LogFAQs > #968694445

83. Harukana Receive
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35983/Harukana_Receive
Summer 2018 (12 episodes)
My Score: 7/10, MAL Score: 6.65/10
Best Character: Oozora Haruka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxefEMyDsoQ

Premise: Oozora Haruka moves in with her grandmother in Okinawa, and she develops an interest in beach volleyball. First she needs to convince her cousin, Higa Kanata, to play the sport again after she previously quit for being too short.

The Good: Harukana Receive is a sports anime about girls playing beach volleyball. Obviously that lends itself to a certain amount of swimsuit fanservice, but I was impressed at how serious the story was. Beach volleyball is a sport where partners need to rely on each other by predicting movements and covering for mistakes. Kanata decided to stop playing once already because her short height was holding her last partner back. Haruka needs to work hard to convince her to play again. They turn into an effective duo, though. Kanata is more knowledgeable and practiced, but Haruka has the height and an eagerness to learn. I enjoyed following their progress, plus they met some fun characters along the way like foreign twins Emily and Claire. The art style in this was also colorful and vibrant. I thought it looked really pretty.

The Bad: This was one of the few anime in my top 100 I didn't rewatch, but I don't remember it doing anything really bad. There were some dramatic arcs, but I enjoyed those in this almost more than the comedy bits. If I had to pinpoint a flaw, I guess it just wasn't as creative or energetic as some other sports anime I like better. This is laid-back while still having a lot of depth, but it definitely isn't the best of its genre.

Overall: Harukana Receive is a fun anime about beach volleyball. It has the inevitable fanservice and some nice comedic moments, but my favorite thing was the character arcs and how Haruka and Kanata needed to learn to work together. It had a pretty art style too. The worst thing I can say about it is that there are a number of sports anime I like a lot better.

COMING UP TOMORROW:
82: This anime woke up in a basement without any memories.
81: This anime is getting sent away as a punishment.
C64: This character dodged the bullet when I tried to shoot them.

EDIT: Oh, the score for Harukana must've dropped recently. Fixed it. That's too bad though, I liked that it was at 6.66 before!