~Episode 123.17~

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm

Studio: Gonzo

Premiere: January 11, 2016

Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance, Sports

Airtime (GMT+9): Mondays at 26:05

Episodes: TBA

Summary:

In a time that's not quite the future, in a land that's not quite Japan, the discovery of anti-gravitons has allowed for easy and widespread flight technology for the masses, no fairy dust required. A culture-shaping advancement like this naturally enables and inspires its own sport, hence the 'Flying Circus,' a sort of acrobatic air race. Hinata Masaya (Osaka Ryota) is an average high school student who once aspired to the professional circuit of the Flying Circus, but after a major defeat has withdrawn from the sport for various personal reasons. But along comes transfer student Kurashina Asuka (Fukuen Misato), who needs someone to teach her how to fly, and Masaya is the guy for the job. As he plays the coach, Masaya begins to rediscover the joy of flight. Will he be able to find his wings again?

Own opinion:

They can range from insipid high school harems to haute tragédie, and all the flavours of mediocrity in between. For what it's worth, though, Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm was a fairly acclaimed title, and as a 2014 fan I really love the game. I played all through the ending with all the routes and yes, it was a very fun game (I wonder if they will add the ecchi scene in the anime). And, of course, let us not discount that the premise has a bit more spice to it than the usual troubled boy meets manic pixie dream girl, with its sci-fi sports angle. Nothing captures the human imagination quite like flight, and no medium has been more in love with flight than anime ever since Castle in the Sky Laputa. If Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm manages to capture that spirit, we'll have a compelling show ahead of us. Let's just cross our fingers that this will be a good anime!

Rank: 5 over 5 stars