Kyojin no Hoshi

Introduction:
This is the one anime that every Japanese person must watch for sake of their 'common knowledge.' Although this is not very popular in the United States and other countries, due to the long history since its airing in the late 1960s, many of its aspects has become iconic for Japanese culture. Even the recent anime industry incessantly refers to this anime, such as Bakemonogatari and Doraemon. I was born in 1993, but had the opportunity to watch this when I was young as a result of my parents' recommendation, and I had never regretted once that I ... had watched the entire series.

Story: 9
The executive producer had really put a lot of effort into the plot, spanning 182 episodes. Throughout the course the story, the protagonist encounters many hardships, including academic, athletic, and family matters. He is forced to make sacrifices in order to pursue his dream to become a professional baseball player, sometimes even if it results in expressing disapproval against his own father. Eventually, he succeeds in becoming an excellent pitcher, and meets several tough batters with whom he establishes a rival relationship.

Art: 7
I will have to mention that back in the 1960s, there were no computers used for animation, and thus the only way to have anime was to draw EVERY SINGLE FRAME on a different piece of paper. As a reference, several minutes required about 1000 frames or drawings. Thus, one must respect the time and effort it took to produce something that is 182 episodes long. Perhaps the only complaint I have for this anime is the art style: it is simply too old for my taste.

Sound: 8
Considering the technology that was available back in the 1960s, this is much better than average. Sound effects when sliding in a base, hitting the ball, or someone huffing and puffing, were all well done. I have nothing much else to say here.

Character: 9
Each character's unique attribute contributes to the overall audience's enjoyment. This can be as simple as the hair style, or something complex like having to undergo long years of intense baseball training in the woods. Each character (even the minor ones) is made sure to possess at least trait that somehow relates to another character's. Furthermore, the roles of the minor characters serve to highlight the major ones, and plot balances are well maintained.

Enjoyment: 9
If you've read everything so far, my review might sound like senseless babbling, but this is a result of my trying to not spoil anything. I guarantee: not spoiling anything will increase your overall satisfaction when watching this anime. As mentioned before, this is extremely popular in Japan (about 30% of the population recognize the title name), and can be attributed to the great enjoyment that this provides. Unless they detest baseball in general, people of all age groups are guaranteed to enjoy.

Overall: 8

Essentially this series is a story about a boy and his father, their relationship and struggle they share together during the youth of the boy. It is also about the relationship that someone can have to a sport, what that means and how it relates to the human relationships outside and inside of that sport. The series also explores youth, growth success and the price of that success.

You might notice similarities in the presentation and some of the themes if you're familiar with series such as Ashita no Joe, Attack No 1 and Ace wo Nerae, however Kyojin no Hoshi is more about family, and ... the individual relationships of the MC than those other series, these relationships are explored through fierce rivalry, drama and struggle that is constant throughout the series. The struggle explored in the series is both physical and emotional.

The art in the series is incredible, utilising visual gimmicks that you might be familiar with from series like Attack No 1, the animation and the art also enhances the culmination points of the series. Visually the art gets more detailed on those parts which makes you feel tension of the situation through that visual presentation. I'd say the usage of such presentation enables another level of engagement from the audience in those parts where the tension and struggle culminates. The series also features lot of sports commentary which I think makes the experience of the matches feel more immersive as it is almost as if you were watching a real match.

Other than the above visual presentation I mentioned the series also puts emphasis on the emotional aspect of the sport and portrays it visually creating impactful visuals throughout the series. While the method that is used exploring some of the themes is more focused on the relationships of the group and family than the individuals own struggle like in Ashita no Joe and the others I mentioned earlier, I'd say that it doesn't really make the any less enjoyable. The struggle when it comes to the relationships in the series is also presented from multiple perspectives, and how different characters experience their relationship and struggle relating to that in different ways.

There is also a sentiment about war and tragedy explored in the series as one of the themes, featuring footage from the war and exploring the effects of war to the individual, relationships and to the sport.

Throughout the series as you grow with the characters you start feeling the weight of their struggle yourself and get immersed to the deep relationships and dynamic that the characters share, I'd say this enables another layer of enjoyment when it comes to the series.

Overall I'd say that the series is an epic journey through youth and the struggle relating to that and what it means to when it comes to the relationships as you strive towards something as specific as success/sport and presenting a question if it is worth that price.