Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
DigiCat
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 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 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 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 sourceHei41
I'm usually the one that only reads reviews but I felt like I had to write something about this show.
Why ? Because I felt kinda disappointed at the end. I've watched the firsts 7 episodes straights because the show had a good rythm, but it lost it during the last episodes, that are either too slow or too rushed (especially the ending)
I am somewhat frustrated because it began really nicely and thought there was finally a show that deals about serious subjects such as abuse, bullying and LGBTQ+ characters but is also "plot focused" (on sport events).
I think this show had some good ideas but in the end they were poorly executed. I read somewhere that there had to be 24 episodes at first but then they decided to make only 12 so it can explain this brutal ending. Maybe it lacks of "normal"…
Read at the sourceTanooshii
[REUPLOAD]
EVERY SHIT TIME
There are two ways to build stories within a sport, or they are stories about the sport, serving as an introduction and basis of study, bringing a plot that interconnects them and establishes characters, called '' sports '', or they treat sport as something secondary they focus on building the characters, causing atmosphere and exploring any kind of conflict, we can usually call it '' escape sports '' if it's not quite clear, I'll give you examples: Hajime no ippo is a sports anime, while Ashita no joe is a sports anime escape, Slam dunk is a sports manga, Real is a sports escape, well ... You got the idea, and it's up to them all to fulfill their duties, in Hoshiai no sora, nothing is fulfilled.
We are embarking on a journey with dramas, which is a subject th…
Read at the sourcetomateunmate
tl;dr: HnS is about how everyone is sort of fucked up from childhood and being there for your bro isn't really gonna fix a decade of mental torture but that's all you have to give. That and sports. It's sad in a good way, a bit melodramatic, pretty cute at others. The Bluerays are gonna look awesome, the tv version has small botches in a style that lends itself to sakuga and tons of emotion.
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Fans of sport anime are a weird beast.I'm not saying they're stupid but it usually takes a few years for them to realize how things are. Remember how Kuroko no Basket was considered identical to Haikyuu even though one just makes up superpowers on the spot while the other one has long slow arcs building tiny victories based on flawed characters. You can also look at Prince of Tenis' dominance ov…
Read at the sourceHazbyn
I gave this a high score because it´s one of the most realistic anime I have seen. The fact that the team behind this show got backstabbed explains why the series ended in such a dark note. But to be honest I completely love that dark ending. It´s the perfect display that there are not "Happy endings" in real life. You can have the happiest day, week or year in your life but there is always a tomorrow in which everything is possible.
(Spoilers ahead)
The premise is simple "A soft tennis club is facing dissolution because of the lack of results". In contrast with shows such as "The prince of tennis" or "Captain Tsubasa", the main characters do not care about this sport or even the club. But at the story progress, we realized the students use this club as a way to be far away from their fa…
Read at the sourceEthan_07
Soft tennis is not a game of luck and pure talent, and so is life itself.
Hoshiai no Sora can focus solely on taking the competitive spirit and building up the enthusiasm for soft tennis from the start. An ensemble characters that are unworthy and lazy, trained and motivated themselves to be better to an extent that none of them would have expected. Adding some preliminary matches, hardships, friendships and loses then we would have another exciting sports anime to look forward to.
But, no. The story diverges from the main training and shounen plot into tackling issues that are actually happening but no one is comfortable enough to address them. Especially not in this kind of trope, as the situations involving the relatively darker side of other’s childhood is too real for us to be bothe…
Read at the sourceSadeer1
Just to make one thing clear for viewers: The anime was axed from 24 episodes to 12 episodes that's why the ending was never complete, the director worked on it for 2 years to be complete but suddenly before release last spring, they cut him short and forced the team to reconstruct the whole thing in 12 episodes.
It is really sad not to get the full potential of the anime but it's still amazing that despite being axed it was one of my favorite anime this season.
In a nutshell: not your typical sports anime, it's much deeper, shedding light on individual struggles and how the cast deal with each other to hide their abusive lives and try to believe that they are fine and happy.
The anime is actually dark ad saddening, although the art style is very warm and happy.
Overall, I really e…
Read at the sourceKirik0h
Anime originals are rare; stellar ones even rarer. In today's anime industry, much like it is in Hollywood, we are bombarded by endless numbers of adaptations of already popular franchises as they help to guarantee a level of financial success. Hoshiai no Sora is a 12 episode passion project written and directed by Kazuki Akane which was originally produced for 24 episodes before it was then told it could only air 12. This is incredibly clear from the phenomenal production values, and its unique approach to the sports drama genre but also in that the show does not end at episode 12.
Traditionally in sports anime, the sport in question is the centrepiece of the characters' lives. Even in Run with the Wind, it is not long before running becomes the most important thing in the character's li…
Read at the sourceNii-ssan
So I have read some honest reviews, but something about this anime hit home for me. I understand its not directed toward the sport and the sport is kind of a side note. However, these background stories hit right on the target of a huge issue students and families face. There were several aspects that this story could have absolutely taken a focus to and this leaves a lot of open ended question to the actual audience. Yet, in the end this also leaves it up to the audience to use their own head to get the picture of what's going on. I personally got super close to this anime due to the fact me and several of my other athletic friends went through similar instances that this anime is portraying and it took what's just an anime into a realistic image of what is actually happening in reality.…
Read at the sourceskywlkx
At first, Stars Align seems to be a particularly well-told version of a pretty standard sports story. The underdog team of kids who just want to have fun playing tennis together! The one kid who could be the savior of the team and make them actually competitive! Camaraderie! Friendship!
It works out especially well because of the lovely character design, animation, and musical score all coming together. It’s fairly slow and gentle, but the animation absolutely brims with life. The characters speak and move with their whole bodies, not just their mouths or limbs as needed. Their body language communicates their comfort with each other, giving the impression that the team is a cozy way for them to spend time together, even if they’re not particularly fussed about competing. And that’s fine!…
Read at the sourceChacattack
*SPOILER FREE*
Hoshiai no Sora is by and large a drama anime that has the sport of soft tennis mixed in to act as a catalyst for bringing together the main characters and showing growth. For those who are looking for a shonen sports anime with your typical summer camps and special moves and growing the team and lots of matches against strong teams and rising to the top, this isn't really a show for you.
The story itself is something that captivated me from the get-go. It was something different, and something very captivating as slice of life animes are typically very appealing to me. The characters are all very unique and have their own dramas going on with their lives, each of them having very upbringings and lots of problems going on in their respective houses, hence drama. The way th…
Read at the sourcejd2001z
Tired of watching all those isekai or comedy anime? Wanna actually watch an anime that’s close to real life? Then Hoshiai no Sora is that anime for you! But please let me tell you this. Don’t view it as an anime. Don’t just look at it as a fictional story. This isn’t for people who only watch anime to “escape” from real life. Watch it as if it’s actually happening in front of you, as if it’s happening in reality, as if the characters are people you know, as if you’re a third party observing what they are going through. If you can do that, then watching this will be very worth it.
Before I begin, I’d like to point out that this review will focus on what happened in the anime rather than how it happened. What I mean is that I won’t focus on things like character development or story pacing…
Read at the sourceNavaneeth_007
Well, First Of all The Anime was Axed At 12 episodes by the production company even though the director wanted 24 episodes to Completely Tell the Story. So when he was given opportunity to choose either one from fast pace of story or Leave it at half he chose to keep at decent page and leave it Half.
Now coming To the Anime Review,
If you are suggested to watch the anime based on Sports Genre what you found was Half Correct. Coz this Anime is 50% Sports 50% Drama.
But This anime is Off the chart with mind blowing character Development and surrounding coverage. Don't listen to anyone else if you have time for 12 episodes watch This anime and give me Like If you Found my review Helpful
Read at the sourceKANLen09
This show truly has the definition of "don't judge a book by its cover", because it ain't just a sports anime, but one that is rife with the daily affluences of family drama and matters that's spread all over it. And knowing director Kazuki Akane on this show's influence taken mostly from his creation of "Noein" and planning this original story for over a decade, I'd say that while this has caused A HELL LOT of backlash, like Satoshi Mizukani's Planet With, the end result is truly the icing on the cake, whether you'd decide to take it literally or not, I believe that what Akane-san wanted out of it, he truly accomplished it to its feet with his unorthodox method of storytelling.
You must be wondering why the title literally says "Stars Align", but it's Kazuki Akane's way of foreshadowing…
Read at the sourceLaLeLuLiLo
The only reason I kept up with this show on a week to week basis as it was airing was because the shows art-style had a certain nostalgic feeling to it, but I could never figure out why though. Going through most of the staff who worked on the character designs, art direction, and also the director just in case revealed very little to what I was feeling. I could see some semblance in some of their other works, but those are the ones I have yet to watch. While the ones I have watched from some of them look far different than this show. The closest comparison that I can think of is that it kind of looks kind of like Mamoru Hosoda’s work. I guess it’s mostly for the simple but appealing character designs, but it kind of can also be seen the background designs, color pallet, and the animation.…
Read at the sourceStark700
The promotional poster of Hoshiai no Sora (Stars Align) caught my eye even before the show began airing.
“Even in an ever-changing world, only the starlit sky will not change”.
As a coming of age story, Hoshiai Sora teaches an important lesson about how we humans change, how we evolve, and how we grow up in an ever changing life. We live in a society dubbed as a modern era of controversy, where we communicate through our feelings but often causing trouble unknowingly. It’s part of growing up. Everyone makes mistakes in some way or another. It’s what makes us human. In this original anime, you can say that making mistakes is part of the common norm, a very common fact that needs to be accepted.
We all have to start off somewhere. Rome wasn’t built in a day after all and for someone like…
Read at the sourceSingleH
If there’s two people I know who don’t need to be told or shown more than they already have seen for themselves how rotten parentage can be, its me and my poor older sister who got the worst of it. Parentage, and especially motherhood, is often portrayed as a thing of love, and care, and protection, all of which are qualities understood to be innate, healthy, and of course, natural. This is not the case. Well, most of the time it is, because, as they say, stereotypes come from somewhere, but nevertheless, such is not the always the case. Sometimes parentage can be malicious, dangerous, and scary, and it can ruin people’s lives before they’ve even begun. Hoshiai no Sora, despite its outward appearance as a benign sports anime, is a show about the deep seated psychological atrophies and tors…
Read at the source