Based on the manga series by Kei Sadayasu, this series follows the exploits of Harimanada, the newly crowned Yokozuna (Sumo Grand Champion), who during his inaugural entrance boldly declares he's the greatest rikishi (wrestler) of all, and the only true Yokozuna. Not only that, he immediately declares he'll surpass the legendary Futabayama's record of 69 consecutive wins, and that he'll retire if he ever loses, no matter how. From here on, Harima is bent on turning the world of sumo on its head, from wearing gaudy masks to the doyho (sumo ring) to browbeating his already defeated opponents, and of course infuriating the Sumo Association and sumo fans in general.
This is the basic formula stretched across the entire series, it's slightly amusing for the first 5 episodes as Harimanada starts as a mouthy braggart with a weird, dark charisma making the viewer wonder what he'll do next. From here, the story drags and takes a nose dive. Harima is immediately painted as an unstoppable monster heel and there isn't a single moment you feel his hapless in-turn rival stands a chance against him, making the protagonist a rash, paper-thin, one-dimensional bore with no redeeming qualities at all. We never get to know his past, motivations, or anything that explains his cocky attitude and downright evil mindset. The fact Raiko (his weak, wimpy trainer) is unable to put the rebellious wrestler in line and is merely content with the newfound success his stable is experiencing doesn't help, either.
Here is another annoying aspect of this anime: Harima is basically a piece of s***. And flies follow wherever s*** goes. I'm speaking about this little group of ugly, clueless, snot-nosed kids (plus the token cute anime little girl with a crush on the main character) who follow Harima everywhere he goes and root for him simply because he's strong. Not only that, they seem to revel about every terrible thing the rogue Yokozuna does, from crass table manners and heavy drinking to bullying everyone in his way. This kind of turns the series into satire, depicting a modern society in which the youth reject tradition and good morals, choosing to cheer for the bad guy/jerk "because they are cool" instead. Sadly, not too different from reality in combat sports today (if Harima was a real person, he would probably be in the same list with names such as Mayweather, Rousey, Lesnar and McGregor).
There's plenty of underdeveloped characters which could've made the story a lot better, mostly the other Yokozuna, Ozeki (2nd highest rank in sumo) and Sekitori (3rd highest rank in sumo). Tachikaze, Fukazu and Hokudozan all had varied backgrounds and attitudes, and even Chairman Atagoyama's obsession for Harima's defeat and slow descent into madness is interesting enough but merely surface-scratched. We are instead "treated" (too often) to Harima talking smack and abusing rookie wrestlers during his over-the-top training sessions.
The show's tagline reads "A mighty Yokozuna anime that'll make you feel stronger just by watching it". In the end, I didn't feel any stronger. I felt cheated out of my time. And the incredibly asinine plot twist involving a woman wearing a Noh mask made it even more cringeworthy.
I'm sure Professional Sumo, as niched as it can be, can make an outstanding and engaging anime series... this is simply NOT it. Don't waste your time on this trash.
This is the basic formula stretched across the entire series, it's slightly amusing for the first 5 episodes as Harimanada starts as a mouthy braggart with a weird, dark charisma making the viewer wonder what he'll do next. From here, the story drags and takes a nose dive. Harima is immediately painted as an unstoppable monster heel and there isn't a single moment you feel his hapless in-turn rival stands a chance against him, making the protagonist a rash, paper-thin, one-dimensional bore with no redeeming qualities at all. We never get to know his past, motivations, or anything that explains his cocky attitude and downright evil mindset. The fact Raiko (his weak, wimpy trainer) is unable to put the rebellious wrestler in line and is merely content with the newfound success his stable is experiencing doesn't help, either.
Here is another annoying aspect of this anime: Harima is basically a piece of s***. And flies follow wherever s*** goes. I'm speaking about this little group of ugly, clueless, snot-nosed kids (plus the token cute anime little girl with a crush on the main character) who follow Harima everywhere he goes and root for him simply because he's strong. Not only that, they seem to revel about every terrible thing the rogue Yokozuna does, from crass table manners and heavy drinking to bullying everyone in his way. This kind of turns the series into satire, depicting a modern society in which the youth reject tradition and good morals, choosing to cheer for the bad guy/jerk "because they are cool" instead. Sadly, not too different from reality in combat sports today (if Harima was a real person, he would probably be in the same list with names such as Mayweather, Rousey, Lesnar and McGregor).
There's plenty of underdeveloped characters which could've made the story a lot better, mostly the other Yokozuna, Ozeki (2nd highest rank in sumo) and Sekitori (3rd highest rank in sumo). Tachikaze, Fukazu and Hokudozan all had varied backgrounds and attitudes, and even Chairman Atagoyama's obsession for Harima's defeat and slow descent into madness is interesting enough but merely surface-scratched. We are instead "treated" (too often) to Harima talking smack and abusing rookie wrestlers during his over-the-top training sessions.
The show's tagline reads "A mighty Yokozuna anime that'll make you feel stronger just by watching it". In the end, I didn't feel any stronger. I felt cheated out of my time. And the incredibly asinine plot twist involving a woman wearing a Noh mask made it even more cringeworthy.
I'm sure Professional Sumo, as niched as it can be, can make an outstanding and engaging anime series... this is simply NOT it. Don't waste your time on this trash.
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