I feel like there’s one thing I need to get out of the way first… something that a lot of people probably know about me already. I’m not a huge fan of sports anime. I’m not sure what it is, I just tend to lose interest when watching them, so i’m usually not terribly anxious to pick one up. However, in the interest of fairness, I decided to give a few a try this season, to see what I can make of em.

Harukana Receive follows Haruka, a girl who moves to Okinawa to visit her grandmother and her cousin, Kanata. While there, she’s introduced to the joys of Beach Volleyball, as well as confronted with the fact that, for some reason, Kanata had previously quit a beach volleyball team, and some of her teammates still hold a grudge over it.

I’m… not sure exactly what the deal is, but I might give this show a shot. There’s a… certain vibe that I got, from the first episode. Something very similar to Tari Tari, one of my favorite shows. I think there might be some potential here, and i’ll be pretty disappointed if it turns into a big flop, honestly. Besides, a Beach Volleyball-themed show, during the summer season? That’s some well-timed stuff right there.

Visually, the show looks amazing. I’m a fan of beach shots in Anime, and this show seriously has some of the best-looking sand and water i’ve seen in any Anime, ever. The characters are adorable, and the sound design is perfect. There wasn’t anything overly dramatized by music or excessive noise, mostly just the sound of sand, waves, and the volleyball, with a very light and pleasant backing track. Charming is the right word, I think. And the good news doesn’t start there, either.

So often when I start watching a Sports anime, there tends to be a very long-winded description of the sport, someone discovers a “hidden talent” for it, and there’s a dramatic confrontation of some sort, with the ‘villain’ of the series. This first episode had a confrontation, but one of a very different sort, bringing a hint of emotional ties between two of the characters, but you like them all.

All-in-all, what I got from this episode… really, was characters, and story. Good characters, ones that I want to learn more about, and some backstory that seems interesting enough to motivate me to watch the show. If it chooses to focus on these characters, to let them grow and develop, and bring some emotional clout into the story, instead of focusing on the sport itself… this may be a show to look out for.

Anyways, that’s about all i’ve got to say, for now. How are you all liking this summer season? Anyone else giving Harukana Receive a shot? Let me know what you’re thinking of it so far down in the comments! Thank you all for reading, and i’ll see you in the next post!