While Na Nare Hana Nare may appeal to CGDCT fans, I don't think it's quite fair to reduce it to such. It focuses more on drama, characterization and "healing" (iyashikei). In fact, much more so than Sports — a label which it gets purely by convention. The theme of this show is less cheerleading itself and more 応援 ("ouen", i.e. rooting for or supporting someone in a general sense).

As a Brazilian viewer, my score and review for this anime come from obvious motivation. Anna-chan might genuinely be one of the most accurately portrayed Brazilian characters I have seen in anime so far. In fact, a quality of this anime is being mindful of how stereotypes can (should) be used only as stepping stone to further understand a person.

The characters are at the same derived from their archetype but also have elements of a mental universe which extends beyond it. For instance, Anna is the extroverted and out of place Brazilian girl who often fails to read the room and adhere to cultural manners. While this element is initially played for flavor and cuteness, it's later shown to have strongly influenced her past, especially when first moving to Japan. This aspect explains much of her personality and how that has lead her to nurture a deep passion for music, given that she was "rescued" by Y.J. — owner of the vinyl record store which, by circumstance, became a shelter for Anna, a home where she was able to feel welcomed. Similar deconstructions happen with other characters.

As encapsulated by the last episode, Na Nare Hana Nare has an interest in talking about fears, and how these fears become barriers for one's achievements. In order to answer these conflicts, characters need to develop trust in one another and form strong bonds that ought to enable them to keep pushing through their struggles. That being said, while its intentions are kind, it lacks in depth. The show is empathetic, yet fairly shallow.

It lacks a concrete main plot and some kind of lasting message. As mentioned with Anna, the anime does have the ability to be tactful and delicate in how it portrays culture, personality and psychological conflicts — yet, those conflicts are stake-less and "solved" within the spam of 1-2 episodes with the power of cheering.

On the matter of production, Na Nare Hana Nare also suffers. Its style features a poor combination of colored contour lines with a pastel color palette and simple scenarios, resulting in something that is, cryptically, vibrant yet watered down. There is also a more detrimental issue when CGI is used for most of the cheering scenes. This is combined with no camerawork whatsoever, which makes those scenes very bland, if not ugly. But I should leave a positive nod to the work behind the OP and ED, as they are very pleasant to watch, and the art throughout the show is mostly consistent.

As it is, the anime in general lacks originality and depth to persuade a spectator about anything regarding its theme which they wouldn't already be willing to agree with. I did not care about cheerleading before it (as a real life practice) and I've experienced no change in that stance afterwards. Ultimately, one who comes to the show with the proper expectations will be satisfied. I guess it's more accurate to say this show is "comforting" rather than "healing". At the end of the day, this is entertainment, and not meant to provoke thought. It succeeds in such with characters that are generally quite charismatic.