Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
AmayaChan298
The first thing I look for any sports anime or rather anime is of course the animation and this anime delivers.
I love the animation and the characters. Some of them are literally lowkey Jojo built. The motions of the characters while in match and practice are clean cut and eye-catching. Both opening and ending songs are beautifully chosen and animated. I love the patterns used and I find myself hooked for the songs and not skipping them for several episodes.
Aside that the beginning of this anime is quite different from other sports anime I've watched. This makes the anime unique. What surprised me is the sport Kabbadi itself being in an anime because as far as I know it's a sport popular in South Asia. I share the same skeptical with MC for the sport which makes watching him untangling…
Read at the sourcemkannan22
Kabaddi is a contact team sport which involves no material equipment but the human body to play.
It is the national sport of Bangladesh, the country where I'm from and has historical origins in Ancient India, particularly in Tamil Nadu around 4000 years ago. Legend says that even Gautam Buddha enjoyed playing this game.
Of all sports known globally, Kabaddi was a sport I never imagined to get an anime adaption, so kudos to the mangaka, Hajime Musashino, for introducing this rather unknown sport to Otakus and making it look cool.
All the characters were enjoyable to watch, even the opponent and side characters. The animation was pretty good. It was not impressive to some others but I will let it pass.
Maybe I am biased, but I played it as a kid and felt a rather historical-cultural connecti…
Read at the sourceEliteEmperor
It was a good series, the characters were interesting, especially the captain of the Noukin team. The fights are also good. You can enjoy it like other sports anime, it also feels somewhat rushed. The animation, art style, and Osts are also pretty decent.
The way they built story around Kabbadi was really nice, this was really an interesting take.
The season was mainly focused on practice matches rather than regular tournaments, it was a nice way to get to the character development and the whole season didn't feel any boring.
I specifically like the characters and the kabaddi matches.
I give this series 7/10.
Read at the sourceBabyGirl06301
Shakunetsu Kabaddi is such an odd anime to score because, when it comes to the most important thing--the matches--it's incredibly fun to watch. It's all the surrounding material that makes it simply decent instead of amazing. I'll be honest, I don't know how much that surrounding detail mattered to me while watching this. If you look at my individual scores for this anime, you'll see that I enjoyed it almost as much as I could have. It's only in retrospect that I can find problems with it. So, I'm telling anyone who is interested right at the top of this review: just watch it. Let yourself have a good time because it really is super fun to watch.
Why is it not better than good? Well, for starters, it's shallow. Sports anime often are--they only focus on the game itself and the progression…
Read at the sourceOmniBoy
It is a sports anime, and as such comes with the usual clichés. It admittedly is generic at parts too, like the animation and music. But every part of it is executed spectacularly well. And considering that clichés aren't inherently bad, it is a damn good show if I say so myself.
The consistently funny comedy relies on the well-developed characters, and never on ridiculous stuff which happens in many Japanese stories that is not for everyone, to say the least. In some comedic scenes the art style literally turns into JBA; now that is what you call comedic gold, am I right? …Anyways, the cool protagonist was a national-level talent, so he knows that he's a genius, and always remains calm. Despite having the most potential, he doesn't outshine his reliable teammates, who are monsters themse…
Read at the sourcepradyusha
Kabaddi is a popular sport in India and its subcontinent and we fellow Indians are happy about it. But it's a minor sport in Japan and they also have their own national team. If you could google it you would know more about it. You can watch videos on YouTube as well if you never saw Kabaddi being played.
About the anime I would say it was good, decent animation and storytelling and I enjoyed it overall. AND I WANT S2!! And I also saw some comments who said they should've mentioned India, which I don't find the reason why? What do you want them to show? That it's a popular sport in India, while it's minor in Japan? There's no evidence about Kabaddi's origin and it's just speculation that it was originated during prehistoric times. Speculation or perspective, say it whatever you want, but…
Read at the sourceanimeshitha
I'm happy to say, this anime brought back my faith in good sports anime!
As an Indian, it felt so good to see kabaddi getting some spotlight. It felt even better learning new things about it from the anime, since it means that they paid attention to detail. Yay!!!
All in all it was great. The characters all are unique, and they each have a niche they get into. It was nice to see Yoigoshi, (in some ways at least) act like an experienced sportsperson. I mean, being in sports for a long time, especially if you're highly skilled and in a team sport, brings a maturity from taking on complicated feelings with wins, losses, camaraderie, and everything that goes with it. He was quite the dolt in some places, but quite mature in others, which I felt was more realistic for an athlete of his level…
Read at the sourcessallu
Overall its a good sports anime, I like the humour and how they put effort into the development of characters but the thing this lacks is the animation where the character plays a game.An example in haiku is when there are actions scenes they put animation in the movement of people whereas this anime eventhough it has some aspects of animated action they use a lot of slow motion which is understandable in sports because there are scenes that require slow-mo animes but this in anime in particular uses it a lot which does make the anime a little more boring. Overall its a good anime in terms of story and humour but if they put effort in the actions it'll be a much better anime.
Hope you take this to note before deciding to watch this anime!!!
Read at the sourceYan-AnsonI
Its pretty alright, It's just average on everything.
I don't personally play the sport but if you do, this might be enjoyable to you. Though I find the anime somewhat enjoyable,
The characters are your standard sports anime characters, the gifted one, the underestimated yet strong, the smart one, the hard worker.
This anime isn't revolutionary and definitely not something everyone would enjoy. But if you did watch it you will surely make you want to play the game and be curious about it. Do I recommend it to everyone?
No,
but to those who like wrestling type of sports.
Those who want to know what it's like to play a non popular sport unlike basketball, football, tennis, and others.
Those who are ok with cliche plots and just want to pass time.
Then yes, this Anime can be goo…
Read at the sourceEDOSHINRATENSEI
Kabaddi, Kabaddi… Kabaddi, Kabaddi… Kabaddi, Kabaddi…
I somehow thought this was a soccer anime. I thought Kabaddi is just a name, but apparently it’s a pretty interesting sport. Still, this series is still a textbook sport anime, like Haikyuu. A main character with certain talent, many side characters each with certain quirks, a famous captain or ace, voiceover that explains the rules, and of course, an upcoming tournament.
Even though there’s not a lot of surprises in its progression, the show was still entertaining and exciting. The animation looked solid with good focus on the physique and limb movements of the athletes. For a seemingly simple and even silly sport, kabaddi was actually more fun than expected. The characters had insane reactions and dodge touches like germaphobes. Ho…
Read at the sourcessourcandy
This anime has a really low rating compared to other crap I've seen this season. C'mon guys It's not that bad. It's actually quite satisfying, the characters are of a somewhat "raw" design that reminded me for a very quick minute of JoJo.
The character arcs wouldn't be incredibly complex with 12 episodes (it makes me question why they put in those 3 new students who are a total offensive caricature), but they're satisfying. However, the protagonist himself is a bit faded in the middle, only having his own moment at the end. I like the concept of his biggest enemy actually being his own captain, and how the entire team is shaped by him that was only inserted in episode 3, but it seems so indispensable.
The direction is good, the animation too, I thought it was weird those frames with "str…
Read at the sourcehmmer
Kabaddi is an action sport. I mean, unlike many sports, there are physical expressions in every action, which can greatly enhance the art in anime and manga.
While the art in the manga is very impressive, the animation in the anime falls flat. In terms of action, it could have been the next Haikyuu, but the lack of funds forced this to be collection of images. At the very least, more drawings could have been added during key movements.
It's a pretty good story.
It is daunting task for the writer to introduce a sport that is unfamiliar to himself and the audience.
(unlike baseball manga very everyone knows the rules)
If you can overcome the animation and put in some effort to learn the Kabaddi rules, I'm sure you'll enjoy this anime because it has loveable characters (no annoying ones),…
Read at the sourcejust1user
SUPER underrated. You can barely find this anime on anime out this season from streaming services or YouTubers, this anime needs some serious love and is clearly set up for a season 2.
Bottom line: If you like sports anime you will LOVEEE Shakunetsu Kabaddi. If you don't like sports anime, you will still enjoy it and may get hooked. The game of Kabaddi is very intense and dynamic and the anime itself does a great job of introducing ideas for different builds/archetypes/tactics along with developing all the team members very well having their own different strengths.
For reference: between the sports anime I can recall top of my head, Hajime no Ippo (boxing), Kuroko (basketball), Haikyuu (volleyball), Ace of the diamond (baseball), One outs (baseball), Hinomaruzumo (sumo), Eyeshield 21 (f…
Read at the source02_RK
When I got to know, there is going to be a anime based on Kabaddi, I was over the sky as it has been my favourite game since childhood. Among Indian outdoor games, it is popular one and recently most east Asian countries do participate in the Kabaddi tournament, that must be the inspiration behind creation of the manga and anime.
Overall story was well written for a shonen-sport genre, and characters are likable like Masato and Tatsuya. The animation quality could have been improved, but I am fine with with it even though most parts are slow-mo PowerPoint works.
First few episodes were hard to catch as the Kabaddi team was not formed at that time and Tatsuya was convinced to join the team if he lose against Kei's team. After the formation of 5 men team addition to Masato's recovery from…
Read at the sourcexienna
This was a super light classic sports-anime watch, for various reasons it is only fair to give it an average score, but I still had a good time.
It is overwhelmingly average and tropey, and didn't live up to its potential in any respect: The characters can be quite static because it seems the show goes out of their way to not show their depth, or poorly unveils it. The plot of this season is super simple and feels rather slow or like a prologue, with all the "main players" coming together. The actual matches are animated in... not a dynamic way, which is the thing I have the biggest problem with.
But I don't regret watching it at all somehow? In fact it was enjoyable and brought me energy. I had a really great time with the characters outside the matches in the slice of life moments, gre…
Read at the sourcewhiplashh
i liked it, it was ok the first half it got better i find as time moves on the bad part is the animation its bad they didnt do much animation wise. the story i find is ok paceing is slow very slow doesnt make much progress makes some butt not a lot. the best part is the characters theres funny moments and it saves the show for me, the sport this shown in the show is not popular is barely known in most parts of the world which i think makes the show better. if theres a season 2 id say make sure theres better animation. and a bit more epiodes for me this show needs 24. the bad part about this show is a season 2 is unlikely, (if not very unlikely) im qiute sad about this fact my rating will stay 8/10, if theres a 2nd season i will update this review. for now we have to end on a sad note.
Read at the sourceVELVET_BLUES
Love the art style! Has a lot of texture, vibrant, detailed, and is exciting to watch. The characters have great personality. The dialogue is up a level from the typical shounen anime you see. All in all, was a lot of fun to watch, f you love sports anime like 'Haikyu!!' then, give this one a shot! Highly ...
Read moreCharacters are interesting. VA cast is amazing.
Story is energetic and exciting too.Show is pretty good but it feels that the budget is kind of holding certain things back in some ways. some of the stuff feels a little too quick in pacing and some of the animation (in motion) can be a bit basic.
Read at the sourceren0080
Let me get this straight. This is the 3rd best anime this season in my opinion. Just behind Fumetsu no Anata e and Shaows House.
That's a pretty bold statement I know, but hear me out.
I'll explain myself in this review.
The story is just the typical sports plot where team finds MC, then get themselves stronger as they go to the Nationals. You know, the basic stuff.
But the way this anime handles this just reminds me of Slam Dunk. You know, arguably the best Sports Anime of All Time.
Why do I compare this mediocre-looking series to a legendary series you may ask?
Simple. Because unlike every other sports anime where they basically speedrun the entire shounen sport formula, this anime treats it's story not just going from plot a to plot b, but treats it carefully with natural progression…
Read at the sourceESER10
This had potential to be amazing. Instead, it's just…. Decent. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this show quite a bit, but it just does not hit anywhere near the potential because of the extreme lack of animation.
But before getting into that further, what is this show about? Shakunetsu Kabaddi is about the sport of Kabaddi, which I knew absolutely nothing about. It's a sport that's most popular around India, and to oversimplify the rules drastically: two teams of 7 on each side of the court take turns to send one person to the other side and tag others out, while trying not to get tackled. If the person makes it back to their side of the court, they get points and tagged people get out, if not, the defending team gets the point and the failed attacker gets out. That's the simpl…
Read at the sourceIrrelevantGuy
Kabaddi is a fairly popular sport in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent where it is often played by rural kids during the summer. In my country Bangladesh, kabaddi is officially recognized as the national sport, and I myself used to play it a lot few years ago. All of this makes the sport seem very favorable, but when you go past South Asia, you begin to realize how obscure it actually is. Outside the boundaries of Asia, it is extremely difficult to find someone who has even heard of kabaddi, let alone someone who has played it. Guess how surprised I was then, when I heard an anime about kabaddi was going to air this season, and it would somehow turn out to be good.
Shakunetsu Kabaddi is surprisingly a decent take on kabaddi that succeeds at doing many things right. Many peo…
Read at the source