Review of Stars Align

If there is one anime that will condition you to fear the end of every episode with the sound of a very cheerful ED, then Hoshiai no Sora is THAT anime. One of the main reasons why I've rated this anime a [7] is mainly because I feel like 12 episodes was not enough to truly encompass the story to its potential. I've heard that Hoshiai was originally supposed to have 24 episodes, but was cut down to 12, and you can definitely tell that the story is meant for a much longer anime. It's one of those where, the more episodes you watch little bylittle you learn more and more about each and every character. But because the anime was so short, some of the things that were briefly addressed about certain characters over the course of 12 episodes had been left hanging at the end. Plus, the fact that the ending is an open ending just left me with further questions.

As a sports anime, I think this was okay. Soft tennis (to me at the very least) doesn't sound like a very exciting sport, and if it was any other circumstance I probably wouldn't have watched this, but because there were implications of a much darker (and sometimes almost sinister) theme to the story I was able to stick around. I found it wholesome and heartwarming seeing the boys grow into better and more motivated players who work together with one another. When watching sports animes I typically always find myself getting attached because of the growth of a certain or multiple characters,and this anime was not different in this aspect. I still got attached and enjoyed seeing the boys become better friends and teammates, and then on more than one occasion felt fear and concern for them.

I really loved Maki as a character. He is just great.

If anything, I think this is a great Season 1 to Hoshiai with a heck ton of potential, that is if it gets continued which I really really hope it does. Whether that be through anime, or manga, or a light novel, there are so many things I would love to know about the story and the backgrounds of the characters that the anime does not cover.

Overall, I would recommend this. It's nice to see more sports anime that tackles heavier themes while still getting its audience excited about a certain sport.