Hanebado! First Impressions

“I blame other people… for the things I can’t do.”

It turns out what I wanted to see was an anime about badminton. I didn’t know that’s what I wanted, but Hanebado! has shown me the truth. I could’ve sworn Ping Pong the Animation taught me to never underestimate a sports anime based upon the sport it was centered around, but it seems that’s a lesson I have to keep relearning. I’m trying to think of the last time the opening episode of a sports series left me this invested and emotionally weary. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think many people will be brought to tears by this first episode but, even so, there is something positively soul rending about watching as two people find themselves isolated by talent. I love this first episode. Frankly, even if Hanebado! somehow goes on to squander its potential and turns in a mediocre season, I will still remember it for this episode. That being said, if it can live up to the potential established in this first episode, then I’ll be overjoyed. There are moments where the show’s own sports anime trappings hold it back slightly, but I’m eager to see what it does with the subject matter.

If one were to just look at a plot overview, you could be forgiven for thinking that the plot is the same as Haikyu!!. The first episode does cover many of the same plot beats, and it does go through some similar motions, but the tone is worlds apart. If the first episode of Haikyu!! seeks to establish the beauty of teamwork and perseverance, then Hanebado! starts out by presenting us with the despair of being faced with an insurmountable obstacle and knowing you gave up when you were confronted with it, and the sense of isolation that comes with trying to become the best at something to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. We only see a fraction of the match that seemingly broke our two main characters but it still comes across as devastating. By the end of that one-sided victory, both players are left questioning what the point of their efforts were. The episode cuts to six months later, with the loser of that tournament match, high school sophomore Aragaki Nagisa, taking a hostile approach to her defeat. Her training has become harsh to the point that the badminton club is on the cusp of fracturing under her abuse. Meanwhile, the victor of that match, freshman Hanesaki Ayano, has withdrawn from badminton entirely and wants nothing to do with it, though unbeknownst to her, she has ended up in the same school as her former opponent. Like I said, there’s some narrative similarities to be noted between Haikyu!! and Hanebado!. They even share the same script writer, but whereas Haikyu!! presented unification and teamwork as its primary theme, the first episode of Hanebado! screams of loneliness. Nagisa is driving away everyone who cares about her with her single-minded fear of loss, while Ayano clings desperately to find meaning in the mundane aspects of school life while rejecting her own unique talents. It’s a beautifully constructed dichotomy.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t highlight the fact that this sports series is populated primarily with female characters! A little under two years ago, I reviewed the first episode of Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume, and, while it left little to no impact on me, I remember applauding it for making use of female cast members in a genre that tends to relegate them to the role of “manager.” Since then, we had Two Car, but that had the mild issue of being completely insufferable. Hanebado! is the first sports anime in recent memory that not only provided strong and interesting female characters, but also provided them with an interesting narrative. This first episode isn’t perfect though. There are some moments, like when Ayano reveals her badminton chops by protecting her friend from a stray tennis ball or when we meet the eccentric new badminton coach, that gave off a slightly cheesy sports anime feel. These scenes aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they feel lesser when stacked up next to the more introspective segments. The animation is pretty great, as Liden Films continues to surprise me. I remember being shocked by the quality that they put forth with Killing Bites, and they offer up an even more polished product here. I need to keep an eye on them. I may well check out the other title that they’re working on this season, Phantom in the Twilight, even though I really don’t know what to expect from that one.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• If there is one problem with typing up a review filled with the titles Hanebado! and Haikyu!! it’s that their bizarre punctuation is driving my editing software crazy. Guess that’s just another thing these two series share.
• If you want an example of another series that immediately earned my goodwill with its first episode alone, then I’d direct you to Sasameki Koto. It was a thoroughly unremarkable yuri romance from almost a decade ago, but that first episode was spectacular. Hell, go back and watch the first episode, but keep in mind that everything that follows is mediocre high school romance stuff.
• There are a few fanservice shots, but they avoid being obtrusive for the most part. Frankly, if it wasn’t for one particularly noticeable ass-shot, I probably wouldn’t have registered their presence.
• For the record, the Hanebado! manga has been in circulation almost as long as Haikyuu!!, so I suspect that the similarities I noted are entirely coincidental and are primarily due to the repetitive structure of the genre.
• Is the “n” in badminton traditionally silent, or is it simply a subtle pronunciation? I’ve generally heard the word pronounced with a silent “n,” but I live in the south, so I’ll take that personal experience with a grain of salt.