Bakuten!!

Shoutarou Futaba has always loved sports, but he never became more than a benchwarmer on his middle school baseball team. After noticing a group of gymnasts practicing in the park, he decides to watch a rhythmic gymnastics tournament on a whim. Although displaying an exhilarating performance at the competition, the Shoushukan High School's Rhythmic Gymnastics Club places second-to-last due to penalties acquired from not fielding a full six-man roster.

The demonstration of skill captivates Shoutarou, and he decides to enroll at Shoushukan in hopes of joining the team despite having no background in the sport. The club recruits him alongside Ryouya Misato, a prodigal gymnast who was the runner-up in a junior tournament.

Now with a full six-man roster, the team sets out to compete in the upcoming Inter-High tournament. As he strives to accomplish this ambitious endeavor, Shoutarou must learn and master the basics of rhythmic gymnastics all while working in tandem with his new teammates if Shoushukan wants to stand a chance at claiming the title.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Misato, Ryouya Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Futaba, Shoutarou Main

Tsuchiya, Shinba Japanese

Tsukiyuki, Mashiro Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Watari, Koutarou Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi Japanese

Onagawa, Nagayoshi Supporting

Shimono, Hiro Japanese

Tsukidate, Keisuke Supporting

Kondo, Takashi Japanese

Shichigahama, Masamune Supporting

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Shida, Shuusaku Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Kurikoma, Asao Supporting

Sakura, Ayane Japanese

Azuma, Shunsuke Supporting

Yamashita, Daiki Japanese

Mori, Akitoshi Producer

Iwasaki, Noriko Producer

Kuroyanagi, Toshimasa Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Nagaya, Seishirou Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Jun 24, 2021

Luubie

Recommended

When I looked up that Bakuten would be a rhythmic gymnastics anime, I confess I was suspicious. Actually, I was afraid. Last year we had Taisou Zamurai, a show that even with a budget and problems in getting made because of the work of the Mappa studio, was an anime that exceeded most general expectations, even though it was quite limited. But why would this cause me to be surprised to have a new anime that follows the same kind of sport? Well, it is the goal orientation that differentiates the two anime.

Unlike Taisou Zamurai, Bakuten focuses on several characters actively connected to the show's ... sport. This group interaction is a demanding quality of the very construction of each of the characters, since it is Rhythmic Gymnastics, a sport where athletes perform in groups, usually with 6 members. Not only is this formatting fully utilized in the show, but the anime also creates, verbalizes, and positions itself in other groups, from a rival school, to even with the College Club coach himself. Futaba, the protagonist, is an inexperienced kid who, like everyone else, creates a bond out of appreciation for the unfamiliar sport. It is not unusual to think about this. Often, out of prejudice, we imagine that a type of sport has a remarkable quality only in one of the sexes. For example, it is constantly noticeable that we see people saying that Soccer is a sport only for men, or that Volleyball and Handball is focused on women, but Bakuten acts in the opposite way to these social restrictions and creates a new atmosphere within the anime. The show subtly dispels these erroneous ways of thinking and produces a breakdown of expectation in the audience. Futaba, along with us, experiences this sense of integration within the anime without being expository or overdone.

If on one hand Bakuten presents a highlight in its accurate setting, the show creates a great process of immersion and interaction between the characters. In fact, much of what happens in the anime comes from the dormitory. Onagawa, Shichigahama, Tsukidate and Watari are the ones who live daily with Futaba within the locality, which at the same time is a process that creates a greater trust inside and outside of the tatami. Misato is the sixth character on the team and enters after the first regional championship, precisely because he feels blocked in the sport, as he has too much personal responsibility. And one cannot only talk about the current athletes. Kurikoma is the cutest character in the show, being the club assistant. Finally, Shida is the club manager and coach of the team. He was similar to Misato in many ways. In fact, the resemblance was so great that it was frightening. Shida was a brilliant gymnast. Maybe the best at that time. However, his self-centeredness did not allow him to trust and believe in the evolution of younger and unprepared people. Futaba is the essential channel for Shida's overcoming.

However, an anime like Bakuten needs movement and impact, doesn't it? That's right! The biggest problem in expecting quality from a show like Bakuten is the form and effect the anime causes during the climax of its actions and gestures. Zexcs studio is not really a safety when it comes to offering a quality in their shows. In fact, opening their anime page and coming across things like Diabolik Lovers is not a positive for Bakuten. Even with that, it was a studio that evolved dramatically and displayed incredible competence and skill in the overall ornaments and choreography of the characters. The use of computer graphics (CG) is great within the show and attention is also focused on the more superficial details. Within a gymnastics show, mistakes and penalties happen all the time. The anime bravely ensured this and made a great production in the very rich moments. The show brought with it an aspect of realism, which also allows it to show that even if the club has a great evolution with time, it is necessary to train more and more, to reach the National tournament, for example.

Going back to the characters, I have to applaud the author of this show. The formation of the main group was different at first sight, but a friendship formed over time. As the show expands the future of the characters, the past is recounted impressively. For example, Onagawa is one of the founding students of the club at the high school. He suited up to be the club's famous "number one" and put together a primitive team with Shichigahama and Tsukidate. However, his quality as an athlete is evidently not easy to achieve. His own process of transformation within the show is visible in the second half of the show. Since the entrance of Misato, the boy wonder, Onagawa has felt charged to evolve in order not to be "outdone." Even though he could try and train much harder, he reserved himself mentally and gave his activities a rest (with a fake injury), to rehabilitate himself and help the whole group. Misato, along with everyone else, was inspired by the sport through Shida, but at the same time that gymnastics has taken him to great places and awards, he has an internal frustration. Without his parents, he has lived with his aunt ever since, which has given him a sense of importance with people. However, the same responsibility he carries does not help him emotionally inside the tatami, because of an accident in the sport two years ago. This internal block did not lead to Misato's evolution. Even if he was a brilliant athlete, being second in the National tournament, being too resilient and thoughtful, and charging himself too much are aspects that formed his mind and created a self-defense. This hard and rigid shell was only really broken down from the moment Futaba encourages him and provides emotional support during the episodes. Even though this only materialized in episode 9, from the very beginning the two helped each other. The union of this duo with the rest of the team is not only a great choice, but it allowed for different themes and views on what the sport really means to each one.

I should also point out the comedy of the anime. Bakuten is not entirely focused on training and competitions. Many striking moments come from a joke, an entertainment or a joke. Even during intensive training with the Shiro High School team, our beloved group keeps its jovial essence and creates a gentle and liberating atmosphere. The hide-and-seek episode for example was one of the funniest in the show for me. All the pressure level created because of the championships is softened and ironized in a single episode dedicated especially for this moment. (I still want to know who is the scary character that appeared to the boys, it gave me a fright, Lol).

Finally, many moments make for a great show like Bakuten. The staff's work is a great proof of artistic evolution and allows us to broaden our attention and our gaze on animes with different themes than the common ones. Remember Mashiro no Oto? Then, Bakuten is another show that knew what to do from the very first episode, created sublime moments, and surprised in numerous aspects, from the formation of the characters, to even the apexes, which demanded of the studios. Shin-Ei was a studio that improved its own reputation with Mashiro no Oto. For Bakuten, Zexcs was most responsible for this great technical execution of an original anime. It's really a pleasure to have followed 12 episodes with quality. I look forward to the movie of the show, which can offer us much more! And long live sports!

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jun 25, 2021

makotoplz

Mixed Feelings

Having heard the show was about rhythmic gymnastics, I was a bit sceptical on how it would go. I didn't have any expectations entering the show and was left feeling pretty light hearted.

I hate to admit it, but Bakuten is just a ball of sport anime tropes and stereotypes. It has everything you can imagine, from the situations right down to the typical characters. That's not to say it's not enjoyable, just that it's not anything new. The only difference is that it tackles a totally different sport. A "fruity" one as some would say.

The animation is really nice, solid 8, maybe even ... 9. I didn't notice anything weird about the movements when they're performing, but maybe that's just because I'm not good at spotting things like that. The soundtrack is also an 8, I love the OP and ED. The story itself is pretty generic, but still heart-warming. Filled with inspiring moments, competition that have mirror-like personalities to the main cast, injuries etc. it's what you'd expect of a sports anime.

The MC is also quite generic compared to most MC's of sports animes. He's really nothing special, and pretty average, actually. Then you have the genius best friend, who's obviously been doing this his whole life. An aggressive/scary teammate, one who's calm and keeps the captain in check, a competitive captain and another member obsessed with a particular idol(?). No one really sticks out. (Though pretty interesting that some of these personality types were interested in gymnastics, I never would've guessed. They're what you'd expect of other sports teams though)

But I still enjoyed it. It's nothing special, hence the 6. I wouldn't watch it again, but if you're a fan of the sports genre, I'd recommend this after listing off other sports animes. It's a change of pace from other sports, that's for sure. The animation is insane sometimes, and I love the theme of "soaring" and "flying" that they associate with gymnastics. Bakuten definitely has its moments, and for a rhythmic gymnastics anime, it's not too bad. Overall, I didn't find this a waste of time and I found myself thoroughly enjoying some parts :)

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 18, 2021

azemichi_souma

Not Recommended

Preliminary (5/12 eps)

Ok listen the ONLY good thing about this anime is the music, because it's written by Yuki Hayashi, who is an absolute god. And you can just tell that he absolutely loves Rhythm Gymnastics but they really did not deserve such a good OST.

The characters have no personality and are literally just cardboard cutouts. The main character is like literally any other sports anime protagonist, in that he saw the sport and admired the team and decided that he wanted to do the sport.

There is literally no flavor to the characters and the story is very standard. Except for episode five, whatever the heck that ... was.

The shift into the CGI is jarring and pretty terrible. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the 3D CGI in general, but it's just..... bad. Their faces look very flat and it's just not good. The 2D and scenery is pretty, but other than that it's not great.

The character designs are also very similar and they all kind of have the same face.

Honestly I'm very sad because I was very hyped for the anime before it came out, but it just didn't deliver. The characters fall flat and I don't feel any connection to them and the story isn't interesting. Like sure, the characters are pretty and cute but they have no depth and it's disappointing.

Good characters can carry a bad plot, but bad characters can't carry a good plot. And this show has neither good characters nor a good plot. It's all just very meh and not worth my time. It's also very disappointing because the cast is AMAZING and I really wanted to like it because there are so many of my favorite seiyuus. But even though they have a great cast, they can't carry terrible writing.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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