Anime is often thought of as a single genre by western audiences. That perception couldn’t be more wrong. The artistic medium of anime dominates screens in Japan. As a result, anime has dozens and dozens of genres covering any topic you can think of. At the moment, there’s a heavy emphasis on a lot of “fish out of water” fantasy-style anime. These are better known as isekai anime. Popular titles like Sword Art Online and How I Got Reincarnated As A Slime are some examples.
Sports anime is a genre you may not know much about if you’re new to the anime world. This is because it hasn’t been the most popular genre as of late. Very few sports anime titles are coming around nowadays. And the ones we are getting are generally met with disappointment. It seems like most audiences have a lot more interest in shows with less grounding in reality. Shows about crazy worlds with relatable human emotions like Demon Slayer or Attack On Titan. Change may be on the horizon, though. The lineup for this spring may single-handedly change the sports anime genre moving forward.
Sports Anime
There are almost half-a-dozen sports anime titles coming this spring. They all vary widely in their content from soccer to badminton to ballet. There’s a lot of promising talent behind each title, as well. The ballet anime is Dance Dance Danseur. The plot seems a bit generic for anyone who’s seen a Disney Channel original movie. It’s about a boy whose true passion is ballet. He struggles with his desire to follow the said passion because of the “feminine” stigma surrounding it and also pressure from his father. Where it goes from there is up to you to find out if you choose to follow the series.
If you have any interest in delving into the world of sports anime, there are some great places to start. Titles like Slam Dunk or Ace of Diamond are some of the greatest sports anime of all time.
Aoashi And Many More Soon
Whether you have an interest in the ballet themes of Dance Dance Danseur. Or the quick-pacing of the soccer matches in Aoashi. Or the subtlety infused with finesse of the badminton-themed Love All Play. There’s a huge variety of sports anime coming out this year. Will it have the staying power to change isekai craze in anime right now? Only time will tell. But, regardless, it’s interesting to see the sports anime genre get a little life going once again.
All of those titles are beginning in this upcoming season. Most, if not all of them, should be coming to Crunchyroll. If you want to watch new anime in the United States or Canada, Crunchyroll is typically your best option.