Ippon Again may be a very standard sports anime about a protagonist who gathers strong allies with her enthusiasm and smile, but it's well executed with realistic outcomes and down-to-earth characters. Plus, there's just not a plethora of judo stories with cute girls these days. #IpponAgain
Beautiful! Excellent! Kuyashii!
Well, I had a feeling but I was still hoping they'd pull through even though "that kind of underdog victory only happens in anime." #IpponAgain 13
This is a team elimination tournament, so even an individual loss can reveal an opponent's technique and lead to a final 1 vs 5 victory.
That's still a frustrating place to end up when the others have given their all for it to all fall on Hiura the Ace. #IpponAgain 12
An incredible feint for that seoi nage!
Interesting that Natsume has a rival coach crushing on her back from her school days. She's down bad too, going by that change in attitude from how she interacts with her students. #IpponAgain 11
I did really like Sanae's match and her refusal to settle for drawing out the match and going for a win using her specialty all the way up to the end, even more so than Hime and the Ace securing victory.
Natsume explaining the power of friendship did feel a bit too forced though. #IpponAgain 10
We do get a flashback to sympathize with the new rivals who are eventually getting taken down, but it's nothing so tragic, just a realistic realization that it was worth sticking out the hardships of training even if it doesn't lead to victory. #IpponAgain 9
This episode really highlights the judoka ability to use an opponent's strength against them, whether it's their size or momentum, for a blowout victory. Unfortunately it also means that some of the matchups we see in the OP turn out to be lies. # #IpponAgain 9
Gotta have a mirror match in there, especially one that parallels a foundational experience for our heroine.
Not a ton of judo this time, but a lot of socializing with the "enemy" and relaxing a little too much at the inn before the big tournament. #IpponAgain 8
Hime (the 3rd year) and Natsume (the teacher) do seem rather close, but I guess they spent a lot of time training after all the other members quit on her. #IpponAgain
It's a sports story you've seen before: the grizzled veteran who thought she left it all behind gets pulled back in by the passion of youth* for one last** competition. #IpponAgain 7
* freshmen 2 years younger
** before going off to college
I think I commented on this back when I started the show, but the mangaka decided to depict real dogi, so we have a string of 20+ characters floating in the ending animation that are all just wearing basically identical white uniforms. #IpponAgain
No heterosexual explanation for Nagumo quitting the kendo club on the verge of nationals to join her girl friend's judo club.
We do get a very goofy montage ending in a relay race to show she can take a fall, she is a wonder child after all. #IpponAgain
No explosive, decisive victory at regionals, just a series of realistic wins and losses plus some emotional closure.
Then spending some time with the kendo childhood friend who admires the brilliance of the protagonist, and maybe the MC has a bit of a smell fetish for her kendo gear? #IpponAgain 5
A fated match between former teammates-now-rivals packed with history, emotions, and grapples.
They've got alternating narration but unfortunately the 2 voices aren't super distinct from one another so it wasn't immediately obvious to me. #IpponAgain 4
Sekine also voices characters in Senpai Is an Otokonoko (Saki Aoi), Ippon Again! [see below review] (Emma Durand) and Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure (Sora Harewataru/Cure Sky) histhermann.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/i... (48/?) #judo #ipponagain
Some voice actors for #rurirocks lent their voices to characters in stories centering on female friendship, like #IpponAgain! (Nene Koide), Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night (Koharu), and #AnneShirley (Diana Barry) histhermann.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/i... (51/?)
#もういっぽん #ipponagain 30巻p.134&p.135、各選手の二つ名が完全に笑わせにきてて草
The series character designer, Airi Takekawa, previously worked on #IpponAgain! In my review, I wrote that "the show doesn't have direct yuri themes…it is more than a female-centered version of sports shonen…the series is…yuri-ish, &…a sports series." histhermann.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/i... (3/?)
As for the anime #Turkey!, the character designer, Ari Takekawa, previous worked on #IpponAgain!. Takekawa is also the chief animation director histhermann.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/i... (30/?)
The outside of a Demys store.
Today's #AnimeKnockoff is this Denny's family restaurant knockoff, Demys from "Ippon! again".
#Anime #IpponAgain #MouIppon #AnimeBrand #AnimeDennys
