With the rise in popularity of sports anime in the recent years, a lot of shows about different types of sports have been appearing on the last decade, from volleyball and swimming to ping-pong and ice skating. However, All Out!! is the first anime to deal with rugby, a rough sport which has been on the rise in Japan these last couple of years.
Having grown up in a house with three brothers who play rugby and a father who played on his youth, I have a basic knowledge of this sport, which was what drew me towards this anime in the first place. And I'm
...
glad i decided to check it out tbh, because it was an amazing watch.
Story: 8/10
Now, let me get one thing clear. The story isn't something extremely wild or out of the box that hasn't been seen before. You have two protagonists who join their high school's rugby team, and the teammates start interacting and becoming friends as they train to reach their ultimate goal: winning the Hanazono, the biggest high school rigby competition.
Having said that, however, I have to admit that even though the plot isn't the most original, it was entertaining enough to keep me watching. The characters were likeable and the cast had good chemistry, which was a huge plus in my book. Also, the story does get really intense at times, just like a rugby match can get at certain points, and at times it gives you a breath by having the characters take a break from training (and using that time to delve into their backgrounds and develop them) so it doesn't get too intense.
Character: 10/10
In my opinion, the characters were one of the strongest points of the anime. The main reason why I think this is that they were the main reason why I kept coming back for more; if the characters were unlikeable, I probably would've dropped this after like five episodes.
While it looks like the protagonists are Gion and Iwashimizu, the truth is that All Out!! is an ensemble show; the anime also gives a lot of focus to Sekizan, Oharano and coach Komori, as well as the rest of their supporting cast. And it does have a really large supporting cast; yet it manages to balance them well and the character interaction are always interesting and fun to watch.
I felt like the majority of the cast was pretty memorable and very enjoyable to watch. It was easy to root for Gion or Sekizan to win because they were just that likeable. And I was surprised with how it manages to develop their characters with only 25 episodes; not only with Gion, Mutsumi or Iwashimizu, but even supporting characters such as Ise, Kifune or Suwa get their time to shine as well… just like in rugby, where not only one player gets to shine, but all 15 of them get their moments of glory.
Art & Animation: 9/10
I personally think that the art can be the most subjective aspect of an anime. I found the art really cool, and beautifully animated; as usual, Madhouse does not disappoint in this aspect. The character designs seemed pretty unique, making it easy to identify which character was which by having certain characteristics that simply made it obvious; you have three blonde characters in Iwashimizu, Oharano and Ebumi, but it wasn't hard to remember who each one of them were despite their initial similarities.
The most outstanding bits of animation that I want to point out, however, is when the action is happening. I was worried about how they were going to animate the rugby matches, but again I was pleasantly surprised; the animation of the matches was fantastic and really dynamic, which was needed for a game as dynamic as rugby.
Sound: 10/10
Let me just say this: the soundtrack for this show is AMAZING. It's mainly composed of rock songs that really fit the series, and when they play it in the background during rugby matches or training scenes (specially when they're about to start) it really gives you the sensation that you're feeling the same excitement that the characters are feeling when they're getting ready to go out there and give it their all.
At the same time, there are some tracks that have a more soft and smooth vibe to them, and that play during less intense scenes. Those are just as memorable, specially the first ending… and while we're at it, the first opening is fantastic. The second one was good too imo, but the first opening, "Flower" by Lenny Code Fiction is thrilling; haven't heard such a fantastic op since SnK's "Guren no Yumiya".
Overall: 10/10
Now, I'm the kind of gal who mostly rates her animes out of the enjoyment that I get out of watching them. If it's boring or a chore to watch, it won't get a high score overall… and this was far from the case. It was enjoyable, and a really fun watch!
Before I end, I just want to say that you don't need a background knowledge of rugby to watch this; because Gion is new to rugby, he serves as a way to introduce the sports and its' many rules to the viewer, so you'll have characters such as Iwashimizu and Umeno teaching you a bit about the sport.
So, to sum up… give this show a chance! Thank you for your time :)
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Apr 3, 2017
With the rise in popularity of sports anime in the recent years, a lot of shows about different types of sports have been appearing on the last decade, from volleyball and swimming to ping-pong and ice skating. However, All Out!! is the first anime to deal with rugby, a rough sport which has been on the rise in Japan these last couple of years.
Having grown up in a house with three brothers who play rugby and a father who played on his youth, I have a basic knowledge of this sport, which was what drew me towards this anime in the first place. And I'm ... |
