(L+CR) Harukana Receive

[Dop]

Yeah, that was a gripping tie-break situation there, and that with the afterparty was a great way to end what has been a really enjoyable show which I'd had no real expectations of when I started watching it.

[videoman190]

The Final Butt Slap count is 6. I am looking forward for season 2 if there is enough material.

[BWTraveller]

And Akari is the only one left out here too. Seriously give us another season and get Akari a partner and a good booty-slap!

[Kanon]

Our battle has just begun!

No, really, that was a nice ending. Eclair handled their loss well. Claire is more mature than she appears to be.

I really liked this show. One of my favorite this season. I didn't expect to enjoy it this much when I picked it up. The characters were all highly likable and the fanservice was incredibly nice. It was perfect for summer.

[Wandering Soul]

That was a pretty good match and the ending (of both it and this show) was satisfying. I didn't really go into this show expecting much, but it was an enjoyable ride.

[magnumcyclonex]

This was a good solid finish. Has it already been a year in their timeline? Harukana has progressed and improved a lot!

I think this anime should serve as a decent blueprint on how to mix in strong characters, strong wills, grit, technique, competitive atmosphere, respect and compassion for others, as well as "tasteful" eye candy. Sure, the camera does pan and focus on the girls' bodies, but it's not overly explicit. Kind of like taking a glimpse while being engaged with the actual matter at hand (training, the match, strategy etc.). The anime did a good job of portraying all 4 players' personalities, including some other characters too. The only thing missing was having a partner pair up with the 5th player.

Post match, everyone handled the win/loss really well. It wasn't overly dramatic, and it was realistic. The Thomas siblings mourned their loss, and got over it. I found the scene between Claire and Haruka talking about their views of the last point to be really mature. There's a level of respect and feeling humble about the events that transpired, along with the passing on of the trust (and scrunchies) that symbolized how close they all were.

I certainly do hope a second season gets animated.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for final thoughts:

7/10

I'd give it an 8/10 because despite being a Kirara anime, it wasn't brain-dead and actually tried to develop something.
That said, I didn't find it particularly interesting.

Also, due to the 99% fanservice thing, even if it was boring, at least there was eyecandy.

However, this is where I subtracted a point. Because the faces of the characters are so similar (hanko), it starts to get unsettling.
And to be honest, the bodies of the characters were too similar too. I guess it is more prominent than normal anime due to the fact you stare at the body the entire cour, but yeah... -1 on the character designs.

[Infinite Zenith]

I ended up approaching Harukana Receive from a slice-of-life and self-discovery perspective rather than a sports anime perspective. The withertos and whyfors of beach volleyball (e.g. whether or not Kanata's pokies are all that relevant when everything is said and done) figures a lot less than the growth that Kanata experiences as an individual. This journey was well done in Harukana Receive, and one I enjoyed.

[James Rye]

Can't believe Emily and Claire lost. They really are cursed with eternal 2nd place. Poor girls, all they get are rivals, not gold medals. Especially frustrating if you think you lost to a girl who is training for one year while you have been training your entire childhood. :c
Guess those friendship really were important after all given how hyped all 4 were for this final but Emily and Claire really wanted to win to show the other two in the nationals that they can beat them. Now they have to put their hopes in Harukana to win in their stead. I would have given those two all kind of liquors to drown that sorrow and frustration. Good kids.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by James Rye

Especially frustrating if you think you lost to a girl who is training for one year while you have been training your entire childhood.

Well, unless you were the one doing the training. I think that in time, the pride of their training success will eclipse the sting of losing.

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 12:

Enjoyed. This was a nice finish. Enjoyed the final bits of sports action.. and I'm glad Haruka and Kanata still friends with the thomas sisters. The steak brought by Claire made me hungry!!

8.5/10 not perfect 10 because the animation quality sort of dropped episodes 3-4, but still good.

[alt_account]

Began reading through the Japanese volumes today (yesterday). The anime was a pretty good adaptation in general (lots of neat moments brought to life by the animation) but I didn't realize what a big alteration the existence of grandma made to the story. Although a large part of the impact was positive, one result was that they had to significantly rewrite the airport scene that capped off episode 8/volume 3.

Spoiler for manga comparison:

In the manga, the New Year's shrine visit is accompanied by Kanata bringing the Beach Volleyball club to the front of the grave of her parents, so she can confess to Haruka about her past with Narumi. They go over Narumi's transferring in at 4th grade, Kanata's mother suggesting beach volleyball as a method of befriending her, their training over a single month for the junior tournament, and the tournament itself where they met/beat Éclair. As Kanata begins talking about Narumi's rapid improvement vs. her own lack of physical growth Haruka receives Ayasa's call about Narumi waiting to meet them in front of Kanata's house, but needing to take off to catch their flight at the airport.

The club members convince Kanata to go see Narumi more-or-less as happens in the anime (except less abbreviated) -- Haruka/Clair/Emily comment about how much Kanata has changed since her state at the start of the story and wanting to reassure Narumi that she's fine/stronger now; Akari puts forward her thoughts about how surely what made Narumi happy within Kanata's story wasn't gaining acceptance/popularity amongst her schoolmates, but rather her friendship with Kanata herself. (This leads up to her "go see her not as her former partner, but as Kanata (her friend)" line which was kept in the anime).

Moving forward to Narumi/Ayasa waiting in the airport, the manga makes explicit Narumi's regret: when Kanata's parents died, Narumi couldn't find the courage to look her in the face; she was unable to approach her and become her strength. (This leads into Ayasa's dialogue which the anime kept about both her and Kanata being fully familiar with Narumi's introverted personality.) Narumi has been carrying around her concern for Kanata's home life and emotional welfare, not just her drive and confidence in beach volleyball, all this time.

In the climactic departure scene, Kanata's words of reassurance to Narumi are that she's found family -- someone who would need the empty self she became after she lost her father and mother. Again this merges back into the anime lines about trying her best once more and keeping their promise.

Finally, on top of the pinky gesture depicted in the anime Narumi leaves off with the words "Kanata, I'll be going on ahead".

Despite the huge shift in tone and effectiveness of the "family" theme brought about by grandma's presence in the story, I guess a point in the anime's favour is that an explicit guardian makes more sense plotwise (particularly with Haruka moving in to live with them). Still, there was definitely a sacrifice in coherence for episode 8 so I guess I'd just say the manga is worth checking out.

[Kanon]

That's interesting. One thing I found weird is that the anime never addressed the death of Kanata's parents. We were told they died and that's it. Not when or how, nor the impact it had on Kanata.

[BluePhirePB]

I liked this anime. Yes there was fan service but it wasn't in your face, heavy handed. Just the right amount with a good story!

[Yan3242]

Just start watching this until episode 2.

All i can say is... is there no male in this world? Not even some guy in the background?
Even the taxi driver is female

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Yan3242

Just start watching this until episode 2.

All i can say is... is there no male in this world? Not even some guy in the background?
Even the taxi driver is female

There is the grandpa. He's shown in the last episode... kind of

[Belgaesh]

This was such a fresh anime, I loved the ending and that though I was rooting for Claire and Emily. I hope we can get a second season, I thought it was a good adaptation.

[Liddo-kun]

Sad.. no more Harukana next Sunday. This is one of the anime I look forward to every week.

[Infinite Zenith]

Originally Posted by Liddo-kun

Sad.. no more Harukana next Sunday. This is one of the anime I look forward to every week.

I thought the show came out on Fridays. I’m on your team, though: Fridays will be very quiet without Harukana Receive. What I don’t miss is blogging about it each week...that was tough

[Liddo-kun]

Yeah, came out on Fridays... but I have the habit of getting it on Sundays. hehe

Ah... need season 2!!!!! ><