First Impression – All Out!!
You can tackle me anytime ;D
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All Out!! dazzled me in the pre-season PV stage with gorgeous art promising firm asses, thick thighs, and pecs you just want to bury your face in. It was very obvious what this show was trying to promise. The first few seconds of the OP really hammer that home, as we get a series of shots featuring rippling muscles. Welcome to Hot Guys Play Rugby: The Anime! |
Unfortunately, I have to start off this post by saying that All Out!! didn’t quite meet my expectations. I mean, yes, it does keep its promise of flaunting tons of fanservice. However, it’s difficult to find anything else I can praise. All Out!! starts off (after the saucy OP of course) with an awkwardly orchestrated meeting between Gion and Iwashimizu. Most of their interactions involve some variation of “wow, you’re so tall!” and “wow, you’re so short!”. I understand that height is an important aspect of most sports, but it’s brought up so obsessively in the first few minutes of the show that it becomes tedious. The height difference is obvious enough that we can tell by looking, there’s no need to bombard us with verbal reminders.
Love at first lift
In general, any part of the show that doesn’t take place on the field feels stilted. The jokes fall incredibly flat, to the point where they’re cringe-worthy. The dialogue feels rough around the edges, like they haven’t quite figured out how highschoolers actually talk in a normal situation. The timing also feels really…off. I feel like they shouldn’t have told us what was eating at Iwashimizu so soon. This is the kind of thing they could have built up as a mystery, as a hook to keep viewers on board for episode 2. It’s a waste to tell us so much so soon when we haven’t even formed a deep connection to any of the characters yet.
I prefer my sports shows to have character development – not just a bunch of guys running around and getting sweaty. It’s nice to have that depth. Usually, this starts with a unique duo working together (think Haikyuu, Ookiku Furikabutte, Kuroko no Basuke), and the draw to the show becomes seeing how these two bond and improve. All Out!! looks like it’s trying to do this with a short, loud dude and a tall, sheepish dude. However, that’s about the extent of their chemistry. It feels uninspired. If the main duo has such bad chemistry, I can only imagine how awkward the interactions with the rest of the side characters on the team are. Ugh.
However, All Out!! isn’t all bad. Afterall, I will keep watching based on what I’ve seen so far. The draw to this show is…rugby. The rugby scenes look pretty good, and I like the overall direction style where everything is over-the-top in a satisfyingly campy way. They played up Iwashimizu’s reactions to 11 when he was charging Gion’s tackle bag. It’s like Jojo level of intense for such a regular moment.
All Out!! delivers on fanservice and ridiculous drama. I can tell future episodes will feature guys piling up on top of each other and writhing around suggestively as they struggle to get the ball. It’s the main reason why I’m going to keep watching. I also like that they’re making this as cheesy as possible by making everything melodramatic. However, even that approach can be tiring when done too often or not executed properly. A lot of the more regular scenes end up being boring because of it, since there’s no drama to really emphasize. All Out!! might get better with time…but even then, I’d be quicker to recommend Yuri on Ice!!! or Haikyu!!! to sports fans. There are much better sports shows out there.
…Or just join the book club instead
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
That first pic reminds me of Jindai High’s rugby team (Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu). You will be reborn!
POWUH: Meta Resident and LN Informant with 1529 comments
All Out will be 25 episodes long.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I thought this would bomb at a first glance and I agree, not as impressive as Yuri on Ice or even the golden Haikyuu, but still has a bit of a charm. If the sports aspect is treated well, I might even watch this for the full season.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I actually thought it would be good based on the promo material (such detail to animating hot guys with actual muscles!!!) but eh…definitely not the best. I was sad when I saw it’s going to be 25 episodes. That’s…so long..D:
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
This was AWESOME I like the artwork and the characters seem fun sorta reminds me of EyeShield as in a roudy group of dudes who love the sport they play.
I gotta say all the sports anime this season are damn good! Even Yuri on Ice and ping pong girls aka Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Oh yeah, it does look like Eyeshield a bit! They got the whole mishmash of different body types there.
Lots of good sports shows to choose from! I’m pleased.