"Ippon" again!

KANLen09★ 8

Once again, another overlooked show from the Winter season that you should be watching, albeit that you should give this the chance that it really deserves. When it comes to sports series, we've had all sorts of sports in the last few years, the most prominent being soccer in the form of last year's Ao Ashi and Blue Lock. But niche sports like sumo (with 2018's Hinomaruzumou a.k.a. Hinomaru Sumo) and boxing (with Megalo Box or even Netflix's Baki series) are far and few in-between, that's it's hard to keep one's attention at doing something similar, yet different. And one of those shows this season, ismangaka Yu Muraoka's Mou Ippon! a.k.a "Ippon" Again!, focusing on the judo aspect. The now (as of this review) 22-volume long manga series that the anime covers just a fraction of it, it's a unique work at best that'll surprise you if you decide to give this show a chance to be mesmerized by it. The coming-of-age show comprising of characters that were once in their combat sports (or the correct term being martial arts) element, only to grow out of the exact sport that they practiced for so long, and to revitalize their passion when the situations they were in hit a snag, the paces are there for a revival/resurgence of the sport. This is what happens to MC Michi "Micchan" Sonoda, the judoka who planned on quitting the sport after her final junior high judo tournament, until her middle-school friend Sanae Takigawa invites her to continue together in the high school that they go to: Aoba West. And seeing it as an option that both of these girls have done their measure of being once prominent judoka, it's natural for shows with storylines like these to continue the trend, as it is before. I find it very unique that the series doesn't care about how the girls look. No usual girls with the thin and beautiful figures that so many shows try to be unnecessarily bias about, this show is as realistic as it could get, featuring girls of all kinds of builds, even the chubby ones like Michi herself, because that's what the sport calls for in the first place. Nowadays, even in sports series, there is a tendency to have heavy bias on depicting characters that have both character personality and style, but also being generally aesthetically appealing in general, and I'm glad that this show throws that idealism out of the window because "conveniences" like these are just trivial for the general public to love about, which can be disgustingly toxic at best. That said, the Aoba West girls of Michi herself, her childhood friend Sanae; the hidden ace-in-the-hole Towa Hiura; the rival that subsequently joins the judo side of Anna Nagumo; the comeback Senpai Tsumugi Himeno; and their coach Shino Natsume, these girls and the young woman coach are wholly infectious to a degree, both in their CGDCT and "Fighting!" moments as judo practice can only bring them so far to the usual tournament arcs. Each of the girls have their own unique personality, like the boisterious Michi to the overly worrying Sanae, that each of their growing pangs can be taken individually to push one another ahead. And that's the key to a good sports series, that despite the Shonen demographic that the show is targeting for, no matter male or female, it's relatable to a degree that makes for a good watch, bar none. Despite the relatively young studio that is the subsidiary label Bakken Record (from main parent studio Tatsunoko Production) coming out haphazard since Spring 2021's Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood, this show is arguably the studio's best effort so far, with the animation production that really surprises me that it's better than what as expected. Especially with the judo matches, you can watch and feel the realism that makes you feel like you're on-site and cheering on with the characters to do their best. Despite working with a rather limited budget (which is evident), the studio tried their best efforts with this, and I think it paid off beautifully. The music I think really compliments the show quite well, even down to its thematic themes. Subway Daydream's debut Anisong in the form of their OP song "Stand By Me", it just screams old and memorable 2000s anime vibes that is both youthful and soul spirited. Together with the Aoba West girls' character VA ED song, it goes hand-in-hand of being one of the most underrated OSTs of the season. It's shows like these that teach the simple critique of "less is more", and in this case, it justified the critique's requirements to a T. From the naturally progressive story beats to the realistic, truer-to-life character depictions, coupled with better-than-expected production, Mou Ippon! is the exact case file of a hidden gem in the making, which if you are a sports fanatic, you should not whizz this show by for looking so generic at hindsight, that dive into it, it'll show you a world that's a no-nonsense affair of more than just pure CGDCT. Good watch.

Persona111★ 7

If I may describe Mou Ippon in one word, it should be 'lovely'. Many moe- aka CGDCT- anime try their hardest to make you have this feeling of attachment to the characters by shouting and flashing at every instant how they- mainly female adolescents- are overtly cute and give you diabetes simply by existing. I'm not gonna get further into discussing that kind of anime, but Mou Ippon is, first and foremost, not one of them. By going a route much more similar to Yuru Camp, the Slice-of-Life moments of this anime express the personality and goals of the girls through the lens of a rathernatural, realistic take on the lifes of a group of high-schoolers doing judo just for fun, and that's it's main selling point. The interactions between the characters are the absolut flagship of this anime. The MC, Michi Sonoda, is a light-headed and overtly passionate high schooler who just wants to have fun, make friends, and do some cool memories with her fellows at the judo club. She's could fit into the genki archetype, but it would feel disrespectful to reduce her into that; she's a full-fledged, nuanced character, and that's what makes her the more lovely every time she sincerely expresses how awesome her friends are or how much fun she had. Just like Michi, the rest of the cast feels really alive, and everyone has their own trivial worries as normal high-schoolers. Even rivals with scarce screen-time are always deliberately given some insight in order to make them more likeable and show how their no more than normal girls too. That feels somewhat genuine, and it links up to convey the series main message: to take the most out of your youth. A bit cliche? Yes. But I swear that it's simplicity and sincerity has almost brought me to tears more than once. Another aspect that I must mention regarding what makes this anime 'lovely' is its production. Bakken Records isn't a big nor a influent studio, and has its great limitations. But, just like in their previous work in Jouran, they've put that unique feeling of passion into the project that I find to be invaluable. Even if the animation is a constant struggle against an evident lack of talent and or resources, I can't help but give merit to a staff that worked its way through, held to its strenghts and delivered seriously great moments. The scenes are often ambitious in storyboarding and layout, even if the result can be sloppy, and specially the judo scenes are always constructed and coreographed with a lot of care. The greatest achievement in this regard is how, even with limited animation, the visuals are didactic and self-explanatory during the judo matches, showing how the staff actually understands the sport, and that's intensified in the moments where there is actually sakuga to go along with the great storyboarding and compositing. Overall, teh effort that a limited staff has put into this is something I can't help but find lovely. So, what's the big deal then? Is Mou Ippon worth it? I'd say yes. Not a must-watch by any means, and obviously not fit for someone who dislikes both sports and SoL anime, but a really decent pick to any appreciator of those genres. It doesn't have a bombastic story, and its production values might get messy sometimes, but its a project full of passion for judo and a set of compelling characters. The fights are also engaging whenever the animation allows it. Concluding, a lovely 7/10 that I'll keep in my heart for a good while.