Cheer Danshi!!

After suffering from a shoulder injury, shy first-year university student Haruki Bandou gladly takes the opportunity to give up judo, failing to find happiness in the sport regardless of his family owning a dojo. He did not expect, however, that his best friend Kazuma Hashimoto would also decide to leave their university's judo club at the same time as him. Despite Haruki's protests, Kazuma already has plans for a new and revolutionary activity: a cheerleading team made up of only men. Although heavily reluctant, Haruki ends up helping his friend set up the team. Through sheer determination, and with support from their newfound club members, Haruki and Kazuma persist in founding the Breakers, the first ever all-male cheerleading team of Meishiin University, slowly making history in spite of the feminine tag attached to the sport of cheerleading and the prejudices, physical challenges, and self-doubts that inevitably follow.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Bandou, Haruki Main

Yonai, Yuki Japanese

Hashimoto, Kazuma Main

Okamoto, Nobuhiko Japanese

Mizoguchi, Wataru Main

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Tokugawa, Shou Main

Ono, Yuuki Japanese

Sakuma, Ryuuzou Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Mori, Hisashi Supporting

Hatanaka, Tasuku Japanese

Chen, Zixuan Supporting

Bun, Yousei Japanese

Hasegawa, Gen Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Suzuki, Souichirou Supporting

Kuwano, Kousuke Japanese

Wataru's Mother Supporting

Satou, Shinobu Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Herek, Samantha Assistant Producer

Yoshimura, Ai Director

Kimura, Eriko Sound Director

Reviews

Nov 4, 2016

88expert

Recommended

GO FIGHT WIN!!!!!!!!! LET'S GOO BREAKERS!!!!!
I'm going to remember this quote forever.

Cheer danshi is clearly the most underrated anime of the summer 2016 season or possibly the entire year which I don't get it.

KEY: Break being what the characters need to accept about themselves or overcome any difficulty

Story: The story of the show.... Well there isn't any... The true story of the show is within the characters. The characters backstory is the true story of the show where we just want to get up and cheer for those boys that they need to break whatever they need to break in this cheer club.

Characters: ... When you look at the opening of the song. I bet you one question... How is the series gonna fit all 16 characters into the series. Well to sum up your answer They were introduce indirectly in episode 5 and in episode 5.5, yes the recap episode was not a full recap episode. It was only a recap for the first 19 mins. While the last 3 mins being ending credits and Haru explaining after their debut new members just keep coming in none stop hence in episode 6 we get to see the other 7 characters introduces into the series. That is a smart way in term of progression. Let's take something useless and make it into a plot driven episode.
Each characters have enough screen time that we just want to cheer for them. I say the characters that have the least amount of screen time is chen (Chinese dude) but since his basic purpose in the group is to improve on his Japanese. So... we don't need a lot of screen time with him. Each characters have enough character development. Like, Haru being overcoming his fear of heights and growing some balls in this cheerleading team. Ton learn to overcome his self doubts, Mizoguchi learning to use his own words and not use famous quotation,Kazu to make people smile he needs to first smile on the inside and out. Sho able to move forward in life and become their base in the cheerleading team. Gen learn to stop comparing to Ichiro and just compare to his past selves. Ichiro learn to stop showing off. Hissahi learn that people are different from him his reason to cheer is different from one another. Sakuma always think that having a small body is a problem in life as he isn't that strong but thanks to his small body he is able to a flyer. Takumi, Gen and Doh learn to be independent as their big brother is gonna leave the team. Kin though being a man must be a bad boy and cause trouble. I already talk about Chen as his basic purpose is to improve on his Japanese his getting there as he used some hard Japanese words as his confronting Domino. Takuya being a worry puss on his younger brother learn to stop worry about him as spoil him is spoiling himself. Takeru learn that to have patience and guts to actually become a real man as he is scared when the flyer fall and he isn't able to catch them on time but the flyer are even more scared as the base didn't catch them on time. But we all can thank one person the coach. Thanks to her those boys are able to grow so much.
Now when you look at it all the problem that the characters faces are all relatable. Even Haruko (Haru sister) aslo need to understand and able to break and accept that her brother doesn't want to do judo anymore. From Haru's fear of heights to Kin though that being a man must be a bad boy, We all relate to those boys

Art and animation: A lot of people did complain about being dull and the colors aren't that bright but personally it works as they used 1 thing that no other anime uses DUST. There's dust in the air, When I watch other anime I always wonder how the hell they can fire a beam of light straight without dust interrupting. The show also got an addition bonus to the characters design as they look like real human beings where they look like us. So we can't really say characters face are of model as we make some weird ass faces before in our life.

OP, ED and OST: The OP (opening song) is literally OP (over-powerful) as the characters start something new into their life as well as changing their lives one by one. Also the song is sung by luck life which also bring me to bungou stray dogs ed. Which I also love. The OST is THE OST is amazing just want me to get up and cheer for those boys. I need it... right now... The ed... is well.. cute. IS THE BREAKERS DURING A MINI PERFORMANCES... ISN'T IT CUTE?!

Enjoyment: I'm glad they decided to stick on the basics of what is cheerleading and what is a cheerleader, some moves so the characters are able to shine brighter than the sun. Unlike another sports anime that I'm gonna review next. *cough* *cough* yuri on ice *cough* *cough*.

Recommendation: Simply put watch it. Cheer danshi is the show that is able to make me laugh, smile, cry and feels as I watch my boys overcome their difficulties in this male cheerleading squad. A lot of people are actually disappointed with the ending as we didn't get to see the full performances and they didn't mention a winner but when you think about it does it matter... I mean since when cheerleading is about winning or losing?? Cheerleading is suppose to support people, motivate them and make them smile. That is the role of a cheerleader. Now for the full performances part it would make sense to place some past animated scene to see how much those boys grew both as an individual and as a group in this cheerleading team. Also, don't you guys want to know what is in their notebook?? It has been killing me what is in those notebook.

Other recommendation include the obvious pretty boys show free!! and not a sports anime... in-fact is about music to save their school love live with the same perspective of characters breaking and accepting what they need to accept about themselves.

So overall 9.6/10. Now you why not a staright 10/10?? simple, Haru x chihiro didn't happen. WHY!!! TON WHY!!! POOR HARU

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Sep 27, 2016

FireEmblemIke24

Mixed Feelings

Before I begin this review, props to Waseda University Shockers for giving us this anime!
Watch the link to get an idea for the anime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE7QecvR3fQ

Men doing something like cheerleading? Not unheard of but this show is the definition of male empowerment! I believe no activity should be restricted to a certain gender with this show being the beginning of countless opportunities. This a series that has the sport cheerleading under the spotlight as we follow the lives of two former judo participants who embark in this new challenge.

The main character for this show is undoubtedly Bandou Haruki, who is a college student that has the ... background of being from a prestigious judo family. This is evident in the fact that his father runs a dojo/gym in their name and that his older sister Haruko has won countless titles throughout her career. He then makes the decision to abandon the sport after suffering a severe right shoulder injury preventing him from participating. His best friend Hashimoto Kazuma follows suit in his decision as they do everything together since childhood. After this life decision, they immediately pursue cheerleading for a fresh start by trying to recruit members to start a college club, which would later lead to the formation of the Breakers. Initially they were ridiculed for even trying but our two main characters never struggled and persevered dutifully by researching the basics and applying it in front of campus. This caught the eye of a certain few which led to them joining and a chain reaction ensued since then with more volunteering to join.

Now one thing that needs to be disclosed is the ridiculous pacing which is apparent when a recap is inserted 5 episodes into the broadcast. The first episodes mainly focus around 6 characters who are the initial core of the group with them being the founders. Mostly everyone is inexperienced to some degree which is shown when every member undergoes a brutal training process just to be fit performance wise. This implies that they should be naturally strong and have a good sense of balance. Mizoguchi and Toono who are one of the earliest to join struggle with this aspect, due to the fact their bodies aren’t equipped for the sport.

Haruki and Kazuma are not subject to this because they are already in good shape from their time doing judo but still encounter problems in the process. Tokugawa Shou, who is an important character later on is adamant on not joining until the group can get on his level, which is the purpose for these episodes. The group weren’t called the Breakers until afterwards when the numbers reached to around 15. As more people joined, the same process of training had to be applied for everyone to be in sync. If they had the time to make a recap episode, then surely they could’ve accommodated another episode to deal with every member settling in to the new organisation.

The characters are numerous but there is just no reason to talk about everyone, so I’ll narrow it down to the three most significant characters with them being Haruki, Kazuma and Shou. Haruki is an individual who has defected judo once he realises he cannot keep up with the strenuous workload. His shoulder injury he sustained from a grappling move has somehow led to him having a fear of heights. Yes, this is the man who fell from less than 2 metres at best has resulted in this joke of a character. This is totally unnecessary when he hangs out on his apartment’s rooftop just to socialise and is a base for further cheerleading training. It is also known that he sees his older sister Haruko with an inferiority complex despite the fact that he is a fervent supporter of her when she performs in matches. The irony being is that being the physically stronger sex doesn’t always guarantee success which is the case for our unfortunate young man. It’s not like she doesn’t have her fair share of problems…

Kazuma on the other hand is just as talented as Haruki and even exceeds him in some aspects as being a better well rounded character. Kazuma is the focal point of the Breaker’s group when he is assigned the position of captain due to being a very vocal and earnest person at heart. The man is the superglue who resolves disputes that may occur and is the regulator to preventing any infighting. As stated earlier, Kazuma is a childhood friend of Haruki which has given him the status of almost being a family member in the Bandou household. I should rephrase that; he is treated to being the equivalent of a family member which just shows you how far their friendship has come. The reason for him choosing cheerleading is simple, as both his parents were active cheerleaders in their youths but even that does not explain the sadness that lingers in his mind.

Finally, we have Tokugawa Shou who has the most difficult circumstances among the main cast. At first he was rejecting every proposal for him to join when it is known he is terrific at gymnastics. Once he is impressed with the setup and general abilities of the group, he is convinced in the direction the Breakers are heading and sort of acts as a player-coach because he is the most valued and experienced of the lot. Things change when they recruit Satsuki Takashiro to supervise their progress, only for it to not go down well with Shou who has a complicated relationship with her, which is later explained in his backstory. Despite this, he is still a team player and is ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the team. Even with less screen time, I find him to be a far more intriguing character compared to Haruki who comes off as one note at times.

The art style and animation is certainly subpar compared to the norm that is produced nowadays. Brains Base have had some spectacular looking shows in the past such as Baccano! And Mawaru Penguindrum only to find themselves with Endride and Cheer Danshi this year. You don’t have to be an expert to say this is reminiscent to what Studio Deen had to go through but they are making a solid comeback. The character designs are somewhat basic but are peculiar at the same time, I could never get tired at looking at the same faces. Since this is basically a sausage-fest, this should be well received by the ladies who this time have good looking characters for once! The animation is just below average as there are too many instances of poorly drawn scenes when it’s not related to cheerleading. If only the whole show could be drawn like the opening segment, then that would make me a happy man.

The sound is slightly better as there are moments where I was solely focused on the tune that played in the background over the other content. The OST has not been released for me to identify that part of the soundtrack but is usually always played at the end and gets me every time in the upcoming previews. Once again, with a cast so large you will expect top seiyuu to perform their characters with the likes of Okamoto Nobuhiko playing Kazuma perfectly. Another thing to note is that the seiyuu for Haruki who is Yonai Yuki, is completely new to me did a splendid job as he hasn’t worked on many shows.

If you’re looking for a sports anime, then look elsewhere as this is a show that may feel underwhelming in many aspects. Sure the competitive drive is there but I feel this is more of a drama-oriented show personally. It’s lacking in production values but won’t necessarily stop you from enjoying it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Oct 21, 2016

Shiori_chan1015

Not Recommended

Cheer Danshi!! was definitely NOT one of my favourite sports animes. This series had a lot of potential featuring an all-male cheerleading team, however, it failed to deliver the character development, animation, or plot other sports animes had successfully done.

Unlike most other sport animes, they didn't have any memorable characters, everyone is acting in a melodramatic way, the animation was below average... which is a big red flag for sport anime which depend a lot of action. Most importantly: there was no tension or competition...

Forgettable Character

The characters were unmemorable and cardboard. I can't remember any of them other than Haru, Kazu, and Sho, ... who have a bit of back story going on. Most characters are defined with one characteristic, that is displayed over the top in an unrealistic manner, some characters' only unique characteristics were their accent, some were completely forgotten after 2 episodes. Even the more developed characters were two-dimensional, Sho, for example, was defined by only three traits: 1) his love for a squirrel character - Nishijirou, 2) having experience cheerleading, and 3) being stoic, reserved and serious. Unfortunately, his three traits not only didn't work together, they worked against each other. It seems like the producers thought it would make him less boring to have a "silly" side with his obsession over a squirrel but it just left me wondering why is an adult man being so obsessed with a product mascot. His character seems to change from time to time as if he is not the same person.

Full Review: https://shiorisworlds.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/%e3%83%81%e3%82%a2%e7%94%b7%e5%ad%90-cheer-danshi

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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