Review of Stars Align

I started watching the show when it was over halfway into it's runtime. I knew what I was going into, I knew this wasn't going to be just any sports anime. However, I didn't think I'd get this attached to this show this quickly. I'm very biased of course, I'm a sucker for drama, and I find a strange sense of comfort in crying over shows, so it's no wonder this kind of show would be right up my alley. The story premise is very simple: There's a failing club who needs to stop being a failure ASAP, there's a new kid in school with askillset very fitting for this club, and with enough begging and money from the captain, the kid joins the club and helps them improve their game. In these 12 episodes, we got to see the team improve, we got to see them prepare and strategize and we got to see how far they've come when we see them actually play.
Of course, there's the side stories, there's the personal character arcs, but I will discuss them more when talking about characters, as I feel that "story" refers to the main plot. Despite only accounting for half of the story planned for the series, it manages to be self-contained and get through all the important plot points between the start of the episode and the end of the tournament arc without feeling rushed. I feel like the simple story compliments the complex characters quite well. 10/10

Not gonna lie, what sold me on watching the show was the art. The artstyle, the character designs, the animation, it was all so pretty to look at, it just hooked me right in. I like the pastel colors the art usually has, which turns into much harsher tones with much more dramatic contrast in more serious scenes. I also love how depending on the scene, the transition between scenes can be either extremely smooth or very drastic, and it just adds so much to said scenes. The art in this show is just flawless, what can I say. 10/10

The soundtrack is amazing, there isn't much to say here, but the sound design in this show is hands down the best I've seen ever. The way the music can suddenly stop to create this tense feeling, the way the OST just enters into a scene perfectly. Each sound effect, each stop, every action is just complimented by the perfect sound. If I could, I'd give the sound 11/10, but that's not an option, 10/10 it is.

Before I discuss the characters, I will say something which I took into heavy consideration when evaluating the character writing: as of now, the show is only halfway done. It was planned for 24 episodes, but because it was cut to 12 late into production, the team working on it decided to release half of the story they intended while planning on a sequel in the future. As such, it makes sense for there to be many unfinished character arcs, along with it feeling like there were too many backstories for a 12-episode series. Because it wasn't intended for 12 episodes.

I love all the kids on the team, I love the team's coach, I love Maki's mom, I love Mitsue and I like the president of the student council. One thing that many shows lack is realistic characters, but this show is one of the rare few that has very real characters. I know a Touma in real life, I know a Yuuta in real life, I know a Joy and a Taiyou, and I don't mean that as in I know people with these names, I know people whose personality is very close to one or more of the characters. The show introduces us to the main casts's personalities within the first 2 episodes subtly yet in a way most people can understand. You can basically break down every member of the team into one word. However, as the show goes on, and we learn more about the characters, we explore their different sides and learn about why they're even in this club. And that's where the problem begins.
Remember how I said the show wa cut in half? This is the part where it's most prevalent. There simply wasn't enough time to go through everyone. The first 5 or so episodes had a major focus on Maki, our main character, and had we not been hinted with greater arcs for the other characters, you could've convinced me that it was supposed to be this open-ended 12-episode series. But there was focus on other characters. Nao had the majority of his arc covered from what I can tell, but Touma's and Tsubasa's arc barely even started, with Taiyou and Mitsue only getting hints of future character stories, and that's not even talking about other characters who had established their stories! Had this been a stand alone series with no indication or hopes for a second season, I'd give a 7 at best for the amazing writing but the lack of closure, and a 5 at worst. However, taking into account that there will be a sequel, and the characters will most likely get their closure, I'm rating the characters as 8/10.

The biggest issue this show has (other than the character problem caused by the current lack of sequel) is that it's extremely depressing. Many people claim the show to be overly dramatic to the point of it feeling unrealistic, mostly because it appears as though basically every character has trouble at home and it's very unlikely for there to be this many kids with issues gathered in one place. This section is basically where my bias for drama and sad stuff comes in, because I personally enjoy it quite a bit for different reasons.
To me, having this many nutcases gathered in one area is normal. Anime conventions exist. Now seriously, people with similar traits simply attract. They all have different reasons for joining the soft tennis club, and I think they have such good chemistry because they understand each other's circumstances so well. One character is insecure about a certain aspect of themselves? The team makes sure they feel valid and safe. A character is put in an uncomfortable situation because someone doesn't really understand that they're making them uncomfortable? The team will call out the guy and fend him off. I feel like this wouldn't be possible had they not had that unity over their personal hardships, and their character dynamics are also amazing to watch as a result, adding to my enjoyment.
I will say that sometimes this show can get TOO real. At certain points, I could relate with a certain character to an uncomfortable degree, and I had something resembling a panic attack for two minutes. I would definitely put some trigger warnings on this show, but I think a viewer can tell for themselves whether or not this show is for them after the first episode. 9/10

Overall? This show is amazing, has great potential, will solve most of it's problems simply by having those other 12 episodes Studio 8bit planned on released eventually, Maki said trans rights, 10/10 for me