The happy-go-lucky Michi Sonoda announces to her teammate, Sanae Takigawa, that she will quit judo for good after her final middle school tournament. This leaves Sanae in disbelief; after all, it was Michi's passion toward the sport that reeled Sanae into judo in the first place. Michi claims that a well-spent youth should be associated with things such as getting a boyfriend rather than sweaty tatami mats.
However, Michi's plan to end her fledgling judo career with a bang is spoiled after experiencing an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the talented Towa Hiura. Later, her plan is further derailed when she finds out that Towa has enrolled in the same high school as herself and Sanae. With the sudden appearance of her past foe, Michi may soon realize that she still has lingering feelings for the sport of judo.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
KANLen09
Once again, another overlooked show from the Winter season that you should be watching, albeit that you should give this the chance that it really deserves. When it comes to sports series, we've had all sorts of sports in the last few years, the most prominent being soccer in the form of last year's Ao Ashi and Blue Lock. But niche sports like sumo (with 2018's Hinomaruzumou a.k.a. Hinomaru Sumo) and boxing (with Megalo Box or even Netflix's Baki series) are far and few in-between, that's it's hard to keep one's attention at doing something similar, yet different. And one of those shows this season, ismangaka Yu Muraoka's Mou Ippon! a.k.a "Ippon" Again!, focusing on the judo aspect. The now (as of this review) 22-volume long manga series that the anime covers just a fraction of it, it's a unique work at best that'll surprise you if you decide to give this show a chance to be mesmerized by it.
The coming-of-age show comprising of characters that were once in their combat sports (or the correct term being martial arts) element, only to grow out of the exact sport that they practiced for so long, and to revitalize their passion when the situations they were in hit a snag, the paces are there for a revival/resurgence of the sport. This is what happens to MC Michi "Micchan" Sonoda, the judoka who planned on quitting the sport after her final junior high judo tournament, until her middle-school friend Sanae Takigawa invites her to continue together in the high school that they go to: Aoba West. And seeing it as an option that both of these girls have done their measure of being once prominent judoka, it's natural for shows with storylines like these to continue the trend, as it is before.
I find it very unique that the series doesn't care about how the girls look. No usual girls with the thin and beautiful figures that so many shows try to be unnecessarily bias about, this show is as realistic as it could get, featuring girls of all kinds of builds, even the chubby ones like Michi herself, because that's what the sport calls for in the first place. Nowadays, even in sports series, there is a tendency to have heavy bias on depicting characters that have both character personality and style, but also being generally aesthetically appealing in general, and I'm glad that this show throws that idealism out of the window because "conveniences" like these are just trivial for the general public to love about, which can be disgustingly toxic at best. That said, the Aoba West girls of Michi herself, her childhood friend Sanae; the hidden ace-in-the-hole Towa Hiura; the rival that subsequently joins the judo side of Anna Nagumo; the comeback Senpai Tsumugi Himeno; and their coach Shino Natsume, these girls and the young woman coach are wholly infectious to a degree, both in their CGDCT and "Fighting!" moments as judo practice can only bring them so far to the usual tournament arcs. Each of the girls have their own unique personality, like the boisterious Michi to the overly worrying Sanae, that each of their growing pangs can be taken individually to push one another ahead. And that's the key to a good sports series, that despite the Shonen demographic that the show is targeting for, no matter male or female, it's relatable to a degree that makes for a good watch, bar none.
Despite the relatively young studio that is the subsidiary label Bakken Record (from main parent studio Tatsunoko Production) coming out haphazard since Spring 2021's Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood, this show is arguably the studio's best effort so far, with the animation production that really surprises me that it's better than what as expected. Especially with the judo matches, you can watch and feel the realism that makes you feel like you're on-site and cheering on with the characters to do their best. Despite working with a rather limited budget (which is evident), the studio tried their best efforts with this, and I think it paid off beautifully.
The music I think really compliments the show quite well, even down to its thematic themes. Subway Daydream's debut Anisong in the form of their OP song "Stand By Me", it just screams old and memorable 2000s anime vibes that is both youthful and soul spirited. Together with the Aoba West girls' character VA ED song, it goes hand-in-hand of being one of the most underrated OSTs of the season.
It's shows like these that teach the simple critique of "less is more", and in this case, it justified the critique's requirements to a T. From the naturally progressive story beats to the realistic, truer-to-life character depictions, coupled with better-than-expected production, Mou Ippon! is the exact case file of a hidden gem in the making, which if you are a sports fanatic, you should not whizz this show by for looking so generic at hindsight, that dive into it, it'll show you a world that's a no-nonsense affair of more than just pure CGDCT. Good watch.
Persona111
If I may describe Mou Ippon in one word, it should be 'lovely'. Many moe- aka CGDCT- anime try their hardest to make you have this feeling of attachment to the characters by shouting and flashing at every instant how they- mainly female adolescents- are overtly cute and give you diabetes simply by existing. I'm not gonna get further into discussing that kind of anime, but Mou Ippon is, first and foremost, not one of them. By going a route much more similar to Yuru Camp, the Slice-of-Life moments of this anime express the personality and goals of the girls through the lens of a rathernatural, realistic take on the lifes of a group of high-schoolers doing judo just for fun, and that's it's main selling point.
The interactions between the characters are the absolut flagship of this anime. The MC, Michi Sonoda, is a light-headed and overtly passionate high schooler who just wants to have fun, make friends, and do some cool memories with her fellows at the judo club. She's could fit into the genki archetype, but it would feel disrespectful to reduce her into that; she's a full-fledged, nuanced character, and that's what makes her the more lovely every time she sincerely expresses how awesome her friends are or how much fun she had. Just like Michi, the rest of the cast feels really alive, and everyone has their own trivial worries as normal high-schoolers. Even rivals with scarce screen-time are always deliberately given some insight in order to make them more likeable and show how their no more than normal girls too. That feels somewhat genuine, and it links up to convey the series main message: to take the most out of your youth. A bit cliche? Yes. But I swear that it's simplicity and sincerity has almost brought me to tears more than once.
Another aspect that I must mention regarding what makes this anime 'lovely' is its production. Bakken Records isn't a big nor a influent studio, and has its great limitations. But, just like in their previous work in Jouran, they've put that unique feeling of passion into the project that I find to be invaluable. Even if the animation is a constant struggle against an evident lack of talent and or resources, I can't help but give merit to a staff that worked its way through, held to its strenghts and delivered seriously great moments. The scenes are often ambitious in storyboarding and layout, even if the result can be sloppy, and specially the judo scenes are always constructed and coreographed with a lot of care. The greatest achievement in this regard is how, even with limited animation, the visuals are didactic and self-explanatory during the judo matches, showing how the staff actually understands the sport, and that's intensified in the moments where there is actually sakuga to go along with the great storyboarding and compositing. Overall, teh effort that a limited staff has put into this is something I can't help but find lovely.
So, what's the big deal then? Is Mou Ippon worth it? I'd say yes. Not a must-watch by any means, and obviously not fit for someone who dislikes both sports and SoL anime, but a really decent pick to any appreciator of those genres. It doesn't have a bombastic story, and its production values might get messy sometimes, but its a project full of passion for judo and a set of compelling characters. The fights are also engaging whenever the animation allows it. Concluding, a lovely 7/10 that I'll keep in my heart for a good while.
camay1997
I'm not one for sports anime, but this one works. I liked the action scenes, this series showed how you can depict dramatic fights without a need for characters to fight as money saving blurs. Simply having shorter fights with clearly defined rules and stakes makes it more dramatic. That enthralled me because I've always wanted to see an anime show this and this series does with great effect. The characters and their design are average, as was the soundtrack I didn't like the pacing, it took too long to establish things we already knew were going to happen; i.e. the formation of the five womanteam. There is no reason Himeno couldn't be recruited as of episode 3. Also, I felt this show needed a rookie character to teach the basics along with the audience. I'm sure the manga has plenty of notes, but what exactly was a wazari again? It isn't very educational in that regard.
TL;DR, A great anime about the sport of judo. Can't imagine it's appeal to anyone not interested in judo
qwqaqe
Mou Ippon, the show where there are more flashbacks than moments that happen in current time. Wait though, don’t leave yet. That’s usually a red flag, but this one is actually good. I will preface this review by saying that going in, I did not know the first thing about judo, but trust me when I say that it did not matter. This show has so much to offer that it is insane how low its numbers are. The story focuses on the Aoba West High School judo club, from their banding together in the beginning, to practicing in the dojo, to their runs in a coupletournaments. As I said, my judo knowledge extends to what I learned from this show, but that didn’t stop me from being on the edge of my seat when a competitor fell, anxiously waiting to release my breath at the call of an ippon, or hold it in at the waza-ari. The matches were exciting, and they did a good job not making it obvious who was going to win. I felt like I was really in the stands. And that is not all that is offered. You get a nice package: from the sweet judo action, to the surprisingly well done moral dilemma of the right time to hang up the gi, to the fun slice-of-life. And that’s another thing: when we are not pedal to the metal, we are just hanging out, and those scenes flow so well. The humor comes naturally, and once again, does not feel scripted at all.
And to complement the surprisingly diverse storyline is the crazy good character chemistry. This, for me, is the best part about the show. The first six or so episodes are all about our protagonists, but as they start to go to competitions, the focus shifts to the other end of the tatami mat. These opponents aren’t just some wall that’s there only to prevent our main girls from winning. In this case, they are real people too, that just want to win the judo tournament as much as anyone else. Sure, some are more competitive than others, but they are all friendly, and with the help of Michi Sonoda, our “antagonists” often end up becoming good friends. Everybody’s so positive and enthusiastic, it makes me want to join a judo team myself.
Speaking of Sonoda, Mou Ippon takes an interesting approach to characterization where arguably the most static character is her, the central figure of the show. She instead functions as glue, bringing together and uplifting everybody else from the rest of the Aoba West crew to opponents like Erika, Natsu, and Midoriko. With this approach, I thought I might get tired of Sonoda by the end, but I never did.
Of course, not everything was perfect. I previously mentioned the amount of time this show spends in the past. It definitely helped the audience build empathy toward all these characters in just 13 episodes, but they didn’t have to do everybody this way. Characterization is for sure more difficult to pull off in the present, but when this show opted to try it, like when it focuses on Tachikawa Academy in episode 11, it was great. I wish there was more of it.
But overall, this show is excellent. It’s impossible not to like it. Please watch it yourself, get those numbers up, because I want a second season.
P.S. (And this is a slight SPOILER, so skip if you haven’t seen it yet,) For a show that tried to stay grounded in reality with its fights, that last French girl seemed extremely overpowered. I don’t know judo, but I do know the limits of the human body, and that seemed above and beyond what is possible. I like the move to have the gang lose here, but come on, with that kind of skill, how are they supposed to beat her in the season 2 rematch that will definitely happen? But I digress. Thank you for reading, and have a nice night.
Teramol
I consider myself somewhat of a sports anime enjoyer however I don't have a particular interest in the martial art of judo. Yet I found myself binging all of Mou Ippon! in a single day, so that should be a testament in and of itself. Don't get me wrong. The sport, judo, was definitely portrayed well and some matches could definitely be put up there next to some more well respected sports anime battles. But in my opinion where the show really shines the best is not that. It's the characters. And more specifically, the interactions between the characters. I wouldn't say a single girl of ourmain cast from Aoba West high school stand out on their own but together, it makes all the difference. I had a very fun time just watching them get to know each other better, coming from different background and levels of age, judo and friendships. And most importantly, it felt organic. The show is believable and that's why I really enjoyed it.
You don't need a masterclass in writing or a plot that is deep if the story you are telling feels good to experience. Even the matches felt real and they weren't throwing around deus ex machina for the sake of making stakes higher. The show is mostly comfy and a feel good experience but it's not afraid to get serious too and it manages to handle the tones for both well.
The animation also pleasantly surprised me. It was mostly very fluid with great uses of camera angles to add that extra oomph. But while I enjoyed the judo matches after getting used to it more, I still wish they would have expanded more on the actual workings of it. Lots of terms such as points and technique names are dropped constantly but never do we actually get proper explanations for anything.
Drama in the series was pretty elementary and some of it felt a little forced but it wasn't bothering me too much overall. And the ending of the show feels almost like only a prologue finishing so I definitely was left wanting more. Hopefully it gets another season some day but as is, it's still a fairly self-contained fun show that just works.
mushi_Jyou
Starting off with personal opinion: Mou Ippon! has too little attention, but can't say is unexpected. I love watching sports anime, typical shounen plot, typical suspense etc. And I have been looking for a decent group sport anime with female cast (female category sport), but is so hard to find one as the ones out there usually are ecchi/hentai domain, or just not shounen enough (No excitement, no suspense). Mou Ippon! is different. I went in apprehensively, but came out hoping for a season 2 in making. It has the typical elements for a good shounen sports anime: Determined MC (typically positive) who has mysteriouscharismas to attract supportive teammates, Friendly rival School/Teams, Going for tournaments, Well executed "fight" scenes, and the failure/losing plot. Is all there.
BUT, a big BUT, Mou Ippon! definitely falls short of a good sports anime. It has the key elements to being good, but just did not use them well enough.
Even if the formulas for most sports anime are the same, I enjoyed them as they are portrayed differently (Different struggles, different mindset, different sports lol)
TL;DR of the review below: First half of the show almost made me dropped it, sloppy work with flimsy storylines(Boring, uneventful, so maybe watch at 1.5 speed). Second half was decent, infact good enough for me to want a second season that hopefully do justice for the second half, excitement and suspense are there, pace is also more stable here.
**There are TL;DRs under long review segments below.
Review:
Story
Like I mentioned above, this show has the key elements to make a good group sports anime, but it doesn't have the right formula. MC is the typical sunshine shounen persona, and we have a small group of teammates being drawn in to the team/sport by her charisma. Premise of the show is nothing new, "new' team formed with new teammates, clearly the underdog start up. Then after the team is formed, they go through the "journey" of the various highschool sports tournaments with the clear formula of : "Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn".
There are plenty anime out there with the same elements and characters, so Mou Ippon! actually has various "winning" formula to reference from (Maybe it will execute some good formulas in the coming seasons, but not in here).
The show did well to show the camaraderie of the main team, which is important in group sports, it did well in this aspect, showing how the MC connected with each teammate, and her influence of them that draws out their passion.
The tournament journey of sometimes you win, sometimes you learn starts off well, but there is only 1 season, so that part of the storyplot obviously still has more ways to go, so I won't say much on this. Just hoping for a training arc to fulfill the "sometimes you learn" part of this plot.
Thus, the only key element in the story telling that the show did right: camaraderie.
What didn't go well was everything else. The show did not established what sort of sport Judo is, the principles, the rules, the typical landscape of the Judo sports scene. It also did not established the relationship of the "primary" friendly rival school well. It just somehow came to be. It has the same setup as Haikyuu with one teammate having a rivalry status with a member of the "rival" team (Haikyuu > Karasuno vs AobaJousai : Kageyama vs Oikawa = Mou Ippon! > AobaNishi vs Kasumi : Hiura vs Amane). Honestly, I have to look up the school name and the girl's name of the rival team while typing out this review. That's how little they established the status of the primary rival team. There's so little emphasis on them that they seem so insignificant, yet they somehow are on friendly terms, makes it even more questionable. And they went ahead to show how the primary rival team's support and acknowledgements matters to our main team... That just does not work, there's just so little interaction and relationship portrayed between them. The show also tried inserting some Yuri baits(??). They actually showed some romance level of dedication/sacrifice of one of the characters in an effort for her to join the Judo team and get close to the MC, to "spent more time with her". Girl in question was a national level Kendo sportswoman, Kendo is also her father's love sport so it meant a great deal to the family, and she just uprooted herself to join Judo all for spending more time with the MC. Honestly, if there was an element of romance, and she did it for love, I could at least make sense of this story line, afterall love is irrational and they are highschoolers still. BUT there was no romance-like development in this show ever since that one episode early in the series where Kendo girl makes the switch to Judo. In fact, the most damning things of this show all happened in the first half of the series.
The pace was a mess, the formation of the team was wishy washy, the primary rival team was established half-heartedly, the sport(Judo) was not introduced well with impact.
I am just glad I made it to the second half of the show where the action begins. Like I mentioned, the camaraderie was done right, and really showed in the second half, the sports tournaments plot was also paced well here with a good amount of excitement. would have been more exciting if they allocated some time showing how difficult certain techniques are.
12/20
TL;DR: First half was half-assed. The show had good elements but the execution is too flimsy. second half was on the "actions" during the tournaments, so it was a more focused plot which was executed fairly well. Strong Yuri baits in first half. subtle in second half (Would be good if the baits weren't baits and there's some sort of romance development, if not is just another half assed storyline they included).
Characters
MC is a literal ball of sunshine yet not needlessly loud (like Sawamura from Dia). She's just so lovable. Then we have a reliable but weak side kick who is always pulling everyone in the team in the "right" direction, the captain quality teammate. A talented serious one, and a senior (must have) who has had sad experience with the team (before main protagonists join) as it does not lived up to her potential/expectations, and an earnest advisor. Then we have a childhood friend of the MC who seemingly have a crush on the MC and decided to uproot her life and go into Judo (Yes the Kendo girl that made the show dodgy for me). These main protagonists are all well established with their distinct personalities, that meshed well in the story. Other side characters like the competitors/rivals were also reasonably interesting and distinct. Back stories were also okay. The interactions between each characters in the main cast were also nicely done (except for the yuri bait parts). Interactions with side characters really need more work, is so shallow. So overall characters creations is good. But development not much. there is very little character development, but that's because the story only really solidify in the second half of the show.
7/10
TL;DR: Decent character designs, decent interpersonal relationship established in main cast. Half-assed first half of the show made for some shallow connections with the side characters. also first half of the show was wasted on redundancies that real character development only took place in the second half. So yea, decent development for half the show, but weak development if you divide across 13 episodes worth of screen time.
Art
Well I have nothing to pick a bone with for art and animation style. Of course is not as stella as Haikyuu's first 3 seasons, but is alright. I like the characters' look and realistic designs. Background art is decent. animation quality is decent (some intense fights have pretty good animation to show the moves). Nothing much to be unsatisfied with, only thing that is better than other sports anime is the realistic character designs, and the anatomy definition.
9/10
Music/Sound
Decent OP and End, pretty to look at and listen to. not memorable though. VAs were really good, especially MC's.
9/10
Honestly, show is about a 7.5, I rate 8 to compensate on the low score on MAL
johnbradshaw
Mou Ippon! at its core is a coming-of-age story. Through the foolishness, stubbornness and love of adolescence, 4 friends embark on the journey of discovering themselves through the sport of Judo. After a disappointing end in their last Judo tournament in their middle school lives, Sonoda Michi and her friend Sanae Takigawa planned to stop pursuing Judo and would just enjoy their highschool life to the fullest. But fate won't just have it, in their new school, they once again meet Towa Hiura, the last girl who beats Michi and a very passionate Judo practitioner. With a new burning passion in her heart, Michi alongwith Sanae and Towa will spend their youth with Judo again.
I'm a fan of MMA, Judo is a great martial art, it's used by the top MMA fighters like Khabib, Islam, etc... So I just love anime exploring about stuffs like this. But as I said before, the true strength of this anime lie in the characters. The actions and the sport are great, very addicting to watch but it's actually nothing new. This is not a complaning, I'm not looking for some ground-breaking work in some all-girls anime, I just wanna have a good time and Mou Ippon definitely delivered. But I just love the passion the characters show for the sport of Judo, how their friendship tighten and become stronger through focusing on the same goal. That's the youth that I sorely miss and I think on this aspect, Mou Ippon! deserves a perfect 10!
The animation is above average, the action during the fights are actually great, fluid and detailed. It has a catchy OP and ED to boost!
Overall, to me Mou Ippon! is a case of being judged by its cover. It's overlooked and underrated. And I'd love if more people give this a chance! One of the best anime of Winter 2023.
