Rising Impact

I started this anime without much conviction, thinking that, like many sports anime, it would be a flat series simply using a new sport (in this case, Golf) as the main theme to try to innovate. However, I was quickly surprised to find myself enjoying the viewing experience and eagerly awaiting the next episodes!

Rising Impact is an anime adapted from the manga of the same name, published from 1998 to 2002 and written by Suzuki Nakaba, who is also the author behind Nanatsu no Taizai! It follows Gawain, a young boy who enjoys practicing a sport where the goal is to hit a ball as ... far as possible. He initially played Baseball, thinking it was the most suitable sport, before accidentally meeting Kiria Nishino, a professional golfer who introduces him to Golf and sees immense potential in the young boy. Subsequently, we follow Gawain's adventures as he discovers step by step that this sport is not as simple as he thought, since it’s not just about hitting the ball as far as possible!

The beginning of the anime scared me a bit, seeing a young boy who, on his first shot, hits a ball almost like a pro and then improves extremely quickly. I feared it would fall into exaggeration, with him outclassing all other characters without any logic behind it. However, the anime manages to make the golf matches interesting, incorporating the weather, the terrain, the type of golf club to use in various situations, and highlighting each character's skills in their playing style. We discover that each match we watch, each character has their own style of play, techniques, and ways of playing unique to them, even for secondary characters!

It's great that the matches are interesting, but what about the story and its characters? One thing I find unfortunate is that the characters are not well-developed. We don't really know their past, their history, why they become good, "bad," adopt their style of play, and this creates a gap because we can't get attached to the characters. We don't know anything about them; it’s like watching empty shells since we don't know why they play or what they are trying to accomplish, even if their interactions and playing styles can somewhat make up for this lack.

As for the story, I feel it lacks a clear objective. Gawain's initial goal is to hit the ball as far as possible, although things have changed a bit since he started enjoying the sport. But what exactly is he aiming for? To be the best golfer? Okay, but that's very vague. What competition should he aim for to achieve that? What must he do to reach that competition? Who are the best players he must defeat to reach that rank?
The story lacks a long-term thread, something that would make us say, "Okay, that's the goal, that's what the story is trying to achieve" when we see Gawain winning, improving, discovering new techniques. We would see it as a step closer to that goal. But right now, we have almost nothing; it feels like Gawain is being carried by the wind and goes in the direction that comes to him at the moment.

I don't think everyone will get hooked on this anime; there is too much vagueness in the story and its goals, not enough attachment to the characters (due to the lack of depth in their backstories), and more generally, the Golf theme will not appeal to everyone.