RE-MAIN

I don't know much about water polo, but this anime-original has given us an accurate portrayal of that sport in anime. Re-Main was hyped by Mappa so it was an obvious must-watch for fans of Mappa's previous works, such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan season four. Despite it not changing the sports genre in anime, it still showed us that even something as simple as water polo has the potential to be properly animated. Although the pacing for Re-Main is a bit problematic, combined with its character growth, the anime itself is well done, along with these points that make Re-Main good.

The plot of Re-Main focused more on character development than actual water polo, much to its irony. If given more episodes, there would've been more scenes where the main cast starts playing against more rivals, but the pacing goes too slow. It features the main character getting nerfed at the beginning of the anime, but his motivation to join water polo again was honestly wasn't well-written. To cover up for it, it featured the water polo team from Yamninami high starting to improve their status as a great water polo team. However, there were barely any water polo matches, not to mention the anime kept on disrespecting the main cast, which I felt was going too far, even for the creators of Re-Main. A positive note is the amount of character development each member of the team receives. Not only does it emphasize the concept of teamwork, but it gives them their resolve for the future of the series. That said, the pacing for both of those combinations could've been better, but I'm hoping that the anime receives a second season to fix those flaws.

The story itself was somewhat interesting. Because it focused on the main character recovering from a critical accident, it gave him the chance to catch up to what he's missed. Soon, he tries to avoid water polo, but his past as a famous water polo player catches up to him. However, once he meets a girl and learns of a stupid bet he made, it motivates him to continue water polo again, but from there, it drops that reason and focuses on water polo itself. The water polo matches themselves were too short, and they certain parts of the action, which I was disappointed they did. However, I did enjoy the buildup Yamnanami high school had towards their match with Shogakukan, and the way it was delivered was worth it. The growth between the individual characters was executed well, but I wished their resolve was continued beyond the twelve episodes. Overall, the actual combination of character development and water polo was implemented neatly.

The characters and their growth were the central part of this anime that was prioritized over the actual water polo during most of the episodes. A shocking plot twist was the main character, Minato himself. He started weakened from his previous memories. If not, he would've been the most overpowered throughout the entire series. While I liked that choice made to his character, the second half of the anime took a one-eighty when they got rid of his personality we knew and love. While arrogance and rudeness weren't the best parts, they gave him a chance for character development, and I commend that option despite having to endure such a recent change in Minato's personality. The other Yamnanami team had good character growth throughout the twelve episodes. Also, I have massive respect for its racial representation by making one of the characters a Nigerian. I liked everyone's character designs as it matched who they are and how they expressive they were despite the struggle they've been through before the anime began. Though at times, their growth took over playing water polo, which would've been better with the proper pacing, it's hard to do so for an anime original.

The animation for Re-Main was somewhat overhyped. Even though Mappa had amazing quality animation for their other productions, it was almost average. In specific frames, it's visually stunning and had fluid movements, which could've been hard to animate since the characters are constantly moving, but it was well done. The CGI in the faraway views of the characters was a little distracting, but I had no problem. I also liked how they showed the CGI for a short amount of time before switching to the 2D models for the characters. The amount of quality for the animation had given its justice, but despite the use of CGI, Mappa still managed to fix that overly hated aspect and worked around it to satisfy the viewers.

The music for this anime wasn't anything special, but at the same time, I found both the opening and the ending songs to be good. The beginning song itself gives us the impression combined with the visuals makes it look like the next Haikyuu, but it gave that false impression since it mainly focused on character development instead. I liked the ending as well. For some reason, it gave me the impression that if foreshadowed the future teamwork the Yamnanami team developed, and they'll continue to improve. They both sound beautiful, and I appreciate the artists behind both of those songs. They both weren't too exciting, but it was relaxing to hear them thorough the anime.

Overall, this was a decent anime original, not as exciting as the previous season's originals, but at the same time, it wasn't as bad as people make them sound. The character development was incredible, the water polo scenes were visually stunning, and the plot twist with the character's personality change was completely unexpected. Although, I wish Mappa spent more time focusing on playing water polo and letting Yamnanami high have a chance of winning, which they only did once. I'm hoping that this original gets a second season since it sets up for another season, which would be a great idea to accomplish when Mappa completes their upcoming projects for the future of their anime and as they improve on the studio's working quality.