Sorairo Utility (TV)

Avid gacha player Minami Aoba finds herself at an impasse when her favorite game announces the end of its live service. Left adrift without her beloved characters, she realizes she has been wasting her first year of high school and sets out to try different clubs to find a new, more productive hobby. However, the harsh truth sets in that she is completely unfit for pretty much every sport her school's clubs have to offer.

One fateful afternoon, Minami stumbles upon a golf driving range after helping an old man carry his equipment there. Inside, she meets Haruka Akane, who promptly introduces her to the sport. Much like her previous attempts at athletics, Minami has no natural talent for golf, but something about the rhythm of swinging the club captivates her. Finally, Minami feels the spark of genuine excitement that she has been looking for—a new obsession within her reach.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Aoba, Minami Main

Takagi, Miyu Japanese

Akane, Haruka Main

Amami, Yurina Japanese

Hoshimi, Ayaka Main

Gotou, Ayasa Japanese

Raimon, Tooru Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Megumi Supporting

Honda, Takako Japanese

Yoarashi, Hina Supporting

Naganawa, Maria Japanese

Setoharu Supporting

Seto, Haruka Japanese

Kazamatsuri, Daigo Supporting

Yasumoto, Hiroki Japanese

Golf Shop Manager Supporting

Hoshino, Mitsuaki Japanese

Tadokoro, Masao Supporting

Inoue, Kazuhiko Japanese

Takagi, Hideto Producer

Kudou, Masayo Producer

Saitou, Kengo Director, Character Design

Horita, Daisuke Sound Director, Music

Reviews

Mar 26, 2025

patkarunungan

Recommended

Sorairo Utility, or more literally Skyblue Utility, is a rather nice CGDCT/iyashikei anime involving golf.

We first meet our principal main character, Aoba Minami, who has tried a number of sports but failed. For some reason, she finds herself in a golf club, and she meets another main character, Akane Haruka, who is both beautiful and has a high level of golf skills. We later meet Hoshimi Ayaka, who completes our trio.

Since the anime is CGDCT, the plot is non-existent. You watch it because of the vibe and nice feelings that it gives you. For some comparison, it is like Negative Positive Angler, but the ... vibe is not depressing. Also, unlike K-On, our ladies seem more mature.

Some yuri X accounts are posting clips from this anime. It is mostly girls, and the only males are too geriatric to even be a potential heterosexual love interest. Despite that, it's not yet proper to tag it as yuri or even yuri bait. In my opinion, including romantic elements, yuri or not, would detract from the fun vibe that this anime can bring. Yuri shipping is acceptable, but to demand it or even rate this low for lack of it is not acceptable.

The opening song is catchy.

The animation and art direction are superb. The character designs are great. They're really cute.

I haven't seen other gold anime so I can't make a proper comparison. All I can guarantee is that it's worth watching, and it's best watched during the evenings as you unwind from the difficulties you had in your working day.

The level of golf, I reckon, is beginner to intermediate. Our girl Minami is a beginner, and this anime is her journey, but you won't notice it. It's mostly about the trio doing fun golf activities and not trying to get better at golf for the sake of winning a tournament.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 23, 2025

Kumoiro_Shizuki

Recommended

This review will be a bit special for two reasons. Firstly, I'm not a regular viewer of sports anime. Although this genre is very popular, it has never been a major part of my viewing habits. Secondly, I hadn't watched the OVA before embarking on the first episode - which I did only after the fact. In other words, I had no idea what to expect. My only point of comparison was Oi Tonbo, another golf series that I quickly put aside, not out of disinterest, but for lack of a real attachment. Yet something about Sorairo Utility appealed to me. Perhaps it was those ... brightly coloured posters? Whatever it was, let me tell you one thing: this series is, by far, the season's most pleasant surprise.

I certainly didn't expect to fall under the spell of an anime that, at first glance, seemed so low-key. But before going any further, let's analyze Sorairo Utility's strengths point by point.

Animation: 9
Art direction: 10
Dubbing: 9.5
Music: 10

Technically and artistically, it would be hard to find anything to criticize. Sorairo Utility shines with outstanding visual realization, meticulous dubbing and a musical ambience that is both warm and soothing. Yostar Pictures offers us a veritable feast for the eyes, supported by splendid art direction. The number of shots that can easily be used as wallpaper is simply impressive, and there were several occasions when I found myself captivated by the beauty of the landscapes.

As for the dubbing, it's impeccably accurate. The actors deliver a sincere performance that imbues the characters with an infectious energy, further strengthening the attachment we feel towards them.

Story: 7
Characters: 9
Development: 6.5

If Sorairo Utility isn't unanimously acclaimed, it's undoubtedly because of its relatively limited storyline and narrative development. The story, which is quite simple, doesn't revolutionize the genre, nor does it attempt to offer a story with multiple twists and turns. Yet this was never a problem for me. I wasn't looking for a complex plot, but rather a weekly haven of peace, like Yuru Camp.



And from this point of view, Sorairo Utility fulfills its role perfectly. Despite some weaknesses in character development, it's impossible not to become attached to Minami, Haruka and Ayaka. Their sorrows, joys, doubts and aspirations touched me deeply, to the point of feeling a certain pride as I watched them evolve in their passion. In truth, I sincerely wonder how it would be possible not to feel moved by these three heroines, who are as different as they are complementary.

Minami, with her endearing clumsiness, Ayaka, always benevolent, and Haruka, bursting with energy, form a trio as charming as they are refreshing. Admittedly, their evolution over the course of the series remains discreet, but this in no way detracts from the experience. Their enthusiasm is so infectious that it makes us want to get more involved and achieve our own personal par 3.

An unforgettable experience
I'm aware that my review may seem disjointed, but it's difficult to accurately convey everything I felt while watching this series. Sorairo Utility might seem like yet another sports anime at first glance, but I assure you it has so much more to offer. I'm sure I'll miss every Saturday spent in its company.

So, for all that: thank you, Ham. And to those of you who are reading this, I have only one piece of advice: go and discover Sorairo Utility!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 22, 2025

butahime

Mixed Feelings

PREMISE

Cute girl learns to play golf, meets other cute girls who already play golf.

VISUAL/SOUND

Production quality is average for a TV anime. The character designs are fine with faces distinct enough to tell apart and a variety of body types drawn more or less consistently. The drawings of golf equipment are detailed (with plenty of attention drawn to the brand label naturally) with more quotidian backgrounds just average. The overly bright green color of the grass and a trees on the golf course itself is a major demerit.

Movement isn’t bad. I have no idea how realistically drawn the characters’ poses ... are when they’re taking their swings but they have some impact so good enough. There’s a fair number of super deformed visual gags which are never that funny but are pleasant enough. Facial expressions can be a bit flat.

The voice acting is pretty good. Both of the older girls the MC is yuribaited with are their seiyuu’s first major role and the MC’s seiyuu isn’t that famous either which helps keep it from feeling stale. The show doesn’t have enough going on to call any performance that good though. Use of background music is minimal and there aren’t many sound effects either. OP is okay and ED is above average.

STORY/CHARACTERS

In a word: forgettable. The MC’s character is that she wants to be more of a main character which is good for a chuckle but not enough to sustain a whole twelve episodes. The other characters lean towards the one note (MC’s gyaru friend, streamer who streams) with only the onee-san type being worth thinking about. The relationships are just not good enough to make this a good slice of life anime and as a sports anime there’s nowhere near enough to it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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