#Hoshiai no Sora

[metalandmagi]

Underrated Sports Anime Recommendations!

In honor of the summer Olympics, I wanted to make a rec list for some underappreciated sports anime. Obviously we all know the popular stuff: Blue Lock, Kuroko, Hajime no Ippo, Ace of Diamond, Slam Dunk, Haikyuu, Free, Yuri On Ice, Yowamushi Pedal, Skate the Infinity etc. But there are lots of great sports anime out there that go completely unnoticed. And who knows, you might find a new sport to get into. Just FYI, these are all on the newer side, since most of the older sports anime I’ve seen are the popular ones.

I think a big reason that a lot of these have largely gone ignored is because they focus more on interpersonal drama between characters and what is going on in their home lives, as opposed to a bigger focus on the technicalities of the sport itself. Food for thought. Anyway, let's get started:

Stars Align (Hoshiai no Sora): Stars Align is about a boys high school soft tennis team (not to be confused with regular tennis) who are constantly getting out performed by their girls team. Desperate to get people to take the boys team seriously and get results, team captain Touma tries to get a new transfer student Maki Katsuragi to join. Maki eventually agrees ... .on the condition that Touma pays him and covers any club expenses. From there we discover the messy family drama going on in each boy’s life, and I just love all of them okay? They’re my precious angel babies, and sure I had some problems with the show’s pacing at the end, but I still love them and I want another season!!!! 😭

Oblivion Battery (Boukyaku Battery): There are a myriad of baseball animes out there, but this one made an impression on me. Catcher Kaname Kei and pitcher Kiyomine Haruka are a badass, ace duo who dominated the field and made a fearsome reputation for themselves all throughout middle school. They seemed to be completely unstoppable…until Kaname (the brains behind the operation) lost his memory, became a total goofball, and the two ended up going to a no name high school with no real baseball team. So of course, we end up getting a rag-tag team together full of ex-baseball players with dramatic backstories who all help train Kaname up again. I love Kaname and Haru’s friendship, and the cast was very well rounded, each with their own interesting attributes to add to the team.

Re: Main: If I had a nickel for every sports anime where the main character used to be an unstoppable badass until he lost his memory, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice. Yeah, it’s exactly the same as Oblivion Battery, but with water polo and the main character isn’t as much of a goofball. I liked the characters, but I wished we focused a little more on the water polo side of things, since it’s not exactly a dime a dozen sport for an anime.

Mou Ippon: A girls high school judo anime from 2023 that nobody fucking watched! When former judo enthusiast Michi Sonoda enters high school, she wants to put judo behind her so she can focus on finding a boyfriend and enjoying her school life. However, after Michi suffers a particularly humiliating defeat in a match against the prodigy Towa Hiura, the two end up going to the same high school together. Naturally, Michi can’t just quit now that her rival is going to the same school! Cue the judo team shenanigans. This show is so down to earth and realistic. It’s 100% not a “cute girls doing cute things” anime where the girls are all blobs of moe that talk in annoying voices. They have different body types, different motivations, and different styles of combat. It didn’t blow me out of the water, but I liked it way more than I thought I would.

And speaking of different body types…

Hinomaru Sumo: That’s right, it’s a high school sumo wrestling anime. AND IT’S HYPE AS FUCK! You know how in Haikyuu, Hinata is short, and it’s a big deal because middle blockers are always tall? Well this is that multiplied by a thousand, because there’s a minimum weight to sumo wrestling, and our main character Hinomaru Ushio is definitely below it. But he’s not going to let that stop him from spreading his passion for sumo and becoming the High School Yokozuna, the strongest wrestler in high school tournaments…because becoming the Yokozuna is his only chance at going pro with his small stature. It’s impossible to watch this anime without feeling fired up!

Run With The Wind (Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru): Kakeru Kurahara, a former track star, is looking for a place to live after losing his apartment deposit at a mahjong parlor. Luckily, he runs into Haiji Kiyose, a boy who goes to his university, who offers him a spot at his apartment. Little does Kakeru know, Haiji’s apartment is full of other university students who are all members of the Kansei University track team! The story follows the quietly devious Haiji as he tries to get the boys to become a nationally recognized team by running the Hakone Ekiden, an extremely long and grueling relay that none of the boys have ever trained for. This is one of my favorite sports anime ever. Don’t get it twisted, I hate running. I don’t like doing it, and I don’t like watching it in real life, but this anime had me in a chokehold. Animation? Amazing. Characters? A+. Music? Perfect. It’s hilarious. It’s relatable. It’s heartwarming. One of the absolute best sports anime out there.

Welcome To The Ballroom: It’s a motherfucking ballroom dancing anime, and if you didn’t think ballroom dancing could be hype as shit, THINK AGAIN! The animation is great, and I never realized how much actually goes into the world of ballroom dancing. There’s not really much more I can say. High school boy discovers the cutthroat world of competitive ballroom dance. Drama ensues. Just ignore everyone’s oddly long necks.

And speaking of dancing…

Dance Dance Danseur: Okay, this one isn’t quite in a sports competition setting, but I still consider it a sports anime. All his life, Junpei Murao has suppressed his interest in ballet, choosing to follow his father’s path for him in the more “manly�� martial art of Jeet Kune Do instead. But when he realizes the girl he likes is a highly skilled ballerina, he hardly says no when she recruits him to train at her mom’s ballet studio. The show follows Junpei as he must balance these two worlds and become a ballet master while dealing with the divisive image of “masculinity.” My only real critique is that Junpei is kind of annoying, and I was actually much more invested in the other characters. There is a big message about the horrors of the competitive ballet world that I didn't think it would dive into.

Overtake: Another show from 2023 that was terribly overlooked. In this anime, we follow disgraced photographer Kouya Madoka, who falls in love with the fast paced world of Formula 4 racing after watching high schooler Asahina Haruka. However, Madoka failed to realize that Haruka’s racing crew, Komaki Motors, is drowning in bills and underfunded as hell. So of course when he finds out, Madoka takes it upon himself to support Komaki Motors himself and get Haruka a place on the podium. This was such a great drama! Each character is so fleshed out and completely relatable. Even the antagonists! Hell, especially the antagonists. There is a great balance of drama and humor that make this feel like it could easily be a Hollywood movie. The longer you watch, the more you root for Komaki Motors and want to see everyone succeed. Madoka is best boy!

And last but certainly not least…

Tsurune: In this anime, we follow Minato Narumiya, a former kyudo (Japanese martial art that involves archery) prodigy who wanted to quit the sport after an incident in a middle school tournament. However, after encountering a mysterious archer one day, Minato ends up joining his high school Kyudo team, despite his fear of failing at the sport again. It’s Free with archery, except there are also girls on the team! It has so many good themes about perseverance and found family and getting in your own head. And there is a massive amount of homosexual undertones. Not to mention it’s made by Kyoto Animation, so you know it’s one of the most beautifully animated shows I’ve ever seen.

I just wanted to add a few honorable mentions too…

Cheer Danshi: A university boys cheerleading anime. I had problems with the pacing, but I still had fun with it.

Ryman’s Club: An odd blend of office anime with a badminton anime. I really liked this, but it’s sort of half sports anime, half The Office. But it’s the only thing on this list that features actual working adults and not students.

Megalo Box: I don’t know if it counts as “underappreciated” but this was a fantastic show all around. It’s a gritty, down to earth, sort of sci-fi take on the fictional sport of Megalo Boxing (boxing with enhanced mechanical arms). 

Ping Pong the Animation: Look, I’m going to be honest. I didn’t really like this show very much, but apparently I’m the odd one out because this is an underground favorite of the sports anime community, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t include it. It’s one part ping pong, two parts character drama.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story: I couldn’t leave this out of the list. It’s the wildest golf anime you could ever imagine. There are lesbians. There are snake ladies. There are underground golfing yakuza. No amount of explanation can do it justice. Grab an age appropriate beverage and watch it.

[2constate]

i finished watching hoshiai no sora yesterday and i love it so, so much

here are some study drawings based on anime’s scenes

god bless hoshiai no sora and kazuki akane, i really hope that we’ll be able to see the continuation of this great story someday

and all in one!

[gulava]

[terukanetism]

who up aligning they stars

[doyouknowthisanime]

Do You Know This Anime?

[seasicksilver]

I’m having such insane thoughts about this anime

[haomnyangz]

Anyway, you should join the club. We need a manager.

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Prelims - No Propaganda Division - Group 6

[s-exy-sapphillean]

If there are aftg fans who have not watched Stars Align/Hoshiai No Sora, y'all need to get on that because i am 100% sure you will like it

Sports + queerness + overarching themes around abuse + loser sports team that starts improving when new dude who's (along with his mother) hiding from his violent abusive father is strong armed into joining by guy who is overinvested in the sport

[setewbro]

This sketch is going to be one year old tomorrow but I never finished the digital version for the 6 characters thing

[goinghostie]

Stars Align delves into topics most anime wouldn't dare address , ie. Yuu's situation exploring their gender identity and Maki's well-communicated explanation of Shou being trans (FTM).

While Stars Align incorporates many stigmatized topics into its plot, it approaches them carefully and never shows the abusive side in a positive light. The scenes are raw, emotional, and incredibly realistic.

I have respect for Akane-sensei and the production team for tackling issues kids don't typically see in a series - ones that they may be struggling with themselves and aren't aware how negative an impact they can have on them since that is all they know.

Stars Align is a series you could say is ahead of its time. One that resonates with many who can relate to the issues & struggles presented. It isn't a show for escapism, like most anime out there. It is a series that faces real situations head-on.

To some, this is a weakness. But to me (and many others who resonated with a kindred spirit in the series), Stars Align is a series that makes us feel seen or heard. It shows that anyone can be struggling, even if they might not openly show it.

Stars Align's premature halting of production fits a little too well with an overarching theme on the show - the boy's soft tennis team was threatened to be shut down, and it takes a LOT of hard work for the kids to grow and save their team.

If even one scene resonated with you, please show support for Stars Align. While the odds of this series getting finished seem slim, support and attention can help the creator find a studio willing to finish the second half.

We need to come together and show support for a series that was cast aside, just like our favorite soft tennis team. To join together and fight for the second half of the story, in whatever way possible.

Spread the word - the more people who legally watch the series on Crunchyroll and Hulu will show streaming platforms that the anime means something to subscribers. Start conversations about the topics presented and the impact the series has!

Create content - art, fanfics, edits, theories...posting about the series helps spread the word to people who haven't heard of it or forgot to watch in the past. To this day, new fans are discovering Stars Align because of this! January is #MakeTheStarsAlign month - we have prompts each week to help inspire people to join in spreading the word!

Akane-sensei has thanked fans for continuing to support the series. He feels the best chance for a continuation will come from an overseas production studio, and so building our numbers is the first step of achieving some kind of renewal.

It can be hard to keep talking about a series, but the tendency to move on is exactly what makes support for a series fade away. The fight needs to continue, even if time passes! Shows can be brought back YEARS later, but support needs to still be there for that to happen.

While 3 years have passed since episode 12 aired, please don't forget about this series or the emotions it made you feel. Continue to raise awareness and spread the word to show there is support for impactful series like Stars Align. 💙

[roadmp3]

[aslfua-remade]

love how she was like 'hes/theyre not my friend(s)' and then shes literally 24/7 with them, like theyre literally best friends to me now

[terukanetism]

made this for stars align day (August 5th) but then I forgot to post it 😓

[autistickaitovocaloid]

[newtsixtyfive]

!! stars align spoilers ep 12 !!

uhhhh so, he's just a lil guy?? literally has done nothing wrong. maki would never.