#cheer danshi!!

[kazumahashimoto]

[doyouknowthisanime]

Do You Know This Anime?

[lainvalhalla]

imagine thinking

[incorrect-cheer-danshi-quotes]

Saku: Hey Kazu, do you have any shaving cream?

Kazu: No, I don't like the way it tastes

Saku: . What? Do you eat shaving cream?

Kazu: No, why would I when I don't like the taste?

[starberry-cupcake]

on the subject of fat people represented in sports in media, my bestie and I have been watching the Cheer Danshi live action movie (I haven't seen the anime) and I was surprised of how well they've handled the inclusion of fat characters in it, even if sometimes I was worried of how they were going to handle things

not only Ton is fat, there are extras with different body types in other clubs, like the judo club and the girls' cheer squad, which is surprising because I've never seen these many people with different body types treated with respect in a jdrama at once in my many years of watching jdramas

I might have to check out the anime now

[ezralva]

Drama-site report comics part 1

Part 2

[aoharushiyo]

naniwa'n way / naniwa danshi [eng translation]

TITLE: NANIWA'n WAY ARTIST: なにわ男子 (Naniwa Danshi) COMPOSITION: 川口進 (Kawaguchi Susumu), Cypher LYRICS: 川口進 (Kawaguchi Susumu) ARRANGE: Peach OFFICIAL MV: (from youtube)

ENG:

I piled on the radiance I saw from afar onto myself, believing that one day, I'd be standing up there too The footsteps we leave behind as we walk together… Please let me call them our very own pathway

After struggling through long nights, I realised that dreams aren't something you can draw by yourself Yeah, that's right, I want to share both my tears and smiles with you forever and ever Let's walk at our own pace towards the future that shines in seven colours like we've been doing up to now, and from here on out too (Let's get going!)

No matter when, I promise you forever that (Let's go) we'll be together no matter what, (Don't stop) [1] so let's keep running on this one way road (Let's get it) Oh baby, these bonds we've built will never disappear, because there's only one such light in this entire world (Let's go) that continues to shine on and on (Don't stop) as we reach for our respective dreams (Keep going) On my way! It doesn't matter if it's a good or bad day, we'll keep going (Going) Come on, let's go without looking back!

Juice up, Get up, I've charged enough, OK!! Come on, let's dance and yell! Hey everyone, are you ready?? We'll be together no matter what, so let's fire it up together with Naniwa Danshi!

We might've met in this wide world by chance or because of fate, but yeah, that's right, I wanna stay right by your side even more and dream the same dream as you (I'll be by your side) We might not know what lies up ahead but I'll try to believe in you as many times as I have to Let's etch these days together into our memories (Let's get going)

Tomorrow we'll surely go even further, (Let's go) and we'll be together no matter what, (Don't stop) chasing each other down this one way road (Let's get it) Oh baby, even if we reach a dead end, we won't give up, because that soft smile gives us strength (Let's go) and pushes us forward (Don't stop) We aren't scared of anything any more! (Keep going) On my way! The future we saw together is where we're going (Going) Come on, let's keep moving now!

There's nothing such as a 'promised tomorrow', but because you were always by my side, let's keep running!

No matter when, I promise you forever that (we'll be together no matter what) Let's keep running on this NANIWA'n WAY road (Let's get it) Oh baby… (We'll keep chasing those beautiful days) and it'll never disappear, because there's only one such light in this entire world (Let's go) that continues to shine on and on (Don't stop) as we reach for our respective dreams (Keep going) On my way! It doesn't matter if it's a good or bad day, we'll keep going (Going) Come on, let's go without looking back!

JPN:

遠くに見える　輝きに　自分を重ねた いつかは　あの場所に立っているはずと 肩を並べて僕らが残した足跡 全てを　君と僕の　軌跡と呼ばせて

長い夜を越えて分かった 夢は一人で描くモノじゃない そう　ずっと　ずっと 涙も笑顔も　分け合いたい 七色に輝く未来へ 僕らの歩幅で進んでいこう これまでも　これからも (Let’s get going)

君とずっと　どんな時も (Let’s go) なにわともあれ (Don’t stop) 走ってゆく One way road (Let’s get it) Oh Baby　培ったこの絆は　決して消えやしない この世界に　たった一つ (Let’s go) 光り続ける (Don’t stop) それぞれの夢目指し (Keep going) On my way 楽しい日も辛い日も Going (Going) さあ　振り向かずにいこう

Juice up, Get up ���電はOK！！ アガれ　踊れ　叫べ　さあ、みんなAre you ready？？ なにわともあれ　また友と盛り上げる なにわ男子と共にあれ

広い世界の中、出会った これが偶然でも運命でも そう　もっと　もっと 君のすぐそばで (I’ll be by your side)　夢を見たい 先のことは誰も分からない だけど信じてみるよ、何度でも この日々を　刻んでこう (Let’s get going)

明日もきっと　この先へ (Let’s go) なにわともあれ (Don’t stop) 駆け抜けてく One way road (Let’s get it) Oh Baby　たとえ道が途切れても　決して諦めない その笑顔が　そっと強く (Let’s go) 背中押してる (Don’t stop) もう何も怖くない (Keep going) On my way 君と見てた未来へと Going (Going) さあ　今、進んでいこう

約束された明日なんてないけど いつも隣に　君がいるから　走り続けてくよ

君とずっと　どんな時も (なにわともあれ) 走ろうよ NANIWA’n WAY road (Let’s get it) Oh Baby (また駆け抜けるBeautiful days) 決して消えやしない この世界に　たった一つ (Let’s go) 光り続ける (Don’t stop) それぞれの夢目指し (Keep going) On my way 楽しい日も辛い日も Going (Going) さあ　振り向かずにいこう

TL NOTE:

[1] なにわともあれ (naniwa tomoare, literally 'together with naniwa') is a play on the phrase 何はともあれ (nani wa tomoare, meaning 'no matter what' or 'in any case'). they're spoken the same way!

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

it's been a few hours but i'm still not over the news that igarashi motoharu is gonna be played by fuckin SETO TOSHIKI like he's gonna be great i'm sure but that's just not who i was expecting

[kamisamawashinda-tte]

invective boy x boy without vocabulary 𖦹𖦹

[venomgender]

the question is is takayama or karasuma more kazu esque 🤔

[fuchsschatten]

suddenly remembering an anime and not being sure if I ever finished it....

I probably did, since it's written down nowhere and it's been years, but mmmm

[kazumahashimoto]

from one apple motherfucker to the next

[nataliyaoi]

" NUEVOS INTEGRANTES, NUEVOS CONFLICTOS " - CHEER BOYS - CAPITULO 06 Y 0...

[lainvalhalla]

thing

[incorrect-cheer-danshi-quotes]

ichiro: get your gay hands off me bitch! sorry sakuchan i didn't mean it like that.

[transcendersmedia]

Making sports into drama (and games?)

An anime analysis from a game design perspective

I admit: I am a great sports anime nerd (and I’ve previously written about the volleyball anime Haikyuu and its fandom) – something that also affects my thinking around game design. What makes sports anime so good – better than watching the sports themselves – is that they usually combine the thrill and achievements of those sports with portrayal of the characters performing them. For me, that adds an invaluable component, since I’m also a character and fictional relationships nerd.

Ookiku Furikabutte - manga by Higuchi Asa

I’ve categorized the series based on how much of the dramatic content focuses on the game or sport itself and how much it relies on other factors, such as relationships between characters outside of sports. I’ll put my main focus on the series that primarily revolve around the sport. Many are based on manga, but not all. (Whether the series originates as manga or not might actually also affect the content, but it’s not something that I’ll go into in this post.)

Categorizing the shows

Series where the drama is primarily built around the content of the sport:

Ookiku Furikabutte/Big Windup (baseball)

Diamond no Ace/Ace of the Diamond (baseball)

Haikyuu!! (volleyball)

Kuroko no Basket/Kuroko’s Basketball (basketball)

Series where the drama is built around a combination of the sport’s content and other factors:

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteru/Run with the Wind (running)

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu (archery)

Yuri!!! on Ice (figure skating)

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu/2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team (volleyball)

Days (soccer)

Re-main (water polo)

Ping Pong the Animation (ping pong)

Series where the drama is primarily built around content outside of the sport:

Free! (swimming)

Hoshiai no Sora/When Stars Align (soft tennis)

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun/Clean Freak Aoyama-kun (soccer)

Cheer Danshi!!/Cheer Boys!! (cheerleading)

Bakuten!!/Backflip!! (rhythmic gymnastics)

Taisou Zamurai / The Gymnastics Samurai (gymnastics)

It’s interesting to see that the focus on sports content could in part be related to which target group the series is aimed towards. It seems like shounen anime (“for boys”) has a larger focus on sports content, whereas shoujo (“for girls”) and seinen (“for grown-ups”) revolve more around relationships.

Could set-based sports with clear positions be easier to dramatize?

Haikyuu!! - manga by Haruichi Furudate

Both volleyball and baseball translate well into anime format. Volleyball’s set-based play makes it easy to create exciting match portrayals. The game involves turn-taking and players’ positions on the court, including who serves and rotates, creating clear recurring moments of suspense. Since the objective is to win the most sets out of a predetermined number, the outcome of a match isn’t known until the decisive set is played.

The psychological play and complexity

Ookiku Furikabutte - manga by Higuchi Asa

The complexity of baseball could be seen as a disadvantage due to its difficulty to comprehend, but it’s a double-edged sword, since the complexity also adds excitement. Baseball matches as a whole can become slow, especially if the teams are adept at defense and don’t allow scoring hits. However, in anime, unlike in reality, there’s the possibility to cut or quickly summarize dull parts of the match.

Baseball and volleyball gameplay loops

A Gameplay Loop is a game design term that is used to describe the repetitive activities that a player will take while playing a game. It, essentially, defines what the player DOES while playing. – Engaged Family Gaming

Diamond no Ace - manga by Terajima Yuuji

In volleyball, a loop begins with one team serving, the ball is then moved between teams by players with various roles (such as setter, wing spiker, blocker, libero) until it hits the floor on one side of the net, determining which team scores a point. This loop is integrated into the larger system by having the first team to reach a certain number of points win the set, while the overall match aims to win the most sets out of (usually) five.

Do shorter loops and turned-based sports make for better drama?

The smallest loops in baseball and volleyball are clear and quite short, allowing for detailed focus on the characters executing decisive actions. The moments before a serve/pitch provide space for inner monologues and character communication. Side changes and innings/sets frame the matches, making it easier for viewers to follow, compared to more fluid sports like basketball or soccer. In turn-based sports, breaks are incorporated into the game’s design. Therefore, I believe that turn-based sports, where players also have very specific roles, are more favorable to portray, than sports where players have more similar roles and the game is more fluid. (Perhaps this is why Kuroko no Basket assigned supernatural abilities to the players, adding an extra dimension to the game that makes it a little more video game-like? Well, it could also be because the creator wanted to make a series about basketball players with supernatural abilities. Personally, I find that supernatural abilities detract from the intrigue of sports, but that’s a matter of taste.) 

Haikyuu!! - manga by Haruichi Furudate

Teams are great for drama

I believe team sports are better suited for storytelling than individual sports. This might be because team sports allow for more complexity in the narrative, as players within a team can be rivals, while also depending on each other to develop and win. Opposing teams are obvious antagonists, but the most interesting events often happen within the teams, between the characters that viewers have come to know, and whose development they are following. Team sports also have recurring tournaments where teams can face the same opponents multiple times, enabling long series that maintain suspense. This exists in individual sports too, but individual competition feels more one-dimensional than team-based competition. So, aside from game (sports) design itself, the setup around teams, tournaments, and matches also influences the narrative. Series centered on individual sports tend to focus more on character relationships outside of competitions, possibly because the sport itself doesn’t provide enough material to build drama solely around it.

Translating sports into drama - and games!

When translating sports into drama, there are factors that can both facilitate and complicate the dramatic buildup. If the focus is on the game itself, it’s advantageous if the game has a high level of complexity, clear/short loops, and specific roles, preferably with inherent conflicts. Among the sports I’ve seen depicted, I would say that baseball has the greatest potential to create compelling drama. However, with that said, the storyteller’s skill will likely have a bigger impact on the story than the design of the sport itself.

I’ve based this analysis on anime series, and they have their aesthetics, structures and way of portraying things. I’m very curious as to whether the components of a great sports anime – sports/game content together with character development and relationships – could also be made into great games. The content of digital games and anime series are very different, but I think there are still learnings to be made from analysing and also comparing those media forms.

Please let me know through our social channels which games you have played that include sports mechanics and relationships. I have played Pyre, which I think combine those things well. I also have Roller Drama on my to play-list, but I would like to know of more games that focus on sports and relationships (sports relation games!).

A last side note: When there was finally an anime about Water Polo – Re-main – the creators missed the opportunity of telling the amazing story on how this sport might have come into fruition – as a water based version of horse polo, called Polo Aquatic, where players rode on barrels hitting a ball with sticks… I mean, that’s something you can’t exclude!