okay, so. let's try this posting-more thing
I ended up taking basically a whole year off from watching hockey as I got deep into an anime & manga spiral; I've started to filter a little of the hockey back in, but I don't think I'll return to that all-consuming level it was at for a couple of years there. And the anime & manga consumption is persisting, though I've reached some thresholds of what Crunchyroll has to offer for some specific genres. For example, I really want another long, absorbing sports anime to mainline, but I think I've exhausted the ready supply of the specific types that I'm looking for. There are a few more to try that look kind of like outliers, but I'll give them a shot at some point. There are also a few that I started and did enjoy, but didn't quite manage to scratch the right itch; I'll go back to most of those eventually, too, try them again with a different mood. In the meantime, one of the ones I really like might merit a re-watch.
A lot of those are fairly popular, but one that I really liked that doesn't seem to have a much of an existing following (only 2 fics for it on AO3, and those only total 250 words) is Baby Steps, a tennis anime that is much less well-known than Prince of Tennis (which I haven't yet seen because Crunchyroll does not have the first arc; I tried out a scanlation but it didn't really hold my attention, but I'll try again at some point). I'm not sure it would work as well for everyone, but considering my tastes, it has a few specific things going for it:
1. The protagonist is the analytical type. He's still got a fairly simplistic mindset in that way that sports anime protagonists tend to -- he's super sincere, hard-working, and straightfoward -- but his core approach to the sport is all about meticulously observing, recording, and analyzing data. Watching him learn and develop and find success that way was incredibly satisfying.
2. All of the drama and tension of the series comes from the tennis-related challenges, which are presented very thoughtfully and in at least semi-realistic progression. I mean, his meteoric rise is pretty dramatic, but the challenges he faces and the specific methods that are used to overcome them really do make a lot of logical sense, and there are some pretty interesting insights into different ways people learn, perservere, react to pressure situations, and frame/approach their lives and choices, among other things.
3. The non-tennis parts have a gentle, low-key, slice-of-life tone that I find quite endearing. Even the romance is almost entirely free of annoying miscommunication-based or external-manipulation-based drama, instead focusing on the realistic uncertainties and hopes of a slowly progressing first love and the challenges and joys inherent in being in a relationship with someone when you are both really intensely into your sport.
4. I liked the characters a lot. Not just the protagonist and his friends, but also the various opponents, rivals, training mates, coaches, etc, that you get to know over the course of the show. They are very distinct (impressive given the sheer number of them!) and have a realistic feel to them -- that thing where you can tell that they're going about living their own interesting lives off-screen.
5. I really learned a lot about tennis -- many different aspects, in some pretty extensive detail. I like doing that deep dive into topics I don't know that much about, and for that aspect in particular, this is probably one of the best anime I've watched.
I just wish they'd made even more of it! But the 2 seasons (50 episodes) that exist are excellent and satisfying in their own right. I am now impatiently following the scanalations of the manga, as the manga doesn't seem to have an official English translation yet. If it ever gets licensed, I will be buying it for sure.
This entry was originally posted at https://athenejen.dreamwidth.org/95322.html.
A lot of those are fairly popular, but one that I really liked that doesn't seem to have a much of an existing following (only 2 fics for it on AO3, and those only total 250 words) is Baby Steps, a tennis anime that is much less well-known than Prince of Tennis (which I haven't yet seen because Crunchyroll does not have the first arc; I tried out a scanlation but it didn't really hold my attention, but I'll try again at some point). I'm not sure it would work as well for everyone, but considering my tastes, it has a few specific things going for it:
1. The protagonist is the analytical type. He's still got a fairly simplistic mindset in that way that sports anime protagonists tend to -- he's super sincere, hard-working, and straightfoward -- but his core approach to the sport is all about meticulously observing, recording, and analyzing data. Watching him learn and develop and find success that way was incredibly satisfying.
2. All of the drama and tension of the series comes from the tennis-related challenges, which are presented very thoughtfully and in at least semi-realistic progression. I mean, his meteoric rise is pretty dramatic, but the challenges he faces and the specific methods that are used to overcome them really do make a lot of logical sense, and there are some pretty interesting insights into different ways people learn, perservere, react to pressure situations, and frame/approach their lives and choices, among other things.
3. The non-tennis parts have a gentle, low-key, slice-of-life tone that I find quite endearing. Even the romance is almost entirely free of annoying miscommunication-based or external-manipulation-based drama, instead focusing on the realistic uncertainties and hopes of a slowly progressing first love and the challenges and joys inherent in being in a relationship with someone when you are both really intensely into your sport.
4. I liked the characters a lot. Not just the protagonist and his friends, but also the various opponents, rivals, training mates, coaches, etc, that you get to know over the course of the show. They are very distinct (impressive given the sheer number of them!) and have a realistic feel to them -- that thing where you can tell that they're going about living their own interesting lives off-screen.
5. I really learned a lot about tennis -- many different aspects, in some pretty extensive detail. I like doing that deep dive into topics I don't know that much about, and for that aspect in particular, this is probably one of the best anime I've watched.
I just wish they'd made even more of it! But the 2 seasons (50 episodes) that exist are excellent and satisfying in their own right. I am now impatiently following the scanalations of the manga, as the manga doesn't seem to have an official English translation yet. If it ever gets licensed, I will be buying it for sure.
This entry was originally posted at https://athenejen.dreamwidth.org/95322.html.