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Dec 5, 2019 9:21 AM
#1

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Nov 2011
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Ooh Shingo's sister. Interesting.

A lot of drama this episode in his family. Honestly, I feel really bad for Tsubasa and all the shit he has been through. Even getting slapped and falling off the stairs...what the hell. His hand doesn't look in good shape either after that.
Stark700Dec 5, 2019 10:27 PM
Dec 5, 2019 10:41 AM
#2
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Sep 2016
90
I don't know why but man that first half with An was kinda heart-wrenching mostly because of the possibilities of how much can happen in the school and also the amount of emphasis on making her feel safe. Just the thought of her being in danger worried me.

I kept saying WTF Nao when he locked her in there. Their explanation made sense overall on his decision and yeah his mother is awful, but still made me a little ticked. An's cute as heck though. Seeing someone that isn't Maki's mother cares about one of the guys is nice to see, even if it's just his sister. Hell, Shingo's dad seems pretty cool too, from the looks of it. He recognizes that he loves Tennis, unlike some other dads and moms. Though I will say I was surprised in finding what Nao's mom is doing is abuse. It makes sense but I thought of it as aggressive helicopter parenting.

I will say that it's nice to see a parent being a dick affecting the main story. I bet Maki's dad will soon and Nao's mom has done some stuff but this feels like it's important. I'm excited to see how the next episode pans out.
It really do be like that though.

Dec 5, 2019 10:43 AM
#3

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Sep 2017
578
at this point i don't even care if the club wins, i just want everyone to be happy ;__;
Dec 5, 2019 10:44 AM
#4

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Apr 2009
774
lol is this a parody.

Dec 5, 2019 10:46 AM
#5
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5904
I used to think that is it necessary for all members to have family problems? But now I realized that every family have problems, no family is perfect.

And this episode brings me another question, why their problems are all in the same wavelength? The only one that is entirely different is the adopted son that has happy family, other members are all suffered some kind of abuses.

This is me just nitpicking minor details though, the show has very strong fundamental of storytelling. And one thing I've to loudly praise is that despite mellow animating style, the show has some serious hot characters, Tsubasa's brothers for example. They look so... delicious...

Also, about the injury, my solution is that either the manager has to play or Tsubasa have to practice to use the other hand.
phantomfandomDec 5, 2019 10:55 AM
Dec 5, 2019 10:52 AM
#6

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Aug 2013
5104
Man what an episode.

The first part was kinda heartwarming till Nao locked up Shingo's sister, An, in the room. I was like "wtf are you doing!". Though I do feel sorry for him as his mother wants to control his life.

I feel bad for Tsubasa, he fractured his arm and will not be able to play soft tennis for two months.

LeoDec 5, 2019 11:01 AM

Dec 5, 2019 11:12 AM
#7
Shalltear

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Apr 2018
33605
Good episode but wtf I know we all have problems but this world is a dystopia they're all being abused from their parents or whatever
Dec 5, 2019 11:42 AM
#8

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Jul 2017
1843
are like almost all the parents in this damn series fucking assholes. like wtf is this.
Dec 5, 2019 11:50 AM
#9

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man, this show is something else and it touches my heart deeply. irl I don't know a single person who would have a happy, nice family. everyone I know has some issues (more or less serious depending on the person), be it friends, colleagues from work etc. I seriously I don't believe in perfect, happy families.

for me the fact that they all have issues is what makes this show realistic. I myself went through mental abuse from my alcoholic father, mom not accepting that I'm a lesbian, parents making fun of my hobbies and not treating it seriously, family not believing I suffer from depression. no matter who I speak to, I always hear about some kind of problems, so the fact that all the characters in this anime have issues shows the cruel reality we live in.

people who think this anime is not realistic and that it's ridiculous that there are so many issues depicted probably live in some weird, oblivious bubble...
Dec 5, 2019 11:51 AM

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Mar 2016
1713
It's nice to see how every family has their own problem, and how all the club members have a different kind of family.

I really wanted to know what had happened to Yuu last episode.

No matter what happens at home, people show up to their work or school like nothing had ever happened, while they are periodically bothered mentally. The anime does a great job showing that.

I feel horrible for Tsubasa. My father is also like that.

I actually had tears in my eyes when Tsubasa fractured his wrist. How do you explain to others that you are being beaten; or someone, who should be supporting you, ended up taking away your chance to be happy?

I didn't think Nao's lying would be further explored, but they did. Bloody hell, he has an awful mum. Also, JUST FREAKIN' LET HIM USE HIS LEFT HAND IF THAT'S HIS DOMINANT HAND!

Shingo has a step mum, who doesn't trust him that much. This anime really explores a lot of different types of families.

I never thought I'd see Tsubasa crying. He looked so small and delicate, and I really wanted someone to protect him. I'm glad he has Shingo to talk to without being judged.
Dec 5, 2019 11:55 AM

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Yavimaya said:
man, this show is something else and it touches my heart deeply. irl I don't know a single person who would have a happy, nice family. everyone I know has some issues (more or less serious depending on the person), be it friends, colleagues from work etc. I seriously I don't believe in perfect, happy families.

for me the fact that they all have issues is what makes this show realistic. I myself went through mental abuse from my alcoholic father, mom not accepting that I'm a lesbian, parents making fun of my hobbies and not treating it seriously, family not believing I suffer from depression. no matter who I speak to, I always hear about some kind of problems, so the fact that all the characters in this anime have issues shows the cruel reality we live in.

people who think this anime is not realistic and that it's ridiculous that there are so many issues depicted probably live in some weird, oblivious bubble...


I know right! I don't understand people who complain about every character having a tragic backstory. Every one is suffering in various degrees, but most of us choose not to show it. This anime does a fantastic job showing it realistically.
Dec 5, 2019 11:55 AM

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Yavimaya said:
man, this show is something else and it touches my heart deeply. irl I don't know a single person who would have a happy, nice family. everyone I know has some issues (more or less serious depending on the person), be it friends, colleagues from work etc. I seriously I don't believe in perfect, happy families.

for me the fact that they all have issues is what makes this show realistic. I myself went through mental abuse from my alcoholic father, mom not accepting that I'm a lesbian, parents making fun of my hobbies and not treating it seriously, family not believing I suffer from depression. no matter who I speak to, I always hear about some kind of problems, so the fact that all the characters in this anime have issues shows the cruel reality we live in.

people who think this anime is not realistic and that it's ridiculous that there are so many issues depicted probably live in some weird, oblivious bubble...


I know right! I don't understand people who complain about every character having a tragic backstory. Every one is suffering in various degrees, but most of us choose not to show it. This anime does a fantastic job showing it realistically.
Dec 5, 2019 12:24 PM
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Mar 2019
76
Wow what a disappointment, I was really looking forward to this episode because I thought they were gonna finally prove them selves as decent tennis players. But yet the first half of the episode is them looking for An just so they can show that nao is getting overwhelmed but they could shown that while he was playing. They teased us for ten minutes but don't even show them playing it just cuts to them talking about nao and than we get some more corny family drama. Does every parent hate tennis? I was really looking forward to this episode but it blew.
Dec 5, 2019 12:27 PM

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Yavimaya said:


people who think this anime is not realistic and that it's ridiculous that there are so many issues depicted probably live in some weird, oblivious bubble...

It's the presentation that makes it unrealistic and cheesy. I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up, out of nowhere, after 9 episodes, just in time to make Tsubasa fall from the stairs and break his hand 5 seconds later. And the drama with the little sister getting lost? A+ contrivance (Solved by Jesus Maki, of course).

You can't just vomit drama on the audience because "it's realistic", otherwise just anyone could write some drama worth a shit.

What about with Yuuta anyway? Last episode ended with a cliffhanger and it looked like his mother was going to chain him to his bed, then he shows up this episode looking daijobu, like nothing happened. ???. Did the writer forgot? I'm almost tempted to say he wrote these episodes without a particular order in mind.

Dec 5, 2019 12:30 PM

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This show is essentially Asian Parents the anime. Seriously though I feel like the reason why each character's family has different issues is that it's meant to reflect families that have all these issues present. Like Nao and Soga's issues can easily be combined into and present in 1 family (manipulating your child into doing what you want and rejecting their own ideals).

I think this show is less of the fact that every family has problems and more of the fact that these problems can seriously damage a kid mentally/physically despite how negligible they may seem.. Like I think the whole convenience that the entire club has family issues is kinda like just representing all the parts of a single child going through these kinds of abuse if that makes sense.

And I was a bit skeptical when it was only following Maki, but I'm glad this show doesn't choose to portray mothers as the holy grail all the time and actually show that sometimes they can be the problem

this is some good shit



also with the way this drama is going, I wouldn't be surprised if a suicide attempt is made at the end lmao
Short_CircutDec 5, 2019 12:36 PM
Dec 5, 2019 12:30 PM
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Sep 2019
3
Haha this is the episode I got closest to crying. I wasn’t even too attached to Nao and Tsubasa before this but just one thing after another really got too me. In particular Nao’s completely empty eyes made me scream every time i saw them because it’s so heart wrenching. To see a character not just upset, but held in a state that’s lacking most emotions, being held there by his mothers control and the absolutely devastating thought of loosing soft tennis really destroyed me.
Dec 5, 2019 12:33 PM
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Mar 2019
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Jin_uzuki said:
Yavimaya said:


people who think this anime is not realistic and that it's ridiculous that there are so many issues depicted probably live in some weird, oblivious bubble...

It's the presentation that makes it unrealistic and cheesy. I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up, out of nowhere, after 9 episodes, just in time to make Tsubasa fall from the stairs and break his hand 5 seconds later. And the drama with the little sister getting lost? A+ contrivance (Solved by Jesus Maki, of course).

You can't just vomit drama on the audience because "it's realistic", otherwise just anyone could write some drama worth a shit.

What about with Yuuta anyway? Last episode ended with a cliffhanger and it looked like his mother was going to chain him to his bed, then he shows up this episode looking daijobu, like nothing happened. ???. Did the writer forgot? I'm almost tempted to say he wrote these episodes without a particular order in mind.
it's honestly laughable they overdo it with the drama and they do it in such a corny way it makes me roll my eyes.
Dec 5, 2019 12:46 PM
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May 2017
274
Another awesome tearjerker episode. Shingo is a true bro.
Dec 5, 2019 12:55 PM

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Chazea said:
Jin_uzuki said:

It's the presentation that makes it unrealistic and cheesy. I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up, out of nowhere, after 9 episodes, just in time to make Tsubasa fall from the stairs and break his hand 5 seconds later. And the drama with the little sister getting lost? A+ contrivance (Solved by Jesus Maki, of course).

You can't just vomit drama on the audience because "it's realistic", otherwise just anyone could write some drama worth a shit.

What about with Yuuta anyway? Last episode ended with a cliffhanger and it looked like his mother was going to chain him to his bed, then he shows up this episode looking daijobu, like nothing happened. ???. Did the writer forgot? I'm almost tempted to say he wrote these episodes without a particular order in mind.
it's honestly laughable they overdo it with the drama and they do it in such a corny way it makes me roll my eyes.
no one forces you to watch something that makes you roll your eyes.
on the other hand I'm happy that every character gets their 5 minutes. that's just how life is. you never know when shit will happen. you expected all the characters AND their parents to be introduced in the first episode because I don't quite understand your issue with showing Tsubasa's father after 9 episodes.


as for "I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up" I did not laugh, trust me, and people with similar father issues probably didn't laugh either because we could feel what was coming.

well, everyone has their opinions. for me the drama is handed well and showed in a realistic way. I'm not forcing you to change your mind. just pointing out that for a number of people this show is actually a good, relatable representation of various issues.
Dec 5, 2019 1:09 PM

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Yavimaya said:

on the other hand I'm happy that every character gets their 5 minutes. that's just how life is. you never know when shit will happen. you expected all the characters AND their parents to be introduced in the first episode

Strawman.

because I don't quite understand your issue with showing Tsubasa's father after 9 episodes.

It's a TV show, so the narrative is expected to set up things in the first episodes, use them in the middle of the show, the resolve them in the end. What's the next, next episode freckles kid gets cancer because that's how life work? What the heck happened to Touma's mom anyway? Yuuta's mother? Maki's father?

as for "I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up" I did not laugh, trust me, and people with similar father issues probably didn't laugh either because we could feel what was coming.

No, you didn't, because the character was never hinted to have issue and the whole sequence is about 2 minutes long and happens 17 minutes into the episode. Not to mention the whole sequence is preceded by a scene with him being completely normal. Are you perhaps a clairvoyant?

Unless you mean "I could see what was coming as soon his father opened the door because the show needed something to generate some cheap drama.".

Jin_uzukiDec 5, 2019 1:27 PM

Dec 5, 2019 1:12 PM
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Maybe it's not realistic enough for the show, but I'd love it if Tsubasa learns to play with his left hand. I'd hate to see him being left out just because his piece of trash of a father isn't mature enough to understand not all his sons have to like the same he does. It's been a while since I've felt so angry and frustrated watching a scene. I shouldn't expect the father to learn from his mistakes, but it would be great if he did. I'm flabbergasted at the rest of the family letting Tsubasa go like that too. He was clearly affected, even leaving the wrist injury aside. Wth.
Dec 5, 2019 1:23 PM

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Nao's character arc is pretty interesting stuff. I'm looking forward to see how that evolves. I feel rly bad to Tsubasa. I wonder if the dad feels bad though, i mean he's kinda lucky police didn't get involved. Maybe he will try to be better..? I feel like it's too much asked for from parent of this show.

In other hand I'm kinda bummed that we didn't see the match against girls. I was rly looking forward to it since they started the anime with boys getting their asses kicked by the girls team. So it would been nice to see the improvement. I guess they are running out of screen time for everything they have planned so got to cut some content out? I'd have preferred if they left Tsubasa's plot to next ep and used that time for the matches.
Dec 5, 2019 1:26 PM

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Jin_uzuki said:
Yavimaya said:

on the other hand I'm happy that every character gets their 5 minutes. that's just how life is. you never know when shit will happen. you expected all the characters AND their parents to be introduced in the first episode

Strawman.

because I don't quite understand your issue with showing Tsubasa's father after 9 episodes.

It's a TV show, so the narrative is expected to set up things in the first episodes, use them in the middle of the show, the resolve them in the end. What's the next, next episode freckles kid gets cancer because that's how life work?

as for "I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up" I did not laugh, trust me, and people with similar father issues probably didn't laugh either because we could feel what was coming.

No, you didn't, because the character was never hinted to have issue and the whole sequence is about 2 minutes long and happens 17 minutes into the episode. Not to mention the whole sequence is preceded by a scene with him being completely normal. Are you perhaps a clairvoyant?

Unless you mean "I could see what was coming as soon his father opened the door because the show needed something to generate some cheap drama.".



oooohh myyyy gooooooood. not all shows are based on the same "introduction - peak - resolve" pattern. I feel like it's pointless to discuss it with you.

and are you perhaps blind? his father shows up, Tsubasa instantly loses all his good mood so at that exact moment I could feel what's his relationship with his father and that some shit was about to happen, especially when the father got angry at Tsubasa. yes I know this kind of situation well because similar stuff happened to me. I'm okay, I talk to mom and laugh, then see my father, I instantly feel angry/want to leave, then I get into an argument and bad stuff happens. maybe you never experienced it, but you know, there ARE people who did. one does not need to be a clairvoyant to predict what happens, especially since this show is driven mainly by issues with parents.
just like with the little sister: everyone was kinda anxious because we could feel something was about to happen to her. that's the type of show it is.

if after you saw Tsubasa's reaction to his father's arrival and didn't feel that something was wrong then I honestly don't know what to tell you. maybe this anime is just not for you and you should drop it or something.
Dec 5, 2019 1:37 PM

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Yavimaya said:


oooohh myyyy gooooooood. not all shows are based on the same "introduction - peak - resolve" pattern. I feel like it's pointless to discuss it with you.

Ah yes,"the bad parent of the week" famous pattern. Truly great storytelling, especially when the show literally forgot to even properly develop half of these kids' issues (Remember when Touma was a main character and had a brother? Or a mother?)

and are you perhaps blind?

Re-read what I wrote.
maybe you never experienced it

Stop assuming stuff about people. Also stop making this about you honestly?

one does not need to be a clairvoyant to predict what happens,

Show me, prior to the scene with the father, where the show ever hinted there was something bad going on with Tsubasa.

just like with the little sister: everyone was kinda anxious because we could feel something was about to happen to her. that's the type of show it is.

Of course you could, the show needed some cheap drama.Like the moment the mom got worried I literally laughed IRL because I knew she was going to get into trouble. You seem to think any contrived situation the writer can come up with is *good drama*, which is honestly scary to me.

if after you saw Tsubasa's reaction to his father's arrival and didn't feel that something was wrong then I honestly don't know what to tell you.

Of course it did. What it has to do with figuring up stuff? Do you actually think you are special for figuring out the show was going to have some cheap drama with the father who looked at him like he was going to murder him the moment he appears? The scene is literally 2 minutes long, hellooooo?
Jin_uzukiDec 5, 2019 1:44 PM

Dec 5, 2019 1:53 PM

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Jin_uzuki said:
Yavimaya said:


oooohh myyyy gooooooood. not all shows are based on the same "introduction - peak - resolve" pattern. I feel like it's pointless to discuss it with you.

Ah yes,"the bad parent of the week" famous pattern. Truly great storytelling, especially when the show literally forgot to even properly develop half of these kids' issues (Remember when Touma was a main character and had a brother? Or a mother?)

and are you perhaps blind?

Re-read what I wrote.
maybe you never experienced it

Stop assuming stuff about people. Also stop making this about you honestly?

one does not need to be a clairvoyant to predict what happens,

Show me, prior to the scene with the father, where the show ever hinted there was something bad going on with Tsubasa.

just like with the little sister: everyone was kinda anxious because we could feel something was about to happen to her. that's the type of show it is.

Of course you could, the show needed some cheap drama.Like the moment the mom got worried I literally laughed IRL because I knew she was going to get into trouble. You seem to think any contrived situation the writer can come up with is *good drama*, which is honestly scary to me.

if after you saw Tsubasa's reaction to his father's arrival and didn't feel that something was wrong then I honestly don't know what to tell you.

Of course it did. What it has to do with figuring up stuff? Do you actually think you are special for figuring out the show was going to have some cheap drama with the father who looked at him like he was going to murder him the moment he appears? The scene is literally 2 minutes long, hellooooo?

this show is clearly not for you if you think it's that bad. idk why you would want to suffer through watching a show that you find so bad. for you it's "cheap drama", for me it isn't. to each their own I guess. I feel it pointless to discuss this anime with you.

I really envy people who have enough free time to waste it on watching stuff that they don't like.
Dec 5, 2019 2:19 PM

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Everyone having sudden tragic background is getting really old, like I'd get it if there was a proper build up, but there simply isn't one, even worse that conveniently almost all team members have terrible parents. We're at 9 episodes out of 12 and nothing has been resolved. There's also Maki being a Gary Stu again.

I really wanted to give this anime the benefit of the doubt, but it wouldn't let me. They also left Touma's situation aside making him look like a secondary character when he shouldn't be. Also, what about that girl we randomly got a backstory several episodes ago? that thing was never touched again.

This is all so contrived and lacks depth.
"We could make the world better, but it's easier to just shut our eyes."
~Blackwall
Dec 5, 2019 2:47 PM

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I hope at least one of them has a nice family. I'm glad the little girl wasn't hurt/scared/etc.
"Even if it has good reviews, if I don't like it then it is shit"

-Some random anime character
Dec 5, 2019 3:20 PM
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@jin_uzuki is fucking based tbh, I totally agree. Show's writing blows. I thought maybe we'd pick something up in the second cour only to my surprise that it's ending in 3 episodes lmao. I guess that's why everything feels so rushed and cheap..
Dec 5, 2019 3:22 PM

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The air was really heavy this time. I was wondering why Shingo's mother seemed to have a problem with him, and it turns out she isn't his mother. The situation with Nao is more serious than what I thought it was too. It was like he dissociated back there, he needs help. His father didn't even look at him during breakfast, I guess it's always like this, and his mother is like that, also unable to really see him, even if in another way. I like how the team understood and forgave him though, but what he did was really bad.

Then Tsubasa. I can't believe his father. He seems to have a good relationship with his brothers, despite being kind of raised in their shadows. It's a pity, and revolting, that his father can't respect him. I'm glad he had to Shingo to help, and to hear him out though. The last thing he said before the episode ended totally broke my heart. I can't believe all of his efforts are going to waste. I mean, there might be a tournament for them next year if everything goes well, and the team isn't forced to disband, but there's nothing like the "now." He was going to be part of it, and his father might have ruined it.
Dec 5, 2019 3:27 PM

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I feel like if the length of the show was longer, the drama between everyone and their family members would be better paced, more convincing and less contrived.

Because the more I see this show, the more I feel like it's just becoming a parody, even if it doesn't intend on anything like that.

I get that the drama is realistic. I had trouble at home myself when it came to my own life in high school (especially when I was playing cricket for my school team instead of focusing on my education), but the fact is that this issue isn't the only thing that defines me, and it's not presented every single second to an absurd degree.

Having realistic drama doesn't necessarily mean it's a fantastic show. Anyone can write a show that has some sort of realistic drama that happened in their own lives. It's how it's presented, written and executed that clearly matters, and I feel like this show is jampacking so much drama into 12 episodes (with no subtlety and no care) that I struggle to care for anyone, and whatever is happening with their lives.

Build their characters first, then slowly integrate the drama after. In my opinion, that would be better than having tragic events happen every single episode to every single child and presenting most parents as crude. It may be 'realistic' for many, but it's too contrived and too forced for me, that it takes away any enjoyment that I would have had for this.

I love tennis, I like drama when it's done well, and I thought that this show had a goldmine in the first 2-3 episodes. But now, it's just feeling more and more unbelievable, and I find myself laughing at how much is going on now.

Sometimes, less is more. And HnS needs to realize that.

(And if people ask me, why not just drop this. I don't like dropping a show when it's nearly done unless its the worst thing in existence, and I normally like sports anime so I rarely ever drop it except 1 or 2 ones).

Rant done.
Dec 5, 2019 3:28 PM
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Dec 2017
73
Okay, I think I might go down from a 9 to and eight after this episode. Perhaps lower moving forward.

Yes, most families have problems, but come the fuck on!

Toma's family not supporting him, because he is not good enough
Maki's alcoholic dad that beats his son and steals their money
Itsuki's mom with the hot water or was it an iron?
Nao's emotionally abusive mother and his non-caring dad
Yuuta's mom
Shingo's mom resenting him
The girls (forgot name) parents not being supportive of her drawing dreams

AND NOW WE HAVE A FATHER THAT BITCH SLAPS HIS CHILD DOWN THE STAIRS.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Stop painting the image of every parent being complete trash. This anime has more abusive and unsupportive parents than the last 20 series that I watched put together. Yes, every family has their own issues and I was impressed how Hoshiai No Sora was tackling them, but now it's just too over the top. Not everybody lives iwith mentally and physically abusive parents.

Can't wait to see what home environment struggles the final two boys have.
Dec 5, 2019 3:29 PM

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Nao didn't hurt An, right? Like....the moments with his mother at the beginning when he was eating made me think he was gunna straight up attack her with his chopsticks or something. And then with the lizard he saw on the grass, the look in his eyes then made it seem as if he wanted to just grab it and torture it to death or something. So when he was alone with An....the show made it seem as if he was going to do something to her, as well. Especially considering she had changed positions from when Nao was in there (on her side) to when Maki found her (on her back). It's possible she just rolled over in her sleep but knowing how dark this show can be I'm like really worried he did something to her while she was sleeping or something....

Also omg...Tsubasa. My poor sweet child. I have no idea how they're gunna deal with this next episode but god damn that injury sounded bad when he fell and then looked even worse at the hospital. That's...quite the bruise. Maybe he'll try to learn to play with his left hand? But I doubt there will be enough time for him to get good at it before their next match.
Dec 5, 2019 3:43 PM

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May 2019
859
This was a pretty depressing episode...

I sometimes think they've gone overboard with too much family drama and it feels like no one's living a happy life. But man, I still love this anime.
If you read Eleceed you're automatically my friend.
Dec 5, 2019 3:45 PM

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Yavimaya said:

this show is clearly not for you if you think it's that bad.

I certainly think this episode is bad.

idk why you would want to suffer through watching a show that you find so bad.

Because it started with a fantastic first episode with really good drama and a lot of potential and slowly got worse and worse.

I really envy people who have enough free time to waste it on watching stuff that they don't like.

It's anime original and it had some good episodes, certainly enough for me stick around since it's at least not boring or another fucking Isekai LN adaptation. Not that I have to justify myself.

Dec 5, 2019 3:51 PM

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Feb 2019
2413
With that post credit scene, I'm not sure we can assume An is Shingo's sister.

The woman obviously is not his mother, but when the man said that Shingo's aunt looks like himself, he was looking right at An. Are they hinting that An is Shingo's aunt?

That had to be more than just a throw away line to mention an aunt. The way this show is going though, we may never know because there are tons of loose threads dangling and only 3 episodes to tie them up. This may be another anime where they just leave it all ambiguous.

There's been no concrete evidence that the man is Shingo's father either.
Dec 5, 2019 4:02 PM
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Dec 2019
2
Damn, this episode really got to me. I could relate to everything from the helicopter parenting to domestic abuse, it was really reminiscent of my high school years.

Also, so sad that the competition is two months away and Tsubasa got his hand injured ;__; I really wonder what they'll do.

This show plays with my emotions but overall I can't wait for the next episode.
jochaa99Dec 5, 2019 7:09 PM
Dec 5, 2019 4:46 PM

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Aug 2016
609
The realness of their family relationships is too sad for me. I wish we could go back to tennis.
Dec 5, 2019 4:52 PM
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Jan 2017
1085
What the heck is this show's problem? It's really obsessed with digging deep into the ugly realities of bad parenting. We have yet another character with an abusive parent. This stopped being dramatic a few weeks ago and now, it's just plain tiring. Look, abusive parents are bad, we get it. I'm tired of hearing this exact same story over and over and over again both in fiction and in real life. That's why I like fiction. It's escapism. Use your imagination. The showrunners could have created a show where bad parenting is a thing of the past, or at least, it's not as bad as it used to, but instead uses bad parenting a quick and easy way to produce cheap drama. That's not fun anymore.

Some parts of this episode were genuinely heartwarming. The team is quick to understand Nao's circumstances, while Tsubasa's scenes at the end of the episode give him so much, but on the whole, the continuous presence of bad parents just makes this particular premise feel cheap and repetitive. I like Stars Align on principle and I enjoy it when it's done well, but it really need to stop obsessing over bad parents. There are other ways to create drama that don't involve abusive parenting and personally, I feel the show is at its best when it focuses on the more positive aspects of the characters' lives, such as friendship and soft tennis.
Dec 5, 2019 5:00 PM

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May 2015
2177
SaltyReinn said:
Okay, I think I might go down from a 9 to and eight after this episode. Perhaps lower moving forward.

Yes, most families have problems, but come the fuck on!

Toma's family not supporting him, because he is not good enough
Maki's alcoholic dad that beats his son and steals their money
Itsuki's mom with the hot water or was it an iron?
Nao's emotionally abusive mother and his non-caring dad
Yuuta's mom
Shingo's mom resenting him
The girls (forgot name) parents not being supportive of her drawing dreams

AND NOW WE HAVE A FATHER THAT BITCH SLAPS HIS CHILD DOWN THE STAIRS.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Stop painting the image of every parent being complete trash. This anime has more abusive and unsupportive parents than the last 20 series that I watched put together. Yes, every family has their own issues and I was impressed how Hoshiai No Sora was tackling them, but now it's just too over the top. Not everybody lives iwith mentally and physically abusive parents.

Can't wait to see what home environment struggles the final two boys have.


Couldn't agree more, this started out really promising but has just turned into whos got the shitty home life this week. I guess ill see it through to the end, but getting real close to dropping this
Dec 5, 2019 5:08 PM

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Apr 2016
767
Jin_uzuki said:
Yavimaya said:

on the other hand I'm happy that every character gets their 5 minutes. that's just how life is. you never know when shit will happen. you expected all the characters AND their parents to be introduced in the first episode

Strawman.

because I don't quite understand your issue with showing Tsubasa's father after 9 episodes.

It's a TV show, so the narrative is expected to set up things in the first episodes, use them in the middle of the show, the resolve them in the end. What's the next, next episode freckles kid gets cancer because that's how life work? What the heck happened to Touma's mom anyway? Yuuta's mother? Maki's father?


The show is about many kind of dysfunctional parental relationships, it's not "maki and his father: the anime". It's true some show are about just two people. Maybe you thought there's only animes with one focus on two characters? Well there's more. This one is about many kids, all in the same club and each with their own issues at home. Nothing revolutionary but it's true it's not that common for an anime. It doesn't make it bad. The intent is probably that : to show many different familial issues, that exists and are more common than some think.

as for "I don't know how anyone could not laugh when Tsubasa's father showed up" I did not laugh, trust me, and people with similar father issues probably didn't laugh either because we could feel what was coming.

No, you didn't, because the character was never hinted to have issue ...


You just wrote something important here ... in this anime, like in real life, there's no "hint" at the things that really happen. You don't see it, you don't suspect it ("what a nice dad he has!" "what a loving mother she has" "they are a normal family") but shit still happens inside the house and there's no hint most of the time. It's just that the makers of the anime decided to be there when the dad hit "his failure of a son" and they showed it. In real life, you didn't see your friends get beaten by their parents. It's not because it didn't happen, it's because you weren't there.
Dec 5, 2019 5:15 PM
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Dec 2015
166
this episode hit hard and damn all these kids need therapy....
Dec 5, 2019 5:28 PM
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Jan 2019
4
Another sad tragic episode. I wanted to read more about this episode but sadly this is anime original
I hope they do make this a Manga so I can read more back story on the characters and find out more information
Dec 5, 2019 5:28 PM

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Aug 2014
395
The Nao side of the episode had a creepy vibe behind it that I kinda liked (Maki solving everything yet again was a letdown though), I wish Tsubasa's side was more powerful. I felt something when he was crying in the park, but it was still far from the emotional highs of the first couple episodes.



Talim said:
Also omg...Tsubasa. My poor sweet child. I have no idea how they're gunna deal with this next episode but god damn that injury sounded bad when he fell and then looked even worse at the hospital. That's...quite the bruise. Maybe he'll try to learn to play with his left hand? But I doubt there will be enough time for him to get good at it before their next match.


That would actually be a decent development. It would be nice to see him try that and it would fit his character.
Dec 5, 2019 5:35 PM

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Jan 2014
838
An was wearing a similar outfit as Mei from My Neighbor Totoro who also got lost and had people looking for her so I wonder if it's a reference.

As for these parents, I'm about to make a hit list.
Dec 5, 2019 5:35 PM

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Jul 2013
321
I was afraid this was going to get very dark when Nao found her lol
Dec 5, 2019 5:40 PM

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Oct 2009
635
I feel like this episode was more of a hodgepodge than most of the previous ones: just too many things happening in the span of one episode, so it just loses the sharpness that comes with better focus. Nao's mother, Shingo's mother (or "mother", I guess?), Shingo's little sister (or, "sister"?), the disappearance, Nao's actions, the match, Tsubasa's family and his injury... These should've been split into two episodes at least, then things would have been aligned and felt like less of a rush. The impact is there in each of these, but because everything was squeezed into ~21 minutes (wow, having both a full OP and a full ED!), they lose some of their quality in the compression.

Overall, I still say this anime is a reality check for too many people when it comes to parents/families, and that's why they have or develop a sort of aversion to what's happening here. We're just not used to anime treating them this way: that they actually are around at all, and parts of the lives of characters we either love or hate but whom we spend most of the screentime watching, and yes they can be bad just as easily as empty shells or actually supportive wonder-parents. Even if they are shown, more often than not they're just marginal, barely there cardboard figures with no characteristics or distinguishing features at all. Well, not here. Here they are very much present, and often enough bad in one way or another. Again, the constraints of the series make the different kinds of bad parents more condensed than what would be "comfortable", but that's what happens with this stupid 12-episode standard anime seems to have: something always suffers for it. (While Nao's mother is way too relatable, I gotta agree that Maki's overal wisdom is getting a little annoying.)



HeroVladimir93 said:
What the heck is this show's problem? It's really obsessed with digging deep into the ugly realities of bad parenting. We have yet another character with an abusive parent. This stopped being dramatic a few weeks ago and now, it's just plain tiring. Look, abusive parents are bad, we get it. I'm tired of hearing this exact same story over and over and over again both in fiction and in real life. That's why I like fiction. It's escapism. Use your imagination. The showrunners could have created a show where bad parenting is a thing of the past, or at least, it's not as bad as it used to, but instead uses bad parenting a quick and easy way to produce cheap drama. That's not fun anymore.

Some parts of this episode were genuinely heartwarming. The team is quick to understand Nao's circumstances, while Tsubasa's scenes at the end of the episode give him so much, but on the whole, the continuous presence of bad parents just makes this particular premise feel cheap and repetitive. I like Stars Align on principle and I enjoy it when it's done well, but it really need to stop obsessing over bad parents. There are other ways to create drama that don't involve abusive parenting and personally, I feel the show is at its best when it focuses on the more positive aspects of the characters' lives, such as friendship and soft tennis.


You said it: you like fiction. For what it's worth, this story seems to be a whole lot more non-fiction than what several people can put up with, apparently. It's not about imagination, but about real life, and yes, real life can easily be shit like this - hell, school and clubs themselves are "escapism" for way too many kids exactly because of how bad their home life is. Yes, it could have been a fun comedy-sports series, but it isn't meant to be escapism with cheap laughs. It's why we can appreciate them having fun and being able to laugh around their friends that much more: because we get glimpses at the other side of their lives too.
Dec 5, 2019 5:44 PM

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Jan 2011
6476
show has been slowly showing all the teams family life and turns out almost everyone's family is dysfunctional to some degree which is a much more real take even if it sucks for the kids and us viewers ,though it does feel as Sora is hammering it up the worst kind of parents

once again i'll use the word contrived to showcase my feelings on how the events played out this week mainly the end but it didn't change the fact that it was a bummer to watch
, Nao is a example of someone suffering from a disorder and has been unstable for a while but due to his quiet timid nature hes most likely never talked to anyone properly about it

and Tsubasa up on till this point we haven't seen anything besides his more aggressive personality so seeing how it went from 0-100 out of no where was surprising "like damn we gonna have another abusive father seriously" hoping they dig more into it because it didn't feel like the norm and more we just walked into a sudden big moment .
Dec 5, 2019 5:54 PM

Offline
Apr 2009
774
Ysad_Ziwezhan said:

The intent is probably that : to show many different familial issues, that exists and are more common than some think.


Oh gosh, can you and everyone like you stop using this argument fucking stop? It's so fucking condescending and personal that I refuse to answer. Me and other people already explained the issue and you are acting like you are the only person who has ever been enlightened on family issue.
Oh yes, we totally don't get families can be fucked up because we think the fact that every boy in the soft tennis club has an one dimensional evil parent is stupid. That's how it works.


You just wrote something important here ... in this anime, like in real life, there's no "hint" at the things that really happen.

This is a story, mate. Pick up today news and read about all the dead people if you want to see tragedy porn and random bad things happening.

Dec 5, 2019 5:57 PM
Offline
Jan 2017
1085
yellowheartren said:
I feel like this episode was more of a hodgepodge than most of the previous ones: just too many things happening in the span of one episode, so it just loses the sharpness that comes with better focus. Nao's mother, Shingo's mother (or "mother", I guess?), Shingo's little sister (or, "sister"?), the disappearance, Nao's actions, the match, Tsubasa's family and his injury... These should've been split into two episodes at least, then things would have been aligned and felt like less of a rush. The impact is there in each of these, but because everything was squeezed into ~21 minutes (wow, having both a full OP and a full ED!), they lose some of their quality in the compression.

Overall, I still say this anime is a reality check for too many people when it comes to parents/families, and that's why they have or develop a sort of aversion to what's happening here. We're just not used to anime treating them this way: that they actually are around at all, and parts of the lives of characters we either love or hate but whom we spend most of the screentime watching, and yes they can be bad just as easily as empty shells or actually supportive wonder-parents. Even if they are shown, more often than not they're just marginal, barely there cardboard figures with no characteristics or distinguishing features at all. Well, not here. Here they are very much present, and often enough bad in one way or another. Again, the constraints of the series make the different kinds of bad parents more condensed than what would be "comfortable", but that's what happens with this stupid 12-episode standard anime seems to have: something always suffers for it. (While Nao's mother is way too relatable, I gotta agree that Maki's overal wisdom is getting a little annoying.)



HeroVladimir93 said:
What the heck is this show's problem? It's really obsessed with digging deep into the ugly realities of bad parenting. We have yet another character with an abusive parent. This stopped being dramatic a few weeks ago and now, it's just plain tiring. Look, abusive parents are bad, we get it. I'm tired of hearing this exact same story over and over and over again both in fiction and in real life. That's why I like fiction. It's escapism. Use your imagination. The showrunners could have created a show where bad parenting is a thing of the past, or at least, it's not as bad as it used to, but instead uses bad parenting a quick and easy way to produce cheap drama. That's not fun anymore.

Some parts of this episode were genuinely heartwarming. The team is quick to understand Nao's circumstances, while Tsubasa's scenes at the end of the episode give him so much, but on the whole, the continuous presence of bad parents just makes this particular premise feel cheap and repetitive. I like Stars Align on principle and I enjoy it when it's done well, but it really need to stop obsessing over bad parents. There are other ways to create drama that don't involve abusive parenting and personally, I feel the show is at its best when it focuses on the more positive aspects of the characters' lives, such as friendship and soft tennis.


You said it: you like fiction. For what it's worth, this story seems to be a whole lot more non-fiction than what several people can put up with, apparently. It's not about imagination, but about real life, and yes, real life can easily be shit like this - hell, school and clubs themselves are "escapism" for way too many kids exactly because of how bad their home life is. Yes, it could have been a fun comedy-sports series, but it isn't meant to be escapism with cheap laughs. It's why we can appreciate them having fun and being able to laugh around their friends that much more: because we get glimpses at the other side of their lives too.


If you like this show's exploration of teenage life, that's perfectly fine, more power to you, don't let me rain on your parade. I'm just laying out reasons as to why I'm not enjoying the show's current state. The "bad parenting" aspect has become way too repetitive for me. I actually the end of the first episode, the scene with Maki's father, because it was unexpectedly dark and it gave Maki so much pathos. But as the series developed, it became clear to me that this wouldn't be restricted to Maki alone. Suddenly, everyone would have problems with their parents. This wasn't a one-character thing, it had become a staple of the series as a whole and personally, I don't like it.
Dec 5, 2019 6:13 PM

Offline
Oct 2015
6915
This show is starting to be some counselling-fest, what happened to the games? They didn't even show the match with the girls team, are they trying to make a sports anime or some cheap drama.

Hopefully they'll recover from this, and move the story forward. I still have faith in this series.
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove

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