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Jan 19, 2:13 AM
#1

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Jun 2019
6857
Whether or not you are one of the people who watched the original short TV special back in 2021 which I guess could be seen as like a pilot or experimental project, if you're watching the full-length Sorairo Utility series now and you have watched any or all of the other golf series released within the past few years (since the Sorairo Utility short originally aired), how do you find that it compares and measures up against them? Are you enjoying and treating it entirely as its own entity or can you not disassociate and help yourself from weighing them against each other?

The other series I'm referring to are Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story, Ooi! Tonbo, and Rising Impact. Has anyone watching this series and browsing the sub-forum seen any of them? All of them, by chance? Where does Sorairo Utility rank among the pack so far (based on what's been released up to now)? Stronger or weaker than its other golf anime-related competition? Or do you think they're all each distinctive enough series despite the central golf theme which all will appeal to radically different audiences and not have much crossover?

I remember that when the short first aired around New Year's Eve of 2021, the concept of golf in anime as an actual main premise or plot seemed so foreign. I didn't know if there were some either super old or obscure or both old and obscure series which featured it, but there wasn't any I had heard of coming out recently or since I had become aware of anime. And then we received a few in close succession, the golf awakening or renaissance in anime, which still seems unbelievable in retrospect.
Jan 19, 2:46 AM
#2

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Sep 2018
4655
I'm not surprised to see so many golf anime, since it's by far the easiest sport to animate.

Birdie Wing > Sorairo > Rising Impact > Ooi Tonbo

Birdie Wing is carried by the wacky plot, the badass MC and the OST
Rising Impact and Ooi Tonbo are dragged down by mediocre production value, writing is ok but not enough to carry the whole show
Sorairo is just a CGDCT but I really like its visuals, you can feel that the director was a key animator for some Studio Trigger anime
Jan 19, 2:57 AM
#3
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Equanimity

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Nov 2020
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I've only watched Birdie Wing and in comparison I think Sorairo is better. But I think that's just a preference, I love the vibe of Sorairo, it's a very calm series and is visually really good.
Jan 19, 3:00 AM
#4

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Apr 2021
3001
This is such a strange way to approach this question, makes me think you are a part of some license or anime company, doing a questionnaire.

Anyways …

“Impact”, both seasons, influenced me, right before I went to play “Top Golf” at a company event, and I had a lot of fun thinking about what they said in that anime about hitting the ball with the ‘driver’.

“Tonbo”, both seasons, was really enjoyable and entertaining, I leaned a lot about golf.

“Birdie”, watched a couple episodes, but it was too unrealistic and out there, I put it on hold.

Because of Impact & Tonbo, I had just watched the special of “Utility”, then the new anime came out, I had no idea, and I like it as much as Impact and Tonbo.
ejleonJan 19, 1:13 PM
Note: I don’t lazily watch 3-5 episodes, biasedly compare to other anime, or unfairly judge by surface level similarities. With every anime I start, I watch the entire series, both Japanese Sub & English Dub, then judge each anime based on what they present, to give an honest and fair rating.

Jan 19, 3:18 AM
#5
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Jul 2022
371
So far I think it's:
Birdie Wing = Tonbo > Sorairo > Rising Impact

Birdie wing was intense and fun to watch while Tonbo has better writing and pacing so they about equal out. Sorairo hasn't aired enough to really rate properly but it's promising enough and probably the most realistic. Rising Impact somehow was more ridiculous than birdie wing and less fun in general so it took me out of it a bit.
Jan 19, 5:00 AM
#6
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Sep 2022
448
birdie wing is more wacky power up stuff
ooi tonbo is story and realistic
sorairo is a CGDCT which i love
Jan 19, 5:25 AM
#7
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Nov 2023
1189
I see them as separate enough not to be comparable. A fantasy super power show with an underground yakuza run transforming golf course was fun as a brain shutdown thrill show.
A traumatised girl trapped on an island as a literal metaphor for separation from the real world using her talent for golf and her friendship with good people as a bridge back to society.
And a super cute CGDCT show with the protag learning golf from zero, which the others skip.
Not being one to judge based on production quality (usually a symptom of budget) I find them all deeply engaging because they all go into depth with the golf techniques in their own ways and respect the viewer’s intelligence.
Edit sorry, I didn’t mention Rising Impact as I thought it looked a bit shonen with the sport being the entire focus above the characters, same as I see Blue Lock. This may be a completely false assumption, but I can’t watch everything every season!
FutoiOtakuJan 19, 8:55 AM
Jan 19, 10:10 AM
#8

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Oct 2010
134
I think it’s way too early to rank, and will be until the season is completed. I haven’t seen Rising Impact but I have seen the others (including the original Sorairo Utility OVA) and for me it will be really hard to dethrone Ooi! Tonbo as my favorite. I absolutely adore Tonbo’s character and value the deep emotionality of that series. I like Birdie wing but I’m less interested in over-the-top “special skills” than deep emotional character-focused storytelling.Birdie wing had a little bit of that but not at all to the degree that Tonbo has. I also greatly appreciate Tonbo’s slow pace.

All of that said I think that each of these, including Sorairo Utility, all occupy unique spaces. They are all actually quite different from each other, and therefore all worth watching as their own thing. Sorairo Utility looks like it is more of an Iyashikei, chill out have fun good time sort of series like Slow Loop, Yuru Camp. That is one of my favorite genres so I am anticipating loving this series.
"Do you want me to take you away... to a place in this city where wishes come true?"
Jan 19, 10:56 AM
#9

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Jun 2019
6857
Interesting set of replies thus far. Especially interesting, and I'm especially keen to hear from those who have seen most or, even better, all of these series.

While popping back in I should add my own information into the equation as well. I have seen all of Birdie Wings: Golf Girls' Story in its totality (both seasons), the first season of Ooi! Tonbo, the 2021 Sorairo Utility short TV special, and all three episodes of Sorairo Utility released up to now. I watched the first episode of Rising Impact and while it seemed certainly passable and decent enough, having watched two other golf series recently (with the first season of Ooi! Tonbo just finishing up at that point), knowing that the full-length Sorairo Utility series was soon on the horizon, and having just come off watching 17 spring seasonals and watching a lot of other series at the time, there was no particular draw or hook I felt compelled enough to want to continue with it at that point in time.

The other golf series all had their positives and strong points, but I had long wanted a CGDCT-esque golf series a la the golf analogue of something like Yuru Camp or Slow Loop or Super Cub. So far I'd still have to give the slight edge to Birdie Wing, but it's a bit of an unfair comparison since it already has two full seasons out which I watched and it's now early into this series' run. I can see at least slightly preferring Sorairo Utility in the long run for its character chemistry among a (at least as of now) small main cast, colorful aesthetic, and overriding sense of calm and tranquility which prevails. Birdie Wing was its natural opposite in a way, being very high octane and exaggerated, but I enjoyed the side of it which resembled something like a parody of one of those extreme "push it to the limit" 1980s sports films and the OST was a notable strength which gifted us a few individual tracks I'll still listen to to this day outside the context of watching the anime series. Plus, the golf mafia and all. Pitting those two against one another feels like an iyashikei versus an action comedy or action dramedy.

ejleon said:
This is such a strange way to approach this question, makes me think you are a part of some license or anime company, doing a questionnaire.


Well, I don't know what to say to that other than that is the way I naturally talk and always have. I usually prefer to use precise language to mitigate or reduce the possibilities of misunderstandings in terms of the ambiguity of phrasing. I'd rather articulate my exact thoughts and eliminate ambiguities than indulge in a lot of slang or sentences and phrases subject to more interpretation. I could write the post and question in a way which may be more commonplace or somehow familiar to you, but that would be completely unnatural and inauthentic as it wouldn't be representative of how I normally speak so would feel icky and come off even more fake and robotic-seeming. I won't talk like someone I'm not. So if it's not "casual" or "normal" enough or whatever (that seems like the implication), then all I can say is that people genuinely have different ways of thinking and different communication styles.
WatchTillTandavaJan 19, 11:06 AM
Jan 19, 1:20 PM
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Aug 2020
462
I don't know but Birdie Wing>>>>
Jan 19, 6:05 PM
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Feb 2018
465
So far I think is the prettiest golf show ever ... but is not really about golf.
Jan 19, 8:21 PM

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Apr 2021
3001
Reply to WatchTillTandava
Interesting set of replies thus far. Especially interesting, and I'm especially keen to hear from those who have seen most or, even better, all of these series.

While popping back in I should add my own information into the equation as well. I have seen all of Birdie Wings: Golf Girls' Story in its totality (both seasons), the first season of Ooi! Tonbo, the 2021 Sorairo Utility short TV special, and all three episodes of Sorairo Utility released up to now. I watched the first episode of Rising Impact and while it seemed certainly passable and decent enough, having watched two other golf series recently (with the first season of Ooi! Tonbo just finishing up at that point), knowing that the full-length Sorairo Utility series was soon on the horizon, and having just come off watching 17 spring seasonals and watching a lot of other series at the time, there was no particular draw or hook I felt compelled enough to want to continue with it at that point in time.

The other golf series all had their positives and strong points, but I had long wanted a CGDCT-esque golf series a la the golf analogue of something like Yuru Camp or Slow Loop or Super Cub. So far I'd still have to give the slight edge to Birdie Wing, but it's a bit of an unfair comparison since it already has two full seasons out which I watched and it's now early into this series' run. I can see at least slightly preferring Sorairo Utility in the long run for its character chemistry among a (at least as of now) small main cast, colorful aesthetic, and overriding sense of calm and tranquility which prevails. Birdie Wing was its natural opposite in a way, being very high octane and exaggerated, but I enjoyed the side of it which resembled something like a parody of one of those extreme "push it to the limit" 1980s sports films and the OST was a notable strength which gifted us a few individual tracks I'll still listen to to this day outside the context of watching the anime series. Plus, the golf mafia and all. Pitting those two against one another feels like an iyashikei versus an action comedy or action dramedy.

ejleon said:
This is such a strange way to approach this question, makes me think you are a part of some license or anime company, doing a questionnaire.


Well, I don't know what to say to that other than that is the way I naturally talk and always have. I usually prefer to use precise language to mitigate or reduce the possibilities of misunderstandings in terms of the ambiguity of phrasing. I'd rather articulate my exact thoughts and eliminate ambiguities than indulge in a lot of slang or sentences and phrases subject to more interpretation. I could write the post and question in a way which may be more commonplace or somehow familiar to you, but that would be completely unnatural and inauthentic as it wouldn't be representative of how I normally speak so would feel icky and come off even more fake and robotic-seeming. I won't talk like someone I'm not. So if it's not "casual" or "normal" enough or whatever (that seems like the implication), then all I can say is that people genuinely have different ways of thinking and different communication styles.
@WatchTillTandava

First, I will apologize for sounding judgmental, condescending, and like I am criticizing you, for how you write, that was not my intention at all and I honestly feel awful, if my comment made you feel embarrassed or self-conscious. You do not sound robotic or fake in any way and I was not looking for something more "casual" or "normal".

Second. On the contrary ... I prefer your clear, precise, and concise approach to writing. I praise you for your incredibly broad vocabulary and impressively written posts, reading your comment was a breath of fresh air, in a world of bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, writing, phrasing, along with using slang, pop culture references, acronyms, cussing, and many other really annoying things people do in their everyday conversations and writing.

Third, the main thing I was wondering is this part, "doing a questionnaire for a company", sounded like you wanted to know how "golf anime" did with MAL users, to take a poll of people’s responses.
ejleonJan 19, 9:16 PM
Note: I don’t lazily watch 3-5 episodes, biasedly compare to other anime, or unfairly judge by surface level similarities. With every anime I start, I watch the entire series, both Japanese Sub & English Dub, then judge each anime based on what they present, to give an honest and fair rating.

Jan 20, 8:57 AM

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Jun 2019
6857
ejleon said:
First, I will apologize for sounding judgmental, condescending, and like I am criticizing you, for how you write, that was not my intention at all and I honestly feel awful, if my comment made you feel embarrassed or self-conscious. You do not sound robotic or fake in any way and I was not looking for something more "casual" or "normal".

Second. On the contrary ... I prefer your clear, precise, and concise approach to writing. I praise you for your incredibly broad vocabulary and impressively written posts, reading your comment was a breath of fresh air, in a world of bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, writing, phrasing, along with using slang, pop culture references, acronyms, cussing, and many other really annoying things people do in their everyday conversations and writing.

Third, the main thing I was wondering is this part, "doing a questionnaire for a company", sounded like you wanted to know how "golf anime" did with MAL users, to take a poll of people’s responses.


No, it's quite all right and no big deal, so don't worry. I'm just often proactive and occasionally reflexively overly defensive as being accused of being overly formal in tone and presentation, not possessing normal enough affect or diction - and consequently misunderstood or assigned nefarious intentions, is something I've battled with all my life since grade school (not that this is what you did - that is just how my brain initially interpreted it), but just as I myself don't engage in passive aggression or speak in coded language, I should have the emotional intelligence to likewise not hastily assign ill intent to others.

So thanks for your complimentary and respectful words of acknowledgment, and for your effort in clearing up the misunderstanding. And overall clear and polite response.

On the specific issue of it perhaps indeed sounding a bit like a formal questionnaire issued by some company executive or something of that nature, I'd surmise that's just my personal curiosity and enthusiasm for listing, ranking, categorizing, etc. and comparing items in one or more overlapping categories. And turning to respondents in the form of other MAL forum users is a nearly foolproof way to gain a better insight into the standing of these series among more regular or seasoned anime viewers who may have seen multiple or all of them in question. But it's only ever for personal use, satiation of personal curiosity, and knowledge for knowledge's sake.

Please let me know if that cleared up any resulting uncertainties or if further clarification is required.
WatchTillTandavaJan 20, 9:01 AM
Jan 20, 9:20 AM

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Apr 2021
3001
Reply to WatchTillTandava
ejleon said:
First, I will apologize for sounding judgmental, condescending, and like I am criticizing you, for how you write, that was not my intention at all and I honestly feel awful, if my comment made you feel embarrassed or self-conscious. You do not sound robotic or fake in any way and I was not looking for something more "casual" or "normal".

Second. On the contrary ... I prefer your clear, precise, and concise approach to writing. I praise you for your incredibly broad vocabulary and impressively written posts, reading your comment was a breath of fresh air, in a world of bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, writing, phrasing, along with using slang, pop culture references, acronyms, cussing, and many other really annoying things people do in their everyday conversations and writing.

Third, the main thing I was wondering is this part, "doing a questionnaire for a company", sounded like you wanted to know how "golf anime" did with MAL users, to take a poll of people’s responses.


No, it's quite all right and no big deal, so don't worry. I'm just often proactive and occasionally reflexively overly defensive as being accused of being overly formal in tone and presentation, not possessing normal enough affect or diction - and consequently misunderstood or assigned nefarious intentions, is something I've battled with all my life since grade school (not that this is what you did - that is just how my brain initially interpreted it), but just as I myself don't engage in passive aggression or speak in coded language, I should have the emotional intelligence to likewise not hastily assign ill intent to others.

So thanks for your complimentary and respectful words of acknowledgment, and for your effort in clearing up the misunderstanding. And overall clear and polite response.

On the specific issue of it perhaps indeed sounding a bit like a formal questionnaire issued by some company executive or something of that nature, I'd surmise that's just my personal curiosity and enthusiasm for listing, ranking, categorizing, etc. and comparing items in one or more overlapping categories. And turning to respondents in the form of other MAL forum users is a nearly foolproof way to gain a better insight into the standing of these series among more regular or seasoned anime viewers who may have seen multiple or all of them in question. But it's only ever for personal use, satiation of personal curiosity, and knowledge for knowledge's sake.

Please let me know if that cleared up any resulting uncertainties or if further clarification is required.
@WatchTillTandava Thank you for your understanding and I am glad we could clear that up. I sent a friend request, if you don't mind, please accept.
Note: I don’t lazily watch 3-5 episodes, biasedly compare to other anime, or unfairly judge by surface level similarities. With every anime I start, I watch the entire series, both Japanese Sub & English Dub, then judge each anime based on what they present, to give an honest and fair rating.

Jan 25, 2:28 AM

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Sep 2020
1534
Of all the golf related works you listed, Sorairo Utility is the only Kirara-like series that follows the story of a newbie golfer's quest to improve at golf and become a special individual in her own special way.

I'd say it was able to carve out its niche quite nicely in the recent batch of golf TV anime series.
Jan 27, 12:53 AM
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Nov 2018
386
I'm still waiting for "Professional Golfer Reincarnated in another world" Or "Reincarnated as a Golf Club" for peak golf anime.

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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