Jun 17, 2020
I'm a sucker for sports anime; there are few that I don't like. It's not the action that I enjoy but the relationships between the characters and their motivations to achieve a common goal that gets to me. Ahiru no Sora does it really well and in my opinion rivals other notable sports anime like Haikyuu and Ping Pong the Animation. I'll run through a few categories like the story and characterization to elaborate on my opinions.
For the story, it's not intense like Kuroko no Basuke in terms of action but it does specialize in emotional breadth. There isn't a villain/rival that threatens the main
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cast or gorgeous animated combat scenes to excite the viewer. This anime in contrast provokes sympathy for the characters when they meet an obstacle they can't overcome with the usual sports anime kit. That kit being a new special move they've been working on, or a latent talent suddenly sprouting in the heat of battle.
Instead, the newly formed basketball team of delinquents takes what they have (some raw talent/interest in the sport) and puts it all on the grind stone. Whether their efforts will bear fruit is never certain. The power they draw from their ambitions is transient and as fragile as real life (they're only high school students). The MC has a genuine love of the sport and lights a fire in the other members to join him, but basketball quickly proves to test everyone's mental and physical strength. Watching the cast bond and develop a network of trust during those slumps was inspiring for me.
Leading into the characterization, this is where I feel that it really shines. The Kuzuryu basketball team's small roster is held together by that network of trust and proves that it can accomplish some incredible feats. When those inevitable bumps in the road hit hard, the show explores the psychological state of the cast in meaningful ways that deepened my emotional investment.
When it dives in, you find that each character's reasoning for playing is its own separate arc and is all tied together through the MC. He's like the open sky that the others watch in awe; that boundless resilience of his serves as a platform for each of them to soar up and above to find what they're seeking in life. The threat of falling out of that sky and plummeting back down is terrifying, but man; if that ain't life. The maturity and growth gained from those experiences is what it's all about.
The life lessons this anime offers are valuable in my opinion. I find it incredibly enjoyable, so much so that hearing the beginning of the third OP, "Hummingbird" by Blue Encount, makes me cry instantaneously. I'm a big softie and this show is what I've looked forward to most each week. I'm elated that it's getting 50 episodes and will dearly miss it when it finishes airing. Highly recommended for viewers with patience and life experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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