“Minami, high school life is short. They say our teenage years end in the blink of an eye, you know?”

Sorairo Utility marks the third golf anime I’ve watched in the last 3 years. This probably isn’t enough to call it a trend, but given I’d never seen a golf anime prior to Birdie Wing, the sudden frequency is still surprising. That being said, this is the first instance where I’ve found one of the shows to be both enjoyable and suited to my own sensibilities.

I won’t go so far as to suggest Sorairu Utility is anything special, as it mainly sticks to well trodden narrative paths that sports anime have been shuffling down for decades, but sometimes all you need is a well-told story. All in all, Sorairu Utility is getting a modest recommendation from me. If you’re a fan of grounded sports anime, and neither Tonbo! nor Birdie Wing succeeded in scratching that golf itch, then this might be the title for you.

Sorairu Utility started its life as a 14-minute anime short film, which I accidentally pulled up and watched first. It was pleasant enough, but I don’t think it would have stuck with me had I watched it independently of the series. The series, like the short before it, follows Minami Aoba, a high schooler who is devastated to learn that her favorite mobile game is shutting down its servers. Her friend and classmate Izumi encourages her to seek out a club or part-time job in order to enrich her high school experience, but Minami is unsatisfied or overwhelmed by each club she samples. However, a chance encounter leads her to meet a staff member of a local driving range, Haruka Akane, who draws her into the sport.

As I said, this is all familiar territory to anyone who’s watched even a handful of sports anime. Fortunately, the show’s presentation is charming, and there is a fun dynamic between Minami’s curiosity and Haruka’s enthusiasm. I do worry that Minami has the potential to become annoying. She tends to reference game mechanics a lot, and I’m still having PTSD flashbacks to Momentary Lily, so I’m a little sensitive to that. Also, the montage of her fumbling through various clubs took nearly a minute, and was both unnecessary and unfunny. Notwithstanding those nitpicks, I think it’s fair to say the narrative is off to a solid start.

The production is being helmed by Yostar Productions, the same studio who released the original short, and they did a decent job, especially considering the studio is just turning 5 years old this month. Up till now, the studio has primarily released mobile game adaptations and last year’s Go! Go! Loser Ranger! which I heard was decent. The visuals aren’t top tier, but they far exceed what I would have anticipated from a studio with such a limited background. There are occasional spots where I thought it looked slightly cheap (that aforementioned montage for instance), but they were outliers.

The OP is visually striking, using a blend of solid colors and pop art elements to great effect. In a fun nod, it even included a few shots from the original short film, which had been revised to fit the aesthetic. The music was a little less striking or memorable, but it compliments the style and tone of the OP. The ED is less memorable, as the track is more subdued and the visuals are all stills. The studio was attempting to experiment with combining anime characters with real environments. Although it doesn’t crash and burn the way GoHand’s attempts have, it doesn’t actually work either.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• I’ve never played golf. I guess it’s one of those sports with a rather high barrier to entry, given the cost of the equipment. One of my coworkers likes golf and partakes in it regularly, but my curiosity doesn’t run too deep. 
• I went back and looked at my First Impressions review of Tonbo!. I remembered thinking it looked cheap and mildly ugly, but it still caught me off guard looking at the visuals again. It makes the visuals of this episode look that much better by comparison.
• In case it wasn’t clear, the short film is fine, but I don’t think it adds anything to this episode. The best way to experience it might be to watch it after a few episodes have aired. That’s assuming the interactions in the short film won’t be incorporated into an episode of the series. I could see that working too.
• Sports anime featuring females have become more common in recent years, but I’m surprised all the golf anime I’ve watched have starred women. I welcome the trend, but am still puzzled by it.

Sorairo Utility isn’t particularly innovative, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. If you bounced off of Birdie Wing’s insanity or Tonbo!’s jank, and just wanted a grounded show that explores the sport of golf, then I think this will scratch that itch. I can’t guarantee I’ll follow it, but it’s at least in the running.

Score: 3.5/5