All Out!!

Episode 12

Keijo's back, and everyone's having a blast. Well, except for Sekizan, who has to keep his personal fanboy Taira from getting too excited even for a shonen series. Taira's adoration really should boost Sekizan's ego, after coach's speech about the benefits of training with high-level players sent him into pink brooding mode (or maybe it was just Taira's presence). While the collective Keijo boys deserve a few exclamation points to their name for likability and camaraderie, Miyuki's excitement at playing with Iwashimizu and Gion (who he simply adopted into their little club without any jealousy) makes him the most adorable of the bunch. His ardor is symptomatic of the whole episode; everyone's so enthusiastic that it's infectious, but Keijo's not in this out of the goodness of their hearts. They followed Jinko's journey almost as closely as we did, and the respect between both teams is mutual. Keijo's not the only team with adorable players, either.

I already voiced my surprise at how much I've come to like (and even root for) Gion, something I'd never thought possible after the first couple episodes. Between his eager but improvable note-taking ("kick super far when everything goes scrappy"), his belly button tunnel vision, and his surprisingly respectful attitude, he's worthy of calling himself a brother to his teammates now. As a team, Jinko has also come around big time in just one month since they last played Keijo. In real life, their progress would be much too fast to be believable, but as far as logic in sports anime is concerned, this is a fairly realistic journey.

With all those nice little new (and old) joint practice team dynamics shaking things up, this episode's game is gripping despite a few too many slideshows. Of course, Iwashimizu and Miyuki are at an advantage thanks to knowing each other's game plays, and it's just heartwarming to see Miyuki being able to tease Iwashimizu without the gentle giant relapsing into shell shock. More interestingly, Iwashimizu, while still a sensitive guy, actually has a more calculating and competitive side that, just like Gion's discovery of emotion beyond anger, makes him so much more likable. But even if those dynamics are all portrayed well and greatly increased my own excitement watching the practice game, I'd still attribute at least 50% of my emotional involvement to All Out!!'s musical score. It's just that good. When the theme starts crescendo-ing after Miyuki figures out the belly button "secret", I wanted to run after the ball – and there's little I find less compelling than real-life ball games without a narrative attached.

Since we're now familiar with the key players and most important rules of rugby, the game's sideline commentary can shift to both coaches musing about youthful impressionability, a state Komori is becoming rather fond of after dealing with seasoned adults, who are probably much less interesting from a trainer's perspective. I'm glad we still haven't entered tournament mode – All Out!! really wants us to care about these boys before sending them off into the wider world – but while all that mutual respect is wonderful (especially after my weekly dose of Warm-yet-thrillingly-competitive Fuzzies on Ice just ended), I'm not sure everyone getting along and being lovable will be enough to carry the show's likely tournament-oriented second cour.

But that will be a problem to discuss when and if it arises. For now, I'm pleasantly surprised by how well All Out!! balances amicable rivalry and competitive thrill.

Rating: B-

All Out!! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.