Story and Character: 10
I'm doing these together because I couldn't write about them apart. I liked that this wasn't some romantic relationship based show where the shy boy meets a girl who changes him. The way it happened, not just by accident but by deliberate choice on the outgoing boy's part, was funny, The story wouldn't have unfolded the same if it had been up to fate or by accident due to the main character's (Yuki) stifling fear of interaction with people. Haru was this breath of fresh air because he wasn't just some outgoing, cute character who changed everyone in town. The way he struggled to interact with or like a human was different than the usual half animal struggles so it gave him a new special aspect and his goal of the show along with how he developed throughout and his interactions with Keiko, Yuki's grandma, gave him depth.
Natsuki was the brooding character of the series but I think the best part about him was the family aspect of his character. He softened pretty quickly towards Yuki and Haru, even once in the first episode because of his sister around. But with him there was more for him to deal with than the fishing and that was dealing with loss and staying with his family. His growth was based here and that was the most important thing to him.
Yuki had all the personal growth of the series left to him. He had obstacles and hurdles and barrels of things to get past before he could be the greater person in episode 12.
Keiko was really just cute and quirky and a great voice of wisdom throughout the series. She'd be the coolest grandma and I'm glad she was one of the main parental figures for both Haru and Yuki.
Art: 9
The art in this one was cool and fun. It was super generic or cookie-cutter like many animes can be and they did something a little different that worked with the flow and feel of the story. The quirky style was a great addition to the whole package.
Sound: 8
The music throughout was cute and went along with the show well.
I felt overwhelmed, as I still do, with love for this series. It wasn't like the other sports animes I've watched where everything is really intense and emotional. It was an upbeat, funny chance and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope I can find more comedic sports animes like this one because it was just a nice feel good show that I would recommend to anyone.
