Oct 12, 2020
So what do you get when you have an anime about a Sumo who declares that he's going to break that he will break Showa Futabayama's record of 69 consecutive wins, and if he ever lost, no matter how sly the means, he would retire then and there? You get an anime with low tension where the main character never grows or progresses, the same Harima from the first episode remains the same in the final episode. So much controversy in the association because the main protagonist, Harima, can't for the life of him take one match off from wearing a mask, even I was ... getting annoyed along with the hecklers in the anime.
So Aah! Harimanada has a simple plot that one can follow easily, though this is because it's absolutely repetitive and too bland for a series like this. There's a good number of wrestlers and most get backstories, you get to see their personalities shine if only for a little bit. They have the same goals (albeit, they all have the same goal) and the risks they'll take to put down the masked annoyance. Is it sad to say that I rooted for Harima's opponents to win since they respect the traditions of Sumo far highly than Harima, but because of the series' premise, it leads to disappointment before matches begin.
I do like the character designs, mostly the Sumo wrestlers, I love the thick stroke they have in matches, giving the wrestlers a lot of weight to them. Shame about the animation though because you can tell the studio didn't have the budget to make more dynamic fights: Repeated frames, lack of movement, moments going on for longer than they should, you name it. At the very least, I may have gained some very basic knowledge of Sumo wrestling and that lifestyle too, so that's cool. And some fights were at least decent even though you know the outcome.
Aah! Harimanada is quite average but had potential to be so much better. Every character are decent, the sumo wrestlers were very interesting characters apart from Harima, who is a douchebag, I think he's meant to be a heel wrestler, but the anime's pacing is sloppy and the story progression is rather flat. If you want a Sumo anime where you just care about the fights, I'd say watch a few episodes, and if you somehow get hooked into the series, then I'm happy for you, but if you get bored with it after episode 3-4, don't worry, you ain't missing much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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