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As one of the reviews said, I am really torn about this anime.
On one hand, I really empathize with the main character. He's from the country-side. Grew up broke. Single mom and brother as his family. He got it rough but he is really positive and outgoing -- friendly with almost everyone he comes across. He's a solid character that propels the story forward!

The episode of him crying on the train was so heartbreaking. He's literally 16 and he's going through so much! His passion for football and the fact that he is being a financial burden for his family by choosing to ... go down this path.

The problem is that the show treats the protagonist with cruelty. His team-mates are AWFUL. They never try to communicate well with him and they just assume his intentions (as being bad). This is even after understanding the fact that he's not as technically skilled and has no experience playing on a rather "serious" football team. They get mad at him for not understanding and just refuse to talk to him. Aoi is always the one trying to mend things.

The coach/managers are awful -- spewing bullshit like "you can't tell them the answer, you must guide them to the answer" or some voodoo shit like that. Instead of doing what they say, they give very vague prompts and expect Aoi to just "get it." That's not "guiding" someone to the answer. That's just relying on the genius of the student to carry YOUR weight of being an effective teacher. Not even once do any of the coaches actually explain what any of his practices, change in positions, etc are for! They never actually teach Aoi anything! Almost every revelation/improvement Aoi has, it is because he 1) Practiced with his teammates 2) does extra curricular stuff that other students and his teammates suggest.

For example, Aoi goes out of his way to rewatch the clips of the super famous guy on the team who's playing as a pro even though he's a first year. He gets this idea from the club president's daughter -- not any of the coaches! The drills that he does are from other students and teammates. LIKE SERIOUSLY?

It is so frustrating making Aoi suffer and go through so much trouble when the same results could have reached if the coaches did their freaking jobs. It doesn't highlight Aoi's resilience. It highlights the coach's incompetence. After Aoi joins team A, there is a scene of Aoi bowing to the Coach and I was thinking "WTF" because to me the coach literally did jack nothing.

It is so annoying when everyone is just antagonistic to the main character for no reason. I feel like the author has trouble writing antagonistic relationships and cannot understand how to generate a conflict in a more grounded way...

Anyway I do like the show so I will go read the manga but jesus the awful parts were AWFUL.

Edit: I slept on this review and I have a few things to add.

I repeatedly say that everyone is antagonistic to Aoi for "no reason" but I don't think I was clear enough. There are "reasons" why people are antagonistic toward him. He can be dumb and selfish sometimes and the way he plays football was by ball hogging. However, these flaws are not something very uncommon in other characters in the series and even characters in other sports anime/manga. It is just that he is punished for having common personality traits while ignoring all his good traits. Of course, later in the series, many side characters praise him for his resilience and kindness. But the cycle repeats. When new characters are introduced, they are intensely and disproportionately antagonistic toward Aoi and then being around him makes those same characters realize that he's a good guy.

This sort of character development makes sense for characters that ACTUALLY have personality issues (like for example, the yankee guy with bad attitude) but is inappropriate for Aoi.

I am too old to be enjoying this anime because I feel like I watched a completely different show compared to others who praise it to high heavens.

Look, I don't find the romance in this anime to be cute at all.
Literally trying to be cunning and manipulating the person you love into acting a certain way is inappropriate. That's a sign of a toxic relationship. I just can't let these two idiots behave this way and think its okay because they are children. It's troubling. Try having mindgames in like chess or shougi or go instead of, like, human relationships.

Now am I ... a little bit more sensitive to these tropes because I know how toxic these types of mindsets can be when in an adult relationship? -- yes. yes, I am.

Being secure and honest with each other is good. You know that's good because what I am talking about is what the couple will end up as. They will confess their love to each other and have open communication, etc. So I'm having a hard time understanding why people like this.

Whatever. It fine I guess.

If you like Vanguard the card game, you will like the 3rd season.
If you are like me, who walked into this series w/o knowing any of the card game rules (and actually don't care for the vanguard franchise at all), you wont like it.

I praised the first two seasons of the show because of its ability to write an emotionally gripping narrative despite using a card game that I didn't know anything about as a vehicle for the story. I think the third season really suffers from focusing on the card game itself and being self absorbed in this tournament thing. That was never the ... interesting part of the show... so, I am quite disappointed.

This arc was extremely weak in terms of characterization of the new main cast. The new girl, Urara, is just a genius and that's it. She's shy and gets super focused while playing the game but it is super lacklust the way they characterized her. Other participants are also very boring with the exception of Michiru and Raika. I like the fact that they have some sort of connection to each other that does not involve the main character!

The other thing that I really liked is Yuuyu and Mirei's heart to heart about representing their teams and being a leader. I thought that was rather good. She's the best character in the whole show imo....

Anyways, Vanguard fans, you got what you wanted. A show about the card game itself.

I have COVID so I binge watched the first and second season while lying in bed without previously knowing anything about this franchise, let alone being interested in card games in general.

I'm here to say it was totally worth watching.

Season 2 is better than season 1 in every aspect and I really liked season 1. You can check out my review for season 1 here: https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ghrln/reviews

TL; DR
- overDress S1 is for people who is not familiar with the franchise
- overDress S1 is not about Vanguard, it is about people who play Vanguard and their relationships with others
- super adorable main character and side ... characters who are extremely straightforward with affection for each other
- plot is entirely incomprehensible at times but you just have to go along with the flow
- protip: if you are not familiar with vanguard the card game, i suggest you skim through the card game scenes just enough to understand the context

Now my review for season 2...

Section 1: Story is now comprehensible
I would say the biggest hurdle for S1 was that it was sorta confusing and incomprehensible at times. Character motivations weren't really clear and things just.... happened for no reason. Like why did Danji declare his retirement after playing with Yuuyu? No idea but I kind of accepted it and moved on.

No more of that problem in S2. With a proper introduction to Danji's backstory, his actions start to make sense and almost everything that conspires because of his past makes sense from a logical standpoint!

Section 2: Mirei
Mirei is a wonderful character. Seeing a visibly disabled character is always a welcome since we really need more representation in that front. As a disabled person myself (I am not hard of seeing though), I was extremely excited. Honestly I would want blind person's opinion on how they portray Mirei but here's my take.

The ways that Mirei made the card game which mostly relies on visible cues accessible to herself was incredible. She uses little stickers and puts them on cards. She feels the shape of the stickers to understand what cards she has. The game actually acknowledges her needs as a blind players are different and puts effort into animating her feeling the stickers with her fingertips. She does require some aid when playing the game but the most part she is able to play independently! She also uses braille as a way to write and she reads it off with her fingertips when talking to Danji.

She also does not like loud noises and hates it when people offer to help when she is fine (or she does not want to receive help from that person). I really relate to that as a disabled person. Please do not help us before asking and. if we say we are fine, leave us alone.

One of the other things that I really like about her is that she's a child that acts like a child and is allowed to do so. She's immature and selfish but also incredible kind and deserving of respect. She does not understand that what Danji did was for her sake in the long run. She isn't able to understand the complexity of the situation and despises Danji for his actions. If I am being honest, her suffering is caused by people forcing a role onto her, not because of what Danji did. If that "incident" did not happen (trying to avoid spoilers here), then another person would have forced a role onto her regardless. But that's okay. She's a child. She allowed to be mad at Danji for what he did because it did make her suffer. It is very selfish of anyone to ask her, a literal child, to be understanding. Danji also understands this so that's why the conflict for season 2 is so interesting.

Section 3: Touya is unironically insane
This man is insane. He literally dropped out of med school to play card games. What a dedication. Also, I find that he is such a good leader and having him become the next leader for Blackout was a good decision from Danji's end. Him slowly making connections with Blackout members, fixing the merry go around that he destroyed , earning everyone's trust and getting Megumi back… It was a slow process but I am really proud of him. I especially liked how Yuuyu helped him all the way throughout. Yuuyu is such a sweet child and I think being around such a person really helps. Also he literally is unphased by crossdressing and compliments Yuuyu’s makeup skills. That’s it — he’s the manliest man in the entire cast of overDress.

Touya is kind, caring, emotionally secure, extremely secure in his gender, and smart. What can else can you ask for in a leader?

Conclusion:

If you liked S1, you will like S2 more. Just watch it!

Section 1: Which audience is this show for?
It is a great show if you do not care about Vanguard the card game. As someone who does not know a single thing about Vanguard and has a very small diminishing interest in card games in general, I found the show to be amazing at times and standard in some of the weaker episodes.

It is not a show about Vanguard but about the people who play Vanguard. There's a huge distinction there and the show appropriately structures around that. In the first episode, there is simply 0 explanation about the card game itself. Though slightly ... confusing, I later realized it does not matter at all. The card game is just a dressing for some conflict and the real heart of the show is the relationships between people. This becomes even more apparent in season 2 but let's save this for the review for season 2.

Now, does understanding the mechanics of the game enhance the narrative? Yes, I would say so. However, anyone who knows and likes Vanguard probably expects the show to be more focused on the games and its not. So its a null point.

Section 2: Positive Portrayals of Femininity in Male Characters
There's something distinctly different about this show versus other card games and just shounen genre in general.

The show isn't afraid to show femininity in its male characters and I mean this in the utmost positive way. First, Yuuyu (the protagnoist) crossdresses in multiple episodes and no one acts like that's weird. Sure, his friends might tease him but no one says anything like "he shouldn't do that" or "that's weird" etc. This is a breath of fresh air. Yuuyu seems very secure in his gender and in the later seasons he doesn't really mind the cross dressing as much. There's another character that has to cross dress because plot (lol) and he doesn't even mind it that much either.

(NOTE: Some animes nowadays have something similar but the crossdressing is sort of only justified because you/characters are attracted to them and not because crossdressing itself is okay.)

Another thing that I want to note is that affection between male characters (especially between the protagonist and other male characters) is extremely heart-warming. Usually, in any media, affection between men is relegated to sort of semi-competitive, too cool to express their true feelings type of way. I quite frankly find it disturbing that we see this trope over again over again. Not being able to express affection in a direct, caring way is bad. Many find this to be masculine but I think it's very sad. The show is very direct with affection and love between all characters, regardless of gender. I adore that.

Now if this doesn't immediately convince you to watch the show, I would say skip Vanguard: overDress.


Section 3: Story
There's nothing too complicated and nothing too offensive (with the exception of the creeper that sorta touches Yuuyu inappropriately). I would say the story is majorly incomprehensible most of the time. I find it hard to follow why things are happening in the way it is but at the end of the day it does not matter. You sorta just have to go along with it. I started doing that in the first few minutes of the first episode and it has drastically improved my enjoyed of the show. Think about it like it is a slice of life show with disconnected stories all happening in an episode format. Despite not making sense most of the time, the characters really drive the show forward and you care when the emotional highs hit.

Section 4: Characters
I find this to be the best part of the show. A lot of them are really likeable and quirky in their own ways. I'm fairly bad with names but i was able to remember most of the cast by a few episodes in. Danji's the unpredictable leader with a heart of gold. Really love him and when his backstory gets told in season 2 I really started feeling for the guy.



Conclusion:
Overall, i would recommend it to people but I hope I made it clear which audience this show is for. If you fall into this demographic you will definitely love it.

theme of the show: Morally questionable couple dynamics


The childhood friend couple has a very concerning dynamic of the seme's tendency for blackmailing and gas lighting.......... yeah what the hell and the teacher student couple is just outright inappropriate to begin with.

highly not recommended. watch better BL shows.
I know BL anime is rare and far in between but we deserve better.

The only positive aspect of the show is that there's a character that comments on how gross the relationship between the ADULT TEACHER and the MINOR STUDENT. I really like him -- he's a rad dude.

I also like the fact that ... they do not completely villainize the neglectful parent of the main character.. She doesn't seem like a obtusely abusive mother -- just a sex worker trying to get by. Is the mother neglectful -- yes but its not because she's a bad person... It's more like how sex work is treated by society as well as the lack of social net for those who do not follow typical family structure (i am assuming the main character either has divorced parents or he never had a dad in his life).

Anyway all things considered, would not recommend.

If you like art that tries to be more art than it could ever art, this is for you!

This half baked attempted at being unique artsy and different it laughable because it isn't that at all. everything about the show is predictable and boring. Just because you put some strange props and set the storing is a wacky world, it doesn't mean it's more meaningful than something grounded in reality but featuring deep and introspective themes.

Being strange without intent is what this show is.

If you are loner heterosexual boy wanting a manic pixie girl to save you from your lonely world, this ... anime is for you! If you are not a hetersexual male child, maybe look for something else to watch.

I love writing reviews for shows that really do suck ass.
This is not going to be a positive review and also note that I think that the manga also sucks.

Below is why the anime is subpar to the manga specifically.

The art is very bad and the animation really does not impress me. The main characters have insanely long necks and they look like birds that are gasping for air. The only respectable thing about the manga is the impressiveness of the art so the anime fails completely as it fucks up the best thing about the manga.

Below is some spoilers for ... the manga so don't look if you care but I honestly cannot recommend the anime OR the manga.
If you were thinking of reading the manga because you liked the anime or something just read this before proceeding.

I read the manga before this anime came out. People were raving about this manga for years and as a fan of sports anime, I decided to give it a shot. To be frank, I hated it from the beginning but I hypnotized myself into reading until I wanted to punch everyone in the face.

From the anime, it is pretty clear that the main character whose name I cannot remember is very underdeveloped and boring. His ONE defining characteristic is that he likes the girl and he wants to dance. What a boring person. If your whole character can be reduced into hetersexuality and ONE sport, its depressing as hell. This issue continues to the manga.

The series is unique in that it is a pair's sport -- you need to communicate and work with a dedicated partner. This is a blessing for authors who can create very good characters and chemistries. This is the WORST THING that can happen if you are bad at those things and I can conclude for sure that the author is indeed bad at these things.

The main character lacks the technical capabilities as a dancer (that he can work on to improve methodically) but more pressingly, he lacks the EQ to resolve interpersonal conflict. This is devastating because (again) it is a pair's sport. The series keeps punishing the main character for being dumb as a rock emotionally and hurting those around him but at the same time, I feel like the reactions from the other characters are blown out of proportion. it feels unfair to the main character because he's not the only one who needs some EQ improvement. Everyone in that series is actually dumb as a rock and does not understand how to communicate with other effectively.

It was mind breaking seeing these dumbasses fighting each other because they can't just have an honest conversation about it. Literally embarrassing. Don't read the manga and don't watch the anime.

The only mystery that's worth discussing when talking about this anime is how the hell did it trick people into giving positive reviews. I have never seen a work of art so self absorbed in its mysteries to the point that it forgets to TELL the audience the mystery. It keeps showing me stuff that means nothing to me and thinks that that's a good way of building a mystery.

The main characters are uninteresting and underdeveloped with no interesting chemistry. (They have a chemistry, it's called being annoying to each other and it's very irritating to watch.) The side characters that ... you get to learn about via time travel are also boring and uninteresting. The way "mysteries" of the supporting characters unravel is absolutely remarkable -- disjointed, uninteresting and forced.

If I have to be bit generous with my critique, the first episode is the most interesting one and it goes downhill from there. The recipe episode was so boring I seriously fell asleep multiple times throughout.

Not recommended. Go do something else with your time.

Don't watch it. Even if you like this sorta thing, you deserve better -- watch overlord instead.

The complete disrespect for survivors of sexual violence in this anime is staggering. I booted up the first episode and I was greeted with a sexual assault scene in mere seconds. I am really sick and tired of "dark fantasies" cynically using "rape" as a way of trying to show that their show is actually "dark" and "serious." Same goes to Goblin Slayer and many degenerate iterations of these types of stories.

The show has nothing going for it other than its main gimmick, and that ... gimmick has been done better (ie. overlord).