Maya_and_sea
Spoiler FREE! My review is divided into 3 segments: 1) Rating 2) Disadvantages of the show 3) Reasons you should watch it
Read at the sourceStars Align
Introduction
Constantly outperformed by the girls' club, the boys' soft tennis club faces disbandment due to their poor skills and lack of positive results in matches. In desperate need of members, Touma Shinjou is looking to recruit capable players, but he fails to scout anyone. Enter Maki Katsuragi, a new transfer student who demonstrates great reflexes when he catches a stray cat in his classroom, instantly capturing Touma's attention. With his interest piqued, Touma ambitiously asks Maki to join the boys' team but is quickly rejected, as Maki doesn't wish to join any clubs. Touma refuses to back down and ends up persuading Maki—only under the condition that Touma will pay him for his participation and cover other club expenses. Maki joins the team, and his incredible form and quick learning allow him to immediately outshine the rest of the team. Although this gives rise to conflict among the boys, Maki challenges and pushes his fellow team members to not only keep up with his seemingly natural talent, but also drive them to devote themselves to the game they once neglected. As the members of the boys' soft tennis club discover their own capabilities, they endure personal hardships and deal with the darker side of growing up in middle school. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Where to watch & buy
- Crunchyroll - search the official catalogue. Availability varies by country.
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Audience ratings
MyAnimeList / Tenrai : 7.6/10 · 92559
| 1/10 | 435 |
|---|---|
| 2/10 | 332 |
| 3/10 | 662 |
| 4/10 | 1786 |
| 5/10 | 4213 |
| 6/10 | 10107 |
| 7/10 | 23847 |
| 8/10 | 26625 |
| 9/10 | 14555 |
| 10/10 | 9997 |
Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
lazybishounen
As someone who loves sports anime and has seen many series, I thought that Stars Align was a refreshing take on the sports anime genre. It had everything that you love in a sports anime, the friendship, the shared dedication, the excitement. But it also took a surprising approach when it came to depicting interpersonal relationships and family life that shocked me in a good way. It told the story of real life circumstances that children face each day on top of just showing up to their sports club. I think it did a great job depicting the different ways that kids learn to cope under stress, and shows the resilience of children living in the face of struggle. It may have felt weird switching between the shining joy of the games and the stark reality of the players, but as someone who experi…
Read at the sourceKropp7
The producers who decided to axe this series should be punished, made known and be publicly ashamed I love the story and I would do everything to watch season two. Unfortunately the producers do not share my viewpoints All the characters have interesting backstories Which would greatly benefit from new seasons The animation is quite unique, it's a blend of 2D and 3D animation but it fits the story quite well You should definitely watch this series, I really love how they tackle LGBT+ issues. I'm really glad this series came to fruition ins spite of it all I'm usually not into sports animes, but this one really took the crown
Read at the sourceBruce_lightener
This is not your typical sports anime! In esscence it should be a mature family drama dressed up to fool the public as a sports drama. We start like a normal sports anime but then we reach to the point where we find that every single character's family is a dysfunctional one and it feels insanely real. And the characters are all children which makes it a rather educational take on a sports anime. This is for the parents who have just become parents and don't know how to deal with everything. It's a series about what not to do for all the young adults and it's good. A strange part is it's a sports anime but there's not a tot about the sports itself, even though soft tennis is a rather niche sport they don't explain too much about it. It's a heartbreaking show portraying the loss of innocenc…
Read at the sourceambyG
Parents are Evil: The Anime. I really like the story, only the soft ball story. The art style is really good. I was hooked by the anime by the soft ball team rise to winning the championship. All of the team members are all good characters with their own traits. I really like the soft ball matches animation and the character building.I feel like it's better to watch this anime excluding all of the parent traumazation scenes. I don't mind the LGBT segment of the anime, thou some people would think otherwise. If only this anime would come out with all 24 episodes. A great reality to live in.
Read at the sourceNillyPC
When I first started watching this, I thought of it as the usual sports anime. That is until I watched further. Hoshiai no Sora isn't just a regular sports anime; it touches on many topics such as identity, family abuse, or the enjoyment of the sport for the players. The animation is really good and makes each strike dynamic. Seeing the main character, Maki, grow over time and learn to have fun was enjoyable. Seeing the team also grow from disorganized and unfocused to understanding their strengths and faults and playing their duos better. Give the show a try as there's a lot to enjoy from the plot.
Read at the sourceDigiCat
Fascinating for all the wrong reasons From everything i'd heard about this show i expected there to be great depth in character exploration as they face the many tough themes that are presented, and it did have the potential to be all that, had the execution not been so utterly atrocious I swear i have never come across such a deplorable depiction of the human psyche There is not one instant with a trace of developement, analysis, or critical thinking, all we get is a constant bombardment of the most repulsive conduct parents can possibly have as that and their kids trauma and psychological turmoil is used all for the sake of melodrama, and the disgraceful portrayal of human behaviour does not end there *light ep. 3 spoilers ahead (no plot detail spoilers) In this scene one of the sof…
Read at the sourceDestron
This anime was a nice change of pace. Nothing crazy, nothing over the top. It's just Tennis. However, as much as I enjoyed this show, I can't ignore it's flaws. I'll start with the positives: The art style was nice: Most animes nowadays are either way too colorful, flashy, over the top or just use an abundance of special effects that sometimes don't feel like it need to be there. However, the art style of this anime reminds me of something from the early 2010s or even pre 2010s. It has that feel to it. The music: Pretty solid, can't complain The story was good. Again... It's just Tennis but with a few side plots thrown in. My main gripe with this show was with the side plots and stories and they often felt rushed or just thrown in and never fully elaborated on or fully explored. This i…
Read at the sourceNowIsTheTime
Before chose to watch that anime must to warned you, it is create by Kathleen Kennedy. Be ready for LGBTQ content. The main story is good but is kinda like Disney too much darkness on every single character in the show. Make them all suffer is potential bad idea even if you tried to express the feelings about how good it is to doing a sport. No matter how bad is in home you gone be always safe on playground... okay... but in the macro view it is bad because it is not possible to everyone have the same issue... bad parents. The art is 5/10 but normally I don't care about the art style. I care more about the story. I want to recommended to you for the sport content because is good, but other stuff is meh.
Read at the source1List2RuleThemAl
I have mixed feelings about this show. The focus on tennis is fun and what makes this anime worth watching, but the fact that every other character in the story has some family trauma is unrealistic and takes you out of the show as well. What are the odds that out of 10 friends 9 of them have some crazy (and I mean abuse levels through the roof) family/life issues going on? Art is average, same goes for audio. Don't expect anything interesting from any character that doesn't involve family trauma. Anyone other than the boys might as well not exist. Doesn't look like this will ever get a season 2 as well and it ends on a (terrible) cliffhanger, so don't get your hopes up.
Read at the sourceBrightly_Lit
For starters, this is NOT a sports anime. This is an abused - kid anime masquerading as a sports anime. I'm not sure why the sports aspect is even in it unless its creator threw that in in hopes of getting more viewers due to how popular sports animes are, because the sports aspect is cursory at best. They cover forehand and backhand strokes and follow - through and ... that's pretty much it?? And though a couple of the characters make the expected declaration about how they love "soft tennis" (regular tennis except played with a soft, squishy ball) more than anything, the amount of time spent on actual games is far less than most sports animes. But the lazily covered sports stuff takes time away from fully exploring the abused - kid aspect of the show, which seems to be what the creator…
Read at the sourceJamieNormand
This was the best anime I have seen all year. Everything in it made me feel happy. From the drawing of characters to the Tiktok dancing at the ending animation, I loved every bit of it - except for the cliffhanger ending because, unlike most anime, Hoshiai no Sora is not based on a manga - it is an anime original series. Now, basically, it is a sports anime and it focuses on the developments of a boys' soft-tennis team and how their lives change when a new member called Maki Katsuragi joins them. If you only look at it as a sports anime, I believe it is up there with my previous personal best sports anime, Tsurune. However, as some other commentator here also says, it goes beyond being sports anime. I have watched countless slice of life anime and Hoshiai no Sora/The Stars Align was the fi…
Read at the sourcebbytsutomu
This anime was pretty meh imo. All of the characters had so much potential, especially the two main characters. The writer had the right idea but the execution was bad. Why give so many characters traumatic background without giving any explanations? It left me so confused by the end of the show. One day it was this one character and their traumatic background, the next day it's someone different. Where are the answers to so many of the questions that were introduced? The show had a lot going on for how much explanation was provided. I just wish it gave more context for the audience to actually feel for the characters more. The show just felt like a massive trauma dump and nothing else. I wouldn't say I regret watching this show because the music and animation were pretty decent, but…
Read at the sourcetaeryeong
LOVED this anime. the storyline was interesting and had me hooked. it always had you on the edge of your seat, it wasn't very predictable. the characters flaws are displayed in a very interesting manner. the art style is very whimsical and pure and fits the story nicely. its wholesome but also shows the darker sides of your coming-of-age era. not to mention the lgbtq representation, it was a matter that is discussed but is not dwelled on for a long time, unlike a few other animes that will repeatedly bring the 'coming out' scene up. the ending was VERY unpredictable and surprising. 10/10!
Read at the sourceArlighet
The reason I decided to watch HnS is because I've heard it's LGBTQ+ friendly (and I'm always looking for that, especially in anime/manga), and the clips from the show that I've seen involving the protag supporting a non-binary character to be who they are, and talking about a transwoman who he sees as family were very inspiring. So I sat down, watched it, aaaand... it's melodramatic as heck. I expected a show that focused more on the drama than the sports which I wanted, because I'm not exactly crazy about sports in general, but... I didn't think the (melo)drama would be so bad. Actually no, the stuff with Maki and how his abusive father affects him is fine, but when almost all the kids have parents that are abusive or twisted in some way, it becomes ridiculous. It's not even handled wel…
Read at the sourceReville_
Stars Align is a sports anime that very publicly and unabashedly demonstrates itself to be far much more. You meet a misfit Soft Tennis Team that struggles both with one another and in their own personal lives. This anime does not shy away from touching on a wide range of social issues such as gender expression and domestic violence to helicopter moms and pressures of public life. Stars Align shows compassion and understanding through tackling these topics, for better or for worse. There are complaints that the anime has too many characters suffering with issues in their personal lives. Though I find that this is a strength of the show. The show is about these social issues, it's entirely fine for all the characters to receive unique backgrounds. Now this is also partly a sports anime…
Read at the sourceAkiKnight
It is a concise review and my opinion too. “No spoilers” It is an excellent thrilling anime about how these characters tackle their own life with their own hands. It is an average school and everyday sports club genre. But with their own personal problems interfering with their lives and their softball tennis club, it is tough to focus to stay in a mental state, and it is based on how it is in the real world and only focusing on their daily lives than sports; it would give me shocking moments. That is just how it is in the real world, sadly. The ending on the last episode was like a wtf moment?! Nevertheless, it was a great anime about sports with a twist; never seen a sports anime before do that.
Read at the sourceBehindtheSpace
[SPOILER WARNING] What the hell is the ending? I liked the show, it was an enjoyment first few episodes, for few exceptions that Mitsue was really annoying. Until further, she got better and I find her interesting somehow. Aside from her, the characters are reasonably realistic. But some of them got out of hand to be completely jackass, so there is a minus for me here, and they made further eps look blatantly family issues, which are straight up downfall to the show. To say about the ending, it's bad and they forced feed us with unnecessary craps put together. It's good enough to end the show right after they celebrate their matches, instead it's dark and grimy with kids traumatized and shitty parents put together slaughtering their children mental heath. I hate it! And what the hell…
Read at the sourceGailli
I had seen many people recommending this anime on Instagram and I’m glad I watched it because it’s really good! These types of slice of life anime tend to get overshadowed by big shonen anime, but personally, they’re often the ones I end up enjoying the most. It’s a short show with a simple story but nevertheless very interesting. As soft tennis is being introduced to the main character Maki, it is also introduced to the viewers, and that is well-done. Before watching the show, I had no idea this sport even existed, but without doing any research on it, I understood the basics just by watching. That’s because the rules and the moves are introduced gradually and are kept very simple, we don’t need to know about complex technique. Still not once have I felt like the sport was explained to me…
Read at the sourceAnimeUndErtHeC
This might be my biased opinion but I think this anime is AMAZING. This anime is something you would not expect to see in a sports anime. This has many realistic themes and problems that people deal with in the real world. Each episode you expect it to be happier but NOPE they enjoy hitting you with the bombshell :) This is a very bland review compared to the ones I have done in the past but I'm trying not to spoil too much of what happens in the story. Hope this helps :) WATCH IT TW: Abuse, Transphobia, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Bullying.
Read at the source