#taisou zamurai

[eiichiro]

TAISOU ZAMURAI (2020) dir. shimizu hisatoshi ✴ studio mappa

#taisou zamurai #gif #* #gif: taisou zamurai #mappa rly never fails to animate ballet dancers beautifully #kanamesengoku #userkyaa #leonardo sturges

[fysportsanime]

TAISOU ZAMURAI (2020) dir. shimizu hisatoshi ✴ studio mappa

#taisou zamurai #our edits #*senka #kanamesengoku #userkyaa

[doyouknowthisanime]

Do You Know This Anime?

#taisou zamurai #gymnastics samurai #anime #polls

[itsavgbltpta]

Anime No One Talks About That Live Rent Free In My Brain

There are some anime shows that I've watched, but when I go online I barely see anyone talk about them. Anime that have less than 100k views on My Anime List (I know MAL isn't the only metric out there, but it's a big one).

And yeah, these shows are probably mid to most people. But for one reason or another, I ended up really enjoying them.

So I want to share!

Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- (Kai Byoui Ramune)

Dr. Ramune looks like an anime aimed at kids. It's not. The second episode is titled "The Chikuwa Penis", where a man's penis gets replaced by chikuwa - a spongy food commonly found in Japanese dishes like oden.

Dr. Ramune gets werid. And it also gets kind of dark. There's an abusive cult storyline, an arc dealing with grief gone bad, and generally some really horrible things that happen to the patients that Dr. Ramune and his assistant help out.

I think this anime would have received more attention if the character designs were more adult? Or maybe the first episode being kind of wacky with a kid that cries condiments was a no-go? But I implore you to give this show a watch.

Muteking the Dancing Hero

I am a sucker for transformation super hero/tokusatsu-esque anime. And the Muteking song that plays (nearly) every episode when he transforms and fights the bad guys is a consistent ear-worm even years later.

This is another anime that looks like it's aimed for kids. And it is definitely more kid-friendly than Dr. Ramune. But this show also has some weird and darker moments, especially towards the end of the show.

I say at least watch it for the music. Maybe you'll enjoy it as much as I did. If nothing else, maybe someone else will know what the heck I'm singing every now and again.

The Gymnastics Samurai (Taisou Zamurai)

This anime has the looks and character designs that should have attracted an audience, but the pacing/plot lacked a lot of focus. It's half sports anime, with training, rivalry, and performances (with somewhat decent CGI involved), but the other half is slice of life/drama anime with the realities of being a single parent and missing out on things mixed along with goofy every day activities with a foreigner otaku who suddenly lives with the family.

And there's a weird pet bird too.

The first half walks, the second half sprints to an ending. There are some characters that could have used a lot more fleshing out. But it was fun. Plus the OP gets a thumbs up from me.

#anime #the gymnastics samurai #taisou zamurai #muteking #muteking the dancing hero #dr. ramune #Kai Byoui Ramune #anime suggestions #weird anime #itsavgbltpta #hidden gem anime

[anime-cafeteria]

体操ザムライ (OP)

#Yロシク #アニメ-カフェテリア #ランダムボックス #体操ザムライ #Taisou Zamurai

[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!

#game design #anime #sports anime

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Potential spoilers, profane language

Title: Light:De

Editor: JadeCharm

Song: Pump It

Artist: Electric Callboy

Anime: Boku no Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru, Heavy Object, Iwa Kakeru! Climbing Girls, Kawaii dake ja Nai Shikimori-san, Keijo!, Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun, Mashle, One Punch Man, Shinchou Yuusha, Spy x Family, Taisou Zamurai

Category: Comedy/Action

Award: Connichi 2023 - 3rd Place

#anime #amv #electric callboy #comedy #action #video #music #song #youtube #editing #Connichi 2023「 AMV 」 Light:De #anime mix #light:de #jadecharm #pump it #too many anime to list #connichi 2023 #3rd place #award winning #Connichi 2023 - 3rd Place #Youtube

[kagehinataboke]

ANIME RECS AGAIN BC IM DEPRESSED!

Fugou Keiji Balance: Unlimited

tags: detective, comedy, drama

it’s so good and so so stupid and Daisuke is the hottest mans i’ve ever seen just watch it

in progress, currently 11 episodes

Jujutsu Kaisen

tags: supernatural, comedy, school life

so many good bois and so many characters to simp for

1 season complete, 24 episodes

Adachi to Shimamura

tags: shoujo ai, school life, romance

beautiful, adorable, wholesome, spectacular, amazing, perfect

complete, 12 episodes

Taisou Zamurai

tags: sports, gymnastics

one of the best niche sports anime

in progress, currently 9 episodes

Great Pretender

tags: comedy, drama, conmen

comedic genius, amazing female characters, great mix of cultures, 100/10

two seasons complete, 23 episodes total

Somali and the Forest Spirit

tags: fantasy, heartwarming

SO. STUNNING.

1 season complete, 12 episodes

Keep Your Hands off Eizouken!

tags: school life, friendship, movie-making

so wholesome and a really great watch

complete, 12 episodes

BURN THE WITCH

tags: fantasy, dragons

takes place in the same universe as bleach, but it’s way better imo

movie, 1h3m

#anime rec list #anime recs #anime recommendation #good anime #calla.txt #burn the witch #keep your hands off eizouken! #somali and the forest spirit #great pretender #taisou zamurai #adachi to shimamura #jujutsu kaisen #fugou keiji balance: unlimited

[ydotome]

A million words aren’t enough to describe this beauty. I think that every time I see his dancing. - Taisou Zamurai - Episode 7

#Taisou Zamurai #Taiso Samurai #Gymnastics Samurai #体操ザムライ #tzedit #Leonardo #Leo #My GIFS #My post #Long post

[eiichiro]

#taisou zamurai #gif #* #gif: taisou zamurai #aragaki rei #kanamesengoku #userkyaa

[haru-se]

Taiso Samurai ed p.3

#taiso samurai #taisou zamurai #sports anime #leonardo sturges

[fuckyeahanimebirthdays]

Leonardo Sturges (Taisou Zamurai)  » December 24

#Taisou Zamurai #Taiso Samurai #Leonardo Sturges #December #December 24

[naotarou]

#Gymnastics Samurai #Taiso Samurai #Taisou Zamurai #hanimegif #fyanimegifs #dailyanime #allanimanga #anisource

[okayto]

Mini-Review: The Gymnastics Samurai

In 2002, the world of Japanese men's gymnastics was still strong. Jotaro Aragaki devoted his entire life to the sport, but things didn't go as planned. His coach Amakusa suggests he retires. But then an encounter comes that changes the fate of the Aragaki family forever.

I’ll be honest: I pick this up based solely on the image (poster? key image? Surely there has to be a name for these things?) that Funimation used:

Let’s see, we’ve got 1) mention of gymnastics, 2) a bright and happy color scheme, 3) guy who looks like an adult, not creepy, 4) little girl, unsexualized, 5) random assortment of weird items.

So, the vibe I’m getting is “not serious but not wacky, with gymnastics.” And gymnastics is cool!

I’m a simple person, really.

We start off with Jotaro, in his late 20s, presumably past his prime as a pro gymnast, and with few recent wins compared to his glory days as “the gymnastics samurai” in 90s Olympics, the nickname coming from his ponytail hairstyle. With his career stagnating and a daughter to raise, he has to make changes. While trying to work up the courage to tell his daughter (and biggest cheerleader) that he’s going to retire, they take a trip to Edo Wonderland and meet a character who changes everything.

This wasn’t your typical sports anime, though the gymnastics are featured and fun to watch. Jotaro has competitors, yes, but his main problem isn’t a rival, it’s having to change himself. And not just “work harder, take things seriously” as is normal in sports stories, but he essentially has to re-learn how to listen to people.

Jotaro was a nice, interesting protagonist. He’s not mean or dumb, but he tends to take things at face value and sometimes not even that, processing comments through the filter of what he’s already thinking about, and therefore missing things that aren’t metaphorically flashing neon signs in front of him.

And it’s not just played for laughs, it’s an actual weakness: he’s completely missed things his longtime coach has been trying to tell him, and it nearly leaves him gymless. He was emotionally supported by his wife, and when she died--a few years (I think?) before the series started--he didn’t notice that his young daughter started picking up some of those emotional responsibilities. So through the series, Jotaro has to learn to listen--actually listen--to his fellow adult professionals if he’s going to be a real competitor.

Don’t mistake this for a show about a manbaby or deadbeat dad, though. Jotaro struggles to balance home life and pro life, but a large part of the show is him realizing that the balance doesn’t just happen, and working to pay better attention to daughter Rei, so she doesn’t feel the need to act as an adult that she’s not. And he’s a caring and loving dad, not just a fun-loving bro.

There’s a theme through the series: whether in gymnastics or personal life, what has been happening is not sustainable, and needs to change. Not because what has been happening is horrible or bad, but because what has been happening is based on expectations, bodies, people, or conditions that have changed. If the characters don’t change in response, they’ll stagnate.

Jotaro isn’t the only focus of the series, however. His daughter Rei, and the ninja Leo they pick up from a historical theme park in episode 1 get a lot of the focus in the second half of the series. Both characters have their own issues and insecurities that show more as the series goes on: both have their own relationships with Jotaro, and their own emotional investment in his career that they partially use as a proxy for their more uncomfortable, personal issues.

The setting is 2002, and The Gymnastics Samurai won’t let you forget it, whether it’s the characters’ cell phones, or the ganguro bartender Ayu, a wonderful character about whom I would watch an entire series.

The show, while overall light, has some deep themes of attachments and relationships, how people see themselves and others, and how feeling other people’s expectations (or even what you think their expectations are) can affect you, even if you have a different relationship with the thing being expected.

Verdict

English Dub? Yes

Visuals: Very nice, modern and clean lines. CG models are used for some of the gymnastics routines, but they’re done fairly well.

Worth Watching? Yes. It’s not particularly realistic (ninja Leo is pursued by mysterious sunglasses-wearing professionals during several episodes for reasons that are explained later, but which you can generally accept as cartoon drama; the family owns a talking turquoise bird), but it was fun. And more than that, I enjoyed a sports show with an adult protagonist, and the growth the characters (but especially Jotaro) have in learning to change.

Where to watch (USA, as of July 2021): Funimation (sub and dub), BD/DVD

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#The Gymnastics Samurai #Taiso Samurai #Taisou Zamurai #reviews #anime #original

[kanamesengoku]

#taisou samurai #taisou zamurai #sportsanimedaily #allanimanga #dailyanime #anisource #fyanimegifs #aragaki joutarou #leo (tz) #minamino tetsuo #mine:all #mine:misc #mine:tz #so many.... colors..... #also if you could have seen me the moment this song started #my brain: hoLY SHIT IS THIS AN ORANGE RANGE COVER ????????? #TOOK ME STRAIGHT BACK TO 2003 I WAS FREAKING OUT

[ianime0]

Taisou Zamurai | Ep 1 | I came to like them after watching you, Dad.

#taiso samurai #taisou zamurai #rei aragaki #joutarou aragaki #gymnastics samurai #my gifs #my post