Don't get me wrong. The sport, judo, was definitely portrayed well and some matches could definitely be put up there next to some more well respected sports anime battles. But in my opinion where the show really shines the best is not that. It's the characters. And more specifically, the interactions between the characters.
I wouldn't say a single girl of our main cast from Aoba West high school stand out on their own but together, it makes all the difference. I had a very fun time just watching them get to know each other better, coming from different background and levels of age, judo and friendships. And most importantly, it felt organic. The show is believable and that's why I really enjoyed it.
You don't need a masterclass in writing or a plot that is deep if the story you are telling feels good to experience. Even the matches felt real and they weren't throwing around deus ex machina for the sake of making stakes higher. The show is mostly comfy and a feel good experience but it's not afraid to get serious too and it manages to handle the tones for both well.
The animation also pleasantly surprised me. It was mostly very fluid with great uses of camera angles to add that extra oomph. But while I enjoyed the judo matches after getting used to it more, I still wish they would have expanded more on the actual workings of it. Lots of terms such as points and technique names are dropped constantly but never do we actually get proper explanations for anything.
Drama in the series was pretty elementary and some of it felt a little forced but it wasn't bothering me too much overall. And the ending of the show feels almost like only a prologue finishing so I definitely was left wanting more. Hopefully it gets another season some day but as is, it's still a fairly self-contained fun show that just works.
