This was an interesting list to draw up, and I’m pretty happy with it. That said, by its very nature I think some will focus more on its omissions than its inclusions. The reality is, we’re talking about ten shows from all of anime here – that’s just not very many. And as I noted in the intro, it’s not a “10 Best” list – it’s ten of my favorites.
Most notable among the excluded, I imagine, will be Haikyuu!!. And I certainly considered it. In terms of production values it’s probably the best sports anime ever, and I do like the series as a whole – just not quite as much as the ones I chose. Here are some of the other final cuts from the list, in no particular order:
Yowamushi Pedal (Based on the first two seasons it’d be in for sure)
Ao Ashi (with multiple seasons it probably gets in)
Touch/Mix (would I have counted them as one franchise?)
Ookiku Furikabutte
I also seriously considered Dance Dance Danseur, but in the end I couldn’t quite convince myself it was a sports anime. It would have been hard to leave off if I’d decided differently.
Among those that made the list…
By sport:
Soccer – 2
Baseball – 2
Tennis – 1
Table Tennis – 1
Go – 1
Boxing – 1
Motor sports – 1
Karuta – 1
Not surprising that soccer and baseball would head the list, as they’re both the most popular sports in Japan and in manga. If anything I’m surprised they didn’t land even more spots.
By demographic:
Shounen – 5
Seinen – 4
Shoujo – 1
That’s a wrap – thanks again to Nicc for once again making a Bespoke project possible. Of course my shingle remains out for anyone interested in a commissioned work (feel free to suggest a crowdsourced one). I’ll see you soon for the year-end Top 10 list and Anime of the Year. Have a great holiday season!
Stay frosty,
Enzo
The post Go For it! – Top 10 Sports Anime Wrap-up appeared first on Lost in Anime.
