One major problem with the anime throughout its runtime is the meanspirited atmosphere. Hanebado insists on pushing animosity, melodrama, and insults in its script without having a meaningful outcome. An example of this is one character being defeated by the MC of the show, the MC of the show insulting and mocking her and then moving on. The character who got insulted own character arc ended on sadness and depression and then just threw her back in the background. Granted this character was stingy to the MC in the past, but the arc this character received did not make her a better person, it did not make the MC more likable, and it didn’t give a viable explanation on why she did these actions.
Another downfall is the plot device of Ayano’s mother which is so outlandish and disgusting, that it is completely unbelievable and takes the immersion out of the viewer. It is so over the top that it leaves the viewer frustrated with the actions of the MC’s mother not changing and not realizing her mistakes in an actual meaningful way. The mother’s actions were not properly justified and seemed so fucking stupid that it just made me think what the writers were thinking hyping up this plot since the beginning for such a drab explanation. The “development” that does occur between them on the last episode felt so artificial too. The problems between them were patched up far too quickly instead of properly fleshing out their relationship over a span of episodes. This was solidified with episode 10 and in all honesty, made me feel disgusted.
This doom and gloom throughout make the show feel depressing and it makes the very slim number of lighter moments feel so out of place that it gives you whiplash. Hanebado is not an ideal sports story in all accounts. It does not show the viewer the benefit of being on a sports team. It does not properly show the sacrifices of being in that sport because it shows the negatives of those sacrifices without showing how the characters grow. The characters either don’t grow at all or are not developed properly and the main plot device of the show is so stupid and achieves nothing to grow the MC and her mother. Combining all of these factors make this anime a poor tale about sports and playing on a team which should be empowering.
Oh well, At least it looks good.
