Just personal scratch.
Advised, possible spoilers.
Opinion & Informal
Art: 6/10
The art was fine. There were a few cases of "quality" but it didn't bother me too much. The anatomy and proportions checked out. The overall style was modern-standard. There were a few nature and panoramic shots that looked pretty good. There were a few impact shots that looked alright which were mostly the "scary" or "crazed" face of Hanesaki, but that's about it. They looked alright but didn't really leave any impact or give me a sense of the kind of feelings she was having at the time.
Animation: 8/10
Animation was very good. I was impressed with the kinds of motions and sequences that were used in this show. I was surprised at the level of animation that went into the actual sports sequences. Full rallies were animated which is a huge plus. Each individual swing, step, and body motion were all included in the animation. While there was some reused animation, specifically in those impact sequences, there was enough variation and new animation mixed in that it deserves a pass. The small details such as sweat and dripping sweat were also nice additions. There weren't as many shortcuts taken; there was a good showcase of full body motion: walking, running, etc that wasn't cut off by selective framing. Frames weren't dropped in the important bits, and generally everything looked nice and fluid. Overall, the impressive impact sequences, the regular well-done sports sequences, nice and fluid standard motions, and nice-looking supporting effects are great parts about this anime.
Characters: 4/10
I'm not impressed with the characters or character development. Their annoying dynamics and character developments were two reasons that killed my personal enjoyment of this show. Their dynamics were all centered around building unnecessary and honestly really forced tension, awkwardness, and drama in almost all of their interactions. A majority of the interactions between the characters and groups had to have some sort of poorly reasoned confrontation or staring contest. Riko felt like she was only just there to serve as the mediator and voice of reason. The bit of backstory added to her wasn't really developed and felt sort of just like a formality. Riko felt like a typical, "I'm a long-time friend who always had your back who acts as the voice or reason. However, I'll have a telegraphed outburst at least once in the show to act as the trigger to your final resolution." Connie was just a device to act as a temporary antagonist until the final antagonist (the antagonist in this case was an idea which was Hanesaki's raison d'etre: playing for herself, and not for her mom) could be fully fleshed out. In fact, once that idea was sort of in place, Connie was basically tossed aside for a few episodes lol. Hanesaki's mother had weird motivations that didn't feel like they were properly backed up or decently executed. They made sense, but they didn't have enough sequences supporting them. Aragaki had a decent but simple setup. The setup between Aragaki and Hanesaki was the whole, "Two previous rivals that just so happened to end up on the same team" which another example of this setup would be Haikyuu. Furthermore, Aragaki had the, "I've discovered that I have a semi-serious injury which just so happens to arise NOW and conveniently be at a point to where if I decide to play against my rival in the final match, I may permanently end my career." This same trope can be seen in Ping Pong the Animation. Aragaki's culmination was fine but predictable. She ended up finding her resolve to fight Hanesaki, winning, and rekindling her love for the sport. Hanesaki's character development was disappointing for a majority of the show. Her personal growth stagnated for almost 4 or 5 episodes which is a shame; she became that "soulless" yet motivated character for almost a third of the show. She only really developed in the final few episodes going over her past in greater detail and going over her personal thoughts and resolve. In the end her character development played out somewhat predictably. She fought her rival, mid-battle discovered her true motivations, and reconciled with the people she wronged during the show such as her best-friend during the park at sunset scene. I'm not implying that Aragaki and Hanesaki's character development were bad. I'm happy that they turned out the way they did. What I'm not impressed with is the stagnation that occurred midway through the show because of the need to build on the atmosphere the forced and blatantly over-the-top drama was trying to build. Their personal asides could all have used just a bit more time and execution. I gave this area a 4/10 because of the unsupporting supporting cast, slow development midway through, and generally awkward dynamics that didn't feel real at all.
Plot: 6/10
Interesting but typical plot setup. It's a standard first-year joins some sports club, practices and interacts with club members, goes to a tournament, and finale. The catch is that it's about badminton. Something I read recently that has this exact same setup is Sesuji wo Pin! to: Shikakou Kyougi Dance-bu e Youkoso.
Development: 4/10
Much of what I want to talk about development I mostly discussed in the character area just because it was appropriate to do so. I do want to re-bring up the slow pacing and needless filler interactions. There were way too many dramatic scenarios between groups in this show. Why are the problems between side characters being developed much more than the main character's? Why are the main character's developments taking a passenger seat and only being developed in maybe the last 2-3 episodes? Not much of Hanesaki's past or motivations are looked into until the latter half of the show which means that she pretty much acts like some brat with no reasons to it during the former half. My biggest gripe about this show is that it doesn't teach the viewer (not an exaggeration) anything at all about the sport. The badminton was just there. No rules, no basics, nothing at all was taught about badminton. Like the character area, I gave this area a 4/10 because I did not like the slow pacing, lack of proper development to the actions and personalities of the characters, and overall execution of their stories.
Music: 7/10
No sound design to note. Soundboard was quite nice in which effects such as "smashes" and sneaker friction added a lot of flair and life to the matches. Overall, soundboard was very fitting and did very well in creating an exciting sports environment. Bgm was unmemorable and not too catchy in my opinion. Moreover, the bgm didn't "feel" like it added to the sequences. OP and ED were neat but also sounded like a "typical anime opening." I don't actually weigh the OP and ED that much; I just bring them up as a side note.
Overall: 4/10
I personally did not enjoy this show. It was predictable just based on the initial plot setup and it was painful to watch it develop to its predictable climax. The positive parts of this show are the above average art, the impressive animation, and the fitting soundboard. The negative parts about this show were the character and plot development, the awkward and seemingly ungenuine character dynamics, as well as the forced and over-the-top interactions between the characters.
