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6 years ago in 2016, there once was a thread about Sports Anime. Not any one in particular, just Sports Anime. While it may have unjustly wilted and fallen into archives a short year later, the spirit of the thread did not die...! Inspired by that thread and the ongoing simulstream of sports anime, I have decided to try tweaking and reviving this concept centered around  Seasonal Sports Anime! And then after some  This season has seemed pretty robust for Sports, pending the breadth of your definition. While BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story- seems the runaway hit, discussion on Ao Ashi is positive, and both Fanfare of Adolescence and Dance Dance Danseur have been sleeper surprises. There's also Love All Play if your badminton thirst runs deeper than what last season's Ryman Club could slake. So if any, many, or all of these have caught your interest this season, post away! Especially if you're watching Love All Play, which I'm not watching and have heard nearly nothing about. Synopses below:  Ao Ashi posted:Ashito Aoi is an aspiring football player from a backwater town in Japan. His hopes of getting into a high school with a good football club are dashed when he causes an incident during a critical match for his team, which results in their loss and elimination from the tournament. Nevertheless, he catches the eye of someone important who happened to be visiting from Tokyo. How will things turn out for Ashito?  BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story- posted:Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story is a youth story centering on two female golfers. Two girls, Eve and Aoi, who grew up in completely different circumstances and have different play styles, are caught up in the world of women in golf.  Dance Dance Danseur posted:Junpei is happily snoozing away during his sister's ballet recital when a male ballet dancer steps onto the stage. Moved by the strength and skills the dancer displays, the boy discovers his love for this art.  Fanfare of Adolescence posted:The story follows three 15-year-old boys who go to a prestigious horse racing academy to become jockeys. The three-year academy is 10 to 20 times harder to enter than most schools, and whoever wishes to enter must pass an academic, physical, and fitness test.  Love All Play posted:Ryou Mizushima enrolls in junior high and joins the badminton club with great vigor. Although the club didn't have a proper coach, Mizushima improved his skills with his own physical strength by the time he participated in the prefectural tournament. Afterwards, he is approached by the Yokohama Minato High School's badminton coach, Ebihara. If you're interested in the aforementioned simulstream, you can join us HERE each Thursday at 6:30PM CDT for the new episodes of Birdie Wing, Fanfare of Adolescence, and Dance Dance Danseur. All five titles stream on Crunchyroll, times below: Ao Ashi, Saturdays at 12:00PM GMT BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-, Tuesdays at 10:00AM CDT Dance Dance Danseur, Fridays at 1:45PM CDT Fanfare of Adolescence, Saturdays at 11:00AM CDT Love All Play, Saturdays at 5:00AM CDT dogsicle fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Apr 26, 2022 |
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Apr 26, 2022 03:17
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 12:49 |
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to kick things off, takes on some of the shows that haven't really popped up in the main seasonal thread yet: Fanfare of Adolescence - these early episodes have been more focused on expanding the cast and building their dynamics, but with ep3 tying up Grace's initial arc i'm looking forward to a greater focus on the riding aspects in the context of our cast, rather than the ep2 race that had one of their senpai/alumni. seems like a solid pickup if you have a bias for cute guys and antics, and if cg horses won't send you screaming. there is something so funny about having a typical Sawano insert with vocals kick in over a cg horse race. Dance Dance Danseur - i had read the first chapter or two of this manga and put it down, since its Welcome to the Ballroom vibe incl the toxic masculinity angle felt redundant. the anime seemed like a decent time to reevaluate and i have honestly been loving it! the character designs are definitely a hurdle, but Junpei's struggle to be honest and figure out/admit what he actually wants is alternately compelling and hilarious. he's a bit stupid, can't keep a poker face to save his life, and Miyako or her mom always seem to be around to take the piss out of him. the dancing has also been solid so far, and the OP/ED are both great.
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Apr 26, 2022 03:32
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by popular request of Strange Quark, feel free to share non-seasonal sports series thoughts here as well. with Summer being comparatively light on sports, i'll probably try a 1:1 reboot of the original Srice thread then. 👍
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Apr 26, 2022 03:54
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dogsicle posted:by popular request of Strange Quark, feel free to share non-seasonal sports series thoughts here as well. with Summer being comparatively light on sports, i'll probably try a 1:1 reboot of the original Srice thread then. 👍 another win for the books lads 
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Apr 26, 2022 04:47
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Here are my recommendations for sports anime/manga. There may be more and some are more sports adjacent. Also, I tend to prefer sports anime/manga that are more closer to the sports than the over the top ones. Soccer - Ao Ashi - Giant Killing - Be Blues - Farewell, My Dear Cramer Baseball - Major/Major 2nd - Ace of Diamond - Adachi manga/anime like Touch, Cross Game, Mix - Rookies Basketball - Slam Dunk - Real Others - Chihayafuru - Ping Pong the Animation - Run with the Wind - Yowamushi Pedal - Capeta - Redline - Yuri on Ice - Megalo Box - Welcome to the Ballroom - March Comes in Like a Lion
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Apr 26, 2022 05:40
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As I am incapable of watching more than a couple anime a season I have unfortunately only been watching 1 new sports show but it’s been good. Been looking forward to seeing Aoi Ashi animated for awhile and Im liking it so far. The manga is very good and it’s looking like a real solid adaptation. I hope it’ll convince people to give the comic a go as well.
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Apr 26, 2022 05:55
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i am very happy to have a good footie anime after the disaster that was (imo) Days. Been reading the manga for years and it's honestly always great. Since first encountering it in Diamond no Ace, I've started to really like protagonists going to bigger clubs. It makes it possible for the sport itself to be more grounded and somewhat realistic. In terms of recommendations, my absolute favorite sports anime is Big Windup/Ookiku Furikabutte. The relationship in the team and how they all personally develop is such a joy to watch.
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Apr 26, 2022 13:07
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One thing I like about Ao Ashi manga is that the mangaka seems to know the nuance and inner detail of the sport and actually like the sport. Too often sports manga, the mangaka/author have just a very basic level understanding or no understanding of it. I also like that it takes place in a youth professional environment vs the typical high school sports team environment. I cannot wait til the anime gets to a certain part of it and would like to see new viewers there reaction on it. So far I'm not a big fan of Ashito's VA. It could be the lines that are given to him so far.
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Apr 26, 2022 18:34
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I recently finished watching Ahiru no Sora, and it's... pretty mid. At the immediate surface level, the animation never really goes beyond perfunctory in the basketball games, with many scenes being obvious manga panel stills embellished with some sliding motions in the foreground. As is rather infamous, the animation team tries to ape Kuroko's Basketball in converying how fast the characters are moving, but without the polish of Kuroko's production it just looks comical. Game flow massively suffers as a result, so it's hard to get invested in games when it's often unclear what plays are happening. Storywise though, I have to give the show props for not being a cookie cutter underdog narrative. We start with the basketball team as a complete sham and front for a delinquents' hangout brought about by the school's mandatory club rules. So when the team does get dragged into trying to play a game, they suck. A lot. They never win any of their practice games. They lose their first match in the tournament prelims. In fact, in the show's 50-episode run, the team plays five games and wins exactly zero of them. The basketball games aren't really what's important in the show though. They're simply the medium for carrying the real meat of the show: the character arcs. You've got the usual spiel with the kids about finding a passion and working hard to achieve something even if you fail, but I find the advisor to be the most compelling character as the representation of the primary conflict of the series. Because of their reputation, the basketball team commands not an iota of respect from the school, neither from the faculty or the other students. The advisor comes in only because he is told to by the principal, and he immediately lays it out that he is not invested in the future of the team and would really have it be disbanded as soon as possible. He is convinced that people don't fundamentally change, but the team's earnest efforts to get better and make up for their mistakes slowly wins him over. They might cause trouble and get into fights, but they're ultimately just kids, and kids need to be nurtured and encouraged, not abandoned. It's a sweet sentiment, but it's a bit undermined by how much of this show is its very lame treatment of its female characters. We get a scene early on with one of the main characters trying to peep on the girls' locker room and then steal their underwear, and that pretty much sets the tone for the entire show. The most egregious instance is when they play a practice game against the girls' basketball team. When the coach brings it up, the boys scoff at the idea that any game with such a lopsided physical advantage could possibly be worth going through, and one of them cheekily suggests that maybe they'll be motivated if the girls all strip naked if they lose. This turns into the captain of the girls' team getting stuck as the sole victim of the losing condition, and absolutely none of the boys even try protesting this despite the show presenting some of them elsewhere as good-natured and nice people. I've never been a high school boy, so perhaps having uncontrollably horny urges is simply accurate to real life, but I'd rather not see it in my media. Ahiru no Sora is basically a melodrama in disguise, complete with a obviously dying mom for the protagonist, and to that effect it's pretty good. Worth a look if you can ignore the lackluster animation, somewhat slow pacing, and questionable characterization, but there's no doubt in my mind that the manga is the better format for the series.
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Apr 28, 2022 07:30
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We're four episodes into Fanfare of Adolescence and it's been very promising so far. I went into this show expecting nothing other than knowing that the director served as the episode director of three random episodes of IDOLiSH7, but it's got the vibe down pretty good. You've got the usual mix of stupid, wacky antics, but I especially like how the show has been weaving in the cast's anxieties and insecurities. Our main character is a recently retired idol, and unlike a certain other show (Aquatope), it's actually feels like a purposeful element. He gets recognized in public all the time and it clearly bothers him, and one of his jockey classmates had bought into the whole idol inspiration thing as a fan and now has to deal with the disillusionment of realizing his favorite idol wasn't actually enjoying what he did. An easy rec to idol drama fans if it can deliver on the character arcs it's set up. Dance Dance Danseur has been great too. I've always been partial to arcs about learning to get over oneself, and episode 3 went full in on it with our protagonist struggling to do the right thing as his ballet rival who he doesn't really like gets repeatedly bullied by his lovely friends. The fight against his deep seated issues is the most interesting part of the show so far, and I hope that the episode ending with him fully accepting he wants to do ballet and rejecting his friends doesn't mean the end of all of it.
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Apr 29, 2022 03:20
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Birdie Wing's music during the golf course reveal and the one for Vipere's entrance in this week's episode is killing me. Once again this show is giving me everything I want out of a golf anime. That final scene... 
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Apr 30, 2022 16:10
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not that it was unexpected, but glad Ao Ashi has closed out the tryouts this week. it's still in a place where i'm not finding the other kids particularly compelling aside from how they bounce off Ashito, though Akutsu was a great heel in the match. i think the issue only stands out to me because they draw attention to some of them for strange moments like Otomo's "I can focus in the game simply because I like soccer" or the beady-eyed kid that pulls about equal focus in the episode to just hype Ashito to the audience as he's washing out in despair. with Birdie Wing i just hope it stays on the bullshit, though maybe "shady money match vs snake-themed bdsm lesbian in a fully modular underground golf course" will prove hard to top. the excess on display is just astounding between Vipere's theremin theme, her obnoxiously loud zipper and tongue noises, the transforming course being animated like a mecha launch sequence, and the entire romcom sequence of rushing to meet Aoi. really hoping now that Vipere has been defanged she falls into the comedy villain support squad with the other hustler Eve busted. Strange Quark posted:We're four episodes into Fanfare of Adolescence and it's been very promising so far. I went into this show expecting nothing other than knowing that the director served as the episode director of three random episodes of IDOLiSH7, but it's got the vibe down pretty good. You've got the usual mix of stupid, wacky antics, but I especially like how the show has been weaving in the cast's anxieties and insecurities. Our main character is a recently retired idol, and unlike a certain other show (Aquatope), it's actually feels like a purposeful element. He gets recognized in public all the time and it clearly bothers him, and one of his jockey classmates had bought into the whole idol inspiration thing as a fan and now has to deal with the disillusionment of realizing his favorite idol wasn't actually enjoying what he did. An easy rec to idol drama fans if it can deliver on the character arcs it's set up. i definitely had expectations/hopes for Fanfare more centered on the details and practice of racing which at least up to now has been scarce, buuut that's fine. the Aki backstory really hit a surprising note of fleshing out the world, to have a character with a deep connection to Yuu's idol work that raises beyond the already-there elements that could often fade into the background (e.g. the documentarian staying with them, some extras recognizing Yuu). fingers crossed on Danseur continuing to include his dumped friends/uncle. it does seem like the sort of thing where the series could relax after having cast off the big obstacle in the way of its main focus and end up not looking back. i'll say i really enjoyed how Junpei's attempts to resolve the bullying he caused, even the one that seems to have succeeded, are all just so half-assed and don't show any real thought to or understanding of Luou. it's a realistic and interesting resolution since there's still a lot to work through between the two of them even without Miyako complicating that relationship. UnderFreddy posted:i am very happy to have a good footie anime after the disaster that was (imo) Days. also  all my homies hate Days. still a very strong memory of feeling let down by that anime and its excessive focus on an awful lead while other characters would show promise they never explored.
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Apr 30, 2022 17:59
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Vipers also driving Eve to the course in the original Lupin car was just amazing
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Apr 30, 2022 18:16
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For a second I was almost expecting eve to hit a golf ball into the jet engine
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Apr 30, 2022 20:19
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kirtar posted:For a second I was almost expecting eve to hit a golf ball into the jet engine If she had managed to hit the plane would that have been enough to force a landing?
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Apr 30, 2022 22:09
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Akutsu's da best.
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Apr 30, 2022 22:52
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kirtar posted:For a second I was almost expecting eve to hit a golf ball into the jet engine Genuinely thought that was gonna happen lol
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Apr 30, 2022 23:18
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Electric Phantasm posted:If she had managed to hit the plane would that have been enough to force a landing? If it had just hit the fuselage, probably not unless it broke a window. If it went into an engine, yes since birds going into engines are enough to create a pan-pan or mayday situation.
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Apr 30, 2022 23:57
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birds go into jet engines all the time. it is only a problem if the bird strike exceeds tolerances based on the engine size and the total mass of birds that go in. you can't really avoid it entirely. likewise, small rocks also regularly get sucked in while taxiing. i don't think a golf ball would be much of a problem, but that's a normal golf ball and not a rage-fueled golf super power like in birdie wing.
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May 1, 2022 01:16
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Nothing really to say about Ao Ashi ep 4. It is following the manga pretty closely. The animation is fine with some wonkyness for a bit. I do like the casting of Akutsu. They have done his character well. I do like how the main point of the tryout to gauge how the players respond under adversity and see how they handle it mentally.
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May 1, 2022 02:13
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gimme the GOD drat candy posted:birds go into jet engines all the time. it is only a problem if the bird strike exceeds tolerances based on the engine size and the total mass of birds that go in. you can't really avoid it entirely. likewise, small rocks also regularly get sucked in while taxiing. i don't think a golf ball would be much of a problem, but that's a normal golf ball and not a rage-fueled golf super power like in birdie wing. It is a Blue Bullet after all.
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May 1, 2022 02:14
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I caught up with BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story- and I am all for what they are trying to do. The over the top golf works and I think the main characters are likable unlike a fair amount of over the top sports anime. I lol'd at the pacman golf ball and the Gunpla inserted into the show. They need to embrace that more and put more Bandai Namco property in it. I like the random generator golf course concept in the last episode.
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May 2, 2022 06:53
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Birdie Episode 5 More of a low key episode. Nafrece seems to have looks of influence from Japan. Also there were more Bandai Namco reference from the Turn A Gundam gunpla to the costumes in the VR. The next episode looks to be wild. Also, discovered that Nafrece has been used in Madlax and Valkyrie Drive, which were also written by Yōsuke Kuroda who writes this anime too.
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May 4, 2022 09:30
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This week on Birdie Wing - hanging out with your internet GF like its 2001 again
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May 4, 2022 22:46
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Madlax cinematic universe is wild!
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May 5, 2022 00:14
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 very glad Birdie Wing having HTC involved in production treated us to at least one episode of Gratuitous VR. i'm curious of the eventual resolution they'll land on with the girls occupying either side of the golf world, though mostly since i never want to leave the illegal golfing plots e.g. the ep preview confirming my greatest hopes of Vipere as a bumbling ally in this conflict against Catherine (because of course) . Fanfare was in a similar spot this week by having a lower key episode to hit some character beats before ending with an overwrought cliffhanger. I did like Jiro's attempt to talk sense into Hayato via their shared dad issues over the past two eps, and the blowup between Hayato and Yu was great as a conflict that emerges basically from coincidence but could be a good turning point for Yu...unfortunately it seems like Hayato needs to endure a horse pileup before his lesson is learned. 😔 Danseur continues to be excellent, though i don't feel like there's much to add here either. Junpei's entry into actually learning ballet is expectedly without external friction (thanks mom), though i appreciate that they balance his natural aptitude and advantages from solo practice/jeet kune do etc by a pile of bad ballet quirks he's gotten from just dancing as the spirit takes him. same for having Luou not only address his dislike of Junpei for how the bullying situation was handled, but multiply it by the typical disdain for a rough, overconfident intruder you sometimes see from a character already long-established in a given sport/hobby. with Junpei being fully taken by Luou's dancing and coming off less frustrated/jealous of him, it'll be fun to see the unbalanced rivalry develop.
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May 6, 2022 03:21
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nice emotional episode of Ao Ashi this week, gotta love the classic support from friends and family. Quite fitting for mother's day.
UnderFreddy fucked around with this message at 20:45 on May 8, 2022 |
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May 8, 2022 20:43
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I wasn't expecting to see a Barry loving Lyndon reference of all things in triple D this week.
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May 8, 2022 21:48
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Ao Ashi Episode 5: The cost of the Japanese academy football system. I enjoyed the episode. Instead of Nike football boots, the anime replaced it for just a non-branded football boot. It would been nice if they could have gotten Nike on to may emphasize more about the cost of supporting his football dream on the family's tight budget.
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May 8, 2022 23:51
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So I'm assuming from the latest episode of Birdie Wing that we're headed for a surprise golf incest plot twist? That seems like the (il)logical next step here.
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May 12, 2022 10:38
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That doesn't seem particularly likely? Lol the post ED sequence.
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May 12, 2022 20:58
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Sakurazuka posted:That doesn't seem particularly likely? All I'm saying is that Eve's an amnesiac of unknown ancestry, and that usually means she's related to someone else in the main cast. Her turning out to be Aoi's long-lost sister/half-sister seems like exactly the kind of insane melodrama this show would go for. I guess Option B is that she's a secret mafia heiress who's going to inherit the entire Nafrece underworld, though. Or both.
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May 13, 2022 17:46
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The writer used the second one in at least Noir and Madlax so I know what I'm going with.
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May 13, 2022 18:24
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I actually want them to go full Madlad here just cause it'd be so funny
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May 13, 2022 18:40
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Lamo Birdie Wing - having Leo's first on screen role and telling Shuuichi Ikeda to go full Char for the voice would be one thing but to follow it up with Rose having a robot arm is just chef kiss. Also Giving Eva a shot based of her girlfriend too
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May 18, 2022 05:39
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Birdie Wing 7 Lmao at what happened at the ending of the episode with Rose's robot arm exploding.
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May 18, 2022 08:40
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Seems like Eve and Vipere are turning into actual friends as well, which is pretty delightful. I want to see her hang out at the orphanage and get into Gunpla.
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May 18, 2022 09:53
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Why does no one take the flag out of the hole when they're putting....
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May 18, 2022 21:13
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Sakurazuka posted:Why does no one take the flag out of the hole when they're putting.... Flag removal is for the weak and unworthy. You will be mocked by a fifteen-year-old girl, and then the golf mafia will put you down like the dog you are.
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May 19, 2022 03:19
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Ao Ashi ep 6 That guy on the right looks much older than a 15 year youth player.  Ao Ashi ep 7 Some of the animation in this episode is a little rough. Hopefully, they are putting their better talents and time for the actual matches. Aoi learns that football is not an individual sport especially when you are not technically skilled as others.
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May 23, 2022 07:53
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