When it comes to volleyball anime, Haikyuu! is already considered the king, and I strongly believe this as well. I bet it's really difficult for an anime of the same genre to exist together with such a giant. However, the new volleyball anime entitled 2.43 didn't disappoint me.
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This anime's full title is 2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu or 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team in English. At first, I was wondering why it's called 2.43? Is there a significant reason for this number? Later on, I found out from the anime that it's the height of the net for men's volleyball from high school to professional ones.
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The main characters of this anime are Chika and Yuni. They are actually childhood friends who got separated when Chika (the one wearing glasses) transferred to Tokyo. However, they got reunited when Chika had to move back to Fukui in the middle of his junior high school years.
Chika came from a powerhouse school for volleyball but for some reasons he had to transfer. Yuni, his childhood friend, is a member of the volleyball team in their junior high school. Sadly though, the club isn't active at all and most of the members weren't that interested in practicing and stuff.
Chika's presence changed that, though... they became more active and competed in some games.
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The real deal didn't really start until they became high schoolers and met the other members of the Seiin High School Volleyball Club.
THE CHARACTERS
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There were quite a number of interesting characters both in their junior high school and high school days, but I must say the story is pretty much focused on the main characters. We might consider all of Seiin as main characters of the series, but there wasn't a lot of background story as to who the other members are.
I personally like to know the characters better, so if there's a chance for season two, I'd love to know the other members more aside from Chika and Yuni. I especially want to know more about their captain Oda and the vice-captain Aoki.
Despite that, I like the character developments of the two main leads. They were different from who they were when the series started, and I'm actually loving it. <3
Art Style and Animation
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The art style is quite simple, but I like the refreshing vibes it has. It isn't as striking as other sports anime, but it's okay. I don't mind this kind of art style.
As for the animation style, it was also okay. I mean, there were really cool plays and heart-racing moments. However, if I compare it with Haikyuu!, I'd say Haikyuu! is more exciting and playful.
I'm not saying 2.43 is not good, but I think it needs more explosiveness especially in the game play. Sometimes everything is just too fast that you'd realize, ohh.. it's done? haha
SOUNDTRACK
I love both the opening and ending song!!! Like soooo much! :D I don't feel like skipping any of them. :)
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They're both really catchy and it's actually nice to listen to. Maybe they';re just my type of music, so I really enjoyed both. :)
WHAT I THINK ABOUT THE SERIES...
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If I'm going to watch it as an exciting sports genre, I wouldn't be very satisfied. My standards might be a bit high since I'm crazy about sports anime, so there are a lot of stuff I can compare it with.
It's a great slice of life with a mixture of sports genre, though. It's refreshing to watch. There were some really exciting moments that are worth anticipating, too.
Another thing I like about this anime is FUKUI-ben. The FUKUI accent in this anime is sooooo cute I can listen to it forever! haha Fukui is a place in the north-central part of Japan. They're accent is so cute and it's being used mostly be the characters in this anime since the setting is in that part of the country. Even my Japanese friend got really attracted to the accent. haha
Overall, I still enjoyed the series. I especially enjoyed the rivalry between Seiin and Fukuho, but it would be much better if the games and the series itself isn't too rushed. I would prefer a slow-paced action packed sports anime. But, this isn't bad at all. It's still nice to watch when you have free time. ^^
If there's a second season, I am still going to watch it. <3