number24

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Alternative Titles

English: number24

Japanese: number24 ナンバー・トゥーフォー

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 12

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jan 8, 2020 to Apr 15, 2020

Premiered: Winter 2020

Broadcast: Wednesdays at 22:30 (JST)

Producers: Movic, Magic Capsule, Tokyo MX, Mime Corporation, it's

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: PRA

Source: Original

Genres: Sports, School

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 6.63¹ (scored by 7,106 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #5232²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3062

Members: 28,084

Favorites: 151

6.63

Ranked #5232Popularity #3062Members 28,084

Winter 2020TVPRA

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Episodes: /12

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Synopsis

Natsuza Yuzuki has been playing rugby as a left-winger ever since he was a child. After enrolling in Doushisha University, he quickly becomes a rising star in the Kansai University League.

His dreams are shattered, however, when a nasty motorbike accident leaves him with a spinal hernia—making him unable to be able to play rugby ever again. With no role available other than the position of manager, he accepts his new post and hopes his squad can obtain a league title.

Yuzuki's team is an unlikely group, including his stoic best friend and full-back Seiichirou Jingyouji; hot-headed first-year Yasunari Tsuru, who harbors a strong dislike for Natsuza, filling his senior's old position as left wing; and Yuu Mashiro, who is struggling to hold his ground as a scrum half.

Despite Natsuza putting his all into training his team for a league title, their squad still feels incomplete. A year ago, Ibuki Ueka, the genius fly-half that was once Doushisha's ace, suddenly quit rugby—and now Natsuza is determined to get him back.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Summary:

Supporting

Kodama, Takuya
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Sakamoto, Yoshiki

Producer

Kimiya, Shigeru

Director

Hamano, Takatoshi

Sound Director

Nakase, Rika

Script, Series Composition

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Opening Theme

"SET!" by Masanori Kobayashi (小林正典)

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Ending Theme

#1: "Kimi to Iru nara (君といるなら)" by Natsusa Yuzuki (Kengo Kawanishi) & Seiichirou Jingyouji (Ryouta Suzuki)
#2: "COMICAL TRY!!" by Natsusa Yuzuki (Kengo Kawanishi) & Ibuki Ueoka (Junichi Yanagita)
#3: "Every Fight" by Natsusa Yuzuki (Kengo Kawanishi) & Yasunari Tsuru (Shouhei Komatsu)

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Reviews

Apr 15, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

KANLen09 (All reviews)

19 people found this review helpful

One of the few rugby shows I initially scoffed at, at trying to be another abysmal Try Knights, but what it does, it does one thing well: sold the premise on bonds and friendship over the sport through improvement.

Being someone who is harsh on all aspects, I was surprised to find out that veteran script/series composer Rika Nanase is on this, and despite the no-name 3rd-rate production staff team onboard of this show, she definitely stands out as the main source of enjoyment, considering the "cult following" success of this show (for the 3 of you who watched this). Bleach, Eyeshield 21, Higurashi, Junjou Romantica, you name it, she has done all and shown her prowess at taking a genre and subconsciously subverting it to make up for the enjoyment experience, and it has certainly done in good spots.

What number24 is all about is not rugby, but the bishie sportsboys of Doushisha themselves. What the team comprises are of dreams of former players that don't belong and/or have given up in rugby, only to find themselves in the sport that's mostly persistent through the bonds and friendship of the bishounens involved.

Take the main team's quintuple for example: Natsusa Yuzuki, Yuu Mashiro, Yasunari Tsuru, Seiichirou Jingyouji and Ibuki Ueoka. These 5 have weaved the same red thread of fate for themselves in the path to find their true stance towards one another:
Natsusa, being taken out of the team and imposed the Manager status (due to circumstances that rendered him unplayable on the field);
Ibuki, who has lost his heart towards playing rugby and has no desire to take up the sport once again (but only does because of Natsusa's persistent teasing);
Yasunari, in spite of being Natsusa's junior, has certain disagreements to how he'd function around the sport and leading his own private life;
Yuu, in spite of his small size and although being barely fit to play, made him the Zhuge Liang team strategist and following under Natsusa's imposed leadership;
Last but not least, Seiichirou, more than being the tropey childhood friend, is constantly being roped in by Natsusa due to his monotonous life and needing someone to lead his life.

Add in the seniors and juniors who only got less screentime and act as second fiddle alongside them, the characters overall are brutal for what they do, but it's also the same actions that teach them the meaning and spirit of camaraderie despite the different plays of all of them. Not to mention the light-hearted comedy that stems from Natsusa's improvised childishness to tease the characters so much it gives off a good chuckle. And that gets a very good sense of debunking the heart of this show, which starts off slow but gives a nice reward at the finish line.

Rightaway, the art/animation itself I really didn't have high hopes for and think much of since it's PRA (a studio mainly relying on outsource help), but to my genuine surprise that everything is clean and distilled, a better effort and not the far cry from Gonzo and Seven's efforts to produce Try Knights (like they have a very limited budget). Yes, everything is far from perfect (some PowerPoint-like recycled visuals), but it never really came off as something that's left to be desired. And for the longest time, breaking out of their shell to have a majority production stake is a good thing for the uninitiated. A fine job, really TBH, I'm impressed.

On the sound side, it's all fair, no complaints here. OP is good, and the numerous EDs are worth the ear-listening treatment from the bishie boys. A good job to the all-male VA team.

I'd think that for future sports shows like this going forward, constructing good character-driven stories is what keeps this genre flourishing, and also getting the right people to handle their job scopes (a.k.a Rika Nanase) is the first sign of relief that this isn't the low-tier that we've come to expect from shitty shows (a.k.a Try Knights, Cinderella Nine etc.). If only the anime industry have learned their lessons well...

Nevertheless, for sports fans, a good enticement of drama and play is essentialal, and I kid you not, this show delivers. Even as a guy who generally doesn't have a taste for bishie boys, this was a good treat to rest to, following the characters and living out their desired dreams and working together to achieve their goals. This is the fine gem amongst the rare in the rugby sports genre, in a fairly good way.

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Apr 26, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

uzuxmxki (All reviews)

9 people found this review helpful

Initially i did not think i would like this show however there is something so refreshing and lovely to me about the characters and how their bonds develop even within such a short period of time. I wont give it a 9 or 10 because it isnt complete but i truly believe it is worthy of a solid 8 based on what we have seen so far. I of course know the show isnt perfect, there are inconsistencies with the animation and other aspects which do affect the overall show however the best way i can describe the show is lustre. There is something about read more

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Apr 15, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

Sasha_AT (All reviews)

9 people found this review helpful

<Complete update><No native English, sorry about faults>

At first sight it´s look that this series is a spokon, but it´s not, rugby world is the scenario for a soft comedy/drama (for woman’s) about an injured player named Yuzuki Natsusa, their love for this sport and his new interaction with his team and friends as a "normal person" since he cannot play anymore. Our protagonist, Natsusa-kun, is honest and decided. He has a really strong attitude, he does not like look back. "number24" has a simple story but also has a solid narration, just as expected from a work of series composition and script by Nakase Rika (script: "Princess Tutu", "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni", "Genshiken").

I have a personal curious case with this series... During the emission, I was diagnosed with a disease that doesn't let me do what I love. It is still possible for me to recover, but it will take a long time and still I don’t know if I can able to pay for the operation. When I found out was so frusting to me. I wanted to cry. I wanted hurt myself. I wanted to curse healthy people, but suddenly, I remembered Natsusa-kun smile´s and that slap me.

I do not want to cry, be depressed or curse anybody; I want to be strong, I want to be like Natsusa-kun. I do not know if I am going to recover, but I will try with a smile. In the way, I am pretty sure I going to fall, but then, Natsusa-kun is going to be there for me. To the end, if I can't recover, I going to find another way to stay close. This is not a 2D delirium; this is what an anime can do for you.

And well, that it is :)

Characters are cute, maybe they are much people without deployment but they have they own mini-group than make then cute only by exist (Cap&ViceCap)(KotorixYayaoi)(ZenForce:Ling-Tsuugen-Pongsaklek- Seiichirou)(Yankkes,otakus). The main friendship between Natsusa-kun and his childhood friends Seiichirou and Ibuki is to soft and honest, I thought I was going to melt from so much tenderness.

Animation it's enough good, remember rugby is not the focus itself, but at least brief plays are enough understandable to understand the rhythm of the game (last match has a few well done tackles). The comedy is well played. Colors are cotton candy. First ED "Kimi to Iru nara" is soooo lovely and sweet, I totally fall in love. Coming ED´s are candy bars too. PRA studio did a good job with this proyect.

“number24" is special to me, brought me color, enjoy and light to the grayest days of my life. I can’t be more thankful. I recommend "number24" has a casual anime if you like BL or cute-boys stuffs, but I especially recommend "number24" if you need something to help you to rise your head.

Story: 7 / Art: 7 / Sound: 7 / Character: 8 / Enjoyment (10) + Thankful feeling (1) : 11
Overall: 8,0

Thank you for read.

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May 3, 2020

12 of 12 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

guetea (All reviews)

8 people found this review helpful

If you're looking for a sports anime with a lot of focus on rugby and intense rugby matches that will have you at the edge of your seat, then I suggest you look somewhere else. But if you want a fun, uncomplicated anime about attractive college guys who occasionally play rugby, then you came to the right place.

Number24 is not an innovative anime, not deviating much from the tropes included in many similar anime from the past decade. It follows the members of an university rubgy club, showing the personal motivations and insecurities of the characters, as well and the interactions and conflict between them. Like many similar anime, it suffers from a weak plot (some episodes are completely all over the place in this regard) and the pacing is a bit of a mess. Also like many similar anime, it has waaay too many characters for a one cour anime, wasting time on trying to tell everyone's story instead of focusing more on the main characters and their stories. However, Number24 is one of the most enjoyable "pretty boys anime" I've watched.

The main characters are well fleshed out, with distinct personalities and motivations, and undergo positive development and growth. Natsusa is a really fun protagonist and his character arc of getting into terms with the fact that he can't play rugby anymore (not a spoiler, we're told this on the first 10 minutes) and trying to make the best out of his new circumstances was pretty touching and inspiring. It's also nice that the anime focuses a lot on the managers and showcases how much they help the team. The other four main characters (Yuu, Sei, Ibuki and Yasunari) all are very endearing, having their own character arcs, and all the secondaries are pretty fun. The dynamics between the characters are really fun, and if you enjoy having lots of ship teasing, you'll like this.

Imo the humor was also pretty fun, with some moments that legit had me laughing out loud, so even if the plot goes nowhere and the pacing was quite slow, this anime never bored me. The rugby scenes, while scarce, were in general exciting enough, especially in the last two episodes, and you don't need to have the slightest clue about rugby to enjoy them. The music is nice enough too, with three different EDS that alternate.

The acting was also pretty good overall, with some really well known names such as Saitou Souma (who plays a really fun character and does a great job) or Ishikawa Kaito.

In summary, if you're looking for some sports anime in the same fashion as haikyuu, you're going to be severely disappointed. But if you're looking for an anime more in the style of prince of stride or cheer danshi (but better than those imo) with likeable male characters and plenty of shippy fanservice and shirtless guys, then you'll probably have a good time with this.

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