That first episode may very well be one of those rare gems. A perfect blend of storytelling and execution with some very funny sequences. I’ll have to rewatch this some other time to make sure tho. The number of times I got distracted watching this was not doing this show justice.
A few months later… After rewatching the first ep, I can confidently say that it has aged like fine wine, it’s as great as the first time. It took me a few minutes to readjust to the quirks of low frame rates in anime considering it’s been over a month since I’ve last watched ‘anything’. But soon those nuances faded into oblivion as the comedy took center stage.
This show falls into the category of love it or outright hate it, leaving little room for a middle ground. And I find myself on the side of adoration.
Getting back into the anime game with this series was one of the best decisions I’ve made. The relentless humour is precisely what I craved after weeks of not reading or watching anything. It was refreshing. It’s not like I regret not consuming anything; I simply didn’t feel the need for it. I had other things that gave me the same kicks. I think I’m slowly starting to understand my capacity. When I’m immersed in work, I struggle to enjoy watching or reading something, while I really enjoy socializing. Yet, when I’m at home, I love consuming stuff and I hate going out. It’s a weird duality, to say the least.
An actual tournament arc? Is this for real?
The first six episodes of this series were an absolute delight. If it had sustained that level of quality, matching the brilliance of its debut episode, I have no doubt it would have become one of my favourites. Regrettably, the show took more of a comedy using generic shounen tropes path—races, cultural festival tournaments, battles with upperclassmen, and the like. Although amusing, it failed to maintain its originality for long. Nevertheless, it was still fun, which is a significant plus. One of the main drawbacks, however, lies in the underdevelopment of the characters. In the initial episodes, this was not an issue as we familiarized ourselves with their personalities and the whole cast. But as the series progressed, we yearned to witness their growth or, at the very least, some form of change. Instead, they remained largely unchanged, reverting to the same individuals we encountered at the beginning. Had this been an entirely absurdist comedy akin to ‘Carnival Phantasm,’ this lack of character development would have been inconsequential. Yet, this show aimed to explore life’s challenges through comedy, occasionally adopting a slice-of-life tone. There were instances when this approach worked well, particularly during Takao and Roka’s arc. However, those instances were few and far between.