Bakuten! Bakuten! Bakuten! This really is an example of a piece of work in which a simple story well presented and executed translates to a warming, and wholesome series where one can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the charade of fun and happiness.
Bakuten!! is set in the ever growing sport anime genre. Unlike the frequently used sports like basketball, tennis, soccer, Bakuten!! takes a detour to a sport rarely discussed (well, not on mainstream level) with gymnastics; rhythmic gymnastics. The setting and plot subtly blows away the fog of societal norms where a sport is tagged by gender, without explicitly focusing its whole attention
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on it. Gymnasts tend to often have female athletes being discussed in all of its topics and men always associated with track and field events. But when introduced to the first episode and first performance of the series, it simply shows that sports is for everyone; and this thoughts leads us to the general and overarching theme of the series: desire.
"What do I want to do?" "Who do I want to be?" The show makes it clear from the beginning that no matter how small or grand it is, everyone definitely has a form of desire within them. These are some of the very first dialogues thrust to us into the series, which kicks off with the main protagonist of the show: Shoutarou Futaba. Futaba, throughout his junior high days, was a fan of sports but never really made it big for himself in whatever sport he took up. He was a benchwarmer at best. He comes across a few gymnasts on his way in school going somewhere and got word that a rhythmic gymnastics high school tournament was ongoing. He decides to attend on a whim since he's an enthusiast of sports. Of course when he got there, his mind was blown away. With the amazing CGI animation that perfectly captures the movement of such athletes in the anime, it was without a doubt amazing not to Shoutarou alone, but some anime viewers as well. In his final year of junior high, he decides and opts to join the school in which their performance made goosebumps run into his veins.
Shoutarou is now used as a mechanic to explore the other characters and themes throughout the series. The setting lays a foundation of the same ambitions from people both from two different sides. Those that are new or have been a rhythmic gymnast for a couple of years (the high schoolers), and the ones who have vast experience in the field and as adults, may have one regret or the other (though Bakuten!! really focused on one adult specifically). Shoutarou is introduced to the small male gymnastics club with very few but eccentric members. This also basically shows how the sport isn't a global spectacle compared to the likes of soccer, basketball, etc. From the ever loving Yakuza movie fanatic, to an idol lover, to the stoic and somewhat unsociable one, the club was few in members (literally to the point of not having the standard number for a team) but they all had their stories which where briefly discussed and this leads up to the abovementioned main theme of the series: desire.
The club maybe as I mentioned had lovable characters that just made you love the series as you progressed. Sometimes it may be seen as comedic relief but who has done and said dumb things when they were high school lol. And these students form one side of the flip coin; the newbies of the sport. To balance this, an adult with prior experience in the game is fixed into the story. This is where I feel the story excels even more. Giving such an experienced individual into the series gives it a somewhat mature tone that balances the generic madness of high school teenagers. The club members grow to take the advice and wordings of the coach as they see him as someone they respect and has a better knowledge in the field than them irrespective of their determination. And the coach (adult) sees himself as a younger version in the young talents and foresees what may have gone wrong during his time and makes amends to better himself for him and the people around him.
The animation of the series and the OSTs go hand in hand. The casual animation from start to finish maintained its quality alongside the suiting CGI movements incorporated in their routine and stage performances. The soundtracks during routines and performances are harmony and perfect synchronisation with their movements. Just the thud from the mat they bounce off gives a suiting feeling. Oh, and the opening and ending sequences? Yeah, that was gorgeous. The OP sets the jovial tone for the episode you are about to hop onto, and no matter how the episodes ends, whether on a high note for the characters or not, the ED will always be pleasurable entering into the next episode (I binged it, so that's how I felt really).
Not everything or story out there has to be a masterpiece to be enjoyed. Simple stories tend to give the warmest of feelings within some viewers. It's not a very high stake anime compared to its counterparts, but it's a wholesome show one can watch if you have nothing to do.
Thanks to those who read from start to end. If you haven't watched it, why not give it a go. You may have a different say to it or not after reading this. But hey, what are reviews for anyway if we can get different responses.
Mar 19, 2022
Bakuten! Bakuten! Bakuten! This really is an example of a piece of work in which a simple story well presented and executed translates to a warming, and wholesome series where one can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the charade of fun and happiness.
Bakuten!! is set in the ever growing sport anime genre. Unlike the frequently used sports like basketball, tennis, soccer, Bakuten!! takes a detour to a sport rarely discussed (well, not on mainstream level) with gymnastics; rhythmic gymnastics. The setting and plot subtly blows away the fog of societal norms where a sport is tagged by gender, without explicitly focusing its whole attention ... |
