Love All Play

Benkei

Zedlin

___ #~~~- Love All Play Analysis -~~~ #####~~~This analysis contains spoilers~~~ ~~~img300(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx137633-Ik4FfKB1eWKF.jpg)~~~ ___ "If you want to go quick go alone, but to go far one must go together." ___ A sports anime that ambitiously attempts to crush two years of high school badminton into 24 episodes. As you'd expect it's rushed and matches don't have much weight to them. Part of what makes an enjoyable sports anime is seeing the matches play out with strategy with good buildup between the players in the match. Love All Play doesn't have that impact, it's hollow. ___ Same can be stated for the characters, outside of their initial introductions, nobody stands out in particular as interesting. There are twins, they are super happy and energetic, as you'd expect they love playing doubles, that's their strength. Halfway into the series one of the twins becomes conflicted wondering if his passion in badminton is real, but he gets over it fast and the twins don't change personality wise. There's the straightforward Sakaki who relies on power and isn't the smartest tool in the shed, yeah as you can tell all these characters are just troupes. He plays doubles with the MC of Love All Play Ryou, who is exactly what you'd picture of when thinking of a shonen sports anime MC, so I'm skipping over him on purpose. What's there to say? Ryou's biggest strength is his love for badminton and works the hardest to make his dreams come true, yeah we've seen this play a million times folks. Back to Sakaki, he has lots of siblings and works at his families western-style restaurant, as such he's a caring, considerate person, he teams up with Ryou simply because he loves the way he plays. As a team they're not a great match, but they have fun playing. Alright we need a kuudere as everyone else is cheerful, oh perfect here comes Matsuda. As you'd expect he goes through the same character arc that each and every kuudere embarks on, but hey that's better than the majority of the other characters. He starts off cold and distant believing that everything needs to be done by himself. He's like this because his father (Matsuda's only real family member) is always working so he's always been alone and did everything solo. Yes, the lone wolf troupe. Over the series Matsuda learns being with friends is valuable. This does breed my favorite quote in the series let me paraphrase. "If you want to go quick go alone, but to go far one must go together." Through the power of friendship he wins his final match, wowie. The final character of note is team ace Yusa, a player when first joining the team was told by his coach to never lose again. As his driving force to never falter, plus his ambition to date Rika, (MC Ryou's sister) Yusa cannot lose again and has to become a triple crown winner in nationals. Yeah, this dude has some major expectations put onto his shoulders. I liked his VA work him saying "Come On!" always got a laugh out of me with the weird pitch it was at. In the beginning of the anime he's presented as a total asshole but he was like that to push his team to be better. During the final match between Yusa and Ryou, (which dang the animation was pretty good!) Yusa kept his promise and we get to see Yusa with Rika a year later in the aftermath, how cute. Imagine playing hard to get so badly and still getting the ace, only Yusa the simp would follow that pussy to that extent... ___ Love All Play isn't worth much of a watch. Even from a sports simps pov it's mediocre at best and was difficult to watch most of the time cause I was bored. It didn't help that the OST was cheesy and generic, wish I could turn it off at times. In contrast the sound design of the badminton being played was exceptional, give whoever did the sound design a raise! In all, the lesson to learn is, don't force 2 years of high school sports into 24 episodes you're setting yourself up for failure, simping does work if you're a generational talent, and of course friendship is magic, good riddance, don't need to have this series in my head space no more.

flamingfalcon

So let's start this of with the obvious as stated in other reviews, and that is the elephant in the room. The decision to cut 2 and a bit years into 24 episodes really took away from the potential this series had. This really limited character development of the entire team, which is a shame, as I found that it had the most human main character of all the sports anime I've seen. While the entire cast is a walking cliche, bouncy twins doubles pair, intellectual new player turned manager, attractive sister to make the horny teens lose braincells, cold and antagonistic yet caring ace olympian wanna be, lone wolf who struggles with emotions, and the stupid idiot who only knows power, the all knowing female manager, the coach who can see talent that no one else apparently can and the ex ace who returns to make sure the team succeeds where he couldn't with a long list of practically nameless senpais. The main character themselves actually feels like they grow in a non-superficial way, through issues with studies, game mental and other issues that they covered in a human way. This is all what makes the rushed content such a shame as it blurred through all the various scenarios of the side characters, which if done in a similar manner as the main character, could genuinely have made it a great series. Regardless of how cliched they were, since cliche creates a diverse series of characters, and a broad capabilty for scenarios. In addition to this the sequences of relationships and difficulties shown, along with their resolutions were well thought of, just without the length to expound upon their severity and difficulty of resolution made the series lack depth. Then there is the action itself, it's pretty severely lacking in all honestly, probably due to the rushed length of the series since the finale match was pretty solid. The focus in these matches is really repetitive, face close up, racket closeup and slide, then follow the shuttle cock lands and several points appear on the board. Various game results come through at once reducing tension and in general it isn't ideal. Now, despite all this I actually really enjoyed the series and actually got pretty addicted at certain parts since I wanted to see the conclusion, even though you could guess it a mile off. Maybe I found it better than it was as I'm coming from a long break from anime, and sometimes a nice, lighthearted fast paced series is just rather relaxing after a long days work, particularly when you have been focusing on a lot more gritty, mystery, gory tv series in the mean time. I can't see why you would regret watching this series, and how I'd class it is a no-tears lower production value version of 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team in badminton form but worse for the lack of emotional impact.

Lytio

# ~~~ ▌__Love All Play__▐~~~ ~~~img220(https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/media/anime/cover/large/bx137633-Ik4FfKB1eWKF.jpg)~~~ # ~~~__《Story》__~~~ ~~~The story revolves around Ryou Mizushima, a junior high student who loves badminton and joins his school’s club. He has a natural talent for the sport, but he lacks proper guidance and confidence. He manages to qualify for the prefectural tournament, where he catches the eye of Ebihara, the coach of Yokohama Minato High School’s badminton team. Ebihara invites Mizushima to join his team, which is one of the best in the country. Mizushima is hesitant at first, but he decides to take the opportunity after getting support from his elder sister Rika, who is also a badminton player. At Yokohama Minato, Mizushima meets his new coach and teammates, who have different personalities and skills. He also faces new challenges and rivals as he aims to win the inter-high tournament.~~~ # ~~~__✦ Animation__~~~ ~~~The animation is not very impressive, as it relies heavily on speed lines and still frames to convey the movement and intensity of the badminton matches. The character designs are also bland and generic, with little variation or expression. The colors are dull and muted, giving the anime a lackluster appearance. The backgrounds are decent, but they are not very detailed or immersive. The animation does not do justice to the potential of badminton as a dynamic and exciting sport.~~~ # ~~~ img220(https://i.imgur.com/8VXSFva.png)~~~ # ~~~__✦ Character Development__~~~ ~~~The character development is uneven and inconsistent. The main character, Mizushima, has a noticeable arc, as he goes from being a timid and indecisive boy to a confident and determined player. He also develops friendships and rivalries with other characters, which help him grow and mature. However, some of his actions and reactions seem contradictory or regressive, making him hard to relate to or root for. The other characters are mostly flat and static, with little backstory or personality. They serve as either comic relief or plot devices, without much depth or impact. The only exception is Matsuda, Mizushima’s best friend and rival, who has a similar arc to Mizushima’s, but with more realism and emotion.~~~ ~~~img220(https://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire4/8ce3d7348c9110a678a99a6c3b864c351648493922_main.jpg)~~~ # ~~~__✦ Soundtrack__~~~ ~~~The soundtrack is mediocre and forgettable, without any memorable or emotional songs that enhance the mood or atmosphere of the anime. The opening and ending songs are generic and upbeat, but they do not match the tone or theme of the story. The background music is bland and repetitive, with no variation or creativity. The voice acting is decent, but it does not convey much emotion or personality.~~~ # ~~~__✦ Overall__~~~ ~~~~~~~~~The anime is disappointing and boring, as it fails to deliver a compelling and engaging story about badminton and its characters. It has a simple and predictable plot, with no twists or surprises. It has poor animation quality, with no flair or style. It has weak character development, with no depth or growth. It has a dull soundtrack, with no impact or appeal. It does not capture the essence or spirit of badminton as a sport or as a passion.~~~~~~~~~ ~~~img220(https://otakukart.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Love-All-Play-Episode-21-Release-Date.jpeg)~~~ # ~~~__✦ Positive Aspects__~~~ ~~~The anime may have some positive aspects for some viewers, such as the badminton matches, which may be interesting for those who enjoy sports anime or are fans of badminton. The matches are well-paced and have some tension and suspense, especially in the later episodes. ~~~ ~~~img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/bd303e34ddd35e542193deca6c2e36ee/776fb3c9f9945c65-c4/s540x810/87dcdb2e10a7e877c13506d026cc42771c314822.gifv)~~~ ~~~ The anime also has a simple and easy-to-follow story, which may be suitable for those who prefer something more light-hearted and straightforward.~~~ # ~~~__✦ Conclusion__~~~ ~~~Overall, I wouldn't highly recommend this anime, but if you really like sports anime and have nothing else to watch, it might be worth considering.~~~