Anime Anime Global

July 23 is “Sports Day”.

From 2020, “Physical Education Day” has been renamed “Sports Day”, and in 2021 it has been changed to July 23, to the scheduled date for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

Sport is a popular genre for anime. Various sport anime such as baseball, soccer, basketball, boxing, and volleyball have been broadcast and released, and have attracted a lot of attention. Anime!Anime! conducted a survey about which anime is the most popular among readers.

Therefore, this time, we conducted a reader survey entitled “Which is your favorite sport anime?” We received responses from 602 people during the survey period from July 5 to July 12.
The male-female ratio is about 10% for males and about 90% for females. About 25% of the age group were teens, about 15% were in their 20s, about 20% were in their 30s, and about 25% were in their 40s.

■ “Yuri” wins the majority of votes!

1st place

1st place goes to “Yuri!!! on Ice” with an approval rating of about 50%.

“Yuri!!! on Ice” is a figure skating anime that was broadcast in 2016. The realism of skate competitions amazed many people, “Although figure skating is a splendid art, this work clearly shows all the rigor of sports. I was surprised that the acting was also made like the real thing.”, and “I was overwhelmed by the skating scenes so much, that I felt like I was really watching a competition The choreography and music are also built in, and I could feel a love of figure skating.” Some readers also commented that they started to be interested in figure skating after this work.

Veteran athletes as the main characters and unique overseas athletes are another reason for its popularity, “The spokon heart-full anime about the main character in his 20s who tries to improve his skills while deepening ties with coaches who are about the same age was great.”, and “The strength, weakness, and splendidness of human interactions between athletes was also wonderful.”
There were many comments of anticipation for “Yuri!!! on Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence” which is currently being produced.

2nd place

2nd place goes to “Haikyu!!” with an approval rating of about 18%.

“Haikyu!!” is based on the volleyball manga published in “Weekly Shonen Jump”. The broadcast of the TV anime started in 2014, and multiple series have been produced.

Realistic games and emotional characters stole fans’ hearts, “The technique and tactics of volleyball are beautifully depicted, the composition is powerful, the drawing is careful, and a tense production make it the best.”, and “Every high school has its own drama and individuality, and it is a sport anime that can be supported regardless of the enemy or ally. The work that suits the word youth the best!”

3rd place

3rd place goes to “Free!” with an approval rating of about 4%.
“Free!”, which exploits the theme of swimming, has been on air since 2013. It is a popular work, part 1 of which “Free! The Final Stroke” will be on screens on September 17, 2021.

The beauty of the visuals and the touching friendship attracted a lot of attention, “Through the medley relay, the bonds, promises, and passionate friendships with friends were dramatically depicted, and them chasing dreams have shaken my soul. This is a special work for me, which I rewatch every summer.”, and “I am deeply moved by the growth of the characters and the way they work hard, but above all, the depiction of water is very beautiful and fascinating.”

■ Let’s introduce other comments!

For “Major”, “Life is depicted through baseball! It makes me excited to see Goro, who was a child, becoming a major leaguer over time. In ‘Major 2nd’ Goro did well as a parent supporting his kid.”

About “The Prince of Tennis,” “I can’t take my eyes off because there are a lot of unique characters that I can’t think of as junior high school students, and sometimes a phenomenon that transcends tennis occurs.”
For “SLAM DUNK”, “A masterpiece that is not getting old after a time. Even lost or lose, the impressing beauty of standing up again is always there.”

There were some comments for “Backflip!!” the movie of which has been announced, “I like the fact that characters gradually build trust with colleagues and grow. While there are a lot of games that use a ball among sports anime, it was good to deal with a genre that I haven’t seen much, such as men’s rhythmic gymnastics. I’m looking forward to the movie!”

In this survey, various sports anime such as basketball, baseball, tennis, and soccer are ranked in. Looking up to 20th place, there was also a vote for titles dealing with fictitious competitions.

■ Top 10 rankings

“What is your favorite sports anime?”
1st place “Yuri !!! on ICE”
2nd place “Haikyu !!”
3rd place “Free!”
4th place “Kuroko’s Basketball”
5th place “Major”
6th place “Prince of Tennis”
7th place “Ace of Diamond”
8th place “SLAM DUNK”
9th place “Backflip !!”
9th place “Yowamushi Pedal”

(Response period: July 5, 2021 to July 12, 2021)

■ Ranking Top 20

“What is your favorite sports anime?”
1st place “Yuri !!! on ICE”
2nd place “Haikyu !!”
3rd place “Free!”
4th place “Kuroko’s Basketball”
5th place “Major”
6th place “Prince of Tennis”
7th place “Ace of Diamond”
8th place “SLAM DUNK”
9th place “Backflip !!”
9th place “Yowamushi Pedal”
11th place “Inazuma Eleven”
12th place “Captain”
12th place “Baby Steps”
14th place “SK∞ SK8”
14th place “touch”
16th place “Ahiru no Sora”
16th place “Big Windup!”
16th place “Captain Tsubasa”
16th place “Keijo !!!!!!!!”
16th place “GIANT KILLING”
16th place “Burning Kabaddi”
16th place “Battle Athletes Great Athletics”
16th place “YAWARA!”

(Response period: July 5, 2021 to July 12, 2021)