Recommended
I first watched this on french TV in the late 80's. At the time i wasn't a big fan of this. To be frank, my sister loved it, and that may be half the reason why i craped on it so hard ^^'. The interesting part is that i really started to like this when i first rewatched it in 2010... What is interesting about this you may ask? Well, it is the fact that this anime is almost as old as me, and there are old animes that make my eyes bleed. What is old is not always like good wine... it doesn't necessarily agewell. I tried to rewatch "Captain Tsubasa", but it is beyond me... Much easier with "Attacker You".
Story: 8/10
The story may be the best part of this anime. There is one reason why i rate it highly. It was made before all the sports animes stereotypes came to rule japanese animation and drilled into our skull that sports in anime have to be about the Inter High and school. Seriously, how many series did you watch that is just like that?
- MC is a wimp, a blank carpet. The poor sod has no more purpose in life than your average toilet scrub. Fortunately, he/she will find his/her purpose in life through an awe-inspiring senpai that can make taking a shit look so damn cool. Hence, MC will get addicted to *insert any sport* for it provides sense to him being a toilet scrub, and MC will want to become the senpai (not 'like' the senpai, but become the senpai, literally. Talk about bad-ass psychosis).
- The new life goal of our MC, aside from becoming his senpai, is to win the inter-high. It is because it is well known that once you graduate and enter a work life, your very existence will be about spending your life at work, doing nothing but looking good. Hence, you only have time to dream in High School.
- The MC will have plenty of creepy lines about his love for the sports and his nakamas, and how he would sell his dog and grandma to slavers in Roanapur for the sake of going to the inter High with his senpai (all his senpai this time, this is where it becomes ever more creepy). This is the moment i watch with muted sound, personally.
- 100% of the story the author will tell us is set in High School. The summer of the 3rd year sounds like the moment the main cast's death penalty will be enforced.
As of now, i only found 2 sports animes that break this mold (i have watched A LOT of those), and be it as it may, these 2 are my 2 all time favorites in the genre:
- "Baby Steps" (9/10)
- "Attacker You" (8/10)
Because obviously, sports is life too, like work or hobbies are. "Baby Steps" is about Eiichiro trying to become a pro tennis player, and "Attacker You" is basically the same, with Volley-Ball. Having a passion, the sport, becoming a life project simply feels natural, and i can't say enough how these Inter High sports animes feel narrow-minded to me. I wish all sports anime took example on "Attacker You". You (the MC, not U, gullible narcissist :)) will still meet the senpai Hayase, but all the relationships in the anime are at odds with modern standards. Her senpai hates her for she is the senpai due to her longer experience. The coach, Daimon, is violent and abusive. It is spartan, yes, which is a 80's trend, too, but you won't make your diabet worse by simply watching. No excess sugar to be expected.
Characters: 6
I hardly ever go above 7 in this area. If i do, this means i found some genuinely great work. You is stereotyped in that she is a hard worker and live for her purpose, but she is not so obsessive as to forget everything else. She is not the oblivious type of character that won't understand anything. Her character is motivated by more than the mere sports, and the stakes of her life story go beyond Volley Ball. Her overly passionate behavior is not a mere steretoype, it is a plot device that contributes to deepen both herself and the cast surrounding her.
Other characters are what you would expect, but they are always more than the stereotype they may seem to be at first. It is not deep enough to find oil, but deep enough for a sports anime. Actually, the characters in "Attacker You" may be the best out of all the sports animes i have watched. Her father and brother, Nami, Eri, everyone in the cast has something to offer.
Art: 4
This was decent for the early 80's. But it was never remastered as far as i know... Expect some 4/3 blurry screens with sad excuses for backgrounds, reused animations and all that. Aside from that, the animation quality itself is very decent even to this days standards, and aside from the low resolution due to the age, the drawings are fine, too. In short, expect low resolution screens with simple screen composition and decent, if reused, animation. Most younger people will probably dismiss everything as crap, but i like to be thorough. Not everything is crap. Personally i don't mind the old visuals.
Sound: 4
Basically the same as with the visuals. Many sound effects are very 80's (remember this when you hear the ball being hit ^^)... The series was not remastered and thus, the sound is like if recorded on an old audio cassette. Dang, audio cassettes were high tech at the time. But i personally like the VA. The trend for VA was different. It emphasized a more natural feel. Nowadays, it became a true art to add all sorts of gulps, sigh, peculiar tones and such. I like it, too. But i am unsure if one if stricly superior to the other. Still, expect for the sound to give you some genuine 80's vibes.
Enjoyment: 9
You (The MC, not U, dang...) learns about the sports, struggles with her life, decides what she wants for herself and then vyies for it with everything she has. While it may sound stereotyped, it is not that much, as explained above. It is about a life project, and to me, it makes all the difference.
Overall: 8
Maybe the 80's was a time when Japanese weren't that afraid of conflicts yet, and could conceive series where conflicts are a natural part of life. This i can relate with. But that is certainly not the case anymore, which is a source of endless frustrations to me, as i watch anime characters unable to voice anything and authors build all their stories by exploiting the resulting misunderstandings. Stories that could be solved episode 1 if only 2 characters just sat down and talked........ I learned last year that using pronouns like "anata" or "omae" sounded rude and thus are hardly used, and that japanese will hardly ever speak a sentence in its entirety, letting others guess what they mean... Times change. But not always for the best. All the more reason to look behind at times, and to try out old animes like this one.
