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In short: Go watch it now, even if it's your first sports anime!

Overall: Oh my gosh! Sports anime genre, you must forgive me for giving you the cold shoulder for so many years! This anime is quite simple, mostly straightforward with a clean premise - have fun and go pro at playing tennis, obviously. What it does differently is that it gives the viewer a very personal journey by explaining the game itself, by showing the multiple frustrations a person dedicated to a sport has to go through and by giving motive and fullness to most characters in the show. And, the way each episode ... builds anticipation, suspense and hooks you up to the next episode is incredible. This definitely opened my eyes to the genre and I hope it is not the only anime that gives this type of magnificent thrill.

Some details: The art is a bit wobbly at times, but I find it pretty enjoyable. The OP & ED songs were nothing too great, but they were okay. As I said the story is simple, but played in a very original way with quite some twists and turns and keeping the viewer at an edge. I think even most of the extras are very well-built. I love how believable, even though a bit stiff at times, the MC is. Also, he recurringly breaks anime stereotypes in a very humanly way by not being too weak, whimpy or shy in certain key situations which made me feel really connected to him and his hurdles. I am not sure how interesting it would be for a person who knows a lot about tennis as this was my only touch with the game in my life, I believe it is very well put in comparison to other animes. There is not too much flashiness, but it's definitely a good thrill.

The other reviews here are very detailed, I want to share just one thing. This is definitely an anime way out of my comfort zone. It's the second one I watched as a recommendation after Tokyo Ghoul, therefore I don't have much experience. Even so I found it pretty interesting and as someone who is more interested in a story rather than visual violence, it had a very good balance between horror/bloodshed moments, but not enough to make me turn away. I had a feeling this was not the focal point and that is why I expected more of the story side. There were some ... issues with it, some lack of character development or forced dynamics (especially at the end of the show), but my association for this anime is "balance" - it gave so much in little steps, giving you just enough to want more and giving each viewer their own perspective. It didn't have a straight answer on the question "why?" and to me it felt a bit open ended with questions to ponder about. The OST helped with leaving an interesting impression a lot. Even though I see why some people complain about the show, I dare to say it is definitely worth the watch as it was one hell of a ride.