Sports anime has fallen out of favor with fans over the past few years. Can this season change that for the genre?
Kodoani.com – Like most other media, anime genres experience more or less popularity. For the past decade or so, isekai shows have dominated the media and show no signs of slowing down. Sports anime, by contrast, has fallen into disrepair – these anime simply haven’t made the same impact on the fan base as they did even 5 years ago. Most popular anime from that time were either completed or showed no sign of another season coming. Meanwhile, new sports series often fall short of expectations.
However, Spring 2022 is likely to change this trend. This anime season features five unprecedented sports titles, no anime has had only 1 active season. From football to horse racing, each fight has its own qualities to offer viewers. Of these, the top three anime on MyAnimeList all have a lot of potential. Whether it’s the development studio or the story, these anime series can revive sports anime.
Aoashi
This series is supported by anime fans who pay attention to animation processing studios. Produced by Production IG, known for his impressive work on widely acclaimed anime such as Vinland Saga and the early seasons of both Attack on Titan and Haikyuu!!, Aoashi has had a pedigree. On top of that, it makes for a great setup for a sports anime series in its first episode with a protagonist who is clearly flawed.
Ashito Aoi established himself immediately as a capable soccer player. Whenever you have the ball, he can score. However, this is also the problem of other players on the field. Ashito’s team’s main strategy is to pass the ball to him and let him score, which makes him look down on his opponents. Their assumption wasn’t wrong – Ashito admitted that he was selfish, but his group accepted it. This attitude may have worked for the guy so far, but it also had its consequences: due to his fame and immaturity, he lost his chance to be selected for a famous football team. high school.
At the end of Episode 1, he gets the chance to go to Tokyo and join a team, but only after proving his dedication to improving the sport. Ashito considered the task given to him by his new coach as a challenge, and thus, he worked hard to complete it. In one episode, Aoashi balances out the main character’s strengths and weaknesses. He’s not a prodigy or someone who can do one thing well – he’s a kid with passion and room for growth.
Dance Dance Danseur
Likewise, Dance Dance Danseur also has a popular anime studio backing it. MAPPA, known for Jujutsu Kaisen, the following seasons of Attack on Titan, and the upcoming Chainsaw Man adaptation. Episode 1 shows the legendary background of the studio in minutes with its first introduction to the ballet, in a stunning performance that doesn’t use polarizing CG animation.
However, the bigger draw for many fans is the message it sets up to say. The main character, Junpei, fell in love with ballet as a child and pushed himself to participate despite his father’s brief objections. Then tragedy struck and suddenly, Junpei felt that he needed to let go of his “feminine” preference. Intentionally or not, the expectations and comments from those around him pushed him to follow in his father’s footsteps, so he gave up ballet to study martial arts.
Despite insisting that he danced too much, it was clear to the audience that he wasn’t. He still yearned for it, but most of the time it was just himself. This is why, while his reason for going back was a girl he liked, Junpei returned to ballet because it felt genuine. Even doing things that are supposed to make him a man, Junpei is led back to the set every day. While dancing, he felt sensations that he never got from martial arts. The way he deals with finding his love again and letting others know about it will be the main driving force of this series.
Love All Play
In recent years, many badminton anime series have been made, but none of them have become of interest to the general public. Hanebado took itself too seriously for many viewers, while Salaryman’s Club groped over simple aspects like its basic premise. With two episodes available, Love All Play is striking a good balance between life and sports.
One day, Mizushima Ryo and his friends stumble upon the badminton club and never leave. Now that you are in your final year of middle school, you must decide which high school to attend. Ryo is offered a sports scholarship to a famous high school, but this perfect opportunity doesn’t go as expected. His family disagreed with the idea; they don’t want him to depend on physical ability, so he decides to enter the school by giving his grades.
With the first episode focusing on school life, episode 2 turns to badminton. During a practice session aimed at testing the abilities of Ryo and the other hopefuls on the team, the audience gets a glimpse of each character’s skill level and personality. While Love All Play doesn’t sound like anything special, it has the potential to be a good sports anime.
Via: Kodoani.com