Natsuza Yuzuki has been playing rugby as a left-winger ever since he was a child. After enrolling in Doushisha University, he quickly becomes a rising star in the Kansai University League.
His dreams are shattered, however, when a nasty motorbike accident leaves him with a spinal hernia—making him unable to be able to play rugby ever again. With no role available other than the position of manager, he accepts his new post and hopes his squad can obtain a league title.
Yuzuki's team is an unlikely group, including his stoic best friend and full-back Seiichirou Jingyouji; hot-headed first-year Yasunari Tsuru, who harbors a strong dislike for Natsuza, filling his senior's old position as left wing; and Yuu Mashiro, who is struggling to hold his ground as a scrum half.
Despite Natsuza putting his all into training his team for a league title, their squad still feels incomplete. A year ago, Ibuki Ueka, the genius fly-half that was once Doushisha's ace, suddenly quit rugby—and now Natsuza is determined to get him back.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
KANLen09
One of the few rugby shows I initially scoffed at, at trying to be another abysmal Try Knights, but what it does, it does one thing well: sold the premise on bonds and friendship over the sport through improvement. Being someone who is harsh on all aspects, I was surprised to find out that veteran script/series composer Rika Nanase is on this, and despite the no-name 3rd-rate production staff team onboard of this show, she definitely stands out as the main source of enjoyment, considering the "cult following" success of this show (for the 3 of you who watched this). Bleach, Eyeshield 21, Higurashi, Junjou Romantica,you name it, she has done all and shown her prowess at taking a genre and subconsciously subverting it to make up for the enjoyment experience, and it has certainly done in good spots.
What number24 is all about is not rugby, but the bishie sportsboys of Doushisha themselves. What the team comprises are of dreams of former players that don't belong and/or have given up in rugby, only to find themselves in the sport that's mostly persistent through the bonds and friendship of the bishounens involved.
Take the main team's quintuple for example: Natsusa Yuzuki, Yuu Mashiro, Yasunari Tsuru, Seiichirou Jingyouji and Ibuki Ueoka. These 5 have weaved the same red thread of fate for themselves in the path to find their true stance towards one another:
Natsusa, being taken out of the team and imposed the Manager status (due to circumstances that rendered him unplayable on the field);
Ibuki, who has lost his heart towards playing rugby and has no desire to take up the sport once again (but only does because of Natsusa's persistent teasing);
Yasunari, in spite of being Natsusa's junior, has certain disagreements to how he'd function around the sport and leading his own private life;
Yuu, in spite of his small size and although being barely fit to play, made him the Zhuge Liang team strategist and following under Natsusa's imposed leadership;
Last but not least, Seiichirou, more than being the tropey childhood friend, is constantly being roped in by Natsusa due to his monotonous life and needing someone to lead his life.
Add in the seniors and juniors who only got less screentime and act as second fiddle alongside them, the characters overall are brutal for what they do, but it's also the same actions that teach them the meaning and spirit of camaraderie despite the different plays of all of them. Not to mention the light-hearted comedy that stems from Natsusa's improvised childishness to tease the characters so much it gives off a good chuckle. And that gets a very good sense of debunking the heart of this show, which starts off slow but gives a nice reward at the finish line.
Rightaway, the art/animation itself I really didn't have high hopes for and think much of since it's PRA (a studio mainly relying on outsource help), but to my genuine surprise that everything is clean and distilled, a better effort and not the far cry from Gonzo and Seven's efforts to produce Try Knights (like they have a very limited budget). Yes, everything is far from perfect (some PowerPoint-like recycled visuals), but it never really came off as something that's left to be desired. And for the longest time, breaking out of their shell to have a majority production stake is a good thing for the uninitiated. A fine job, really TBH, I'm impressed.
On the sound side, it's all fair, no complaints here. OP is good, and the numerous EDs are worth the ear-listening treatment from the bishie boys. A good job to the all-male VA team.
I'd think that for future sports shows like this going forward, constructing good character-driven stories is what keeps this genre flourishing, and also getting the right people to handle their job scopes (a.k.a Rika Nanase) is the first sign of relief that this isn't the low-tier that we've come to expect from shitty shows (a.k.a Try Knights, Cinderella Nine etc.). If only the anime industry have learned their lessons well...
Nevertheless, for sports fans, a good enticement of drama and play is essentialal, and I kid you not, this show delivers. Even as a guy who generally doesn't have a taste for bishie boys, this was a good treat to rest to, following the characters and living out their desired dreams and working together to achieve their goals. This is the fine gem amongst the rare in the rugby sports genre, in a fairly good way.
uzuxmxki
Initially i did not think i would like this show however there is something so refreshing and lovely to me about the characters and how their bonds develop even within such a short period of time. I wont give it a 9 or 10 because it isnt complete but i truly believe it is worthy of a solid 8 based on what we have seen so far. I of course know the show isnt perfect, there are inconsistencies with the animation and other aspects which do affect the overall show however the best way i can describe the show is lustre. There is something aboutit (in my opinion the characters and their bonds) that make up for those other things. I felt emotionally invested, all the highs and lows really had my heart racing and it was very far from boring, the mal ratings surprise me to be honest because i believe this was super enjoyable. I really cannot wait for season 2!
the art was a solid 7, i love how the characters look and the obscure hairstyles for certain characters but the brightness (?) or colour scheme (yall im ngl i cant explain this part well idk the correct terms) was a tad bit off putting at first, it just seemed a little too bright. That aside it was quite nice and i liked it.
sound: Very good and fitting, never felt out of place. 8/10
character: easily a 9, Hands down one of my favourite main characters is now natsusa. He reminds me of a combo of saiki and tsukkishima but also has aspects that are so different and unique from any character i have seen. Aside from the main character, i was shocked by how well certain side characters were developed in such a short period of time. Of course some side characters felt like the classic background character with no purpose other than to shine light on the mains however considering the amount of characters and the length of the series this was a given. The characters have a very special place in my heart already.
Enjoyment: 8/10, it at times was annoying for me to understand what was going on during actual games, sometimes it was difficult to see the scores to be honest but aside from that it was extremely enjoyable.
overall: 8/10. I cannot in good faith give it a 9 or a 10, the flaws the show has whilst far from deal breaking are there nonetheless, however the lustre and appeal this show has is quite unique if despite certain imminent flaws the enjoyment across the board is still so high. I hope these flaws can be corrected a little in season 2 and this same character complex is continued.
guetea
If you're looking for a sports anime with a lot of focus on rugby and intense rugby matches that will have you at the edge of your seat, then I suggest you look somewhere else. But if you want a fun, uncomplicated anime about attractive college guys who occasionally play rugby, then you came to the right place. Number24 is not an innovative anime, not deviating much from the tropes included in many similar anime from the past decade. It follows the members of an university rubgy club, showing the personal motivations and insecurities of the characters, as well and the interactions and conflict between them.Like many similar anime, it suffers from a weak plot (some episodes are completely all over the place in this regard) and the pacing is a bit of a mess. Also like many similar anime, it has waaay too many characters for a one cour anime, wasting time on trying to tell everyone's story instead of focusing more on the main characters and their stories. However, Number24 is one of the most enjoyable "pretty boys anime" I've watched.
The main characters are well fleshed out, with distinct personalities and motivations, and undergo positive development and growth. Natsusa is a really fun protagonist and his character arc of getting into terms with the fact that he can't play rugby anymore (not a spoiler, we're told this on the first 10 minutes) and trying to make the best out of his new circumstances was pretty touching and inspiring. It's also nice that the anime focuses a lot on the managers and showcases how much they help the team. The other four main characters (Yuu, Sei, Ibuki and Yasunari) all are very endearing, having their own character arcs, and all the secondaries are pretty fun. The dynamics between the characters are really fun, and if you enjoy having lots of ship teasing, you'll like this.
Imo the humor was also pretty fun, with some moments that legit had me laughing out loud, so even if the plot goes nowhere and the pacing was quite slow, this anime never bored me. The rugby scenes, while scarce, were in general exciting enough, especially in the last two episodes, and you don't need to have the slightest clue about rugby to enjoy them. The music is nice enough too, with three different EDS that alternate.
The acting was also pretty good overall, with some really well known names such as Saitou Souma (who plays a really fun character and does a great job) or Ishikawa Kaito.
In summary, if you're looking for some sports anime in the same fashion as haikyuu, you're going to be severely disappointed. But if you're looking for an anime more in the style of prince of stride or cheer danshi (but better than those imo) with likeable male characters and plenty of shippy fanservice and shirtless guys, then you'll probably have a good time with this.
LRTmaknaE
hello, I am a rugby player myself and I am writing this review because I feel that other reviews overrated this anime. I will try to keep this short and sweet so you can read it quickly to decide if you are going to watch this anime. story: (no spoilers) the main character (Natsuya) got into a car accident and became not able to play rugby. He decided to join as the manager in a collage rugby club. And the anime talks about a senior of Natsuya, a junior of Natsuya, the kicker of the team and a the rest of the team. I really loverugby so I decided to watch this show. At first, the show was funny and cool but then, the events got random and messy. However, it was cool to see that Natsuya was a manager instead of a player so we can see the players play in a way the manager sees it. I also feel that the matches were way too short. Rugby matches are 80 minutes long, and there is no way they could cover the match in half an episode (10 minutes). The matches seemed like match high-lights, and not an actual rugby match. So 4/10 for the story, disappointing.
Art: Not much to say about it, I don't really love it but it is not bad. But my problem with the art are 1. the hair styles are way too weird. (Even for anime) 2. The colour scheme is way too pastel and bright, it bothered me a little. The animation has no problem, I am OK with it. 6/10, OK
Sound: Openings and Endings are pretty awesome, soundeffects and BGMs fit to the parts. 7/10, Nice
Characters: Except Natsuya who had an unique and fun personality and Ibuki who is the relatable dude, other characters had minimal to no real personality and character development. I feel that almost all the characters are way to "childish" for being collage student. I don't think Collage students are this easy to get that triggered and angry. For the designs, some characters looked way too young. Yuu looked like he could pass for a Grade 6 or 7 when he is in collage, I really though so at first. 5/10, so so.
Enjoyment: I really enjoyed the first episodes, they are funny and somewhat interesting. I would be looking forward to Wednesdays when new episodes come out. But for the last few episodes, I
don't think I really enjoyed it or not, I only watched the last few episodes because I would like to
know how the story ends or does the ending improve. I won't spoil for you. 6/10, fair.
Overall: 5, it is average
chi4you
Sports anime? More like a Boys Life anime. I learned nothing about rugby but wholeheartedly enjoyed the character interactions and Natsusa being a snarky, lovable gremlin. For only 12 episodes, there was a lot of potential for the plot to be fleshed out more and for the character stories to be explored fully. Instead of a focus on the sport anime genre, this show falls into more of a slice-of-life category, so if you're down to relax and watch some chaos ensue from Natsusa's shenanigans, here you go. STORY (8/10): For an original TV series, it COULD be better, but maybe if we get a season2, then perhaps the pacing may see some improvement. There's some plot around the team assembling, internal conflict and friction between main and side characters. It wasn't necessarily tiring, but you could understand the frustrations and motivation of the people involved. There were several moving parts and many characters, so I feel like a bit more screen time could have been dedicated towards the main trio to fully tell their story. Understanding that the rugby team is big and the fact that we need to gain some perspective on each character involved to feel some empathy, for a 12 episode story, I think it may have been easier to just either make this 24 episodes so we can connect better or just skimp out on the non-main characters. I like the premise of where the story is going, however the animation team could have gone deeper so they can pour salt over our wounds. There's definitely more left to be desired.
ART (9/10): I like the art. It's aesthetically pleasing. It's the whole reason I started watching it. Natsusa is pretty. Yuu is cute. Yasunari looks badass. Seiichirou exudes ikemen energy. Ibuki.... is Ibuki. Plus I need to pinch all the junior's faces please. Also the ending credits theme has the softest art. Hnnnnng.
SOUND (7/10): Nothing too remarkable about it. I like the music box BGMs since it adds a touch of sweetness. Best song out of the 3 ED themes has got to be "Kimi to Iru Nara". It grabs your heart and puts it on chokehold. Whoever the heck directed Episode 8 knew what they were doing because the storyboard/music/art direction for that episode got me still thinkin about it.
CHARACTER (8/10): I started watching this show because I saw a clip of Natsusa being an obnoxious, snarky brat and I wholeheartedly love him for it. He is a refreshing change to the typical short / cute boy. He's got bite. He's got an attitude. And he doesn't want your patronizing sympathy. And he is 10000% a bully. He's hilarious. Plus, his interactions with Ibuki are the best. Short man has zero chill and is savage. Although Sei is a guy with little words, he is a sweetheart who deeply cares about Natsusa. I don't think there was enough air time to build on all of the other characters though, like Ibuki and Sei. They have solid premises and an interesting backstory that isn't discussed in detail because of the limited episodes.
ENJOYMENT (9/10): The show literally went ham within the first 20 seconds of the first episode. Our main boy gets into a car wreck and you get to see the moment that completely messes up his neck for life. That can actually happen to people in reality who end up suffering with chronic pain or relapses, and I think that was what drew me to the show at first. Every time he suffers, I physically wince from the pain on his behalf since I also personally injured my neck in the past and it is not fun. It's tragic. It's devastating. It's life-changing but admirable how Natsusa still tries to remain in the world of rugby as a manager even he can no longer be on the field. It's frustrating and can be a harsh reality for athletes or even regular people in our day to day lives. We're all one accident away from a potentially life-altering event that could impact our mobility. I don't recall watching any anime that focuses on these types of impacts about a character suffering from some disability/chronic pain, and that's what I appreciated about Number24. It's not like the typical sports anime with crazy superpowers (except for Ibuki and Sei's incredible skill I suppose-- but I don't follow rugby in real life to comment on how realistic their talent is). It's just a bunch of college dudes doing a sport they truly love. It's about basking in the sweet camaraderie of teamwork. It's about collectively working towards the same goal. It's about learning to let things go. Even if the show is rushed and we didn't get to see a lot of plot in detail, I feel that it was in the right direction. With more budget and HOPEFULLY a season 2, we can probably expect a jump in quality.
Overall (8/10): If you enjoy slice of life/character interactions and not an in-depth explanation of the sport, give this a try. Natsusa carries the cast with his humor and evil tendencies. The main trio are my favourite. There is untapped potential for how good Number24 could have been with all of the ideas introduced in the show, but I'll give them some credit for an original production. Also, the ship fuel has been fantastic. Much wholesome. Very comedic. I don't even care if they are platonic or baiting. This was so fun to watch and I hope we get a season 2. Their story is not finished!
Resident_Green
TL; DR Who said that anime this average in every possible sense could be this watchable? I ended up liking every minute of it. A pretty boy for every taste, a snarky banters, a game that you don't need to understand to follow, and lots of drama. My brain left on a vacation, leaving me with two brain cells and they were enough to make the task done. Summary. The plot is pretty sad if you think about it. A rugby prodigy got into a motorcycle accident and was left paralyzed for months. With a serious neck injury as a result of it (a herniated disk),even tackling him has paralyzing repercussions. And like that his rugby career is over. To stay in a game that he adores, Natsusa decides to transform from the player to the manager and trainer of the club. From that point onward, he figures out the club's internal drama and supports others. Dear, made myself depressed now. Besides the main storyline, several smaller ones are a joy to follow like who of them will go pro.
I fancy Natsusa, my cocky little gremlin. Put in an unfair and tragic situation, he chooses to focus on the things he can do, rather than drown in misery. But you can see that takes its toll on him. Aside from his resolve, he is pretty eccentric. Cunning and sarcastic, perceptive and opportunistic primadonna. A scheming sweet-talker. A little sh*t you will love. DON’T skip the ending theme.
It's a sports anime, so you know what that means...A bunch of pretty boys. Every guy here can be described in two three words: a big bro guy, a bad boy guy, a friendly chubby guy, a strict vice-captain guy, a lean smart guy... there are 24 of them, so start your list for easier memorization now! Some of them get some semblance of a thought-out personality, while others stayed one-dimensional. Either way, I like them hanging out together and being bros. By the time of the final game, I cared enough to be tense and worry about the score.
There are a lot of yaoi moments, but not official feelings. It’s quite obvious who is couple with who, even though it’s packaged as brotherly love. Dub goes one step further in that direction and amplifies words like thirsty or thick. There are some telling physical contacts and positions, too.
This anime lives for drama. Boys are always calling out and one-upping each other. Some rivalry here, some hurt feelings there, some buried history between. Many of the conflicts are solved by boys opening up and sharing their feelings, or throwing each other on the field. And at the end of each fight, some basic lesson about teamwork and self-confidence is served. "Something something positive vibes, bla bla believe in yourself". A pep talk never-ending.
Art is by far the weakest part of the anime. There is no fluidity of movement and lots of camera cuts when rugby is being played. Everything looks generic and done cheaply. And that eye coloring could be better. Also, why did they make the title design so ugly? It pains me to even look at it. And that crown on top of 24. A royalty? Really?
makotoplz
For a 12 episode "sports" anime, it sure did surpass my expectations. I will admit, I was expecting it to be super fruity, especially with the cover art? (No idea what to call it). But upon starting it, I was thoroughly surprised by the theme of friendship. There definitely were scenes that were questionable and fruity, but it wasn't overbearing and honestly, I would've had no complaints if there were more. To start with, the characters are peak enjoyment for me. I love the MC and his very hot and cold personality. At one point he gets called a tsundere and that's pretty much whathe is, except likable and funny. You don't see many MC's with this type of personality, they're usually A main character but not THE. There are many typical and common tropes but it was comforting. My favourite type of characters were part of the team like Sei, who is quiet, lowkey monotone and calm, but has a soft spot for one person. Many eccentric players, like the second years, who are either weird or sadistic (MC MC MC and one other). There is that boy who kinda looks like a girl and isn't as manly as the others, but he plays an important part, and adds to the plot.
The plot itself was straight-forward. The MC stays by rugby by being the manager to the team he played with and we see the team overcome fights, differences, jealousy etc etc. The pacing was perfect for 12 episodes, great character development and nearing a 9 at this point. I wish there was a season 2, but it ends on the right tone.
Overall, I highly suggest watching this. There's probably only about 4 girls shown (for about 15 secs max) throughout the entirety of this, so the testosterone level is HIGH. Which shouldn't be that surprising considering it's a sports anime about a guys COLLEGE rugby team. Think Free! in terms of character and plot but in rugby.
Yashatitan
At first, I was really apprehensive about watching another sports anime especially after how much I enjoyed Haikyuu. That said, I was hooked from the first episode. I haven't watched many sports animes, but I think this one did an excellent job of standing out. It's a daunting task to try and highlight so many characters in such a limited amount of episodes. However, the story flowed beautifully with dynamic characters, plenty of comedic relief, and a great emphasis on the bonds shared between teammates and the struggle to overcome one's own shortcomings. Each character is trying their best to move forward and improve themselveswhich was very enjoyable to watch. Each character, no matter how small, plays a role in tying the story together and contributing to the development of their comrades. Usually, I find myself unsatisfied with shorter animes but the ending left me completely satisfied and wanting more.
cardamomo
As I've stumbled on this anime, I was fairly surprised by a few little things which, in my opinion, contribute to make this one a work with some potential. Setting this first premise aside, let's start talking about some more specific aspects. The story itself wasn't that bad and I found it quite enjoyable, but they could have surely done much better. On the good side, the secondary characters' dynamics were pretty good as they were somehow connected to each other but what leaves a bit to be desired is the final result, as it looks more like a mishmash of random events than a seriesof sub-plots that had some potential to become even more important in a future season. Even so, it was simple and easy to follow and, although the ending is quite rushed even for a anime that most likely will have a second season, at the end of the day the story in general was quite good.
Another aspect that left me with a sour taste in my mouth was the art; I truly loved all the characters' designs, but - especially in the second part - the animations were kinda crappy at some point and there were a few parts where the voice and the face didn't go along at all. It doesn't make sense if the character is speaking calmly but then his face suggests he's screaming, right?
As for the sound part, all the VAs did a great job portraying these characters and I don't have any major complaint about this aspect. Maybe the only "bad" point I can mention is that some parts felt kinda empty, but this has nothing to do with the dub and, apart from that, it was pretty good.
Finally, the characters. I was fairly impressed to see such a character like Natsusa having a main role as his counterpart in most spokons would be either a supporting cast or a second lead if they're really lucky. The analysis of his character was pretty good and I genuinely felt happy or sad for him as the story processed and he surely is a character you either love or hate, you still care for him. As for the other characters in the main cast, Seiichirou might come off as the cliché childhood friend who totally depends on Natsusa, but I think he's much more than that, it's just that we didn't get to see enough of him to think of him as a separate person. About Ibuki and Yuu, they're really good characters and they have been analyzed quite well, especially Ibuki as he largely contributes to create a different troupe for the main character than the one he was following before. About Yuu, we can say that his insecurities and struggles have been analyzed in dept and that he effectively achieves his goal to improve himself as a manager.
All in all, number24 was a pretty enjoyable anime and, if it wasn't for the sloppy animations and the confused sub-plots, it would have easily been one of the best, if not the best "spokon" (I'm not sure if it can really be called a spokon though.)
Sorry for my bad English!
Ebisugawa
So good ! Natsusa can't play rugby anymore but he's still so lively and cheerful. It's a heartwhelming story about overcoming injury and being aroud the thing you like to do. It's not an so sport focused, so you won't learn much about rugby itself. it's more relashionship and growing up focused. The characters are in college, some questions about going pro or not, discovering your own strenghts, what you can and can not do Natsusa's personality is so mean, likes to bully around for fun, and Seiichirou is more of a straight-thinking guy but they get a long so well. Never skip the ending! The endingsinged by the cast is adorable !
The fan service is great also. Characters very shippable!
cocolita22
As a sports anime enthusiast, I am so pleased with this show. It had every element I adore in a sports anime: bromance, drama, solid resolution, character development, and reasonable end-results. I loved every character so much and was sad when this show ended. The art was stunning!!! I couldn't get over how visually pleasing it was. I had never really seen any rugby games IRL but this show had a decent amount of the sport. It wasn't as much as other sports anime, but I feel like it would have been boring if they added too much of it. I'm glad they didn't dedicate entireepisodes to games, and instead focused on individual characters and their relationships with each other.
The dub recently came out and I really liked it. I would say this is a must-watch if you like sports anime!
syl__via
the plot of the story is not bad actually however i feel that the execution wasn’t being made very well. the anime is about rugby but there wasn’t much explanation about the game itself. for someone like me who know nothing about rugby, i have no idea how many people there are in each team, what kind of player position there are, how do they score, what is the points they received each time they score a goal etc. i'm currently on episode 3 of "try knights" which is also a rugby theme anime, at least "try knights" bother to explain the rugby game at the endof each episode after the ending song.
loveanimeee2013
This anime is not your typical sports anime but hell it was wholesome. If you're looking for a pure anime with the excitement of the matches and training then this ain't really for you. This anime follows the inner struggles of the team-mates and how they should be doing to overcome those complexes. What I'm trying to say is that this anime focuses more on the emotional aspect of the team rather than the actual game time. However, the games ain't forgotten but not "enough" as in other sports anime. Though, I would really recommend this anime for those of you who like slight angst,some unique characters, and struggles a team can have both individually and together as a team.
