deerstalker
https://blacknerdproblems.com/live-action-sports-anime-by-any-other-name/
Hear me out. I am fully aware that is a gross misuse of language to call an original live-action television series or movie a “live-action sports anime,” but I also firmly believe that sport anime at this point in common parlance has transcended being anime about sports. Instead, it is more indicative of bombastic, larger than life energy that serves as an introduction to the activity: a protagonist honing their skills in their activity with the power of friendship, mix in a tournament set back arc, and finish with a triumphant main theme track over the final match at NATIONALS.
Sports anime is what got me invested in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim block, largely because I was utterly captivated by the original Prince of Tennis and the utter insanity that came with it. I watched the prodigy, Ryoma Echizan, landing tennis balls perfectly in the corner of the field so there was no dispute about if it was an out, snake shots, data tennis, middle schoolers built like thirty years old. I love sports anime. I love the whole pursuit of Haikyu and Yowamushi Pedal. I love the realistic detailed struggle of Ao Ashi and Dance Dance Danseur.
I love the “basically a shonen” Blue Lock and the heart wrenching “what if sports anime also prominently featured emotional trauma of various Japanese cultural fears” Stars Align. I’ve done the basketballs, the football, the sumos, the kabaddi (yes, that’s actually a real sport). I’ve watched both badminton animes that for some reason exist. I’ve watched an archery one. And despite the differing subgenres, tones, and sports, they all feature the same core elements.
- Sports anime act as an introduction to the sport. One of the main features of a sports anime is that it takes the time to explain the rules and strategies so that no prior knowledge of the sport is required.
- Sports anime feature a protagonist working their way through their own workups, whether it is an inner struggle they must shed or a just learning the fundamentals of the sport after being drafted, or as is often the case both.
- Sports anime follow the structure that after gaining some confidence, the protagonist is just utterly defeated by a combination of a better opponent or their own hubris.
- Following that, the protagonist works to overcome these issues and returns triumphantly to the last major tournament of the season to prove that they are still a contender.
- Crucially, the acts of athleticism and intellect are demonstrated in truly dramatic ways and are the primary focus of the narrative.
I’ve basically laid the standard template of every sports story in existence, but I think the last item on the list is what distinguishes the regular ole sports drama from the live-action anime. Before we get to my list of prime examples of live-action anime, we’re gonna go through some examples of just plain old sports drama.
Friday Night Lights? Sports drama. While football was at the center of the story, the main driving elements had less to do with the sport itself and more about the sport’s insular importance to the well-being of the town, and it doesn’t make an effort to fully elaborate on the sport with the same pedagogy of a sports anime. All-American and All-American: Homecoming? Same deal. They prominently feature sports, but a nontrivial amount of the narrative hinges on interpersonal drama and sociopolitical commentary, and there are several stretches where their respective sports factor into it.
The vast majority of the Rocky and Creed franchise? Straight drama. While they follow a similar arc, a lot of the moments are much more grounded. Although when we transition, there are two notable ones that I will talk about here. Same with Rudy, Remember the Titans, and Coach Carter.
Strangely enough, Cobra Kai exists right at the precipice of this distinction; however, given that karate at some point stops being used for sports and starts being used for all-out brawls in a wide variety of set pieces disqualifies it. Although, there is also an argument that the Karate Kid movies do follow this paradigm.
And without further ado, the five live-action sports anime I’d like to add to the taxonomy.
Spoilers, obviously.
Ted Lasso
There was a version of this list that didn’t have Ted Lasso on this side of the live-action sports anime. That version vanished once Captain Isaac kicked a soccer ball so hard that it made a comical burn hole through the net. That’s some classic anime bull-$#!% right there. Ted Lasso’s certainly unique is that the protagonist is a coach unfamiliar with the sport, but all the other elements are alive and well.
Throughout each season, the fundamentals of soccer… sorry, football are relayed to the audience through Ted Lasso’s eyes, while also exploring a wide variety of interpersonal relationships, always culminating in a big game with even bigger stakes. Whether it’s the first season’s arc of understanding basic soccer, the second season delving into traditional strategies, or the third opining about the nature of Total Soccer, the larger-than-life messaging and matches stand a cut above the rest. Plus, one of the recurring refrains of the show pairs well with another actual anime.
BELIEVE IT.
Sanctuary
There is a sumo anime called Hinomaru Sumo that I watched it on the recommendation of my co-host. It’s a good anime that explains how sumo works on a high school level.
Sanctuary is what I would argue is the live-action big brother anime that I watched because it showed up on my Netflix feed. Its focus is on sumo on a professional level. It is a much darker series, but it is one that takes great care in exploring the ritual, culture, practice, and reality of the sport.
Our protagonist starts out as a delinquent riding on his laurels and natural athleticism. He eventually learns to respect the sport and becomes an actual sumo by the end of the first season. With its heavy stylization and niche secondary character learning about the sport from an outsider perspective, it is my second example.
Queen’s Gambit
I know what you’re going to say: Chess isn’t a sport. To which I say, it doesn’t matter if it’s not a physical activity. The way Queen’s Gambit is constructed it is entirely a sport anime. The rag to riches story. The untimely set back. The chess training montages and corroborating research with formal rivals turned best friends. The epic finale match where our protagonist pushes through the offer of a draw-to-draw proverbial blood and the win.
The fact that there is a freakin’ board game that tries to capture anime levels of precognition of planning is indicative enough that Netflix knew the energy they were generating.
Creed III/Rocky IV
When it comes to Creed III, I’m not actually going to argue why it should be considered a live action anime. Michael B. Jordan already admitted to basing the fight choreography off several famous anime shots, and you can go watch the final fight yourself at this point.
That being said, I’d be remiss not to mention the ur-Example, the predecessor to all of these: Rocky IV. Rocky IV gets elevated into this live-action sports anime list largely because it takes all of the regular sport drama and then decides to amp the ridiculousness of the entire situation by having Rocky fight the literal embodiment of communism to essentially end the Cold War. That’s not your run of the mill sports stakes. That’s something that could only exist in a heightened reality.
The Defense Rests
Please leave any of your favorite live-action anime in the comments below.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!
The post Live-Action Sports Anime By Any Other Name appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Hear me out. I am fully aware that is a gross misuse of language to call an original live-action television series or movie a “live-action sports anime,” but I also firmly believe that sport anime at this point in common parlance has transcended being anime about sports. Instead, it is more indicative of bombastic, larger than life energy that serves as an introduction to the activity: a protagonist honing their skills in their activity with the power of friendship, mix in a tournament set back arc, and finish with a triumphant main theme track over the final match at NATIONALS.
Sports anime is what got me invested in the Cartoon Network/Adult Swim block, largely because I was utterly captivated by the original Prince of Tennis and the utter insanity that came with it. I watched the prodigy, Ryoma Echizan, landing tennis balls perfectly in the corner of the field so there was no dispute about if it was an out, snake shots, data tennis, middle schoolers built like thirty years old. I love sports anime. I love the whole pursuit of Haikyu and Yowamushi Pedal. I love the realistic detailed struggle of Ao Ashi and Dance Dance Danseur.
I love the “basically a shonen” Blue Lock and the heart wrenching “what if sports anime also prominently featured emotional trauma of various Japanese cultural fears” Stars Align. I’ve done the basketballs, the football, the sumos, the kabaddi (yes, that’s actually a real sport). I’ve watched both badminton animes that for some reason exist. I’ve watched an archery one. And despite the differing subgenres, tones, and sports, they all feature the same core elements.
- Sports anime act as an introduction to the sport. One of the main features of a sports anime is that it takes the time to explain the rules and strategies so that no prior knowledge of the sport is required.
- Sports anime feature a protagonist working their way through their own workups, whether it is an inner struggle they must shed or a just learning the fundamentals of the sport after being drafted, or as is often the case both.
- Sports anime follow the structure that after gaining some confidence, the protagonist is just utterly defeated by a combination of a better opponent or their own hubris.
- Following that, the protagonist works to overcome these issues and returns triumphantly to the last major tournament of the season to prove that they are still a contender.
- Crucially, the acts of athleticism and intellect are demonstrated in truly dramatic ways and are the primary focus of the narrative.
I’ve basically laid the standard template of every sports story in existence, but I think the last item on the list is what distinguishes the regular ole sports drama from the live-action anime. Before we get to my list of prime examples of live-action anime, we’re gonna go through some examples of just plain old sports drama.
Friday Night Lights? Sports drama. While football was at the center of the story, the main driving elements had less to do with the sport itself and more about the sport’s insular importance to the well-being of the town, and it doesn’t make an effort to fully elaborate on the sport with the same pedagogy of a sports anime. All-American and All-American: Homecoming? Same deal. They prominently feature sports, but a nontrivial amount of the narrative hinges on interpersonal drama and sociopolitical commentary, and there are several stretches where their respective sports factor into it.
The vast majority of the Rocky and Creed franchise? Straight drama. While they follow a similar arc, a lot of the moments are much more grounded. Although when we transition, there are two notable ones that I will talk about here. Same with Rudy, Remember the Titans, and Coach Carter.
Strangely enough, Cobra Kai exists right at the precipice of this distinction; however, given that karate at some point stops being used for sports and starts being used for all-out brawls in a wide variety of set pieces disqualifies it. Although, there is also an argument that the Karate Kid movies do follow this paradigm.
And without further ado, the five live-action sports anime I’d like to add to the taxonomy.
Spoilers, obviously.
Ted Lasso
There was a version of this list that didn’t have Ted Lasso on this side of the live-action sports anime. That version vanished once Captain Isaac kicked a soccer ball so hard that it made a comical burn hole through the net. That’s some classic anime bull-$#!% right there. Ted Lasso’s certainly unique is that the protagonist is a coach unfamiliar with the sport, but all the other elements are alive and well.
Throughout each season, the fundamentals of soccer… sorry, football are relayed to the audience through Ted Lasso’s eyes, while also exploring a wide variety of interpersonal relationships, always culminating in a big game with even bigger stakes. Whether it’s the first season’s arc of understanding basic soccer, the second season delving into traditional strategies, or the third opining about the nature of Total Soccer, the larger-than-life messaging and matches stand a cut above the rest. Plus, one of the recurring refrains of the show pairs well with another actual anime.
BELIEVE IT.
Sanctuary
There is a sumo anime called Hinomaru Sumo that I watched it on the recommendation of my co-host. It’s a good anime that explains how sumo works on a high school level.
Sanctuary is what I would argue is the live-action big brother anime that I watched because it showed up on my Netflix feed. Its focus is on sumo on a professional level. It is a much darker series, but it is one that takes great care in exploring the ritual, culture, practice, and reality of the sport.
Our protagonist starts out as a delinquent riding on his laurels and natural athleticism. He eventually learns to respect the sport and becomes an actual sumo by the end of the first season. With its heavy stylization and niche secondary character learning about the sport from an outsider perspective, it is my second example.
Queen’s Gambit
I know what you’re going to say: Chess isn’t a sport. To which I say, it doesn’t matter if it’s not a physical activity. The way Queen’s Gambit is constructed it is entirely a sport anime. The rag to riches story. The untimely set back. The chess training montages and corroborating research with formal rivals turned best friends. The epic finale match where our protagonist pushes through the offer of a draw-to-draw proverbial blood and the win.
The fact that there is a freakin’ board game that tries to capture anime levels of precognition of planning is indicative enough that Netflix knew the energy they were generating.
Creed III/Rocky IV
When it comes to Creed III, I’m not actually going to argue why it should be considered a live action anime. Michael B. Jordan already admitted to basing the fight choreography off several famous anime shots, and you can go watch the final fight yourself at this point.
That being said, I’d be remiss not to mention the ur-Example, the predecessor to all of these: Rocky IV. Rocky IV gets elevated into this live-action sports anime list largely because it takes all of the regular sport drama and then decides to amp the ridiculousness of the entire situation by having Rocky fight the literal embodiment of communism to essentially end the Cold War. That’s not your run of the mill sports stakes. That’s something that could only exist in a heightened reality.
The Defense Rests
Please leave any of your favorite live-action anime in the comments below.
Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram!
The post Live-Action Sports Anime By Any Other Name appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Spider-Verse took its 2nd step on the road to becoming one of the dopest animated franchises in history. Yeah, we’re going there with the early GOAT praise pa! Name a better original and sequel! Don’t worry, I’ll wait..
What you got? Shrek 1 & 2? Cars? Toy Story? Respect to Shrek for being nominated for best picture of the year, but part 2 wasn’t even all that. Cars 1 and 2 are dope, but I’m putting Spider-Verse ahead of them, and I don’t think anyone not named Omar would disagree. Toy Story will forever be a top 5 animated movie series, but Spider-Verse has pushed this genre forward the same way that Toy Story and Shrek legitimized them during a time when stereotypical responses of “I don’t watch cartoons” or “Go see an animated movie? Those are for kids” were all too common when you asked someone if they planned to check out those films. Spider-Verse though?! Folx of all cultures, backgrounds, and regions are lining up to inject this visual and audio dopamine into their veins with no regard!
Ok ok, I’ve talked my ish enough, let’s get into the real reason you’re here. That music and mother-son connection!! Let’s start off with the universally appreciated lane of dope music. Maaannn, if you would’ve told me that this movie was going to deliver some of the illest music to vibe to all summer I would’ve looked at you wild skeptical. Metro Boomin is dope, but I wouldn’t consider him a top 5 producer. Now?! Sheeeiiittttt, he just might be top 2 after this performance! While Into the Spider-Verse blessed us with 1 gargantuan mega hit in Swae Lee and Post Malone’s “Sunflower,” this album right here has hit after hit after perfectly aligned hit!
Ok so check it out. The opening scene of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is paired with a song too perfect for its own good. I’m talking bout knock the tube socks off your golden age of comics loving grandpa good. I’m saying that this scene right here my ninja, is putting Nightcrawler’s opening scene from X2 on notice fam! Gwen Stacy is our narrator, and she catches everyone up on what went down in Into the Spider-Verse before diving into her own tragic backstory as Coi Leray absolutely obliterates her song “Self Love” playing in the background.
The melodic cut is infectious as it reverberates in your soul with magnetic synths and soothing vocals that guide us to yet another dreadful moment in a Spidey’s life; this time it’s Gwen losing her first love.
“Self-Love” – Coi Leray
The lyrics of the chorus serve as a double entendre, working as appropriately for Miles as it does for her universe’s Peter Parker. “Self-love / he don’t love himself / tryna love me” Peter didn’t love himself enough to be the confident boyfriend Gwen needed, but instead took the Lizard transformation juice and caught the incidental RIPs at the hands of his boo and shoddy infrastructure. Equally, Miles has lingering issues of mistrust stemming from the revelation that his beloved Unc was the fiendish Prowler. This song and scene (with the help of the astounding visuals) set the tone of the AtSV and allowed me to become fully entranced in the first 10 mins of the movie. That’s how it’s done people!
“Silk and Cologne” – Ei8ht and Offset
As we get to the Morales rooftop promotion party, “Silk and Cologne” begins to play, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for that celebratory scene. Paying tribute to Miles’ families Puerto Rican roots, Ei8ht is serving up heavy handed Caribbean flavor on this one. If you feel like you’ve never heard of Ei8ht, it’s because this is the official debut of the Bajan artist, but you wouldn’t have a clue by the way they body this track. Offset spits some decent lyrics flexing his rizz and bravado to add some grittiness to the otherwise lovely bop.
Now, I need y’all to listen up closely right, because I’m about to put you on to the song that I predict will be the sleeper jam people keep talking about and bumping casually, just like “Sunflower” from ITSV. No boasting about an impressive roster of artists or any wild punchlines, because it’s just James Blake blessing us with the white-boy bops we were promised years ago and never got! Mark my words that “Hummingbird” will take over the airwaves if given the soundtrack single treatment.
“Hummingbird” – James Blake
As Miles lays down on his bed and puts his headphones on, we are transported to Blakeland. A wacky, Funhouse-esqu intro to the song perks your ears up to question “What in the fresh spider hell is about to come out of these speakers?”. Then cool as a penguin sippin iced tea in stunna shades, James Blake slides up in there and vehemently waxes poetic on the track, delivering a jam that is a soft banger, but a banger no less. Miles doesn’t see the portal opening, the things in his room floating in trippy pastel fashion, or Gwen coming in hot for their first encounter in a year.
James Blake’s “Hummingbird” goes hard on all the classic themes: hope, beauty, and love. A hummingbird is one hell of a metaphor as their beauty is uncanny, and they can be used to find the sweet things in life, just as Miles needs someone to help bring “my life back”. Perhaps too fitting, this was “The moment when you realize, There’s someone there that needs you” for Gwen and that is something that will help her navigate through life’s challenges.
“Annihilate” – Metro, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne and Offset
A couple more album cuts make their way into the movie like Metro, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, and Offset’s “Annihilate”. Lil Wayne goes off on the spider references which allows you to transport yourself into the universe of amazing Spider people. Not only does it allow you to get into the mood for all Spidey everything, but it also puts you into the mentality of someone who dons the red and webbed mask to get ready for another day of web slinging and enemy flinging. This was perfect since Swae Lee’s lyrics play, “I just come to my senses / I stay in another dimension / Fear is not existent / Suit up and swing through the city” in that cool, buttery voice of his as Miles and Gwen swing through the city after she surprises our boy with her impromptu visit. Phil Lord and Chris Miller knew they had to get Swae Lee back for the sequel, so he could go hard on the first song of the soundtrack.
“Am I Dreaming” – Roisee & A$AP Rocky
“Am I Dreaming” plays much later in the movie, but it comes out ready to snatch your Spider loving soul with such a beautiful violin matched with the sultry chorus from Roisee. I’d say Rihanna and fatherhood look good on A$AP Rocky, cuz my man’s hasn’t missed since we found out he was dating one of the biggest stars in the world.
“All the Way Live” kicks things into high gear while still maintaining a relatively mellow vibe, a signature of this movie universe. “Danger (Spider)” is bearable, solely because of the fact that JID goes off, as per usual, and helps us forget Offset’s “shpider” mediocrity.
Swae Lee checks in with another banger. This time he has the help of Nav and A Boogie. “Calling” boasts lyrics like “Just to save you / I give alllll of me,” and Bast dam I haven’t heard such a simplistic line that sums up the Spider-Man/Woman mentality! “Link Up” continues the trend of Metro Boomin having complete command of these soundtrack and movie match-ups. He puts together a group of artists from so many walks of life, and my gawd do they lean on, build off of, and mesh well with each other. And don’t get me started on the Red Rat hey you girl inna “Tight Up Skirt” sample on the track!!
As I mentioned, the soundtrack contains hits on hits, and I could go on for days about how I become immersed right back in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse anytime I play my favorite 6-7 songs. But let’s leave a little mystery for those who haven’t bumped the album yet and switch gears to the other reason why I had to see AtSV for a second time immediately.
Miles and Mom Dukes Make Movie Magic
Onto the most touching moment of the entire film; that beautiful scene between our boy and his madre, Rio Morales. Gwen pulls a swift exit after Miles’ mom and dad do their best Bad Boys II impersonation, hit him with the stereotypical but all too real proposition that she probably doesn’t even know how to speak Spanish, and the shift in his mood goes from Ant-Man to Drax with the quickness.
Rio’s moment of realization is portrayed so well by this fire animation team, then it’s time to get down to mom business. She gives Mr. Morales the “I got this” nod of GTFOH approval, and the stage is set for an incredibly tender moment between mother and son.
Sidebar: “I hope I didn’t ice your game man” had me dying. Great comedic interjection before the heartstrings get tugged on.
“It’s just hard seeing my little man not be my little boy all the time.” is a quote that mothers will resonate with. As she straightens up Miles’ shirt, Rio looks at her son with a stoic pride that radiates off the screen. She makes him promise to protect his inner child while he makes his way through this cold world that, unbeknownst to her, he is protecting with his life.
Going back to the Coi Leray track, self-love is a big theme of this movie and Miles has to love the man he is becoming if he really wants to be able to stand on his own two feet and become fully realized. This scene between him and his mother gives Miles the “you got this” nod of motherly approval that can move a man to climb mountains and shatter records, or chase after the girl of his teen dreams.
Most of us can relate to the love and support of a parent that filled you with the confidence and bravado that leads you to achieving what would have been otherwise unfathomable. That’s why this scene resonated with me so much. The music and motherhood all throughout Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is what has me itching to watch the movie for a 3rd time in 2 weeks. What scenes made the movie for you?
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The post Music and Motherhood Elevate ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Perfectly appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.