With the invention of anti-gravitational shoes known as Grav-Shoes, the ability to fly freely has become an everyday experience for the people inhabiting a four-island archipelago south of Japan. This invention has brought the people new ways of living and also a new sport known as "Flying Circus," where participants gain points by either touching floating buoys or their opponent's back.
The gullible and clumsy Asuka Kurashina, newly transferred to Kunahama High School, enters this world of flight unknowingly when she is able to pull off a difficult maneuver the first time she participates in a Flying Circus match. Eventually, this leads her to join her school’s Flying Circus club. Led by their coach, Masaya Hinata, their members consist of the experienced Misaki Tobisawa and her overprotective friend, Mashiro Arisaka. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm follows this rookie group soaring high above the skies and toward their dreams, armed only with their unwavering passion against an uncertain future.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
PyraXadon
For centuries, it has been man's dream to fly. Because of the Wright Brothers, we finally have the technology to do so, and as such, have been able to soar into the skies, give or take the method. But we have never truly been able to fly by ourselves. But here, we have Aokana, an anime about flying, and the sport that goes along with it known as Flying Circus. Story: In the world of Aokana, the world has developed special footwear called Grav-shoes, a kind of footwear that allows for the user to utilize anti-graviton particles in order to essentially defygravity and fly. In order to make the idea of Grav-shoes more fun, a new sport known as Flying Circus was developed, creating a brand new activity that one could do with their new shoes. It is here where we meet Kurashina Asuka, a bright and optimistic girl who dreams of soaring in the skies.
At its core, Aokana is centered around Asuka and her journey through the sport of Flying Circus, or FC for short. The show is centered around her and her group of friends in the FC club at her high school, participating in competitions and aiming to become top FC players. So more or less, this is your standard tournament/sports anime that focuses around beating stronger opponents and progressively getting better and better as time goes on, right? Well...no, actually.
Contrary to what the show looks like from the outside, Aokana has a surprisingly deep set of values that it showcases. It really hammers in what it takes to be good at a sport, and the satisfaction of winning when facing someone tough. In fact, the characters are shown to more or less only be fighting the same opponents, completely disregarding a 'stronger challenger approaches' style of story. The anime shows us the true feeling of losing and how heartbreaking it can be, as well as the beauty and satisfaction of winning, all things that you wouldn't see in your generic tournament anime where the protagonist just barrels his/her way through each match without trying and winning every time because he/she is that good. There's genuine feeling when it comes to seeing the growth of these characters and it really made me like this show and want to continue watching. The progression is far better than what I had expected it to be, and I was happy to receive such a surprise.
On the downside though, the show has some issues with some of its presentation. Some aspects of the show feel cliched and everything is tied up with a nice ribbon bow, so the plot is predictable in that regard. Additionally, the show does have quite a lot of moe-affiliated moments where the show does tell you once again "Hey, we're a show with a bunch of cute girls doing some cute stuff", which it is. It takes away from the serious atmosphere a little bit, but for me, it really wasn't really a problem.
Overall, while there were problems and issues with its presentation, Aokana had a message that was far deeper than I thought it would ever have given what it looked like on the outside. The show had good progression and a good mix of good to bad moments that helped improve character growth and, despite its appearance of one guy surrounded by several girls, IS NOT A HAREM! (I know, shocking right? We can have an anime with that kind of character setup WITHOUT having romance! Gasp!)
Overview:
+ Interesting story concept (The sport is simple, but surprisingly complex.)
+ Great message and themes throughout
+ Not a harem despite what we get for a cast
- Has cliched and/or predictable moments that do take some credibility of the show away
Characters: The cast of Aokana isn't particularly big. As mentioned before, the show more or less focuses on a relatively small group of characters where they all fight amongst each other in the sport. There're no "Challenger-kuns" anywhere once the rivals have been established, and the show takes its time to develop its cast.
First, we have our spunky and optimistic main protagonist, Kurashina Asuka. Asuka is the very definition of optimism. Her dream is to soar high in the sky, and most of her lines involve things being "amazing" and being "spectacular" to the point that it's actually somewhat annoying. A somehow gifted natural at FC, Asuka is sort of that 'prodigy' kind of character who gets stuff or is able to do complicated stuff relatively easy in the series, even to the extent that even towards the end, she is able to handle more difficult maneuvers or strategies that would ordinarily taken someone else weeks or even months to accomplish. As a character, she is more of a catalyst for things, as she evokes feelings and aids in the character development for others, without really changing much herself. She does have bouts of sadness and some time dedicated to her recovery after a loss, but she's the type to get back up on her feet quickly, so there's really no worry there.
The people that are interesting are both Mashiro and Misaki, the two other members of the FC club that Asuka belong to. As a senpai loving kouhai and a nyanko respectively, Mashiro and Misaki are more of the characters that project and showcase the quality of what it is to have ups and downs in a sport, as each of them have dedicated time to their characters. These areas of the anime are sections where I think both the message and the anime really shine, because they're both very realistic examples of what it means to participate and try to get really into a sport since both of their mini character arcs are dedicated to resolving their own insecurities and strengthening the qualities that they possess and turning it into in the series' words, "Their own FC", aka, their own style of playing.
If I was to make a complaint, it would have to be geared towards Masaya Hinata, our male character guy. Masaya is a character who really...doesn't have all that much importance in this series. As Aokana was originally a VN before getting adapted, Masaya is the player character and is dictated by the actions of the player. In the anime, Masaya more or less plays a supporting role to the series, which is fine since I'm all for a series with 1 guy and a bunch of girls that isn't a harem series, but they try to give an explanation and time to his backstory and why he decided 'never to fly again' which just ends up being incomplete and very lackluster. It is by far the weakest aspect of the characters by far, which is surprising since the side characters not only get more screentime, but more development than our so-called male protagonist here.
The side characters are definitely a side cast that has more worth to this series than most anime I've seen. Other FC players like Shindou, Inui, and Rika get little moments dedicated to them to add onto the message that the show coaxes in, and Madoka, who is more or less the comedic straight man to everyone (poor Madoka). Point being, there are members of this side cast that deserve mention, and only add to this show since a good number of them actually develop along with the series, if only for a little bit of character development.
Overview:
+ Great character development
+ Good focus on main females and their development
+ Side cast members also get development
- Asuka is a bit too perfect sometimes and gets a bit annoying
- Masaya, the supposed main character, is basically nonexistent to this series
Art: Produced by Gonzo, Aokana boasts a very high quality and whimsical looking style for Aokana. All of the colors have this shimmering bright sheen to them that reflects the sunny and bright feeling that the show evokes, creating this wonderfully colorful show that looks very pleasing to look at. The characters also look very nice in conjunction with the background and move very fluidly in terms of the normal animation fluidity. The artstyle is heavily moe-centered, as the characters, girls in particularly, are drawn in a very cutesy style coupled with some cutely exaggerated moments at a shot at comedy and cute pictures. I say this because there are people that REALLY hate moe, so I just wanted to mention it here.
Another thing that the show has is effects, and lots of them. The grav-shoes create contrails when the fly, and the effects of those are just really stunning to look at. One thing that does bug me about the anime is the fact that they utilize 3-D CGI very often when they're trying to make a flying scene. Using CGI for stuff like this is understandable, since the characters are moving very fast, and the amount of frame per second in order to create something like that would be time consuming to say the least, but the CGI is done in a way that really looks obvious, especially due to the fact that the fluidity of that particular scene looks stranger than it normally is. (Also, there really isn't much fanservice to be had. We get like...1 bath scene or so, and that's about it in the way of fanservice.)
Overview:
+ Really nice artwork
+ Great effects
- CGI wasn't meshed well and stood out easily
Sound: The OST for Aokana is very fitting for the series. The entire OST is more or less performed with airy instruments like the flute, in order to keep up with the theme of flying up and whatnot. The OP "Contrails" is a very vibrant and uplifting piece that fits with the positive, soaring feeling that the characters have when they sprout their wings and lift off. It's a very happy song that while doesn't have a staggeringly large amount of memorable factor to it, it's still a good song.
The ED on the other hand is a more toned down song that has a similar soaring feeling to it. But instead of soaring high, the song more or less drifts around and glides. It's not particularly a song that I feel lacks in comparison to its OP. It's not a bad song, but its calm and generic sound really doesn't really do the song any favors for being particularly memorable.
Overview:
+ Good, fitting music
- Not really a memorable OST
Personal Enjoyment: Aokana was that one show this season that out of every show in my watching list I thought would turn out to be a surprisingly good show, a dark horse that was good, but no one would watch. And now, after finishing it, turns out, I was right. It has its flaws and its problems, but honestly? I really think that this was a good show; an unexpectedly good show.
Did I like this anime?
To be honest, I really did. I liked it far more than I thought I would. It's unassumingly cute exterior hides a really deep and meaningful set of themes that was not only well tackled, but really played into why I think that this anime deserves far more attention than it gets. Hell, the OP has the phrase "True Battle comes After Losing", and that could not be more true to what happens in this show, and in real life. Also, flying shoes. Science, get on it.
What didn't I like about this anime?
Ok, I'll be honest, Asuka is a bit irritating. Her constant optimism is a feature of the anime that really doesn't fall, which really isn't a good thing. She sees the bright side of practically everything and doesn't falter which in a sense, clashes with what this show was trying to convey. In addition, Masaya was just NOT used. He had so much potential, and could've really added a lot to the series, but in the end, he was more or less shoved to the side and wasn't really as important as he could've or should've been. (And yes, I know that Asuka IS the main character here. Doesn't mean we couldn't have devoted more focus to Masaya.)
Would I recommend this anime?
Personally, I think that this anime is definitely worth a watch. While it looks all cutesy and moe on the outside (which...it honestly does do a lot, quite a bit actually...), what the show tries to tell us with its themes gives the show far more worth than your seasonal generic moe show. It tells us that enjoying the things we like doing is more important than winning or losing, and that work has to be put into something in order to get better, and it conveys these messages so well! IMO, Aokana is an underrated show from Winter 2016, and despite its flaws, is still worth a watch.
Falverick
They should really drop the romance tag on this. (EDIT - Not anymore, thanks XEELTom for giving me the heads up! :) ) Quick summary - in a world where people have flying shoes there exists a sport that's called Flying Circus. Basically you touch four poles as fast as you can or you whack the opponent's back or well, you prevent the opponent from doing so. Not really much of a premise there LOL. This was pretty much a sleeper hit, it was a really outstanding show from start to end considering it was based off a VN. Instead, they dropped the romance and madeit all about the sport and the girls, which was a very good approach. Character development was surprisingly well done.
All in all, if you are looking for a light hearted sport anime, this should fill that palate of yours.
FreedomTan
It's a whole new anime story...new ideas. In this anime,it's all about flying which makes it more interesting as they compete for the champion title. Other than that, man all those new design and stuffs really makes me want to live in Japan. Sound: The sound had nothing wrong. It fused with it vey well especially when they are in a dog fight! The voice actress and actor had a nice voice. It's very clear.The sound of the sea breeze and the wind is quite spot on when putting on earphones which is quite good. Design and graphics: A lot of kawai school girls with their newly designedoutfit for competition and it's quite catchy XD.Graphics are impressive of the waves and the character's expression of how serious they are during competition so there's nothing wrong with it.
At first it's gonna be not so bored since it's the introduction. Then, everything went fired up. Starts to get exciting, mind blown like WOW!!
All I want to say that is Go and watch it!
easilypleased23
I found Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm strangely intriguing as I watched everything unfold. It really turned into a sports anime of sorts as all the action focused around their sport of choice FC or Flying Circus. Flying circus is about people dog fighting with these special gravity shoes that allow people to fly around at high speeds. I think people will like the anime due to peoples fascination with flying around. And these people can surely zip around. Even tho it does take a second to get rolling into the main action. I found myself enjoying it. Give it a chance and itmight grow on you. Can't help, but root for the flying fish.
KanekoKTIA
First off AOKANA has a great concept and execution... in the visual novel. The anime removing romance has me feel less both towards characters and sports which you'd think would be improved cause it's given extra focus. I finished playing both Aokana and EXTRA1 & 2 recently and they're all perfect imo, I've seen some people say the romance was a bit out of place at some points in the VN but this adaptation proves to me that "A story about girls flying through the sky and falling in love" (or something like that was shown at the Grand end credits) is a necessary part ofthis story. Should also mention some people believe the romance is what makes some of the heroines (Mashiro and Misaki specifically become such amazing characters by the end of their routes and EXTRA's thanks to their relationship with Masaya). The adaptation mostly focuses on Asuka's route and the romance in that was much more minimal compared to others but even so the reason they are able to go against Inui (not spoiling who wins) is the trust they build as coach and player which the romance also serves to highlight and that goes for the other routes as well this isn't even my main issue with the removal of romance - it's how they make Masaya's relationships with the girls feel less important (once again weakening the coach and player trust), in the VN he's the one who fly's with Asuka without Misaki and that becomes a key part of her trust towards him, He changes Mashiro's grav shoes to speeder not Rika cause he's the coach and is making decisions for his players which allows Mashiro to put trust in him (this one specifically annoys me cause Rika's reduced to a side character which is accurate to this route but still why the side character in the anime). There's also the loss of all other heroines asking about what if they had been the one to put in effort which isn't just some harem thing it's them genuinely wanting to be good at FC and shows their growth in both trusting the coach and love for FC. There's also Masaya's trauma which even if both Misaki and Mashiro handle it best in the VN Asuka still does a believable enough job of getting rid of it only thanks to romance making it feel believable.
FC is presented much better in the VN as well and somehow feels more dynamic than this animation, plus artsyle is really good in the VN and CGs (especially EXTRA CGs) look amazing.
The music still being Elements Garden and Ray's ED let the music be a saving grace but even then it's mostly the same as the VN and Crossing Way, Wings of Courage, One Small Step and one of a kind are all better OPs (anime still has a good op just not great) with Millions of You and Happy Tomorrow (Both Mashiro EDs) being close to a-gain.
So my point is play the VN, Asuka's route is like a shounen, Rika's is the worst one but is still good and provides some introspection on Masaya, Mashiro's is just adorable romance and even more so is her EXTRA (enough that I replayed her route within a week of first finishing it), Misaki's is just pure sports drama mostly in EXTRA2 but still some in main game. Every single character in AOKANA gets their chance to shine as well just not in the anime.
AOKANA, EXTRA1 and EXTRA2 are all 10/10 maybe even more so for EXTRA1 due to Mashiro bias but this...
Muffinlord
Stunning artwork, Average plot, great sound, overall an anime worth your time if you're not too picky. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm revolves around a character who was intrigued with FC(Flying circus). So, she took up the so called sport and the plot pretty much revolves around how she got through all adversities to be an amazing FC player. Extra factors like having a coach who used to be one of the best players but quit due to personal reasons, becoming friends with the Best player of FC and more just adds up the entertaining factor to this anime. This anime gives a very upbeatvibe, vibrant colours and great sound.
To put it simply, it has a simple plot but the visuals and sound make up for the most of it, which makes it pretty much a decent anime for 2016.
Extras: There's no romance at all for this anime. The summary is a little bit misleading.
Cheers!
vruvru
Short review. Cookiezi brought me to this anime, so i couldnt resist watching it. From the start to beginning I was thrilled, not to mention that they literally got me with the feeling, that flying can be something beautiful and this Anime makes it look more fun and more thrilling. The Story was the worst part of the anime. It was very fast paced and many plotholes or even many important part, that would have make the story more exciting weren't animated. You dont get the feeling of something interesting and watch it merely because you somehow enjoy it how awesome it looks how theyfly and how the principle of "their" flying is.
The music was fine, nothing special or from heaven door, but atleast you can say that this was enough to make it an enjoyable anime.
You have too many characters to develop, yet only 12 episodes to animate. It's sad, since it could have been one of the top 150 contenders with a rating with 8~, but the budget was not enough. One the fatal weakpoints from becoming an actual good anime, since it lacks real development plus the very fast pacing.
In the End, it is an enjoyable anime and you can watch it with a smile in your face. But dont expect too much from it and do not try to find logical aspects in it. It already stops with "people flying and having a competition in it".
7/10
KaiDestinyz
This series is rated lower than it deserves partly because many have judged the anime too quickly and dropped it since. Also, due to this, there are many lowly rated reviews for this anime. However, I'll be delivering my take on this anime. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - The REAL Proper Review Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm is an anime that could have had the potential to be a really great anime but was plagued by its origin. "Eroge" & "Visual Novel" Lets take a deeper look why it meets its demise when compared other animes of the season. Most anime are adapted &serialized from its manga counterpart. Manga are usually known & recognized for its deep plot/content. Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm on the other hand is adapted from its visual novel known for its eroge. Most visual novels serving its "eroge" purposes have little to no real plot by default. Furthermore, its "sports" focus further reduce its chances for any deep plot to come by.
However with Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm, I think they have done pretty well despite being a "sports" anime. It's actually deeper than it seems and gets better at later episodes.
Story - 6/10
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm revolves around a sports called "Flying Circus" The goal of the sports, by flying through the use of Grav shoes, is to score points by touching its buoys in sequence "1,2,3,4" or scoring a hit on the opponent's back. Or so it seems... This is when the real plot begins to surface.
Do not JUDGE its plot before Episode 7, because that's where it really showed how deep it really is.
When you love & know something so well, for example in a game, (In this case, FC) then all of a sudden, someone new just came & destroyed your concept of that. You become afraid, because the very thing you are so familiar & close to, becomes something you no longer understand.
That's what Misaki felt. FC became something "dark".
All these while, FC to her, was about touching buoy or hitting each other's back. A simple and fun sport. But Inui broke that concept. Instead of playing the game, she intensely pressures the opponent by restricting & denying whatever her opponent tries to do. It becomes a mental sports and makes you feel inferior & powerless. That's the "beauty" Inui and Saki sought. However, Asuka, being that carefree girl, may not fully understand the "dark" Misaki began to see. To Asuka, it is an exciting new territory of the game. But Misaki became afraid of FC, became afraid of Asuka. She could not accept how Asuka could think that way.
Art - 6/10
Brilliant & Radiant. This anime is just beautiful to look at.
Sound - 8/10
One of the best anime's OST I've heard in a while. If you actually listen closely, you will notice. One example I can give is in Episode 6.
Listen closely to the OST:
05:04 to 06:02.
16:22 to 17:47.
17:47 to 19:45.
Character - 6/10
I love the contrast between Asuka and Misaki's mindset. As I've explained earlier.
Masaya Hinata is your secretive hidden ace badass. He is shown to be rather highly intelligent.
Asuka Kurashina is your slightly clueless clumsy cute female MC with innate potential in FC that she doesn't really know about.
Misaki Tobisawai is strong female character that is also smart. Realizing the "dark" in FC.
Mashiro Arisaka is your kawaii little loli with cute obsession with Misaki.
Aoi Kagami is your ultimate hidden ace triumph card that you hope she would just come out and whoop everyone's ass.
Enjoyment - 6/10
I really like all the characters. There's a good variety in personalities and good comedy. I like seeing Asuka's sillyness, Mashiro's cute obsession with Misaki. Hinata & Kagami being the hidden badass retired aces.
Overall - 6/10
Honestly, I really enjoyed this anime despite being poorly received by the community. A good mix of comedy, action with its beautiful art, amazing OSTs. Would definitely recommend to give this series a try and watch till the very end.
TheVorpalOne
-Gogoanime.io: "This is a love story about the two who met while soaring in the skies, and the friends surrounding them."- To be honest here guys, I watched this anime because I was told that it was "romance" but not once in the show, not even a tiny bit did it show any kind or hint of romance. I am so disappointed to the show's story. Apparently, the protagonist is supposed to be a guy named Masaya, but instead of revolving the story around him and again instead of showing how he showed his romantic interest in any of the girls he's been with, the storyrevolved around a girl named Asuka, which is totally messed up because the main-main character is supposed to be Masaya.
Disappointing as it may be, the anime's art quality is perfect, scene execution is nice and character's personality is good. The story is just really a big disappointment for me, not just because it had no romance in it but it had a "mainstream" kind of feel. It was too simple and didn't have something I'd call great. Again, greatly disappointed with the "No Romance" part.
I hope they create a sequel, movie, or an ova to this anime and hope it contains what it's supposed to have because the potential of the anime's plot is actually pretty good but it's not being used to its fullest. Not just talking about its romance potential but also to its potential to be an overall, great anime. This might also be the best one if plot was utilized properly.
WeebTendo
Read the fucking Visual Novel. I watched this solely because the source material is my favourite visual novel. And good lord does this disappoint. It completely ruins the story beats that the vn has, makes the fight scenes look ridiculous through CGI (apart from the last one thankfully) and ruins the art-style of the vn. For the first point, the story beats being ruined: The show takes story beats from different routes but really fails to mesh them together well, even introducing some that weren't there and literally contradict the ones present in the visual novel. Furthermore the ones that are there that still makesense are often so quickly disregarded and pushed aside its aggravating. The pacing too, is insane, the show needed another 12 episodes to fit the current content into a much better pace (I understand adapting a 30 hour vn route into anime can be difficult but still).
For the second point, the fight scenes:
The fight scenes or rather FC scenes most of the time look ridiculous due to the CGI being incredibly apparent and most of the time coming off as stiff and looking inhuman. When in contrast to the visual novel, these FC scenes sure are composed of stills but you can really feel the motion and force behind the movement of each the characters, how an animated piece of media conveys movement worse than a vn is beyond me.
For the last point of the art:
The visual novel has one of the most gorgeous art-styles I can think of, and what does the anime get? At best shoddily traced CGs from the vn and at worst some awful proportions on characters, awkward looking faces where character's eyes are too far apart and even unnecessary reusing of frames (due to what I can only guess was budget).
To see my favourite visual novel being handled like this is sad to say the least. But at least I can go out of my way here to say, don't watch this, read the visual novel instead. It is available on Nekonyan's website and Steam (where it often goes on sale) for PC and also on Nintendo Switch (and PS4 but a censored version).
LucisKitsune
Well directly to the point, I'm fan of the Visual Novel, so the animation of it story was happiness at my ears, but facing the reality of it, this what we got, so read carefully if you intent to see this anime: .-Pros: Story created by Sprite, the ones that did KoiChoco, so you can expect a good tale. The animation and sounds are from the very visual novel originality, that brings so much life to the story, characters and flow that are based on it so the material to see is very great. Gags and story balanced so the flow of the seriousness and laugh don'topaque each other.
.-Cons: Unfortunately, they have so much material to work and they didn't make a good summary of the story itself, you can never expect to have all in one anime, that happens to manga and light novels, too with their animations, but this was even perceived by the ones that didn't played the VN.
>The first bad point is the overwhelming blending of the situations that mark the story. The protagonist is replaced by the heroines in the situations/flags/gags, so the heroines can show up their evolution as a team and friends, no so bad but this happens all the way until the end.
>Second bad point is the result of the first, the supposed protagonist is now a super shadow support character, and a very useless one, but losing him means more than a lack of 1 character; this broke some of the bridges of the story to grow and feel the plot itself, so at the end, we didn't have a real end and less the true end, that could have given the anime a second season.
>Third and last, real situations/flags/gags changed by Fan Service.
My recommendation, if you don't have nothing to see or maybe you want something to distract you, this could help. On contrary, if you seek for a good story, the anime is not my recommendation, play the VN if you can.
jc9622
Ao No Kanata No Four Rhythm was adapted from a VN so before the show aired, most people (including me) all assumed that there would be romance in this show. Turns out Studio Gonzo decided to go the different path by choosing the slice-of-life path. This caused some -- if not -- most people to dislike the show but not me. I thought this was an average relaxing slice-of-life show and that's it. [Story]: (7/10) In a world where flying is as simple as riding a bicycle, Four Rhythm Across the Blue is set in a world where people can take to the skies by usinga technology called "Grav-shoes" which allows the wearer to fly to the skies. Aside from simple transportation, people also use these shoes in a competition called FC (Flying Circus). To score points, they either touch buoys floating above the ocean, or their opponent's backs.
I was really hyped for this series when I first heard about it back in October of last year. I was like "Flying Circus?, Drama and Romance?! Hell yeah, I'm watching this series". It was my most anticipated series of Winter 2016. Fast forward to January when the show started airing, my hype slowly died down after the 3rd or so episode. What slowly killed the hype for me? Lack of romance. If I wasn't expecting Romance in the beginning then I would have probably enjoyed this show a lot more I did right now.
There wasn't really anything interesting that occurred in the first half in terms of story. It's basically just an introduction to the characters, how the Flying Circus works which is surprisingly more complex than I thought it would be and a few Flying Circus matches which is so fun to watch because there was barely any still shots and it's all smooth and consistent. I want to talk more about the FC's rules. At first, I thought it would just be a simple race or touching the opponent's back to score a point but turns out there's more rules embedded in FC. It actually wasn't until the 2nd half where I completely understood how FC works. You know, just like Basketball. Simple yet somewhat complex if you're a beginner.
Now, the 2nd half, where the actual story begins. I wouldn't say the 2nd half is where the show redeemed itself but I can say that it's better than the first half. Basically, the 2nd half focuses on a certain someone introducing a new play style to FC which is honestly a dick move except it's a smart strategy Remember when Basketball didn't have those 24 second shot clock? That's how I'll explain the new play style. Since this is a non-spoiler review, I won't explain it in detail. Even with the new "innovative" play style introduced, it shows us how Asuka will never give up on FC and how she's still going to have fun playing FC
Last thing that I want to talk about is the comedy. The way they handled the show's comedy is horrible. Four Rhythm's comedy is a hit or miss and for the most part, it's a miss. There are a few hits though but like I said, the miss outweighs the amount of hits. For example, whenever Asuka show's her ditzy/clumsy side; instead of me laughing, I was annoyed. By the way, this is coming from a guy who has a thing for ditzy female characters. I think they're funny but there was something about Asuka's ditziness that didn't translate into "hahaha" but rather, into "agh, her annoying side".
If the show is going to have a second season then it's immediately going into my watch list because the final episode is the best episode that I have ever seen in Four Rhythm. Thought, it's a shame because it wasn't enough to save this series. The dogfight scene was just so amazing and Asuka's determination is one of the best that I've seen from her. Asuka was so close to being my favourite character in the series but that spot goes to someone else.
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[Art/Animation]: (10/10)
The Animation is simply beautiful. It completely fits with wherever the show is set and it looks so relaxing. It looks like they live in an island to me. The character designs are also amazing and if you look at the cover, you'll see Asuka's side boob. Yea..you'll see more of them side boobs in the 2nd half of the series. I already said this above and I'll say it again. The Dogfighting scenes are great..They're just so engaging and once a match ends, you'll want to watch more Flying Circus matches. There's also barely any still shots which makes the matches more exciting to watch.
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[Sound]: (9/10)
When I first heard the soundtrack that was playing in the PV, I knew that the show's soundtrack will be great and I guess I was right. The Dogfighting battle themes is where the soundtrack excels and every time I hear it, it gives me goosebumps and it makes the matches more exciting to watch. Now the OP and ED theme song(s)
The OP theme song is "Contrail ~Kiseki~" by Mami Kawada and the ED theme songs are "a-gain" by Ray and "Kimi Toita Sora" by Ray. I love Mami Kawada but I feel like this is, by far, her weakest song. It's not a bad song or anything and I didn't hate it but compared to her other songs, this is her weakest song. Four Rhythm's (VN version) OP "Wings of Courage", which was also sung by Mami Kawada, is 10 times better. Though, I'm glad they played "Wings of Courage" in the final episode during the final FC match. For the ED, Ray delivers again with her beautiful singing voice. If you've heard her previous songs then the ED theme song should sound similar to Nagi no Asuka's OP and Ano Natsu De Matteru OVA's OP.
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[Characters]: (7.5/10)
Take a look at the character's list and guess who the main character of the series is. If you think it's Masaya Hinata then you're dead wrong because he's basically a non-existent main character. He didn't have any serious role in the series other than training Asuka how to fly. Hell, he "didn't" even fly nor did he participate in any of the FC matches. He feels more like a side character to me. Though, they did explain in the show why Masaya doesn't participate in the FC anymore but it still bothered me that he's the supposed main character but all he was doing is coaching Asuka. If the series were to get a second season and Masaya flies again because Asuka inspired him to play in FC again then I will forgive Masaya's non-existent MC role here.
The character that felt like an actual Main Character is Asuka Kurashina. Not only does she get more character development than Masaya but she also gets more screentime than Masaya. Honestly, I love Asuka's character because of her passion in FC and her determination to never give up. Due to her determination, she manages to do (and master) a special move that is supposedly hard to do. At the first half, she's a ditzy, clumsy character who barely knows how to fly but in the second half, she's more of a strong female character who chased her passion and never gave up on FC even though she was horrible at flying. In the second half, she manages not only to fly but also master the special move.
The 2nd character that also felt like an actual MC than Masaya is Misaki Tobisawa. At first, I honestly did not like her because of her cliched personality. She loves to sleep and eat and the fact that she puts a "nya" at the end of her sentences is the sole reason why I didn't like her in the first half. However, in the 2nd half, I began to like her character and she became my most favourite character in the series. It's mostly because of her character development in the 2nd half.
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[Enjoyment]: (7.8/10)
Even though the show suffers from lack of romance and there's minimal drama in the series, I still enjoyed the series because of the FC matches and Asuka and Misaki's character in the 2nd half which was a lot better when they were first introduced.
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[VERDICT]
"Ao No Kanata No Four Rhythm" or "Four Rhythm Across the Blue" in English could have been something great if they stuck with the VN and made this series a 2 cour but instead what we got is an average/decent slice-of-life show about Flying Circus. If you're looking for a relaxing slice-of-life show that focuses on a fictional sport then this is for you. If you're looking for romance however, then I don't recommend this anime. You're better off playing the Visual Novel.
[OVERALL]: (7.5/10)
Pros:
+Relaxing Slice of Life show that's about a fictional sport
+FC matches are exciting to watch
+Outstanding Animation
+Great Soundtrack, most of it are battle themes that plays during FC
+Asuka's determination and passion in FC is what makes her a likable character
+Great and Exciting Ending
Cons:
-Gonzo deciding not to adapt the romance element from the source material.
-Comedy is mostly a miss
-Asuka's personality was annoying for the first 3-4 episodes
dramathicc
''True battle comes after losing.'' (Spoilers) When I first watched the first episode I thought ''Wow, that was interesting and pretty bad at the same time. But just try not to drop it.'' I'm glad I didn't. This anime covered its bad parts and has become a lot better since the first episode. But still it has issues. They added drama and character developments in it but still with romance, better art and exciting music it could even deserve 9 out of 10. Story: 7.5/10 The story is about a girl who always wanted to fly, luckily there is a invention that makes people fly : FlyingShoes. That girl moves to an island(?) and starts using that shoes. But she can't fly well so her new friends start teaching her how to fly. Her dreams came true! What a happy story... Anyway, the main plot is about an interesting sport called Flying Circus (FC) and she starts being into it (long story... Watch the first episode and you'll understand). Then she and her friends start doing FC, the male character becomes their coach/director and they want to go to tournaments. Yeah story is going like that. Actually what matters about the story is matches. Who is going to win and what kind of cool moves and strategies is s/he going to use?
I don't like the characters that so OP and wins every match from ep 1 to final, so this anime is not like that. In the first episode main character couldn't even fly stable. My only hope from the story was that (characters improve their skills) and it happened. And I liked the final. And they expressed their main idea well in the final. ''True battle comes after losing.'' (Well, a lot of losing) and you should have fun while you are trying to win.
The plot is classic sport or slice of life plot and it's interesting enough to continue so 7/10 is a fair score.
Art: 7/10
I generally didn't like the character designs but the match scenes and flying effects are really cool.
Sound: 7/10
I don't like the OP or ED so much but OSTs are actually good and relaxing.
Characters: 7/10
These kind of animes characters and enjoyment is much more important than story. ''But the characters are the worst part of this anime. They should've made the characters interesting. Even better art (character designs) would make them more interesting.'' I said when I first wrote this review. I still think it is one of the worst parts of this anime but when I kept watching I found the characters really interesting. They tried all characters to develop (which I liked) but it could be a lot better. Few episodes, the main focus was on the characters but not matches. We saw Misaki's real feels about the FC, Asuka and the ''FC King''. And Asuka was one of the most developed characters I've seen. The episode when she fell into the sea and she lost and she cried. Maybe the only time this anime used drama but it was good. The main problem is the male character. He is just directing the girls. 2 or 3 minutes we saw him flying but it surely wasn't enough.
Enjoyment: 7/10
At first it's really boring but I started to enjoy it after mid-season. Generally the match scenes are really enjoyable. You usually know who's gonna win but the tricks are really cool. But the main problem about the enjoyment is lack of comedy and especially romance.
Overall: 7/10
So here is my opinions about this series. Could be a lot better? Hell, yes. Is it bad? Hell, no :)
Anime_Emmy
I watched the first episode and I was absolutely hooked!!!! This anime is one of the best animes I have ever watched! The character development is really good, and the supporting characters get more screen time then other animes. The main characters are so cute, and the plot line is fun, enticing, and suspenseful! * A Small Synopsis * Kurashina Asuka comes back to Kuma Island which is part of on of the 4 islands that allow 'Grav-shoes' as a method of transportation. She has absolutely no idea that on these 4 islands, she can accomplish her #1 dream: To have the ability to fly.After meeting, Masaya and Misaki (Her mentors) , she joins this club which is very active in the sport called "Flying Circus" a.k.a. 'FC'. Watch the anime to find out what happens next in Asuka's journey !
fatalbert357
For those of you that are expecting romance in this anime, don't expect any. There is ZERO romance in the anime. Don't get your hopes up if the romance aspect is all you care about. You have been warned. Now, Ao no Kanata is adapted from a visual novel. And I am a big fan of visual novels. This will means several things. 1: The adaptation will almost guaranteed to be unfaithful to the original source. 2: A 12 episode adaptation will NOT cover all the story lines and routes. 3: My expectations will be kept low. That's just how 99% of most visual novel adaptations go, so I wasn'tsurprised when the anime changed the main character from Hinata Masaya to Kurashina Asuka. Right from episode 1 they were already taking a different approach to the original source content, from a romance filled story to a slice of life version.
I can see where they were planning on going with this. Cut out all the romance in the anime, keep the anime PG-13 (visual novel is an eroge, after all), and leave the romance for those who want more after the anime to play the visual novel. The anime is ultimately an advertisement for you to go play the game. Smart idea, but if you're going to do that, TAKE THE STUPID ROMANCE TAG OUT OF THE ANIME, MYANIMELIST PEOPLE. If there was no romance tag in the first place, there would be a lot less salty people running around the forums right now.
But enough about romance. What about the anime in general?
Pros:
-Great soundtrack (some of it was completely taken from the visual novel ost). The opening is probably one of my favorites this season. Shame that Mami Kawada retired. You will be missed.
-Great background artwork (water and skies were nicely done)
-Core of the story was very straightforward and easy to follow
-Great moe moments (the part I liked most about the anime)
-Slice of Life elements were done extremely well (as expected of director of Non non Biyori)
Cons:
-It is clear some of the characters got shafted from this adaptation. Rika, for example, is listed as a main character, yet she barely had any screen time. Same goes for Masaya, who was completely pushed off to the side as a supporting character (even though he was THE main character in the visual novel). Even some of the side characters could not hold their positions as side characters and just simply vanished from the face of the earth as the anime went on.
-The Flying Circus battles have CGI elements in them. While at times they do look very nice (last episode was a great example of good CGI), most of the times the animations look very stiff and artificial, making some of the action scenes somewhat lackluster and uninspired.
-They did a poor job explaining some of the rules and tactics for the Flying Circus sport. Sometimes some things would happen in the anime and you would scratch your head and wonder "Was that move even legal?" or "Wait? You can do that?"
-The lack of romance was really disappointing. They missed a lot of great heart wrenching moments from the visual novel that could have added an extra layer of depth into the anime.
If I were to rate this based on adaptation, I would give it a 6. This anime is an inferior version of the visual novel in every possible aspect. However, my enjoyment for this anime is a 7. They kept the core of the story from the visual novel and kept it fresh with comedy and wonderful slice of life elements. It was passable as a standalone, I suppose.
Would I recommend this to anyone? If you desire romance, STAY AWAY FROM THIS anime. If you like moe, sports, slice of life and drama, this may be worth checking out. It's a very chill anime that does not really break any new grounds. There is a sequel visual novel confirmed, so there may also be a sequel anime as well.
I encourage anyone who finished the Ao no Kanata anime to play the visual novel. The anime only covers roughly ONE FOURTH of the visual novel. There is a LOT more story to tell. Also, you will get your fix of romance once you play the game :)
The concept of wanting to fly has always been a dream in many of our hearts, and this anime explores what it would be like if a flying sport existed. For that, I am thankful to Studio Sprite and Gonzo for bringing our childhood dreams some hope.
For other recommendations related to Ao no Kanata, I have heard many people compare Ao no Kanata to Air Gear. For my own recommendation, I would recommend Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate. KoiChoco and AoKana are made by the same visual novel studio (Studio Sprite), and they have the same joke character running around both series.
MisterCaz
This was an anime that anyone who watched the first 2 episodes would have expected to be bad. I, for example, did not have high hopes. My girlfriend and I decided to watch it weekly as she was very excited about it and after the second episode, I wanted stop. At that point there was nothing overtly impressive about the show other than maybe the art, of which I felt at the time was wasted on a story like this. I whined to her about how the artistic world(island) it took place in looked so stunning, and it was wasted on this random anime. IfI were to have rated this anime after the first two episodes, I probably would of given it a 4.
But, having finished the whole thing(to meet my special other's demands), I have to say, I have no regrets. I can even go back to the first two episodes and enjoy them now. This anime is genuinely good, it won't seem it at first, but once the story picks up, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The concept is actually very interesting and unique, the art is fantastic, and the story, while a little predictable, is very compelling. If you are out of "MUST WATCH" animes at the moment, I fullheartedly recommend this one.
nanakox21
NOTE: This review may contain spoilers! Story 8/10: The anime has interesting moments to see the characters' skills as a FC player as they grow and continue to improve themselves & as a team. They get to compete against various FC players from different schools. Characters 8/10: Asuka is a newcomer to the school and the sport. She is also considered to be an underdog in the anime. Masaya is team's coach and understands the rules of FC. Mashiro is a young, talented player in FC and really loves Misaki. Misaki is an experienced player in FC. She is not a morning person and loves Udon!Madoka is the manager of the team. She is also caring and younger sister of Shion. Shion is captain of the team, and in his senior year. He is very passionate and experienced FC player, and is brother of Madoka.
Enjoyment 9/10: I wish Flying Circus became an official sport (especially for the Olympics)! Personally, this is not like any other sport animes you would typically see. The anime has a great animation and sound. I really enjoy watching the opening; it gives an insight to what the viewers can expect.
Overall 8.5/10: This anime is one of my favourites. It is definitely the one you should watch. Seeing the characters taking on the sport inspires and motivates you to try it as well. It can also motivate the viewers (especially the ones involved in sports) to never give up and to keep on trying. You can relate to the characters for the hardships they have endured and the lessons they have learned in the anime. I hope there is a season 2 in the future.
Beniyu
Since this anime was one of the highlights of the animes I've watched this season, I guess it would be right to write a review. Even though the story used common characters (air head, childhood friend?) and the story was predictable, it was quite fun to watch in my perspective. The progression of the protagonists was always interesting to see and there were definitely some surprises for me while I watched the anime. You can definitely tell it's a sport anime while watching but it sometimes just lacks the seriousness that's usually expected. Whilst not the best art style I've ever seen, it looked quite niceand I enjoyed watching how the FC matches went.
Nice anime overall.
PedroBV96
This was one of the animes of the last season who didin't generate discussions. But what can I say of it. Well: This anime has good visuals, good sound, and the Flying Circus it's kind of interesting. The most interesting element for me was the shoes, I really would like to have a pair of those shoes, You no?. But out of that, this anime has nothing to offer: There's no story. The characters are generic and flat. And absolutely nothing happens. If you are looking for entertaiment,then it can interest you.
If you are looking for quality, it's definitely not for you.
