Mou Ippon!

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.

I'm not one for sports anime, but this one works. I liked the action scenes, this series showed how you can depict dramatic fights without a need for characters to fight as money saving blurs. Simply having shorter fights with clearly defined rules and stakes makes it more dramatic. That enthralled me because I've always wanted to see an anime show this and this series does with great effect. The characters and their design are average, as was the soundtrack I didn't like the pacing, it took too long to establish things we already knew were going to happen; i.e. the formation of the five womanteam. There is no reason Himeno couldn't be recruited as of episode 3. Also, I felt this show needed a rookie character to teach the basics along with the audience. I'm sure the manga has plenty of notes, but what exactly was a wazari again? It isn't very educational in that regard. TL;DR, A great anime about the sport of judo. Can't imagine it's appeal to anyone not interested in judo

I consider myself somewhat of a sports anime enjoyer however I don't have a particular interest in the martial art of judo. Yet I found myself binging all of Mou Ippon! in a single day, so that should be a testament in and of itself. Don't get me wrong. The sport, judo, was definitely portrayed well and some matches could definitely be put up there next to some more well respected sports anime battles. But in my opinion where the show really shines the best is not that. It's the characters. And more specifically, the interactions between the characters. I wouldn't say a single girl of ourmain cast from Aoba West high school stand out on their own but together, it makes all the difference. I had a very fun time just watching them get to know each other better, coming from different background and levels of age, judo and friendships. And most importantly, it felt organic. The show is believable and that's why I really enjoyed it. You don't need a masterclass in writing or a plot that is deep if the story you are telling feels good to experience. Even the matches felt real and they weren't throwing around deus ex machina for the sake of making stakes higher. The show is mostly comfy and a feel good experience but it's not afraid to get serious too and it manages to handle the tones for both well. The animation also pleasantly surprised me. It was mostly very fluid with great uses of camera angles to add that extra oomph. But while I enjoyed the judo matches after getting used to it more, I still wish they would have expanded more on the actual workings of it. Lots of terms such as points and technique names are dropped constantly but never do we actually get proper explanations for anything. Drama in the series was pretty elementary and some of it felt a little forced but it wasn't bothering me too much overall. And the ending of the show feels almost like only a prologue finishing so I definitely was left wanting more. Hopefully it gets another season some day but as is, it's still a fairly self-contained fun show that just works.

Mou Ippon, the show where there are more flashbacks than moments that happen in current time. Wait though, don’t leave yet. That’s usually a red flag, but this one is actually good. I will preface this review by saying that going in, I did not know the first thing about judo, but trust me when I say that it did not matter. This show has so much to offer that it is insane how low its numbers are. The story focuses on the Aoba West High School judo club, from their banding together in the beginning, to practicing in the dojo, to their runs in a coupletournaments. As I said, my judo knowledge extends to what I learned from this show, but that didn’t stop me from being on the edge of my seat when a competitor fell, anxiously waiting to release my breath at the call of an ippon, or hold it in at the waza-ari. The matches were exciting, and they did a good job not making it obvious who was going to win. I felt like I was really in the stands. And that is not all that is offered. You get a nice package: from the sweet judo action, to the surprisingly well done moral dilemma of the right time to hang up the gi, to the fun slice-of-life. And that’s another thing: when we are not pedal to the metal, we are just hanging out, and those scenes flow so well. The humor comes naturally, and once again, does not feel scripted at all. And to complement the surprisingly diverse storyline is the crazy good character chemistry. This, for me, is the best part about the show. The first six or so episodes are all about our protagonists, but as they start to go to competitions, the focus shifts to the other end of the tatami mat. These opponents aren’t just some wall that’s there only to prevent our main girls from winning. In this case, they are real people too, that just want to win the judo tournament as much as anyone else. Sure, some are more competitive than others, but they are all friendly, and with the help of Michi Sonoda, our “antagonists” often end up becoming good friends. Everybody’s so positive and enthusiastic, it makes me want to join a judo team myself. Speaking of Sonoda, Mou Ippon takes an interesting approach to characterization where arguably the most static character is her, the central figure of the show. She instead functions as glue, bringing together and uplifting everybody else from the rest of the Aoba West crew to opponents like Erika, Natsu, and Midoriko. With this approach, I thought I might get tired of Sonoda by the end, but I never did. Of course, not everything was perfect. I previously mentioned the amount of time this show spends in the past. It definitely helped the audience build empathy toward all these characters in just 13 episodes, but they didn’t have to do everybody this way. Characterization is for sure more difficult to pull off in the present, but when this show opted to try it, like when it focuses on Tachikawa Academy in episode 11, it was great. I wish there was more of it. But overall, this show is excellent. It’s impossible not to like it. Please watch it yourself, get those numbers up, because I want a second season. P.S. (And this is a slight SPOILER, so skip if you haven’t seen it yet,) For a show that tried to stay grounded in reality with its fights, that last French girl seemed extremely overpowered. I don’t know judo, but I do know the limits of the human body, and that seemed above and beyond what is possible. I like the move to have the gang lose here, but come on, with that kind of skill, how are they supposed to beat her in the season 2 rematch that will definitely happen? But I digress. Thank you for reading, and have a nice night.

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