Anime at the Olympics
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
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The past two weeks have definitely been an exciting time for everyone around the world as they watch the olympics from the comfort of their own homes. There's something about cheering for the athletes representing your country, or even discovering new athletes to idolise from other countries. It's definitely fun to see so them in action too, after one year of uncertainty due to the pandemic. But alas, here we are!
As we watch our favourite sports, I can't help but think that these were also presented in anime I have seen before. Volleyball? Haikyuu. Swimming? Free! Boxing.... Megalo box! Well, these are just the fan-favourites. However, there are also a lot of other sports anime out there that can probably make you think of the sports in olympics as well, and I would love to share them with you all.
Starting from...
Hanebado - Badminton
I remember picking up this gem back then because of the first anime trailer that was shown. The details in the animation are so immaculate, and it is something I believe should be emphasised in a sports anime. Strong girls and badminton? Sign me up!
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| Just look at the smooth animation~ |
Besides badminton being the main drive of the anime, there's a lot of surprises in the main character, Ayano's backstory that will simply surprise you. The badminton matches are really intense, and it makes you feel the same tension when you watch a badminton match at the olympics. Above all that, it's also nice to see slight hints of slice-of-life elements as it is also after all, set in a high school setting we are all familiar with.
Harukana Receive - Beach Volleyball
Haikyuu has volleyball, and Harukana Receive is the go-to for beach volleyball! This show is a wholesome take on the sports genre, as it features Haruka, the genki main character of the series who actually knew nothing about beach volleyball, until being coerced to join the sport by her cousin. This underdog story is definitely a fun one, as they make their way up in competitive beach volleyball, while also maintaining the overflowing moe-ness.
While this anime delves on beach volleyball on a more lighthearted context, it is also nice to see real volleyball matches like the hand signals player would put behind their back before a serve. As every point counts in volleyball, you want to gain an advantage over your opponent. The subtle hand signal is usually initiated by the 'Setter' and may, for example, inform the left and right Spikers who she will pass the ball to so that Spiker will be ready when the ball is served to her.
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| In real life |
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| In the anime |
Ping Pong the Animation - Table Tennis
Ah, Ping Pong (or also known as table-tennis)... The sport of chops, flicks, smashs, spins and counter spins that reigns a great deal of skill in Singapore. Our country has won a silver medal and a few bronze medal in earlier olympics, and continue to still do well this year, despite not having any medals. Always proud of our players!
Well in anime, one that I remember fondly is Ping Pong the Animation. It is a very stylised sports anime that might only cater to a few who will be interested to watch it. Do you know that different type of rubber produces different type of spins and speed. The softer rubber will cause the ping pong ball to spin at a crazy rate, often sending the block shots outside of the table. The harder type of rubber enables one to flick and smash at a phenomenon speed that are harder for the opponent to react.
I'll vouch for it as it is a really good take on the highly fast-paced ping pong sport. And don't you like to hear the sweet sound of the ping pong ball smashing against the table?
Here's a clip just to get you accustomed to the style and flow of the anime:
Free! - Swimming
And of course... Another sport us Singaporeans are most familiar with. We even have our first gold medal in that sport back in 2016! That brings us to the anime, Free!
Back stroke - long and V-shaped
Butterfly stroke - muscular shoulders and chest
Breast stroke - broad shoulders and long body
Free style - broad shoulders and V-shaped
So if you prefer your body to look like any of these, train and swim with the corresponding style.
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| And of course, wonderful animation to top it all off. |
Kuroko no Basuke - Basketball
And we can't speak of Free! without mentioning Kuroko no Basuke, which is almost always mentioned closely to Free! without fail.
Kuroke no Basuke follows a high school basketball team as they go on to win championships and showcase the different players in the team. Basketball is a very popular sport in the media too with so many tall men and women in a group. I am so amazed how basketball players in NBA can take off, do a 360 or between the legs and slam dunk with such athleticism and the incredible accuracy of Stephen Curry shooting from downtown.
What's interesting in the anime Kuroke no Basuke is that some of the members in the basketball team have names that correspond to the colour of their hair. For example...
1. Aomine's hair is blue, and Ao in Aomine translates directly to blue from Japanese.
2. Akashi - Red
3. Midorima - Green
4. Murasakibara - Purple
Amusing isn't it?
If that interests you, dabble in some basketball action in Kuroke no Basuke!
Megalo box - Boxing
Ahh, Megalo Box... One of the coolest anime I have seen. Certainly matches to the coolness of boxing as a sport. It's exciting, it can be dangerous, but it is very much a sport that captures the audience's attention. Megalo Box follows Joe, a character that might seem to harbour a different ethnicity but that's what makes it refreshing to see in an anime. The world of boxing is then taken underground, but beneath the surface of the obscure community, exciting events await. It's also interesting to note that the boxing here establishes the use of mechanical limbs, which is something we don't actually see in the real olympics. Yet, it doesn't deny the awesomeness of the sport.
Hajime no Ippo - Boxing
And of course, how can we talk about a boxing anime without mentioning the pioneer, Hajime no Ippo?
Ace of Diamond - Baseball
Another iconic sports anime to note is Ace of Diamond, which features the sport, baseball. Baseball is a sport that features quite a number of players in a team, so it's definitely fun to see the different roles in the team.
Ace of Diamond is an anime that has a really fun group of members in a team. Everyone has great personality, along with such wonderful skills considering the power of the Seidou baseball team. The show also teaches real-life baseball techniques that connects the viewers to the sport. Now I'm wondering how many people are inspired to pick up baseball after watching this...
Princess Nine - Baseball
And then there's one for the girls too.
As you can tell from the cover image, Princess Nine is an older anime, much older than all of the other anime that have been listed so far. But it's always amazing to see girls playing sports together, and Princess Nine is one that gives off "A League of Our Own" vibes. Depicting girls in a male-dominated sport is definitely not an easy feat, especially at the time this anime was made so there may be a few hiccups here and there throughout the watch. Nevertheless, it is nice to see a female rendition of a baseball anime.
Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls - Sports Climbing
Just like sports climbing being a new sport featured in the Tokyo Olympics, Iwa Kakeru is also a one of the newer sports anime that was released.
While I haven't got the chance to actually watch the anime yet, I have seen an episode and was amazed that a relatively new and niche sport has found its place in animation. It seems like an anime that balances slice-of-life and sports at the same time, so if you're in the mood for something that is slightly more relaxed while also appreciating the craft in sports climbing, give it a try! I've heard in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the top climber can scale the 15m wall under 6 seconds. That's about the speed you take to finish reading this sentence.
Yowamushi Pedal - Cycling
Cycling is another sport in the olympics that sees itself branching into other types of cycling, such as the adrenaline-pumping track cycling and the newly introduced BMX racing. In Yowamushi Pedal, cycling is the main drive of the anime.
A largely popular sports anime, Yowamushi Pedal follows an otaku Onoda who just wants to join the anime club, only to realise that it has been disbanded. This then diverts his attention to cycling, especially since the bike is his mode of transport. With 38 episodes, there's bound to be a good fun in picking up this series, especially if you're a bike lover.
Run with the Wind - Running
Bikes are now removed and the best way to gain speed on a track is to run! Running a is largely popular sport in the athletics portion of the olympics, and they too, break into different types of runs that can be as short as a 50m sprint, or as long as a 5000m run. It is also wonderful to note that running has found its place in anime as well.
Tennis no Ouji-sama - Tennis
Also translated to Prince of Tennis, this anime is probably one of the pioneers of tennis anime.
Despite the intensity of the various tournaments in Tennis no Ouji-sama, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, using comical and exaggerated means in the boys' actions during the game to amp up the tennis antics. It's fun to watch and definitely a nice look into tennis.
Days - Soccer
Soccer anime is one that is scarce in the world of sports anime. Days is one of the few of them.
Unlike most sports anime where the sports action drive the series, Days focuses more on the characters and their lives, with soccer as a medium to drive the relationships together. It is a nice watch, with elements of friendship and a right amount of action. Soccer has a large team, so do expect the large cast here entertain you with the variety of personalities that can be shown in the anime!
All Out!! - Rugby
While I haven't actually seen this anime, I managed to hear about it and it's nice that there's an anime for rugby as well!
It's nice that there are different body shapes presented among the cast of characters in this anime, so that's something worth looking out for.
And lastly...
Haikyuu!! - Volleyball
The one anime that was actually talked about a lot during the olympics, when the Japanese team were largely compared to the boys from the Karasuno High volleyball team. Many have even heard the Haikyuu theme song play during the match at the olympics. Amazing how much impact an anime can make.
It's worth all the hype though, because the anime is impeccable for a sports anime. Besides the members of the volleyball team who have come to be fan-favourites among Haikyuu lovers, it is also worth noting that the anime pays a lot of attention to the sport in real life, mimicking tactics and making sure that the technical display is done accurately. The anime brings such a closely-knitted team into the heartstrings of viewers, leaving a mirthful feeling once they reach the finale of the show.
Honourable Mentions:
Here are some sports anime that are worth watching but aren't actually sports that would be seen at the olympics.
How Heavy are the Dumbbells you Lift
You would expect this anime to reflect the olympics sport, weightlifting judging by the title. However, there isn't actually any lifting in the show itself. This anime shows more of exercising and getting fit. It's a really good anime however, and you should give it a try if Mr Macho over there intrigues you. I have done an anime review on this series before, so do check it out too if you'd like!
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
Horse girls... Close enough to the equestrian sport in the olympics, yet not quite there. Nevertheless, Uma Musume Pretty Derby is a really fun show about horse girls racing each other. It is a work from PA Works, so do expect top-notch cute-girls-doing-cute-things moments mixed in with sports action in this anime.
With that, I have come to the end of the anime at the olympics! I hope that was a fun read to accompany the olympics season. There are still a few more days left to the end of the olympics, but I'm sure these few days have been fun :)
Written by: kimizomi
