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Spoiler free review.

The feeling I get from Tsurune is both similar and completely foreign to what I have felt before. The characters, though clichéd and stereotypical, manage to integrate well with the story line and the overall feel of the story. While it may seem like a typical bishounen cast, the female members of the club are included in a way that felt natural, without detracting (much!) from the focus on the boys. I really looked forward to the girls' screen time. I believe that I have watched my fair share of sports anime including Cheer Danshi!!, Free! and Haikyuu!! (notice the exclamation marks?) and ... read even more, like Kurogane and Karate Heat. The vibe is very similar, 13 episodes leading towards a tournament, but the emotional and psychological journey in Tsurune really stood out to me. The art is stunning, and really lends to the classic kyūdō vibe. The relationships in this anime were quite well done, but they seemed a little bit shallow. However, I can overlook the lack of multi-faceted friendships simply with how enjoyable it was. It was a quick watch, and it didn't have as much comedy as I usually expect from a sport anime, but the straightforwardness of the show kept the story flowing and light.

I personally would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a simple sports anime, as it has lovely art and the typical rival and team bonding that is often seen in the genre, along with the Minato's development. It really stands out to me, despite lacking the usual comedy I enjoy.

Kurogane was a manga that I chanced upon. I think it really is a shame that it isn’t very popular, as it contains many of the elements of a successful sports manga.

I really, really enjoyed reading this manga. It got me excited to see what would happen, and much like Haikyu! or Kuroko no Basket, the prospects of strong opponents, developing friendships and skills added to the story. The integration of a supernatural element was unusual, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There aren’t many drawbacks to Kurogane but the main one I would like to point out is the length. Because it is so short, I ... really hoped to feel satisfied at the end. The character development could have been more in depth if it were longer, but in the end, I really loved reading it.

Story: 9
Art: 8
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 10

Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion, and you will not know if you will like the anime or not until you have watched it.

The bad stuff:
The show was a bit repetitive. It was quite subtle, but if you watch for it, many of the episodes share similar story lines, with very little happening in each. That being said, this season has 24 episodes and somehow manages a decent plot. Character development was minimal in the second half of the season, due to the vast amount of gameplay that occurred; it was inevitable that the attention would be draw away from character development ... and towards the opposing teams. The animation was a bit lacking while they played soccer and the moves themselves were practically described instead of being shown.

The good stuff:
Honestly, from a reviewer’s point of view, this show was lacking and full of clichés. However I enjoyed it very much. I liked the art style and the sound was very well done in assisting in adding emotion to the story. While it didn’t live up to my expectations I was very pleased with what I did get. It was fun to watch, and in my opinion, that is what I like the most about sports anime.

Overall rating: 9