Nana Maru San Batsu

Quick review:

Do you guys like competitive "sports?" Do you get excited about seeing people compete with different ideologies and aspirations? Well look no further, you may or may not find that in Nana Maru San Batsu (which I will now call FFF)! It depends on what kind of taste you have. I personally would compare it to Chihayafuru because the concept of being the fastest in both respective sports is reflexes and finger speed. FFF surprised me with how well executed the journey is and how interesting a quiz bowl could be. I personally wouldn't do this at all, but I can see it being ... a really competitive thing and that's what matters.

What FFF does right is constantly developing the main character Koushiyama. Since he is the main character we are following, it is important that he doesn't get overshadowed by other characters, who are admittedly plot devices with no real development on their own. It's challenging to fit engaging characters throughout the whole run time due to the 12 episode constraint as well as obligatory rule explanations. However, FFF does it to a pretty good degree, putting characters in the limelight here and there and really showing their personalities. Koushiyama is undoubtedly the most developed of the cast, albeit perhaps a little too one dimensional. He has tremendous upside in the quiz bowl because he is a nerd to begin with. So naturally, he is rather decent at Quiz Bowl, but watching him develop into an above average player felt satisfying because the competitors all had more intense motivations and clashing ideologies about the sport. It made for an engaging narrative since there are implications like: do what you love and screw what other people say, move forward, relentlessly etc. It was really impressive for something that doesn't have a synopsis that'd pull much viewers.

The animation is okay, it sometimes used it to its advantage and visually show us the inner working of people's minds with decent symbolism. Other then that, nothing really stood out to me and the OST is likewise forgettable. Heck, I can't remember any track playing.

All in all, I came in with no expectations (as i usually do) and finished wanting more. It truly has potential and a longer run time would exponentially improve the development of characters. I really appreciate the passion displayed by these athletes, since I know the feeling of doing something nobody respected. Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life folks.

Hit the buzzer first. The difference in facing victory or defeat may depend on a single second or even less. The adventures of a boy who has the talent, but now needs to apply that talent into competitive quizzing against other people.

Fastest finger first was on my "Meh" watching list. I was kinda hesistant. But after watching 4 episodes, I probably will continue.

One of the things many people talked about regarded the main Female Character and her voice actor. I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan of it when I first heard it. Not because it was bad, but because it did not seem ... to fit her character enough. However, after watching for a while, I started getting used to it, as I should be. She's smart and was responsible for getting Koshiyama into the world of competitive quizzing. But for him to succeed, he needs to learn the basics (which I can't even understand cuz im stupid). The anime shows that quizzing is more about being smart, but learning to deconstruct each question, breaking it down so that at the exact syllable, you will be able to immediately know the answer to the question.

Thing is, Koshiyama is not very good at answering questions fast. He needs to hear the whole question in order to come up with some sort of answer. This is when all these lessons come in, and he's taught the art of buzzing. Hopefully we can get more insight into the basics and see Koshiyama develop into one of the fastest buzzerrs in the series.

Theres not much to say after 4 episodes, but I wouldn't recommend this to people who want something "amazing" or awesome characters or a solid story. But, if you do have the time and you like something along the lines of competitive quizzing, then go ahead and enjoy yourself. It has a pretty nice atmosphere to it, and the character interactions aren't that bad.

In the end, it's all about being fast, and being the first to buzz.

I'm going to ask you a question. French for "a flash of lightning," this chocolate-topped dessert that got its name because it is eaten quickly is called what? The answer would be "eclair." However, for characters of this anime, the moment the consonant cluster "fl" for "flash" is pronounced, they have already pressed the buzzer and gotten the correct answer. Okay, one more. The three great festivals of Kyoto are Gion Festival, Aoi Festival, and what? The correct answer would be "Jidai Festival," and you might have already guessed that once the "A" part of "Aoi" was spoken, the correct answer ... would already have been determined. Okay, last one. Jumping flea in Hawaiian is the name origin of what instrument? The correct answer would be "ukulele," and some of the best competitors would have already known the answer when the word "flea" was spoken.

Growing up, I have always been fascinated with random trivia questions from a wide variety of subjects, and even now, if you tell me a totally random trivia fact and ask me "Did you know?" questions, I will always, and I mean ALWAYS be interested. So of course, when I found an anime that focuses on trivia quizzes, and leveled it up into an intense competition, it became an instant favorite.

Nana Maru San Batsu, or in English, Fastest Fingers First, or to be more accurate, 7 Correct Answers and 3 Mistakes—but I guess that wouldn't be a popular title—is a school anime centering on Shiki Koshiyama, a bookworm who somehow finds himself participating in a mini quiz bee competition at his school after being chosen at random. Shiki ends up being able to answer only one question, but that question was actually the hardest one. He gets the attention of his classmate, Mari Fukami, who is an experienced quizzer and was one of the participants that voluntarily joined the same quiz, but was not fast enough to answer that particular question. Seeing his potential, Mari invites Shiki to join the quiz club, where Shiki finds a new hobby in competitive quizzes where his knowledge on difficult topics stemming from his habits as a bookworm will prove to be extremely useful.

The story is very niche as I can't recall any anime that's so focused on academic competitions aside from Baka to Test, but even the premise of that anime is significantly different from Fastest Fingers First, so that's beside the point. This distinction alone, I believe, makes this anime's story deservedly unique and arguably, there should be more anime like this. Not only that, but it also capitalizes on the brains part of school competitions, which is already rare by itself as these types of anime usually focuses on sports, and by extension, the physical body. This appeals to me especially because I used to take part in these types of competitions all the time when I was in elementary and high school. The feelings of nostalgia make me yearn to be a part of those contests again. Sadly, I can't do that as a student anymore, but since I am studying to become a teacher, then I can guide my future students toward the same path, but I digress.

One more thing I want to point out is that this anime has that kind of story that is better to be watched again for some reason. It's like, I first watched this anime when I was 18 years old, and I rewatched it for the sake of this review, three years later that I'm now 21. For some reason, the story becomes more appealing as you grow up, so I'd recommend that you watch this anime, enjoy it, then wait some years after you've gained more worldly knowledge and experiences, then rewatch this anime. Better if you don't actively think about it.

Now, let's talk about the characters. Our main character, Koshiyama, is a fresh look at the so-called "overpowered main character" trope. Why do I say he's overpowered? His knowledge base alone is the overpowered thing about him, but the nature of the quiz bee suppresses the power his knowledge brings him. If he hears the entire question, he would be amazing, period. But since competitive quiz bees rely on competitors answering questions even before the halfpoint of the questions, even if you know the answer, it would not be so much of an advantage. This quality also makes Koshiyama a fresh look at the so-called "super rookie" trope because even though he catches attention later on, the anime still gives us an actual character development that portrays delayed gratification. These two points make Koshiyama a good character who's not rushed into glory, but instead, we are given a protagonist who gradually improves, and once again, is a fresh breath of air in this anime period where everyone is overpowered from the get-go.

For the next main character, my impressions of Mari Fukami are similar to Going Home Club's Sakura Doumyouji. Yes, I also thought that her voice was perfectly average, or in other words, perfectly portraying the average Japanese person in my opinion because that's how I feel it even though I do not know what the average is because I am not a Japanese person, to the point that I once thought that the two had the same voice actresses. Similar to Sakura's VA's situation, Mari's VA, Umika Kawashima, only had one role as a main character, before stopping for some reason. As such, I think it's a waste for these talents not to be nurtured for them to perfect their craft. I don't know if this is the case, but I think that many people would disagree with me and instead call these types of voices bad voice acting. They may have a point, but these voices appeal to me, and once again, and I hope that by some miracle, both Umika Kawashima and Miharu Kobayashi (Sakura Doumyouji's VA) or someone with a voice caliber similar to theirs would come again to the voice acting scene once more. Aside from her voice, Mari is also a character I'd consider good, but sadly, I was busy simping for another character whose name I won't say, but I believe you'd like her the instant you will see her.

Lastly, a quick comment on Chisato Mikuriya, who you could treat as the antagonist of the series due to his adeptness not only in knowledge but also in speed. He's literally me frfr, in the sense that I also feel a sense of rivalry quite intensely, and I always want to compete with people in terms of academics, knowledge, and things similar to those. My school life would've been complete if I was involved in a rivalry similar to Mikuriya and Koshiyama's. Sigh, such a shame.

Now, the music, especially the opening theme, because that's the one thing that stood out to me—"On My MiND" by Mrs. Green Apple. Yes, the same ones who sang Fire Force's iconic opening theme, "Inferno." It's so sad to think that such a different hype to an anime and the time they were released makes this much of a difference. Sure, Fire Force had 15x more audience than Fastest Fingers First, and that means by extension, Inferno has had more reach, and that's why it's iconic. However, in terms of catchiness, I believe that On My MiND is equally catchy and I hope more people will listen to it.

This anime is a dream come true for trivia nerds like me out there. Overall, such an amazing concept: interesting niche, characters with good development, a character who's literally me frfr, but not so sluggish on everything else. It focuses on its main premise on point without much derailment, which makes the interest of those watching it constantly glued to what they're watching. Now if we can get more people who are interested in quiz bowl to watch this anime, or if we can get people who watch this anime to become interested in quiz bowl, that would be nice.

Last question before I end, coming from the French word "revoir" which means "to see again," what do you call a long article that is a critical evaluation of something you experienced? Indeed, it is a review. And by that, I say au revoir, and I'll see you again soon.

I personally love the concept of discovering something you love and truly being passionate about it. This show is exactly that.

Story:
Good story, I love seeing characters strive to become better. The idea pf animating something like quiz bowl is definitely unique. There are certain stories are not concluded which I find annoying. 7/10

Character:
KOSHIYAMA: An intersting character, like i said I love seeing pasionate characters so I really liked him
FUKAMI: Honestly I didn't care much for her. She was really only there for the main female character appeal and her brother's backstory
SASAJIMA: Calm cool and collected, there could be more back story to him
MIKURIYA: His rivalry ... with Koshiyama was interesting but he's literally just another kid who likes quiz bowl,there could be some expansion on his character
6/10

Art:
I liked the character design and everyone is distinguishable. There are a few parts where the art is not so amazing but I can overlook that. 7/10

Sound:
Loveee the OP and ED! So catchy! Voice acting was good except for Fukami. Her voice actor isn't necessarily bad but her voice doesn't give a young high school student vibe like it should. 7/10

Other stuff:
The subtitles kind of ruin the curiosity of wondering when they will press their button. It would be interesting to see this dubbed.

It's not often you'll see an anime based around a quiz game. This is what initially brought me to try Nana Maru San Batsu. To quickly summarize some of my thoughts on the anime, I though the art and animation were average at best, and apart from the amazing opening song, the same thing can be said about the soundtrack.A lot of the characters were either annoying or uninteresting. The way the story is presented, it feels more like a shounen rather than the seinen it actual is. The major positive I can say for the series is that when it got to doing the ... quiz scenes the anime became incredibly interesting to watch. Often it feels like I'm playing alongside the characters in the show, trying to guess the answer before they do. As a result of this, I got a lot of enjoyment from Nana Maru San Batsu despite how average everything else in the show was.
While there could have been better execution, I was satisfied with my experience with this show.

I was not expecting Nana Maru San Batsu to be good. Going into it, I though I was probably going to end up dropping it and giving it a 5 or possibly a 6. Though as I watched each episode, I just kept wanting to watch more until I'd finished all 12 episodes and thoroughly enjoyed it.

You might notice a marked difference in reviews on this site between those who watched 4 episodes and declared it to be cliched, and those who actually bothered to watch the whole show before giving it a full review. Not just in term of score, which we'd expect to ... be lower on average among people who dropped it, but even among the comments left by people who gave it low scores, but bothered to actually finish it vs people who didn't.

The story is very good. In contrast to what some people on this site seem to think, because they only watched a few episodes, this is not the story of some noob high school boy rising to become a star because he's just so wonderful. This is actually the story of a shy, nerdy kid making friends and finding something he's passionate about that he can actually share with other people, in contrast to most of his life that he's spent withdrawing. Whilst he obviously improves at quiz bowl through the series, at the actual game I would say he never even surpasses Mari Fukami, the girl who recruited him in and has some experience. He's more overall knowledgable than her, but his style and ability to play the game still need polish even by the end. The quizzing serves as an interesting central theme and provides some really surprisingly tense moments (the stakes are never too high that the MC and his friends can't fail) but the MC's journey through it is really not the main thrust of the story, the story is fundamentally about his development as a person with the sport of quiz bowl.The primary downside of the story is that there are some loose threads that don't really get resolved, and the fact that by the end of it, he's really just beginning and it might be nice to see more, but I can't blame the anime just because it doesn't get renewed. And the reason for the couple of loose threads is obvious, the point of this anime is most likely for promotion of the manga. That being said I think the show ends at a very natural conclusion to a first arc and they don't try and cram too much in, or try to stretch out too little too far. The pacing is just right and these "downsides" are really very minor points as far as I am concerned, it's not like we're missing big pieces of information, just little intrigues.

The art is very decent. This show clearly didn't have a grandiose budget and the art isn't always 100% on point, but it looks perfectly nice, there really isn't anything that egregious and there are moments where I think the art really shines.

The music is probably the weakest part. I'll be kind and say the music is... generic, though I'd go as far as to say that some BGM tracks sound almost ripped off. I don't know if it was supposed to be in homage or if they just didn't have the budget but a number of tracks sounded suspiciously familiar, especially in their beginnings. That being said, none of the music sounds bad so ultimately I can't give this a negative score, the music does the job it's supposed to do but nothing overall stands out. A lot of people have a go at Fukami's VA. I completely disagree. Whilst I will agree that her inexperience shows and you won't get as emotive a performance as you might expect from anime (the VA apparently is more experienced in live action dramas), this actually fits the character extremely well. Fukami is a pretty soft-spoken quiz nerd and the toned down performance absolutely works for her. And her voice sounds really nice, it's refreshing to have a high school girl in anime that actually sounds like she's experienced puberty at some point. There are only one or two points where I think the VA could have put a little bit more into emoting but overall she sounds absolutely fine. Maybe not as you might EXPECT, but certainly fitting for the character.

The characters are my favourite part. They're all VERY likeable people. It's extremely rare that I actually like the characters in mixed-gender main cast animes. Usually they end up acting like fucking tools and nobody responds appropriately and I end up just hating everyone in it which is why most of my top anime are all-girl main casts, I feel they're just written with better dynamics and make way more sense. In this case, everyone is very down to earth and they act normally. Well, with the exception of moments where characters have deliberately exaggerated moments of teenage-boyness. But I could easily imagine knowing these people in a school club in real life. They act like actual human beings.

Again people with only 4 episodes watched seem to be under the impression that these are all generic archetype charachters and they know everything they will do. Well most of them are wrong in their specific appraisals. As I said previously, the main boy never becomes some god and doesn't even surpass the main girl in skill. He starts off around the level of the otaku who joined because of the cute girl and ends up closer to the skill level of the cute girl. The reason he is main character is because of his POTENTIAL, which people can see because he has a wealth of knowledge from extensive book reading. If he could refine his game some more, which I'm sure he'd do if the series was longer, THEN he could be a really great player. Similarly there are predictions of "love interest" - Well, there are very minor implications that Fukami might like him but throughout the series they are just friends, with a similar level of relationship as anyone else to anyone else in the club. I'd also like to say that in the first episode the Main Boy sees the Main Girl's panties, because anime (although they never actually show the panty shot which is great because fuck that). Does she hold this as a grudge against him for the rest of the series? No. It causes a couple of moments of embarrassment (in a couple of jokes where he has to push thoughts of them aside) and by the end of the first episode she says "whatever I'm over it now come join quiz bowl with me". You know, like normal people (though fairly uncommon for anime characters).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these characters will blow your mind with their pure originality and never-before seen character traits, I'm just saying, there's a lot more to them as people than [insert cliche label here], in my opinion. They're incredibly likeable and I can really get invested into their journey and their interactions with the other characters around them. Which is what a good character needs to be. This isn't even mentioning that 4 episodes isn't enough to even meet all the characters, including the spanner in the works.

Overall, I really liked this show and I rate it at a solid 8. It's definitely something that is worth giving a go, unless you just really hate quizzes. I will repeat, this show probably won't blow your mind and be the best thing you've ever seen, but it's a very enjoyable and solidly put together show show that deserves a hell of a lot more love than a damn 6.8 MAL score. It knows where to best utilise the limited budget to minimise the downsides and a clearly competent staff have managed to produce an unexpectedly good product about an unusual premise, a hidden gem of 2017.

I like it. It's still ongoing right now so the reviews are not that firm. I think it will develop into a greater storyline. There are still many more characters to be introduced. The characters are very likable. Although it's about 'quizzes' it isn't boring. It's more about the energy of the competition and the various play styles and the cooperation of the members of the quiz clubs.
The main character is a literacy lover, but he will develop furthermore. Plus the art style is good. The show also has a comedy vibe going on. And the music sure gets you excited.

I recommend to anyone who ... enjoys a good laugh and less romance and more games.

LA has a strong affinity when it comes to liking "weird tournament sports anime", from mahjong to jousting to flying tag to freakin' boob and butt wrestling.......time to add quiz bowl to the list.

Nana Maru San Batsu falls under the typical underdog character who goes into a field where he knows ALOT of and finds his interest in trying to be the best by learning the ropes...such is the case of Shiki Koshiyama in competitive quizzing.

Nana Maru San Batsu somehow made competitive quizzing to be addrenalined pumping, something as mudane as quizzing and to be honest in the early episodes of Nana Maru San ... Batsu, LA just saw Nana Maru San Batsu go through the ropes of telling us tips in competitive quizzing and general introduction to the world of quizzing. LA being a person who likes to find the most useless of information "just because" however this anime easily intrigued LA as well as getting LA to join in in the quizzes along with the characters and thus LA could easily relate to Shiki Koshiyama in this way. Other members of Shiki's Quiz Group consisting of Daisuke Inoue (wait the mangaka??!!..no) voiced by Tasuku Hatanaka the pop culture and maths expert of their group, Mari Fukami voiced by Umika Kawashima who have the ability to buzz in quickly and have knowledge of etymology who gets some family character development who ties into the next character Gakuto Sasajima voiced by Takuya Satou, the Captain of the Buzou High School Research Group and Quiz Club and essentially the Ace of the group. Shiki also comes across rivals when delving into the world of quizzing, consisting of Chisato Mikuriya voiced by Kaito Ishikawa who is essentially the tough by fair rival to Shiki but is also Shiki's best mentor in striving for him to do better at quizzing and Akira Sonohara voiced by Takuma Nagatsuka a more sneaky, snarky loophole abusing quizzer who likes to cause more chaos than answering the questions in a civil manner, quite the opposite to Chisato if anything. LA's favourite character however goes to Chiaki Sonohara voiced by Ayane Sakura, Captain of the Asagaoka All-Girls Quiz Team as LA just loves Ayane Sakura's reactions and her REGAL accenting.

So why does LA sees Nana Maru San Batsu addrenaline-filled?...well answering the questions as well as seeing Shiki succeed is actually thrilling in some cases and many of the matches or training quizzes and getting the audience into it all gets LA into the competitive atmosphere, kinda like how Akira wants...in making the quizzes interesting. Compounding this would be the tips and tricks Nana Maru San Batsu teaches us kinda helps in making this a rather participatory audience anime and it succeeds.......if only the questions weren't so HARD (This was for LA, though LA got some right out of luck, obviously this statement varies for others) as LA has knowledge like Tasuku than Shiki goes through. Shiki is still your audience proxy throughout this anime and although he's a plain average bookworm character, LA still rooted for nonetheless.

The animation for TMS Entertainment is consistent for the most part with the character designs being....plain to say the least as the majority of characters are in their respective school uniforms under their quiz meets, doesn't really allow for much change in wardrobe, with some exceptions in certain episodes. During the quizzes however many of the characters inner-monologing bring some nice coloring and visual flair reflecting how the characters are thinking and is probably the more interesting parts of the animation. Consistent as it is...TMS Entertainment did average in terms of animation even when they try to be exotic during the quiz inner-monologing.......it's kinda what you expect from a competitive quizzing anime.

Now, voice acting, for the majority of the voice cast LA had no annoyances through this anime with Ayane Sakura easily taking LA's favourite voice actor for this anime, but that isn't what you want LA to talk about isn't it?...Umika Kawashima as Mari Fukami, she at the early episodes of this anime had what LA heard, stilted blunt voice acting which might have irked some people as it didn't fit into her character design and personality, LA being one of them, however later on LA came to accept her vocals and saw a differing side of Umika's vocals in a positive light, Umika really did became Mari especially when it came to her doing the quizzing...Umika was different and as long as she wasn't annoying she was ok at best and Umika was definitely NOT annoying in voicing Mari.

Nana Maru San Batsu is another entry for LA into the weird tournament style sports anime, looking at quizzing let along competitive quizzing and although Nana Maru San Batsu can be preachy with it's tips and tricks for quizzing but it actively encouraging it's audience to participate in it's quizzes, give character development to it's underdog team and really making competitive quizzing fun, interesting, exhilarating and entertaining to watch.

I don't know but practically, it looks like I'm diverting from popular opinion once more (like how my entire life has been)

Basically, "I liked this show" is an understatement. I am so hooked with this show I pretty much have to wait in the wee hours of Wednesdays (SE Asian Time fyi) just to get to the latest episode.

Let me start with the thing I least liked: Art (6). It was fairly decent, can tell that the budget was pretty low. Nonetheless it didn't fail to at least animate what's basic.

Character (7). I know that such characters were already a stereotype: faint-hearted main character, a ... supportive co-lead, the club president seeing more raw talent, a rival, a playful and dreadsome character, etc. Nonetheless, it was good enough. They were able to complement each other in a sense that it gave some congruence to the story.

Sound (8). I know the issues with seiyuu (voice actors) and stuff. It boils to a common denominator as anything else at first glance: budget. However, they were able to fetch some popular seiyuus into the scene, so it might not be the case. They did their job well, I would say. (Nope, I left out my seyuu ships/bias in this rating).

Story (9). Being someone who wished he lived his youth in Japan, I found myself yearning for the experience depicted in this anime. I am a big fan of general knowledge quizzes or questions. The story seems to follow yet another stereotypical turn, but nah, that's the fault in the manga. Anime is merely an adaptation. I find myself hooked with how such a newbie adjusts and adapts, bringing out what he can.

Enjoyment (10). Like what I said in the Story, I liked this anime because I am personally into general knowledge. Each episode is a bunch of suspense and fun, and each week gives me such unbearable impatience. I find myself pressing on the pause button to guess along, trying to test my knowledge.

Overall (9). The anime is titled "Nanamaru Sanbatsu" and the translation "Fastest Finger First" diverted the focus somewhere else (from the goal: "7 correct, 3 incorrect" to the basic skill each player needed) and that is crap. But that doesn't belong to this score of (9). This score is because I diminish from my attention what is not that important for me, and I focused on what made me enjoy-- what makes me watch this anime in the first place. A lot of popular titles can't even make me sustain my focus and end up feel bland, but this one stole my attention.

I agree with the rest of the reviewers of this show that the show can be a bit lackluster in some episodes when compared to highly-rated sports anime. However, this show still has the potential to set itself apart from the rest, due to the underlying concept of the show: how do you deal with information? The world is full of information and as humans there is a limit to what we can take in and what we leave out. I like how this show tantalizingly explores how an individual's interests can influence how he or she treats the information. If the show had more ... episodes, I bet the story would be more engaging to audiences who aren't interested in quiz bowls. Specifically I would like to see more quiet moments of the characters when they are by themselves and what do they feel when they aren't among their friends or competitors. What frustrations do they face and what are their side hobbies? What, other than interest, separates them from people who aren't participating in quiz bowl? What separates the participants from each and what do they share? I want to see the subtle ways their preparedness for the quiz bowls aids in their day to day activities that lie outside participating in the quiz bowl. If this can be accomplished the story can literally go in any direction. The show can still retain its niche as a show about quiz bowls but can even go further with being a show that revolves around the intimate theme of how different people chose to deal with information in different ways depending on what it is to them. Although the show's story, art, sound and characters didn't make a lasting impression on me, I still kept watching to appreciate how close it was to be an intriguing show.

703X has an artillery of things most audience hate and disgust.
A cute girl voiced as if her soul was suctioned with one third of it left and can't make high pitch cute voices to make you happy. (X) Bmmmkkk!!!
A wimpy nerd who is just... a wimpy nerd he is. (X) Bmmmkkk!!!
Ta-da! You have our 2 very main characters! And it's 2 Batsu now, could it get any better? Or will we drop this series?!

CLICHE EVERYTHING! (X) !!! (X) !! (X) !!! (X) !! (X) ! (X) !!! (X) !!(X) !!! (X) !!! (X) !!!!!!!!!!
Shit show! Drop it! Burn it with ... the trash!

Wait... this review gives an 8, there's has to be a punchline here. Well, burn in fire you normies!
Cliche? Has any of your average moe girls sound so lady-like and actually sound similar to our Fukami? Has any of your seemingly wimpy MCs actually stay the way he is and not burst into a beast owning the world after more than half of the season?
Sports-like anime journey is too cliche for you? Well, what the heck do you expect? Should we start from the top as a pro and degrade into a noob?

This show does everything right and even better than lots of cliche sports animes that got rated 7 or higher in MAL. So why is it rated 6.9 now? Tngg-dngg!!! I know the answer! Because of normies! REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Story (7/10): Plot moves steadily, firstly introducing our main character in the most cliche way possible! YES! The school opening has a club recruitment event and the quiz club started a game, our MC coincidentally or not, got summoned by the club chairman randomly.
And because of his overwhelming talent, he proceeds to rekt the game! (X)
And because there's a girl who is a quiz maniac in the game, he couldn't excel in the game. (O)
And the rest is what it is, he joined the club and the club aims to conquer the world!
Everything IS cliche!
Our MC having a special talent in the game, a talented rival, a gril accompanying him, a motivation/passion for the game etc etc
And that's all to it.
It is a cliche storyline. But how else would we prefer it? You write Limericks with its rhythm or whatever-they-call-it fixed, same thing for this anime.
Then it comes to the important part... How do you keep this quiz thing interesting?
The show does it! They launched bunch of weird formats for the game and actually make the most out of them, always exhibiting the interesting and fun mechanics within.
They don't rely on spectators from the side narrating how epic our MCs are and how they are improving, neither do they rely on hot OSTs raising the tension. They sucked at those parts! However, there is a lot of effort in the mind games part which is a direct content for viewers to consume. This show doesn't intend to fool you with those shounen sports trope, it is nerdy as it can get. And that is what separates 7O3X from your cliche sports animes.

Characters (7/10): Our main characters are slowly developing from one dimensional so it's not as cliche as you presume.
I'm surprised Daisuke is actually a main character. This guy was tagged with side flags all over the moment he appeared. Yet he eventually become the most multifaceted character in the show so far, outshining our main... oh wait he is one of the main.
To be honest, I like all the characters, but none are seriously my favorite, that's just enough for me.

Sound (8/10): Like I said in Story department, they don't rely on OST to pull your feels. They really suck at that. But so far, they manage to suit every atmosphere.
The OP and ED are nice though.

Art(6.66/10): Nothing. If you want kirakira animation, this show can't give you anything. It's just your average art.

Enjoyment (8.5/10): The show is fun regardless of how directionless the plot gets, since it is a quiz show. It stands firm as the quiz animation it is.
Overall: I'm giving this show an 8 which is 1 point higher than my actual mark because I believe that it does not deserve to be in the 6 rate class. It should probably be at 7 flat.
This show has potential all over. It is not good, but it is good enough.

*Review may contain minor spoilers*

Quizzing.

Story 7/10
This anime follows more the sport genre story line, some 'loser' with no friends or real talent, joins the quiz team to fall in love with it and give it its all. However I love sport anime so I do like this kind of story telling.

art 7/10
The art isn't anything special, just your normal art style anime, stayed consistent throughout the whole anime, I liked the intro to, and the buzzer system/ how they sometimes draw what was going on.

... Sound 6/10
Opening song was good, voice acting was good except for the girl MC she has a unique voice some people like it some people dont, I am one of those people who did't like her voice at all and really disturbed me in this anime.

Character 7/10
Your typical sport anime characters, got a loser, got some one who brings the loser in the club. got a upperclassman who is way to good and some one who joins because he likes the girl, nice development though.

Enjoyment 9/10
As a fan of sport anime, and this following kinda the same path, I like quizzing and thinking also, the only reason i can't give it a 10 is because of the girl MC's voice actor sorry.

Overall 7/10
Give this one a try, it is pretty good, and can be viewed in 2 different ways, you can view it very relaxing, or u can participate in what they are doing and get really hyped up about it.

There are plenty of anime under the sun. That would mean some of them would be overlooked and that is just the cold, hard truth. However, as time rolls by, the overlooked shall become the cult. For instance, Nana Maru San Batsu.

The overall premise is (even I have to admit) the nerdiest to be seen yet (even nerdier than Real Girl so heads up, everyone). Here we have our typical high-school bookworm, Koshiyama Shiki, who one day discovered the joy of... wait for it... quiz! Splash it with Anime 101 art and Beyblade-ish animation, I personally wouldn't blame anyone to not even consider touching the ... first episode. However, anime such as this is what truly inspired me to be an anime critic in first place: to shed light for the overlooked, to inspire people to re-consider.

The most impressive thing about Nana Maru San Batsu is how it presents quiz as more than entertainment anyone would see on TV. There is art behind all kinds of quiz and somehow, quiz manages to capture popular culture and historical landmarks better than the most viral social media post. Moreover, all the characters come off as unapologetic in their passion (and sometimes, obsession) for quiz. For each and every one of these outliers, it is never about buzzing the light-bulb and winning the human-size check. They become strong, wise, and self-sufficient because they are trained to embrace adrenaline, changes, and swift responses. After all, isn't that what life is all about?

Nana Maru San Batsu may not be for everyone. More often than not, otaku love anime because of their loyalty, not their taste-making ability. However, should one wish to seek a palate cleanser, this is definitely for you. A cult following wouldn't hurt anyone and in fact, you could feel like one of the elites-- the selected few who had enjoyed the exclusive pleasure that was Nana Maru San Batsu.

#felixlovesanime

THE UNDERRATED ANIME OF SUMMER 2017 SEASON. The score must be higher seriously. The anime starts boring but on the halfway of first episode I got hooked. I finished it with one sitting and it was awesome. The battle for the Quiz King is awesome like Shokugeki but not so much for the enjoyment. The characters are well developed. The rivalry is also quite good to see who will be better in the future. The setting is quite good. The quiz competition is intense and enjoyable to watch. The execution could be better though. Hope who ever reading this must give this anime a chance. ...


Hope there's a second season in the future. Overall: 8/10 for me. Haters gonna hate.

Competitive quizzing in a high school environment! That's basically what this anime is about.

This anime was an enjoyable watch from start to finish and it simply does its job. I liked the main character and his friends, his rival and that were pretty cool too. The main character has a strength in certain areas but definitely has room for improvement which I always find is a good way to have character development.

I'm not too sure on what else to say, so... if you like quiz shows or quizzing in any form, and you like to see it done in a competitive environment with a fairly ... decent cast of characters, give it a watch. It isn't amazing, but it's enjoyable.

A great show about a socially awkward bookworm discovering himself and the worth of his knowledge and passions through a new hobby, his first club activity: Quizzes.
First of all: No, you do not need to have a particular interest in quizzes in order to enjoy this show. Quizzing is the backdrop to this story of self-discovery and coming of age; An interesting and unique backdrop at that, but this is of course up to personal taste.

Now that this is out of the way, let's get into some details.

The animation itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but is more than enough to showcase each character's ... individuality both in design and in movement: It also goes a little extra in all these moments where characters buzz in to answer. I wouldn't point it out as remarkable either way. Voice acting is also par for the course, although the way the questions are asked and pronounced the same way as in actual quizzes makes for great immersion, especially as we are clued in that the way a question is asked helps in getting the answer faster, among other things. It makes the actual competition believable, and entices the viewer to try and figure it out for themselves too- Even if the questions are generally related to Japanese culture, hence quite difficult to get, which might be too alienating for some.

Where Fastest Finger First shines is through its characters and their growth, especially for our main character. He thinks of himself as a misfit, as someone who doesn't belong in the social world of club activities, used to spending most if not all of his time in the library reading books; He fits the bill for the typical anime nerd, and what's impressive is how the events of this anime change him into someone who is confident enough to follow his heart and do all he can to excel at his hobby even when looked down upon. He comes to understand that his uniqueness is valuable, and makes him nothing less than an equal to the others, if not someone who can stand out and be recognized.

TL;DR: This is a show about high schoolers discovering themselves through a unique "sport": Quizzes. Watch this if you like emphasis on character development, casual shows about hobbies like Yuru Camp or Animegataris, and/or learning about random interesting things on uncommon topics!