1) An Aloof Main Character
2) Having a character of the day without too much depth
3) Having some characters around and getting no explanation as to how they are important are
4) Constant teases throughout with the main character not getting any better in her personality
5) A real lack of constant emotions
6) Certain characters being at the top all the time
7) Episodes where they feel like a filler to get along to the next point
8) A catchy intro theme song that only Nana Mizuki can do
Then this certainly is the anime for you. Highspeed Etoile isn't going to win any awards in terms of excitement, but it can't pass the checkered flag of what the 2024 anime season needs to be good. The animation is one thing, and I am not asking for MAPPA or even P.A Works here but this is an anime that needed more to give you a proper investment to make it's mark. Less is More as some say, but you need more in order to squeeze together the audience to find a person to root for in terms of sports. If you watch sports like I do, then you will always find that team that you will root for.
This anime fails itself in trying too little in order to capture the audience, the first episode gives you some hope. Then episodes two to four happen, and you are like watching a rinse and repeat. What made an anime like Kuroko No Basket great was introductory, pacing, and seeing that your limits will be met at a point. Highspeed Etoile keeps giving you the characters who are at the top, and when they keep on winning you don't have the same level of investment of characters who constantly lose over and over again. The last minute triumph falls short here, because it comes too suddenly and when it is at the last turn.
Highspeed Etoile is not the worst anime of 2024, but it may be up there in a top ten.
