Na Nare Hana Nare

In any competitive cheerleading contest, it is almost certain that Kanata Misora is going to be the star of the show. As a member of the winning squad in Japan's middle school cheerleading nationals, she joins Takanozaki Prefectural High School with her friend Megumi Kaionji intending to seek glory once more. However, following an incident at a competition, she loses touch with her talents and never returns to the club for practice.

While despondent, Kanata ends up spotting internet sensation Suzuha Obunai parkouring with an impressive level of athleticism and ends up befriending her in the process. Through Suzuha, Kanata meets Anna Aveiro and Nodoka Ootani, as well as Suzuha's classmate Tanizaki Shion—each carrying their own talents that apply to competitive cheerleading. Gathering through sheer coincidence, the six girls now work together and cheer each other on to chase their unique dreams.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Aveiro, Anna Main

Takeda, Larissa Tago Japanese

Misora, Kanata Main

Nakagawa, Rika Japanese

Kaionji, Megumi Main

Itou, Miku Japanese

Ootani, Nodoka Main

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Obunai, Suzuha Main

Nakashima, Yuki Japanese

Tanizaki, Shion Main

Kahara, Moe Japanese

Nabatame, Hana Supporting

Kitahara, Yuuna Japanese

Aieda, Mari Supporting

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Satou, Chihane Supporting

Saitou, Chiwa Japanese

Banka, Lala Supporting

Hanai, Miharu Japanese

Cao, Cong Producer

Kanno, Hayato Producer

Konishi, Tsubasa Producer

Kido, Kensuke Producer

Reviews

Oct 3, 2024

GalacticWeiss12

Recommended

What is growth if we do not experience hardships, suffering, pain, loss, and lack of motivation. This is what Cheer for You will make you see as a viewer. This is more than CGDCT, this is more than just cheerleaders, this is about real human emotions. That we all as people have had to go through in life to get to that next point in our lives. Through the slow burn that this anime helps build up, you see that no matter how you are in life with success. Success can last for minutes, days, hours, or years. It is how you use it ... to make people's lives and yours as well.

Cheer For You could have easily been a 24 episode anime series, and to get to point A to point B with its pacing where nothing felt rushed. We get to see the trials and struggles of the main characters as well. For me if this anime is not something you can't see the past of character development, and real conflict. Then you are absolutely missing out on an underrated anime.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 1, 2024

Sheklon

Mixed Feelings

While Na Nare Hana Nare may appeal to CGDCT fans, I don't think it's quite fair to reduce it to such. It focuses more on drama, characterization and "healing" (iyashikei). In fact, much more so than Sports — a label which it gets purely by convention. The theme of this show is less cheerleading itself and more 応援 ("ouen", i.e. rooting for or supporting someone in a general sense).

As a Brazilian viewer, my score and review for this anime come from obvious motivation. Anna-chan might genuinely be one of the most accurately portrayed Brazilian characters I have seen in anime so far. In fact, a ... quality of this anime is being mindful of how stereotypes can (should) be used only as stepping stone to further understand a person.

The characters are at the same derived from their archetype but also have elements of a mental universe which extends beyond it. For instance, Anna is the extroverted and out of place Brazilian girl who often fails to read the room and adhere to cultural manners. While this element is initially played for flavor and cuteness, it's later shown to have strongly influenced her past, especially when first moving to Japan. This aspect explains much of her personality and how that has lead her to nurture a deep passion for music, given that she was "rescued" by Y.J. — owner of the vinyl record store which, by circumstance, became a shelter for Anna, a home where she was able to feel welcomed. Similar deconstructions happen with other characters.

As encapsulated by the last episode, Na Nare Hana Nare has an interest in talking about fears, and how these fears become barriers for one's achievements. In order to answer these conflicts, characters need to develop trust in one another and form strong bonds that ought to enable them to keep pushing through their struggles. That being said, while its intentions are kind, it lacks in depth. The show is empathetic, yet fairly shallow.

It lacks a concrete main plot and some kind of lasting message. As mentioned with Anna, the anime does have the ability to be tactful and delicate in how it portrays culture, personality and psychological conflicts — yet, those conflicts are stake-less and "solved" within the spam of 1-2 episodes with the power of cheering.

On the matter of production, Na Nare Hana Nare also suffers. Its style features a poor combination of colored contour lines with a pastel color palette and simple scenarios, resulting in something that is, cryptically, vibrant yet watered down. There is also a more detrimental issue when CGI is used for most of the cheering scenes. This is combined with no camerawork whatsoever, which makes those scenes very bland, if not ugly. But I should leave a positive nod to the work behind the OP and ED, as they are very pleasant to watch, and the art throughout the show is mostly consistent.

As it is, the anime in general lacks originality and depth to persuade a spectator about anything regarding its theme which they wouldn't already be willing to agree with. I did not care about cheerleading before it (as a real life practice) and I've experienced no change in that stance afterwards. Ultimately, one who comes to the show with the proper expectations will be satisfied. I guess it's more accurate to say this show is "comforting" rather than "healing". At the end of the day, this is entertainment, and not meant to provoke thought. It succeeds in such with characters that are generally quite charismatic.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 27, 2024

Tardivex

Not Recommended

On paper, this anime seems to have a promising setup, a former national star cheerleader trying to regain her confidence after a life-altering event, surrounded by new friends with their own diverse talents. However, what the show delivers is a scattered narrative that never quite finds its footing.

The primary issue stems from the show's structure. While it's common in ensemble cast shows to focus on individual characters in episodic arcs, the anime fumbles this approach. Instead of weaving these individual stories into a cohesive narrative, the show feels disjointed. After the girls initially come together to form a cheer squad, the show loses sight of ... its central premise. The cheer leading element, which should anchor the characters and their development, is pushed to the background, becoming more of a loose excuse to move from one character's backstory to the next. Without a strong through line tying these episodes together, the story lacks momentum.

This scattershot approach is compounded by the bloated cast. Each character is introduced with unique talents and aspirations, but none of them are given the depth they deserve. As the show jumps from one character arc to another, it struggles to fully develop any of them. This lack of balance means the series never settles into a clear rhythm or focus, leaving it to aimlessly drift through its runtime. What could have been a compelling exploration of individual and collective growth is undermined by the show's inability to decide what story it actually wants to tell.

Kanata Misora and Megumi Kaionji, the two central characters, are perhaps the biggest victims of this mismanagement. Their initial conflict, rooted in Megumi's physical recovery and Kanata's initial pursuit of cheer leading success could have been a powerful emotional thread. Yet instead of deepening this core relationship, the show introduces a senpai with a nearly identical arc, diluting the tension and making their resolution feel rushed and unsatisfying. This redundancy is emblematic of the show's broader inability to capitalize on its own narrative potential.

In the end, this anime squanders its premise by failing to commit to a clear direction. What could have been a nuanced exploration of friendship, recovery, and cheer leading is instead a series of disjointed character vignettes. The cast is there, the setup is there, but the show never finds the heart needed to bring it all together.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Na Nare Hana Nare Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 22	46 replies	by snowykevin »» Nov 17, 12:08 AM
	Poll: Na Nare Hana Nare Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 15	17 replies	by Matheus050 »» Nov 5, 6:24 AM
	Poll: Na Nare Hana Nare Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 8	32 replies	by Matheus050 »» Nov 2, 4:48 PM
	Poll: Na Nare Hana Nare Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Sep 1	18 replies	by Matheus050 »» Oct 28, 9:00 AM
	Poll: Na Nare Hana Nare Episode 8 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 25	23 replies	by Matheus050 »» Oct 17, 6:51 PM