Story:
This was something that really got to me. I really couldn't get into the story because of how bland it was, yet I still find myself watching it. It's a fairly average supernatural power anime with a lot of forced narrative. It doesn't add anything to the sports genre.
The nature of kakeru's skill/power is a little absurd for how serious the rest of the show tries to be and instantly telegraphs the rest of the plot of the show. "Oh no! they seem to be in a tight spot" and kakeru's uncounterable, slumbering powers get accidentally awoken/discovered instantly turning around any game. They tire this out pretty quickly.
The romance in the show is pretty straight forward thus far, and when another female is introduced guess who's the third part of the football love triangle!
I never felt that they were a bunch of losers to begin with and this is where I feel the anime falls flat. You can say they've never won the representative tourney as much as you want, but they never looked nor felt utterly dejected despite be talented.
Art:
I think the art style is just fine. It all plays a little hectic though it goes back and forth between jokingly stylized and serious tone depending on the character. I'd prefer if they took it to the absurd level of Eyeshield 21 personally.
The aggressive/skilled characters are more sharp while the nice are softer.
Sound:
Nothing seems out of place a few things are a little overused in some spots but I can ignore that.
Character:
The minor characters are unique and probably the best part of the show. It's probably what keeps me watching. They do develop but never given a big enough spotlight to truly shine outside of the first few episodes and occasional spots between kakeru and nana
Enjoyment:
I always have a hard time with this section of a review because enjoyment is a part of the overall experience and as such I can't enjoy this outside of judging the entire series because of the lead characters.
I enjoy the series for it's teaching capabilities, but not much more. It fleshes out rules nicely for those who aren't very familiar with them.
What I couldn't stand was the amount of talking in the series, especially in the middle of a game. The rest of the game is going on around them and the stop and monologue for SO long.
Overall:
I can't recommend it as a general anime fan, you really have to ignore a lot to get around some of the weaker points. As a person who's not familiar with soccer it does an okay job of helping me understand the game and a bit of the strategy. Don't want to believe the direction that this anime takes after every episode.
It feels like it wants to be like Eyeshield 21 but it falls short of cloning it, th energy of the show never really builds and can only seem to hit a plateau and be instantly die afterward. Nothing every feels at stake because of how the story is built, the solutions are never out of left field or last ditch. Wait for kakeru seems to turn the game around always come out ahead it feels.
