story" hard to connect to. Then again, this and the coincidences aren't the only two things that can jolt you out of your suspension of disbelief: there are several more cartwheels and backflips in logic that honestly could have been handled better with little (if any) more effort.

You might as well go straight for Argonavis's or Gyroaxia's music on whatever music platform you prefer, that's most of the value here. The characters and the story are just too weak to be the source of much enjoyment; and while the visuals aren't bad, they aren't anything to write home about either. Not a glimpse of fanservice in sight anywhere, so you can't even look forward to that. It's just unfortunate, because as strong as the music is, this series could have been much better with a little more effort in writing and directing.

Probably this year's prime example of how the 12-episode format and the hardheaded insistence on it do more to damage anime than to help it thrive. Or even keep it alive, as the case were.

Yesterday wo Utatte is about as common, simple and pedestrian a slice-of-life as a story can be, so if you expect it to distract you from real life, you're gonna be disappointed. The characters themselves are also perfectly normal, everyday people, if some of them a little too one-dimensional; I'm sure many of us can find one or more we easily relate to (or could, at one point or another in ... our lives). There isn't a whole lot of action, as befitting life in general - if anything, it spends a lot of time contemplating the trivial everydays in quiet melancholy. Mind and soul often take center stage, and even when a given character isn't outright analysing a stray thought or a fickle feeling, it's easy to pick up on how things are affecting them and why, almost as if reading all their diaries. Although it relies a little too much on "coincidence", and at a point feels like it'll adapt a wholly episodic storytelling where the side characters appear for an episode and then leave at the end, this seems to go on for a while, and if you like this sort of reflectional work, neither of these details will bother you.


[SPOLERS AHEAD]

It seems to go on like this... and ultimately that sort of becomes the downfall of the story. The problem is it barely (if ever) feels like any of the characters is going anywhere at all. Professionally, maybe, but even that's only the guys: Rikuo moves on from being a convenience store part-timer and finds a job he likes and is interested in doing, Rou finds a goal and manages to pursue it... But that's about the extent of it. With so much self-inspection, one would come to expect some form of growth. Changes to happen as people live their lives - changes that just aren't there. The stalker remains a stalker, the "maybe-but-not-really" couple dances their weird dance around each other, the woman who couldn't cope with the death of her crush never moves on from it... And they just keep hurting not only themselves but each other as well. The side characters seem to do more to push our main quartet forward than they do themselves, which, sure it happens, but not like this. It doesn't help that we're often not sure just how much time passes by between two scenes. There are cases when things are obviously directly connected, but about as many others where there's a gap in time between two events. Worse still is the fact that these gaps are absolutely random in size: they can be minutes as well as months (or more?). Such a generous application of erratic time skips really doesn't help make the story feel coherent at all.

And then we arrive at the last episode. No opening, it picks things right up where the previous one left off, and goes straight for the drama. Then we get a somber, indeed beautifully done and realistic discussion between two people who, seemingly, finally grew up. The end. Except not really, there's another half to it, one that turns everything upside down. There is absolutely nothing to explain or justify anything that happens here, indeed Rikuo himself saying he doesn't know how to explain it is a perfect summary of it. I'm not familiar with the source material - whatever the ending is, it might make perfect sense there. But that's exactly the elephant in the room. There's a huge amount of stuff that never made it into the anime... obviously, and that in itself would be just fine. However, for some inexplicable reason, it seems like whoever was responsible for it was not content leaving it unfinished and ending it on a note that would have made (at least a little) sense in the anime - no, they had to go for what is (apparently?) the original ending. Well, it fits about as well as the square peg in the round hole. Not only does the episode itself upset the whole tone and pacing set throughout the previous 11 episodes, switching to a lot more "action-packed" style; but it also comes off as a case of wanting to have the cake and eat it too.

All in all, the ending becomes the bullet that's shot into the foot. Without it, the anime would be a decent romantic slice-of-life, with some flaws that one could sort of squint at and maybe overlook through rose-tinted glasses while reminscing about their own similar memories of childhood and youth. As it is, however, it amplifies those flaws to a magnitude where they turn the decent attempt into a butchered, disjointed mess, in which if you thought you'd found characters to relate to, you'll conclude that they weren't characters, only certain traits or patterns - and they might actually be more harmful than you figured, too. It's a very unfortunate note to end a series on, and it might even leave a bitter enough aftertaste to discourage people from picking up the manga.

Overall: 5/10, simply because the art and animation were really good at worst and outright beautiful at best, the sound and voices were also well done and contributed a lot to setting the atmosphere. However, the characters having a rather gaping flaw or two at best, and being wholly one-dimensional at worst, with an almost complete lack of growth, plus the lack of any moral to the story in the end really soured whatever enjoyment the contemplations in the first half or so may have offered. And indeed, when you don't really have a "story" to tell, there should be other aspects to make up for it. Here, I guess it boils down to being a victim of this nonsensical anime format.

I felt bad for this series so many times during its run that I just lost count, for various reasons.

I mean, look, if you have your main character declare he will put a collar on the other main character in the very first episode... at the very least make it a thing. A gag, a running joke, something that comes up multiple times during the series for a bit of fanservice. If you have a flamboyant pink guy whose self-proclaimed motto is "enjoy and excite"... leverage that for fanservice. When you're showcasing a sport with so much body contact... put some fanservice in there, it's ... so damn easy.

And - yes, I'm going on about fanservice, which no anime should be solely built around, but if all else fails, at least you should be able to fall back on that. And boy, does Try Knights fail everywhere, sadly even at fanservice. Story and plot are pretty much non-existent, just a very few basic building blocks of a club in disarray. A few of the characters seem to have at least some level of, well, character to them, but it's very rarely utilised. The voice acting sounds rather sterile and unmotivated all too often, which is unfortunate because the animation is outright horrid all too often as well. Soundtrack can't help either, exactly because the visual setup is so sterile. It doesn't do much to showcase rugby in any sort of exciting ways either, and that's probably its biggest crime, being a kind of official tie-in for the rugby world cup happening in Japan. With all this, the fact that even the few attempts at fanservice are so tentative (or outright bad, like I've never wanted to say no to shirtless boys before) is really unforgiveable.

There is some honest effort that can be seen, here and there, particularly in the last few episodes... But it's not enough to redeem the entire series. At any rate, why should anyone suffer through more than three quarters of a series to get to the good bits?

I'm having a hard time figuring out what to start this review with, simply because even days after its conclusion I still have so many thoughts and feelings swirling around about it. Perhaps saying "nevermind the genre categories" is a good start. Sure, they give clues as to what to expect, but expectations are dangerous. Many of those words that describe genre have way too many negative connotations, which inevitably influence one's decision to watch or avoid a certain anime. And even without those connotations, I'm sure "shounen ai" is something many people avoid on principle. Well, here's a great reason why you should not. ... A great reason why you should ignore genres.

And yet, at the same time, I can't help being overjoyed for what given brings to those genres, because it is all of those - done exceptionally well and with such a level of grace and dignity across the board that it really is just absolutely wholesome. It does not give in to bad tropes, it does not give in to twisted concepts, it does not give in to fanservice. Heck, the characters themselves aren't what one would usually call "bishounen" or "ikemen": the teens' proportions are more awkward than generally "anime pretty", and the adults have enough dorkiness in their personalities to fall off that scale. It simply tells a story of one teen's overcoming of a trauma in his life, of his finding a path to walk on, of his making friends and finding love. Much, if not most of that is actually subtle instead of in-your-face: things just happen instead of getting drawn out and overanalysed for the sake of shock value or "dramatic effect". I'm sure everyone can find at least one character and/or one situation that's very relatable on a personal level: we've all been "there", we've all been "that guy". It's also sprinkled with a few laughs here and there to ease the serious parts, in a very organic way that's actually natural and doesn't stand out. And, of course, with music, not only of the audio kind but also the visual as well: the close-ups on different instruments and equipment are so detailed and such high quality that even those alone would be worth watching the series for.

I really wish there was more anime like this: a story of life, with real characters and situations, without all the bad "frills". Forget what preconceptions you have of any of its listed genres and give this a chance, because given is all those genres as they should be done - it's all those genres done right.

I legitimately do not understand why or how this anime even managed to get a third season, especially so out of the blue. The first season was a pile of the most generic clichés and stereotypes, without even mortar to hold them together, about a few boys who had to learn to work together. The second season introduced more characters that had to learn to work together, so everyone had less screentime to help you even remember their names. And here's the third season, which... seems to add even more characters who have to learn to work together? Some of those are apparent upperclassmen, even, ... yet we've never heard of them despite all the time the original cast has already spent in the school?? And in all this time, neither the designs, nor the image or animation quality has gotten any better??? I simply fail to see any sort of justification for this, especially when there are countless others, at the worst as "good" as this, that get the axe after only one season, or two if they're lucky.

The cast is just way too big, and holy smokes, there's maybe two or three of them that don't share the basic bland copy-paste look of everyone else - there are very good shots of them in episode 7, iirc, to showcase this, with the perfect bored look on all their faces to boot. Nevermind characterisation, just remembering their names is as close to mission impossible as it can get (there are character cards around the middle of each episode, sure, but even those are bad because the text is in the background that the characters just cover). They do a lot of running around (many times literally) to be able to perform together at the - wait, what even is that Ayanagi Festival, exactly? Frankly, if we ever got an explanation, I forgot, because it's that uninteresting to try to keep up with. And all this running around in 11 episodes, only for the thing to finally happen in episode 12... and then skydive into the post-credits scene, way beyond that, where they're not even just third years but even one step higher? Talk about pacing. Then the catchphrases add a layer of extra annoyance too: even with a big cast, one would be more than enough, especially if heard in every damn episode. Here we have three, and even a fourth has a cameo, because something has to trigger a completely out-of-place transformation.

I'm not sure how this happened. I watched it because of a sort of principle: I've suffered through the first two, I might as well pick the third up as well. I'd rather like to avoid having to go for a fourth round though.

Kanata no ASTRA is, I think, like a proverbial overachiever underdog (especially of its specific season): one that nobody really expects to shine in any way, but everyone can come to like very easily, and then time and time again it surprises people with one thing or another. It's not perfect, but it does everything it sets out to do very well, and then sprinkles it with several extras. It's sci-fi, but it's more fiction than science; and while it does a good job of skirting several serious issues on several occasions, it never really goes deep into any of it. Personally, I think all ... of these characteristics are perfectly fine, as it really doesn't feel like something that was intended to be "mature entertainment". Indeed, if anything, this is sci-fi for - well, perhaps not for kids, but younger teens for sure, those who want a somewhat typical space adventure with a bit of Robinson Crusoe / Star Trek Voyager splashed into it.

Voyager actually seemed like a great parallel at the beginning, as being flung into a far, unknown part of space is definitely something that holds infinite possibilities for an immense amount of content. Ie. a series based on that could run for several seasons. I really couldn't imagine how a story like this could end in 12 episodes, especially when the main cast grew on me pretty fast, despite their initial bland impression. Much like how there's a common feat they all share, which might make them feel "all the same", they're all equally loveable as well. But that doesn't make them boring: they also each have their own story and background, which are perhaps not overly unique but definitely more than enough to make them their own distinct selves - this opens up doors to being relatable. I'm pretty sure everyone can find at least one thing in at least one of these kids that they can personally relate to, setting and circumstances notwithstanding, whether that's a weird quirk or a past trauma.

Which is pretty much what makes ASTRA great and greatly enjoyable. Despite the silly jokes and quirks, despite the sometimes questionable science, despite some potential plot inconsistencies, despite some really ridiculous details, despite the abrupt shifts in tone from very heavy and dark into outright moronic and vice versa - it manages to realise its core concept: it's a camp experience (turned space adventure). A bunch of random kids who don't really have anything to do with each other, apart from being in the same group, growing up as they go through hurdles and fights, share tears and laughter, as they discover space in a fight for their survival - and, in parallel, discover the shared secret of their existence, which they also find themselves having to fight for. Personally, I've never had much of a great camp experience myself as a kid, and yet this anime managed to put some rose-tinted glasses on me and give me fond thoughts of reminiscence. If that's not spectacular enough, it's still a great space adventure with quite a lot of plot twists to even make for a rather consistent suspense.

As a sidenote, something we shouldn't pass by without mentioning: I think the biggest takeaway from this entire anime is the fact that you cannot tell a good story well enough in just 12 episodes, which seems to have been such a default for almost every series for years. It's way too restrictive, especially with a greater cast; it doesn't leave enough time for proper characterisation or dramatisation; and if you even factor in the openings and endings and previews and fanservice, it's clear that it's actually detrimental. Look at how ASTRA handled it: the first and last episodes are double length, effectively making it 14 episodes; both the OP and the ED were skipped several times, because even that extra one and a half or three minutes mean that much more time for fleshing things out - or when not skipped, they actually provided additional material for the episode in the form of extra shots or "photographs" of scenes we didn't get to see; there was one episode that provided some fanservice in a mostly organic, well integrated way; and I'm not even sure previews were a thing at all. Now, with all this, there still remained quite a few events that were glossed over way too quickly. There still were details that didn't make sense because they were poorly set up (if they were set up at all). There still were plot points that felt like miniature black holes - which just don't feel right, however appropriate black holes might be for the genre. As great as ASTRA is, with these in mind, it's also a very good case against the 12-episode standard, exactly because the smaller glitches are that much more noticeable in something that's overall rather high quality.

In the words of Turk from Ocean's Eleven: I'm going to get out and drop this like third period French.

Adding 2-3 basic stereotypes to each character sounds like a good idea on paper, especially if some of those stereotypes seem to contrast each other. However, the mixes are too predictable, and the characters just too shallow for that to succeed in making them interesting. The story is practically non-existent in four episodes, which would be forgiveable if at least we got something else instead of that. The problem is: we don't. The fanservice/ship scenes sometimes smell of the sweat of effort they must have made ... to fill up the time allotted for an episode - and that's despite the fact that they're also painful clichés. And the sex scenes... Well, they are like the story. Personally, I never like censorship, if something wants to go there, let it go there, that's why we have ratings; but fine, laws and regulations. So I should be happy it's not a thing here... And yet I'm not, since the reason for that is the complete omission of actual sex scenes. Something's shown to start, something's hinted at, but we never actually get to see anything more than a kiss. Which, for something that's supposed to be porn, makes no sense.

And so we're left with shiny bubbles that burst all too easily and then there's nothing left. It's unfortunate, because all these bubbles bursting only serves to make the banal clichés and stereotypes all the more painful in their raw bareness: not only the character traits, but also the situations and interactions between them. Takato calling Junta a "horny angel" would perhaps be funny, if it wasn't so damn literal: angel wings actually pop out from his back and feathers float across the screen in every appropriate scene, and then the next minute he's a hormonal teenager huffing through his nose as he attacks Takato like a predator does its prey. And Takato is the average tsundere: acting all annoyed and "professional" in public, and "failing to resist" Junta the moment they're in private and actually being annoyed at him when Junta ignores him. In between these scenes, Takato's inner monologoues and observations are, more often than not, very meta, and as such they're also very painful: lines such as "what terrible acting" and "what kind of cheap porno is this?" are simply too heavy here, considering the generic shallowness, instead of working as funny through-the-4th-wall quips as they might be intended.

On the positive side: the sceneries and cityscapes are pretty enough, the characters as well as the environments are nicely drawn and styled; the voice acting is also decent at least, I suppose. But then again, both of these are rather defaults than anything we're usually surprised by in anime, and sadly it's just not enough to redeem DakaIchi. The third episode ended on such an appropriate note and in such an appropriate way for it to be the actual end of the anime - it would have been acceptable. It wasn't, though, and while I managed to suffer through ep4, having started ep5 I couldn't go on after the first scene change. It felt too much like wasting time basically just to be bored at best and annoyed at worst.

It is a shame: there's a definite lack of yaoi/bl/shounenai/gay/whateveryouwannacallit anime out there, which is extremely baffling, and gets even more baffling the more one dives into the "straight" side and sees the immense amount of everything it has. So everything that happens on this side of the fence should be a reason to party, so to say, but DakaIchi proves that being yaoi just for the sake of being yaoi simply does not cut it.