It's funny because I just rewatched my old ADV single disc releases of this show a month ago (back when anime was $35 a disc at Media Play... the dark days). As I watched it, I couldn't help but think that even with the issues in the animation quality (the 90s were a different time), this show still holds up and makes me cry several times in just the last episode. There are shows I like more, but
...
It's funny because I just rewatched my old ADV single disc releases of this show a month ago (back when anime was $35 a disc at Media Play... the dark days). As I watched it, I couldn't help but think that even with the issues in the animation quality (the 90s were a different time), this show still holds up and makes me cry several times in just the last episode. There are shows I like more, but there aren't shows that I enjoy more than Princess Nine. Well, maybe One Outs... Come on CR, pick up another baseball series!
The plot is pretty boiler plate sports, especially baseball, anime. A ragtag team is thrown together and they have to overcome difficulties to be a team and compete. Like most sports anime, winning matters less than coming together and figuring out who you are in this world. There is a love triangle, and most of the standard tropes you would find in a sports or a shojo anime. In 26 episodes, each member of the team is given her own path to develop, side characters are fully fleshed out, and the games are compelling to watch every step of the way.
So pretty boiler plate, right? Well, yeah, it's not doing anything new, but what it does do is deliver very real, honest characters, who are not always likable, but who are compelling and struggling to find their place in the world. That's not new either, but it's so well done that I have watched this more times than I care to count.
So, a quick rundown? Why not.
Art is solid and characters stay on model. The animation quality relies heavily on "limited animation" because this title did not have a lot of money behind it. Corners had to be cut to get it out. Expect to see a lot of stills and a lot of reused cells. It was the 90s, this was the standard. The designs are charming and they manage to fit both a sports and a shojo aesthetic well enough. Voice acting is stellar for both the sub and the dub (this is one of the few dubs I do recommend). And the music is memorable and amazing. The music alone is likely to make you cry during several episodes because it is so skillfully used to enhance the story (Yuki's episode at the training camp - have a box of tissues).
This is also a show that gives itself to binge watching, another common feature of sports anime, because many episodes will leave you with cliffhangers. Give in and binge.
There are some flaws here, yes, but those are part of what anime was in the 90s, and they shouldn't be held against a show that was doing what was the industry standard. It's not groundbreaking in any way, but it was and still is a worthwhile watch. I'm so pleased that CR picked it up.
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