The story for Whistle! revolves around Kazamatsuri Shou, a 2nd-year junior high school student who has an unquenchable passion for soccer. Throughout the anime, most of these developments include him in some way, and it showcases his overall improvement in each part. Each soccer match and emotional bump all somehow work to bring him closer to maturity.
Unfortunately, the art was pretty bad. Yeah, it's a pretty old anime, and the animation should not be held to today's standards. But putting that aside, a lot of the animation was not smooth at all, and it seemed like it lacked in-betweens. Furthermore, some body proportions were off and physics seemed weird. Also, because it's old, the quality wasn't all that good, and backgrounds lacked detail. It didn't detract too much from my total enjoyment of the anime though, once I got used to it.
I have mixed feelings toward the sound. On the one hand, the voice acting was sub-par, and some sound effects were a little strange. Especially for the main character, a lot of words were slurred and emotion was definitely lacking. However, the actual music (opening, background music, and ending) was pretty good. The timing for background music was also solid, in that it enhanced each scene depending on the mood.
Character development is definitely one of Whistle!'s fortes. Other than the growth of the protagonist, all of those around him also mature in some way, shape, or form. Rather than solely focusing on Shou, every character, even the minor ones, receive a little treatment as well. That being said, these weren't executed to their full potentials, but the overall feeling was there.
I wholly enjoyed this anime. I don't know what made me enjoy it so much, given the average ratings I've given each aspect of the show, but I did. And I would be hard-pressed to put it in to words. Just watching Shou grow, and observing each step of the way, kind of made me feel like I was there with him, and relating to each of his struggles. The fact that he is such an altruistic, dedicated, and self-sufficient kid is just so heartwarming somehow. It really is difficult to describe.
Overall, the anime receives a 9. While poorly executed, the story and character development set a tone that evoked feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment. I hope that you will give this anime a chance, and perhaps, you can experience some of the mysterious enjoyment I felt.
