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Episode Review: Hanayamata

As I think my Preview Guide grades will bear out, I had a stronger first impression of Hanayamata than all of the other titles you mention except Nozaki-kun, and it was because of the drama, not the comedy or cutesy stuff (which I actually think is unremarkable). Except for episode 9, it's worked for me way better than it apparently has for you. But you didn't care for Hanasaku Iroha, either, and that's a series I've thought of more than once while watching this one.

Tried watching Barakamon. Can acknowledge that it was good but could not get into it.

Ao Haru Ride and Baby Steps, OTOH, must have gotten way better after their first couple of episodes because neither one impressed me at all from the get-go.

Well, different strokes for different folks. I don't know what it is that you didn't like about [Barakamon] but I'll concede that Handa isn't the most sympathetic main character. The kids however are a real treat. Voiced by real kids too (who even have the right dialect for the show's setting), which is rare but always nice to see.

I too thought that Ao Haru Ride started off a bit weak - not enough establishing of their attraction before he buggers off and becomes all moody and she goes all shallow. But it quickly turned around and is now one of the best shoujo series in the past few years. Get this; these characters actually talk about their feelings and clear up misunderstandings straight away. Truly there is hope for shoujo romance yet.

True to its name it did take a while, but Baby Steps has really come into its own. The first few episodes were hard to watch as Eiichiro was absolutely useless - which is realistic but boring - but now that he's competent and has the fire lit in his belly he has become a compelling protagonist. Without the earlier trials his (thus-far limited) successes wouldn't be so meaningful. This is what a sports show should be like, instead of some dumb thing like Kuroko no Basuke or Prince of Tennis that throws out realism in order to pander to fangirls. I haven't seen a single superpower yet. (Unless you count "he can serve and volley really well" or "he's a baseline specialist" as a superpower LOL.)

True to its name it did take a while, but Baby Steps has really come into its own. The first few episodes were hard to watch as Eiichiro was absolutely useless - which is realistic but boring - but now that he's competent and has the fire lit in his belly he has become a compelling protagonist. Without the earlier trials his (thus-far limited) successes wouldn't be so meaningful. This is what a sports show should be like, instead of some dumb thing like Kuroko no Basuke or Prince of Tennis that throws out realism in order to pander to fangirls. I haven't seen a single superpower yet. (Unless you count "he can serve and volley really well" or "he's a baseline specialist" as a superpower LOL.)

Hmmm, I must be out on an island in the degree of esteem that I hold for Hanayamata, then. But I'm fine with that because, except for episode 9, I've found it to be a quite emotionally satisfying series. We've definitely had our stark disagreements on execution issues in the past, dtm, so I guess this will just be another such case.

We've definitely had our stark disagreements on execution issues in the past, dtm, so I guess this will just be another such case.

No dice here. The only sports series that ever worked for me (Cross Game) not only captivated me from the first episode but also did it primarily for reasons other than the sports aspect.

Well see, I know you are a sports fan in real life, but the above paragraph tells me that you just do not like watching anime about sports. And that's fine.

However, it does mean that when it comes to judging sports titles your opinion carries no weight.