Each laugh takes them higher. Each tear makes them stronger.
The final summer of middle school, Shoutarou Futaba discovers boys gymnastics and is completely
enamored by it. Shoutarou ends up going to Soshukan Private High School (Also known as Ao High) and
decides to visit the boys gymnastics club. He's greeted by very unique senpais and a star gymnast
named Misato Ryouya. Dedicating your life to something you love during your fiery days of youth... Of
course, there is frustration, and fights, but see how these boys work together as a team towards a
similar goal in this drama about sports and youth. This spring, see passionate boys give their all for
their youthful dreams!
(Source: Crunchyroll)
__Before reading, please consider:__ 1. Spoilers ahead. 2. Watch this show, or at least give it a chance. 3. There is a spoiler in the __TLDR;__ at the end about a character's death in "Bleach" so do skip that if you haven't finished it. If you do not give a fuck, by all means, go ahead. ___ Sports anime has always been one of my favourite genres. I love sports, practice them, and am always interested in learning more about the ones I don't play. Gymnastics isn't particularly compelling to me, but after watching _The Gymnastics Samurai_ from the 2020 fall season, and after a really impressive trailer, I was very excited to watch "Backflip". It was a very pleasant experience to watch this show. I still have not recovered from the trash that was _Skate-leading Stars_, but "Backflip" made me remember once again why I love shows like this. The concept of a character finding something (__hobby, sport)__ that finally makes them want to live, or be better, is not new by any means but I am a sucker for it. It is one of the most used tropes in pretty much all the shows in the sports category. Using an overused trope is not bad, so long as the execution is done well. This show exceeded any expectations I had in regards to the way the scenes were animated and even gave me chills on multiple occasions. Before continuing further, I will first talk about things I actually enjoyed, and leave whichever things I disliked at the end. One of the best things about this show is the music. I like the tracks used for the performance of the main and rival teams, the opening is gorgeous, and the ending song is beautiful. Even if you do not watch this show, I believe just the music alone is worth listening to. The animation is also very serviceable so there is little to complain about. There are beautiful cuts, and the movements of the characters, in general, look very nice. There are things and characters moving in the background sometimes too, which helps the show so that it doesn't look stiff unlike [this piece of shit right here ](https://anilist.co/anime/114840/Koikimo/)(__not even a sports anime but yeah I hated this crap).__ For all of the performances, the studio does use CGI models. They honestly don't look too bad. The camera angles and lightning helps so that you don't care much about it (if you do not like CGI, you may want to skip this show but honestly, I think you should watch it regardless). That performance in episode 6 gave me chills. Moving on to less good things, I definitely feel that this series needed at least 24 episodes. Many times episodes were spent on what felt like "filler". I've not read or checked out the source, but episodes centered around characters shopping, being potentially hunted by a ghost, and characters trying to avoid thinking about how much they want to go back to practice, felt like wasted time. Don't get me wrong, I like seeing all of the main cast interact, and can feel their team spirit, however, you only have 12 episodes to advance this plot. Some of that time could have been spent showing us more about the rival team, and/or even introducing other potential rivals, besides just showing us the aftermath of their performances. While _Skate-leading Stars_ introduced way too many rival teams whilst making me not care about any, _Backflip_ attempted to just focus on one. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but besides the teams having the usual friendly banter, I cannot see them as actual rivals. All the rival team's performances left no impact on me whatsoever, and it was very hard to take them seriously. I only know they are good because : __1) They are the only rivals with actual names and who interact with our main cast. 2) The people in the crowd clap and cheer.__ You can have a whole stadium clap or whisper about how __x__ is good, and __y__ is amazing, but if I don't see it, it won't matter. Most of the rival characters are just the usual standard tropes, just like the main team. Are they all likeable characters? yes. Will you remember their names in the long run? not likely. In the 12 episodes we were given, we only learned about the coach, how the seniors met him and funded the team, and about Misato's incident from Junior high. We don't need a sad backstory for everyone (_Diamond no ace_ is very good at making you like characters while knowing nothing about their background), but I certainly want more than just walking quirks. Out of the characters whose backstory we get, only the Coach's one gets a good resolution and is worked fully. He used to be a great athlete, and could have even made history, but got injured and never was able to perform again. His arc begins in episode 7, and finally reaches a resolution in episode 12, as his students thank him for everything he has done for them, and then he himself says they all made him soar again. In contrast to the Coach's arc, Misato's conflict feels rushed. We got glimpses of an accident in episode 8, then in episode 9, a problem that could have made me care about the character, just becomes what feels like pointless drama. Misato couldn't perform a lifting move, as he was scared of potentially injuring someone, just like in junior high. He was struggling at the beginning of episode 9, and then in the same day in anime time, can get it together and perform the lift? unlikely. The ending scene of that episode was directed very well, but there is no emotional value to it since the show didn't even let me properly worry about Misato having a hard time. His change in character happened way too quickly too. He went from a quiet character who doesn't like conflict, to a character that now has comebacks and can work as the straight man in a joke, in just one episode. In regards to our protagonist, Futaba's character arc starts at almost the ending stage of the series. It centers around him struggling with a sprain, and how said sprain can make him not able to perform. Here is the thing. In almost every sports anime, when a character is injured, sometimes the team just gives in and lets them continue playing, no matter the risk. This show sadly does the same. You would think that having a character like the Coach, who hid his injury and then made it worse to the point that he couldn't return to performing, would be enough for him to at least oppose to putting Futaba in, but alas it didn't happen. Yes, the team could have gotten a point deduction for not performing with 6 members, but their points would have been worse if Futaba had messed up because of the injury. This scenario of knowing that someone may not be able to ever again do what they enjoyed, just for a single fleeting moment of victory, just rubbed me the wrong way. It is nice that it worked out in the end, but it could have gone terribly. I disliked this plot development, but it does make sense for Futaba's character to insist on performing, since in a way he wants to perform with his current team, aka the ones who inspired him to try out gymnastics in the first place. __TLDR;__ "Backflip" was a good show, and it had many beautiful cuts that I am glad I witnessed. I am interested in checking the source, but I feel like whenever I do that, I'll have already forgotten every character's name. The show was able to show Futaba finding a sport that actually makes him thrive, along with his progression on it, and it never really managed to piss me off (this is always important for me). Albeit slow at times, and that terrible comedy that we got in episode 10, I still enjoyed this show a lot and would definitely check out a season 2. I am glad we only got as far as the regionals cuz I feel like for an inter-high, we need way more characters. I also would like to congratulate Backflip for having Ichimaru Gin's reincarnation: ~~~img500(https://i.imgur.com/CXb2Os4.png)~~~ ___ Watch Bakuten for a good and slow sports anime with banger music. One of my favourites of the season for sure.
> This review contains spoilers about Bakuten!!; please read at your own risk. I am going to be a little more thorough in this review, as I really enjoyed the show and enjoyed the style. I was excited for every episode to come out, and couldn't wait for the next one. It was one of the animes that captivated me during its airing season. Surprising, as it's not often I watch animes when they're airing. I have started to do this, of course. But that's besides the point. __~~~# ANIMATION -----------~~~__ Absolutely loved it. 10/10. I loved everything about it. Even the incorporation of CG didn't phase me. It transitioned quite smooth between the two in my opinion, and it was only noticeable because it was basically the performance(s) that they used CG in. This doesn't bother me as I figured they used it to animate scenes that would take more time, and would be tiring to animate as it would take longer to do so. I completely understand, and it really, even rewatching it, doesn't bother me. The incorporation of the blue bird was beautiful, too. I enjoyed the scenes, and the metaphor the bird stood for. __~~~# CHARACTERS ----------~~~__ Everyone was great. 9/10. It's the typical sports anime where each team has a character or two that is the same as someone on the opposite team, but different in their own way. Typical for an anime sport, but I didn't mind it. I found the scene where they were playing Hide and Seek cute because everyone that "was the same" hid with each other and it helped establish a relationship between them. Even if it's something as small as also enjoying the same music. The interactions between the two main teams -- Ao High School and Hakumei University - I absolutely loved. They were funny, quirky and gave life to characters that appeared snooty, headstrong and are the antagonists, but give you a reason to like them just a little more. My favourite character is Kotaro Watari. I just love how he's so headstrong but so sweet. He takes pride in his cooking and gets jealous when others cook. I think it brings a light to him that his favourite movies can't. I also really liked Shūsaku Shida. I liked the running gag that his wife didn't exist because you never got to meet her until the episode that specifically touched on their relationship. I liked that he loves his wife, loves the sport and wants to make the change that he never got to make. He may have messed up his career, but he shows his team that they're able to stray away from his mistakes by learning from his own mistakes and teaching them what's right. __~~~# MUSIC ----------~~~__ The OP is an absolute banger. My partner - who has never watched the anime - loves it. He's downloaded it and put it on his playlist which makes me happy because I absolutely love it. The ED is just as great, but I personally prefer the OP. It's got the right vibe, and it puts a smile on my face hearing it because I was just so stoked for the episodes to come out, and hearing it got my hyped for the show. __~~~# VOICE ACTING ----------~~~__ I feel the casting was perfect. I had no qualms with it, and I wasn't disappointed in the voice acting or voices for anyone. I rather enjoy the work from some of the actors, so I am not the least disappointed by their performances. While I wish that some characters had more time to talk and really express themselves, it is fine the way it is. Shimba Tsuchiya I've never heard in another anime - and seeing his credits I can see that he's rather new. I have high hopes for him because he did a good job playing a character that's trying his hardest, insecure in his skill, and gradually gets confident performing. It's refreshing to see a new name in the industry that's done a good job. There are big names in this anime - and I'm surprised it's not as talked about as it should be. The cast is big, and the work was done well. __~~~# OVERALL RATING ----------~~~__ - Animation: 10/10 - Characters: 9/10 - Music: 10/10 - Voice Acting: 10/10 I am very excited for the movie to come out, and I hope it just does as well as the anime did. I can't wait for it to come out!
~~~img520(https://64.media.tumblr.com/5c8832a4c783b942d7c315d93c37972a/9ae2433059689439-3d/s540x810/8765270b5d349bb00ad69bc33cbf3c2b49e5138c.gifv)~~~ ~!(la versión en español se encuentra abajo)!~ ___English Version___ Bakuten!! is a __roller coaster of emotions__ when it comes to practicing a sport, this anime explains all the experiences that a teenager lives while looking for the place where __he belongs__, what he wants to do and what he is passionate about, and how he enters the world of men´s rhythmic gymnastics. Which will make you cry and laugh several times in the same episode. To be a __sports anime__, it progresses a bit slowly, but this does not make it boring, is a totally __different approach__ from the ones that are seen in the other anime of this category that what they do is show adrenaline through rushing things and conflicts; This approach does __not detract__ the emotions that are shown, the anxiety, competitiveness and passion that the characters have both in practices and in competitions. It also explores the frustrations and responsibilities that an athlete has, and how they learn to be a __good sportsman.__ Although it is a short anime, 12 episodes, it shows an __incredible character development__ and worthy of admiration in the main and secondary characters, although this is to a lesser extent for obvious reasons; Each character has its moment, its conflict, which does __not stop the story__, but helps it to move forward and all the characters can grow with it, normally the solutions here are something that can be done as a team. One of the negative points that can be found in this story is that its characters can feel __highly stereotyped__, one is obsessed with idols, another adores action movies and mafia, one is passionate about gardening. But all this __has a reason__ and it is to demonstrate, in a simple way, that, although they are different, this does __not influence__ what sport you like and are passionate about, that anyone can be passionate about men's rhythmic gymnastics. Although the anime plays with stereotypes, this is done in order to __remove them__ and the stigmas that society has created around this sport. ~~~img320(https://64.media.tumblr.com/7987e7b058b378fd96b7e60981064172/8732ca79374a1440-49/s500x750/644e48f202a1362562b63571a9ed5121ddda74ac.gifv) img320(https://64.media.tumblr.com/a58f9098aa08d13e380713ca6bacb50e/6f296285264e9a62-b8/s540x810/a99e6dd93d64be7964ea73bf72b45782047d001e.gifv)~~~ In addition to showing the __arduous training__ that is known that the characters have to carry out, it explores __the desires, the dreams__ of what they really want to do, the regrets, ambitions, among others, both Shoutarou Futaba, the main character, and of some others characters that may reflect in Futaba, either the same teammates or the coach. It also shows that you can fight for your dreams, but at the same time, life is a path in which you __discover new goals.__ Regarding how it approach teamwork and how it develops, they speak of communication and understanding in order to achieve __good synergy__ and meet established objectives in an effective and enjoyable way; they explain through various events that there must be trust if they are proposed to do something. It is mentioned that due to all the difficulties your teammates become __your friends__ and it is observed what they do to maintain those relationships. They not only talk about the people you team up with but also those who are your rivals and show how to be a __good rival,__ that is, recognizing the other as such and as your peer. After exposing all this there is another problem that they address and this is how much a person can __demand themselves,__ what are their mental and physical barriers, and in turn know what your limits are. They explain the need for a __balance__ related to this, the importance of rest and not exceeding the limits since there is a responsibility. In the same way as undertone they mention that there will always be someone better than you, but that does not take away or disregard the fun and passion that you have for doing __something that you really enjoy.__ ~~~img520(https://64.media.tumblr.com/facfaa2b07d1c2a6aa0d4818051240ca/fe5a4477884bb47e-98/s540x810/deebd5d729c10eac87fcf9b13894fbc9f1e0109d.gifv) ~~~ Another very important topic of mention that is an insult that has not been exposed before is __ the animation,__ which deserves a standing ovation. It is incredible how in a very subtle way you can find an influence from __Studio Ghibli__ that in addition to being very pleasant anticipates how great the movement will be in the remaining chapters. They also knew how to solve and play with animation at the time of showing the __choreographies in the competitions__, there is a mixture of 3D animation with close-ups of the characters in 2D, which shows depth and expresses __the artistic side__ of that moment. Bakuten!! It is not just a sports anime but __a journey__ in that world to find the place __where you belong__ and shows what experiences you have to go through. It has a basic message that many people who have participated in these activities surely have felt at some time in their life, for this reason and more it is highly recommended since their __slow pace__ brings to life something else that is __not achieved__ in most of the other anime. ~~~ - img520(https://64.media.tumblr.com/ec34a8be5e969227870cbba8bbd7b3d6/9ae2433059689439-14/s540x810/5b995b88a001040cd242ba4054d084d57b5a102b.gifv)~~~ ___Versión en español___ Bakuten!! es una __montaña rusa de emociones__ cuanto a practicar un deporte se refiere, este anime explica todas las experiencias que un adolescente vive mientras busca el lugar __donde pertenece,__ lo que desea realizar y lo que le apasiona, y como se adentra al mundo de gimnasia rítmica para hombres. Lo cual hará que llores o rías varias veces en un mismo episodio. Para ser un __anime de deporte__ tiene un avance un poco lento, pero esto no hace que sea aburrido, es un __enfoque totalmente distinto__ al que se ve en los otros animes de esta categoría que lo que hacen es mostrar la adrenalina a través de apresurar las cosas y conflictos; este enfoque __no le resta__ el como demuestra la ansiedad, competitividad y pasión que tienen los personajes tanto en las prácticas como en las competencias. Asimismo, explora las frustraciones y responsabilidades que tiene un atleta, y como aprenden a ser un __buen deportista__. Aunque sea un anime corto, 12 episodios, demuestra un __desarrollo increíble__ y digno de admirar en los personajes principales y secundarios, aunque este sea de menor medida por cuestiones obvias; cada personaje tiene su momento, su conflicto, lo cual __no detiene a la historia, __ sino que la ayuda a avanzar y que todos los personajes a su vez puedan crecer con él, la solución aquí normalmente es algo que se puede realizar en equipo. Uno de los puntos negativos que se pueden encontrar en esta historia es que sus personajes se pueden sentir __altamente estereotipados, __ uno obsesionado con Idols, otro que adora películas de acción y mafia, uno apasionado por la jardinería. Pero todo esto __tiene un porque__ y es para demostrar, de una manera sencilla, que, aunque son diferentes esto __no influye__ en que deporte te puede gustar y te apasiona, que a cualquier persona le puede apasionar la gimnasia rítmica de hombres. Aunque juega con los estereotipos esto lo hace para __poder quitarlos__ y los estigmas que la sociedad ha creado alrededor de este deporte. ~~~img300(https://64.media.tumblr.com/2a3026d7bce66481ec8de12a362a7c07/4e836e121a094aa7-14/s400x600/f6978f782eeec66f07056c18adadd1db0444731c.gifv) img340(https://64.media.tumblr.com/3f79fb1c28edeb07515a5a605c0c1382/ad0a813ac2872cbf-14/s540x810/7579122b3da86212a872cc599dfe3c1e6715bc90.gifv)~~~ Además de mostrar __el arduo entrenamiento__ que se tiene que realizar, explora __los deseos, los sueños__ de lo que realmente se quiere hacer, los arrepentimientos, ambiciones, entre otros tanto de Shoutarou Futaba, personaje principal, como de algunos otros que pueden reflejar en Futaba, ya sea los mismos compañeros del equipo o el entrenador. Asimismo, demuestra que puedes luchar por tus sueños, pero a su vez la vida es un camino en el que __descubres nuevas metas. __ Con respecto a cómo abordar el trabajo en equipo y como se desarrolla pues hablan de la comunicación y el entendimiento para poder lograr una __buena sinergia__ y cumplir con objetivos pautados de una manera efectiva y amena; a su vez explican a través de varios acontecimientos que debe existir una confianza si se propone realizar algo. Se hace mención de que por todas las dificultades tus compañeros de equipo se vuelven __tus amigos__ y se observa como hacen para poder mantener esas relaciones. No solo hablan de las personas con las que haces equipo sino de los que son tus rivales y muestran el cómo ser un __buen rival__, es decir, reconociendo al otro como tal y como tu par. Luego de exponer todo esto existe otra problemática que abordan y esta es cuanto una persona __puede exigirse__, cuáles son sus barreras mentales y físicas, y a su vez conocer cuáles son tus límites. Explican la necesidad de que exista un __balance__ referido a esto, lo importante del descanso y de no sobrepasar los límites ya que existe una responsabilidad. De igual manera como subtono mencionan que siempre existirá alguien mejor que tú, pero eso no quita o desprecia la diversión y pasión que se tiene por hacer __algo que de verdad se disfruta__. ~~~img520(https://64.media.tumblr.com/0c179317a3c2149eab5be4fe0f9926a6/30d603a95ad98574-da/s540x810/c929d3395c5af702edc58e1fe116e88136de48c3.gif)~~~ Otro tema muy importante de mención que es un insulto que no se haya expuesto antes es __la animación__, la cual merece una ovación de pie. Es increíble como de una forma muy sutil se puede encontrar una influencia del __Studio Ghibli__ que además de ser muy agradable anticipa lo grandioso que será el movimiento en los restantes capítulos. También supieron resolver y jugar con la animación en el momento de mostrar las __coreografías en las competencias__, hay una mezcla de animación 3D con acercamientos de los personajes en 2D, lo cual muestra profundidad y expresa __el lado artístico__ de ese momento. Bakuten!! No es solo un anime de deportes sino __un viaje__ en ese mundo para encontrar el lugar a __donde perteneces__ y mostrar cuales son las experiencias por las que se tienen que pasar. Tiene un mensaje de fondo que muchas personas que hayan participado en estas actividades habrán sentido alguna vez en su vida, por esto mismo y más es altamente recomendada ya que su __slow pace__ traen a la vida algo más que __no se consigue__ en la mayoría de los otros animes.
_As imagens e animação livre_ O destaque é facilmente a presença livre que o anime tem nas cenas das apresentações. É dinâmico; tem seus momentos detalhistas e livres; segue uma continuidade de movimentos da encenação dos personagens. O espaço feito em __3D__ é muito bem aproveitado para levar a visão do espectador para dentro da cena. Esse modo de usar o 3D me lembra bastante os animes do Yasuhiro Yoshiura (principalmente os trabalhos mais experimentais antes de 2010). É aquele tipo de 3D que evidencia a técnica; você vê que é 3D. Os personagens nessa lógica de espaço se distribuem no palco como se fossem objetos da cena, e nada mais importa neste momento. _A encenação mais simples_ Não que o restante do anime seja de todo ruim. As escolhas de encenação com animação mais imóvel, apesar de se tornarem um pouco exaustivas, de certa forma, engrandecem ainda mais as cenas de palco. O olhar do espectador ao ficar "viciado" nessa abordagem formal e mais parada se transforma ao se deparar com as cenas mais livres. Não me importa se foi uma escolha intencional ou não do diretor Toshimasa Kuroyanagi, é um contrate que funciona muito bem. Claro, não é perfeito. Principalmente, se pensarmos que o anime precisa encontrar raros momentos em que pode satisfazer o olhar de quem está acompanhando. É uma experiência que exige do espectador que sempre aguarde esses momentos pontuais chegarem, já que o anime não entrega muito mais que isso. É meio difícil, mas quando esses momentos chegam, é garantido que será prazeroso de acompanhar. Alguns episódios isolados, como aquele em que os personagens fazem um pique-esconde ou as várias tentativas de forjar pequenos conflitos não funcionam tão bem. O anime se garante focando nessa abordagem principal da Ginastica Rítmica, mas é bem superficial com essas vontades dos personagens. Isso também porque os personagens são humanizados com um tipo de estereótipo muito comuns nesse tipo de anime, e o próprio não tenta ir muito longe nessa dramatização e nas motivações fora do seu círculo da Ginastica Rítmica, então fica parecendo uma encheção de linguiça até chegar nos clímaces que realmente importam. A questão principal é que mesmo o fato de os personagens serem esse estereótipo comum, isso não atrapalha o envolvimento emocional que as cenas de apresentação no palco causam; ao mesmo tempo que também não as engrandecem tanto. O fator do emocional continua sendo o contraste entre as duas abordagens visuais. Não que eu queira retirar o fator motivacional que existe dos personagens no palco, mas acaba que não é algo central; que possa melhorar ou piorar as cenas de apresentação. Como eu apresentei no começo do texto, é "como se fossem objetos da cena, e nada mais importa neste momento".