But all the people who are already used to watching sports anime will realize that there surely is one factor that has been held back in it. It is the lead role of female members. Apparently, there are females for sure, but they mostly are available as the sidekicks or the supporting characters. They are either the on the managing business of these male sports characters or maybe their love interests but rarely have they been shown in the sports field playing. There are very few shows that feature the female counterpart being in the first place and leading the show. In a variety of these anime series, all we see is insignificant roles being provided to these ladies who could have done much better given they were put in the leading spot. Thus, here we have wrapped up some of the anime series that show how even females can be dominant in sports-related shows and perform as well as the males were.
Hanebado!
This anime series is rather heartwarming. It makes the audience feel connected to the rage inside the main protagonist because honestly, no one is perfect and we too have failed at some instance of our life and it hurts us. So, the entire spotlight is thrown on Nagisa Aragaki. She is a professional player of badminton and even makes it to the nationals. But unfortunately, she could not win them and was so lost in the sense of shame that she could not face herself. This fact immediately made her lose all the interest that she has in badminton and this is where the series starts. So, we see that Nagisa owns a badminton club where she used to teach young badminton enthusiasts about the sport. But as she got frustrated with herself for losing the nationals, all her anger was cast upon the members who started quitting the place one after the other. Later in the scenes, a new coach is appointed in this club whose name is Kentarou. This new coach adds a new girl to the team and to Nagisa’s surprise, she is the same one who has defeated her in the nationals. As the episodes go by, we witness a change in behavior executed by Nagisa. It is because she has been observing the new girl who has been her opponent and finds out her weaknesses. Nagisa sees how everyone is going through constant fear of self-doubt and self-criticism but they do not stop their journey over that. As she continues to acknowledge Ayano, Nagisa gets her gear back up and starts to practice. Now, all we need to know is whether or not will these badminton players go on to play the nationals once more?
Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls
This anime series starts rather simply while portraying how the people in suburban areas have a normal life. If we look closely into the show, we will come to acknowledge that how determination plays the most important part in our lives and this is what the main concept of the whole show is. So, the main protagonist is Konomi Kasahara. She has always loved to solve puzzles since she was a child as this was something that kept her mind occupied. Although, we know that puzzles are an indoor activity and only our brain gets tired during it, not the body. This thought changes the entire outlook of Konomi on life and she decides to join a physical sport that will do the same task of keeping her busy. Also, the school where she studies has recently installed a giant rock climbing wall in their school stadium. This makes her interest hyped up even more and Konomi realizes that she should at least try this new sport to keep herself busy. Thus, we see her being determined for the sport and practice it to perfection day and night. This is when it gets so inspiring with a nice soundtrack that even the audience would feel like getting up and signing for the rock climbing sport. As for the story, Konomi realizes that she can actually put her abilities to solve puzzles into the sport and have benefited from it. But the climbing wall in her school is not enough for her to practice this sport professionally and thus, she signs up for the Hanamiya Climbing Team. Hopes flutter everyone in the air and we see how happy Konomi is after she finally has found her true passion. She thinks that this is something in her that could take her to achieve bigger things. Obviously, this anime is a very unique take on how the girls can even engage in sports activities that no one thought they could. It is a perfect anime to break the gender stereotypes that is in people’s minds and even encourage young girls to take up sports climbing as their new activity for the summer.
Good Bye, Cramer
If we try to sum up the whole concept of this series, then it is pretty easy because, in this show, we witness the ladies playing soccer. This is obviously a nice activity to take up if one is an athlete. So, the entire spotlight is thrown on Sumire Suou. We witness that this character has a lot of passion for playing soccer while she is a student at the junior high level. Although, she is not able to make much out of it and could not understand why and thinks that it is because she does practice well enough. Later in the scenes, as the episodes go by, we see a plot twist. Midori Soshizaka is the rival of Sumire but she surely makes a very irresistible offer to her. She asks our main protagonist to join the high school team of their school and this is surely like sweet nectar to Sumire. This is where the interesting bits of the anime start and make us crave for the next episode when we finish one. As we can see, Midori is a mean girl who does not like people much. Although, she promises to never leave Suou alone ever. You guys should know that this anime series has not aired yet but it is set to do so very soon. The creators have disclosed that the anime will drop off in April of 2021. All this while, there even exists a prequel of the series called Sayonara Watashi no Cramer Movie: First Touch. If you are liking the concept of what this forthcoming series is going to be like, then the prequel will serve you the best. It is all about how Suou leads her life in junior high school and preps us for the life which lies in front of her. If you have failed in your life and it bums you out a lot, then Good-Bye, Cramer is something you should at least watch once. It gives you the motivation to be unstoppable despite all your failures. The series even teaches the audience how important it is to fail in life because, without that, we will never get to perfection which will come after it.
Kandagawa Jet Girls
This anime features the most amazing visuals that come along with such a strong storyline that just makes fans hooked from the start till the end. I mean, it is based on the world’s most intense water sport that can ever be created, and honestly, what more does the audience need than to watch so much action on the screen? The plot is focused on the girls studying in Asakusa Girl’s High School located in Tokyo. The main protagonist of the series is Rin Namiki who is a transfer student. Life gets too tough at her new school with new faces as she did not study there from the start. Well, the series is very beautiful if you look at how the creators have worked on visuals of the series. Later in the scenes, as the episodes go by, we witness that Rin finds her perfect friend who is just like her and suddenly, things do not seem as lonely as they did before. Misa Aoi is the girl who befriends Rin. The show has drama that involves a sports theme and it gets so interesting to watch. These two friends are pretty good at jet racing and find their true passion in-game. But then comes their rivals into the show in the form of the girls from Musashino Girls High School. This is what forces Rin as well as her friend to set on creating something new for their school. They start inviting people to join their Jet Racing Club. The first person to join her hand with Rin is Misa. The series gets even more intense throughout the episodes as we see how the girls are preparing. After Misa, Rin requires just two more candidates in order to prove their worth against the girls from Musashino. This series is best for all the people who are held back because they think that their rivals are better than them. I mean, Kanagawa Jet Girls is a show that establishes the fact that if you have rivals, it makes you practice even harder and do better than you could have earlier with no one to take revenge on.
Keijo!!!!!!!!!!
This is a very weird anime series that indeed focuses on a very strange sport. Well, you guys should know that entire Japan was taken by storm when this anime released and the sport got too famous that people started playing it in real life too. So, what happens is, the girls who are participating in this series, have to knock off their opponents. Now, you must be thinking what is so special about knocking people off? Well, there are some certain rules as well as the location that makes this game so hard to win. The girls can only make use of two body parts in order to defeat their opponent and to put a cherry on the cake, the sport is set on the top of floating platforms in a pool. This is why it is so unique and is literally lived by the fans in not only Japan but all over the world. So we see that Nozomi Kaminashi is the main protagonist in the series. This woman has been getting popular in the field of sports since the point she has started playing Keijo. Nozomi is a gifted gymnast and she is getting on the top with her newfound interest in Keijo and the people appreciating her. But as always, if you have ever played a game or been in a part of it, you would realize how self-doubt eats the players most of the time. This is the same case with Nozomi as she is constantly doubting herself about whether or not she is going to make it to the top. Well, there is a lot of different themes and genre in this shoe that makes up for the entertaining bits, but then we also have the real-life facts when we look closely and they truly inspire us.
Harukana Recieve
This series is based on the concept of how we lead our life rather simply but one day, at one moment, something might happen and it would change us every point of view. The same happens with Haruka Oozora who comes across a bunch of girls who were playing beach volleyball. As she was eyeing them for quite a bit, the players invited her over to actually play with them and this proves to be a life-changing moment for her. As she was playing the sport, she realized how much she has a passion for this game and would love to explore it even more. Narumi Tooi is one of the girls who were present with Haruka that day who explains to her about the game. Tooi also reveals how she could not move forward professionally after her partner has left the team unannounced. This is the time when Haruka decides to take the matter into her own hands. But obviously, this is an anime show and despite it being based on sports, we will surely have the drama enlisted in it. So, we witness that The Junior Tournament for Beach Volleyball is pretty near and in order to help Tooi, Haruka has to practice the sports day and night so that she can actually be a master in it. Then again, she has just started playing, and to be available at a professional level not only requires practice but a lot of skill management and awareness. Thus, the show gets quite intriguing to watch as Haruka practices her way into the tournament to help her friend. When you watch this show, themes of friendship as well as hard work are evident and make us feel quite inspired. The anime tells us how everything is possible in life if we get up and work for it.
How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?
Well, working out can be quite tiring and it is not always everyone’s cup of tea. The process requires a lot of consistency over time and does not limit itself to just running and doing a bit of push-up. This is the case in How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?. Now, in this anime series, we witness that Hibiki Sakura has decided to join a gym academy because her weight is increasing a lot and she is unable to do anything about it. Although, when she gets there, she is shocked because the entire gym is full of athletes as well as bodybuilders. If you have ever been to a gym, you will also realize how overwhelming it can get to witness people who are better than you at the training. At this place, Sakura comes across a very strange bunch of people and it makes her pretty comfortable. This is when she gets to the gym daily and starts adjusting to her new lifestyle. From the surface, this anime series is not exactly something that is focused on sports but it does have a nice ring to it when it comes to females taking up the physical challenge and overcoming them as equally as any guy would.
Cinderella Nine
Despite being a sports anime that is based on baseball, the perspective of the series is quite unique and it makes up for the intrigue that comes along. You guys should all know that the inspiration behind this show is actually a mobile game. In this game, the players play the sport from their own point of view while competing against the opponent team or their players. This is the same in Cinderella Nine. The audience will be the one in charge and everything is going to happen from their point of view. I know it is very hard to trust that such an anime exists but it does and you need to check it out. As it so happens, the viewer is also a player in the series but they are never given a name or anything that might be helpful in identifying them and I guess, this factor helps in making the audience feel special. So, it is provided that the player is a senior league baseball champion who has quit playing the sport due to an injury. Well, the player now goes on to take part in a new school after the accident that had changed their life. Now, a character named Tsubasa Arihara comes forth in order to become the manager of their football team with her eyes all set on the Koshiennationals. This anime is unique plus it also encourages sportspersons that they can still pursue their dream even after an injury.
Also read: 10 Recommended Anime to Watch That Are Based on RPG Games
