ischinner - 2016-03-23 18:59:56

Prince of Stride has little going for it on paper. It doesn't have a plot, just a genre. The events of the season can be boiled down to "high schoolers competing at a sport" without missing almost a single finer detail, and individual episodes aren't any more developed or varied. The characters by and large are a collection of tropes that the author seemed too disinterested in distinguishing from the countless versions of them you've seen in other anime, none more so than in our protagonist. Without exaggeration, she is possibly the most whitewashed main character I can recall seeing in years; so much so that I don't remember her even appearing in multiple episodes, even though I know she had to have. When combined with the lackluster writing chock-full of canned lines about friendship and emotion,  the undeniable impression is that the people in charge just didn't care about these characters, or that they assumed their audience wouldn't.

That being said, almost none of it matters. I watched every episode, and looked forward to the next, almost entirely on the back of the art here. Even then, in the one thing that it excels at, it isn't particularly creative or complex. Much like it's characters, its pretty plain and unadorned, but goddamn if it isn't just gorgeous. The colors all feel so crisp and clear and unendingly pleasant. It makes me feel like a cat lounging in the warm space near the window; it requires nothing, consists of almost nothing, and fills you with the same sleepy joy.

There's a lot to dislike here. But, as long as that list is, all of the items on it are so petty and inconsequential, and the one good thing it has going for it leaves such a stronger impression, it's easy to think of this show as good. I might recommend that others check it out, though I'd never suggest dropping everything for it. 

pmedhurst - 2016-03-23 05:37:01

The moment I started Prince of Stride, I was reminded–as I'm sure many others were–of Free!. The main character is someone we've seen before, known before, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He's stoic, but his emotions run deep (haha, run, get it? No? Ok.)

The anime is full of bright colors and visually-appealing characters. And they are all loveable. There does seem to be a lot of fanservice, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, and the sound is great. The plot actually develops characters and their backstory, which there is a lot of.

All in all, Prince of Summer feels like an accumulation of other sports anime. It brings together pieces of characters and plot lines I've fallen for in the past, and adds new elements and new colors. Madhouse does a good job with animation, like usual, and the Stride matches are really fun to watch.

So,  yes, I would recommend PoS for those who are looking for another sports anime that focuses on interpersonal relationships as well as the sport itself.

yosinski - 2016-02-07 13:09:00

An anime definitely worth watching, being brushed aside since it's a pretty unoriginal sports anime is simply stupid (most social anime groups claim it is),
how many freerun / parkour anime do you people actually know? With it having 5 episodes out i already love the way this anime is taking with a touch of drama, flawless animation and decent characters.I've been waiting for a parkour-freerun'ish anime for a long time, very glad MADHOUSE finally delivered it.

ohomenick - 2016-01-08 19:11:31

Prince of Stride: Alternative é um novo anime da temporada de Inverno do Estúdio Mad House sobre o clube de Stride da Academia Honen, que outrora era a grande cena mas agora por alguma razão está praticamente extinta ao ponto de nem poderem competir por falta de membros.

Stride é um desporto que envolver seis jogadores por equipa que fazem corridas de estafeta hardcore pelas cidades, digo hardcore porque não é
simplesmente acerca de velocidade, os percursos tem curvas apertadas, obstáculos e podem ser percorridos por vários caminhos permitindo assim uma
variedade de corredores desde sprinters a free runners.  A historia vai relatar o retorno do clube de Stride com os novos elementos às competições com
o objectivo de participar e ganhar no “End of Summer”, uma importante competição no Japão entre várias escolas.

Os nossos protagonistas são uma jovem chamada Nana Sakurai ([Hanazawa, Kana][1])que foi para esta academia porque viu um video que falou muito bem da
equipa de Stride e do companheirismo e quer ser a manager da equipa e acaba por ficar a sua relationer que tem a função de coordenar os corredores
para fazerem as passagens, o Riku Yagami ([Kimura, Ryouhei][2]) é divertido, amigável e naturalmente rápido a correr mas parece que nunca teve nenhum
treino, Takeru Fujiwara ([Okamoto, Nobuhiko][3]) é um bom corredor treinado e disciplinado que era uma famoso Strider na secundária. Estes três novos
alunos da Academia vão reacender a chama do clube de Stride que parece ser algo mega famoso e importante mas que ninguém se inscreve, fuck logic.

O traço dos desenhos é apelativo e apesar dos protagonistas não terem assim nenhum característica visual forte que os torne únicos consegue dar personalidade a todos os elementos, a animação fez um trabalho competente durante todo o primeiro episódio culminando numa corrida emocionante no
final, esperemos que não seja a magia do primeiro episódio e que mantenha a qualidade ao longo da temporada . A banda sonora é energética e os efeitos
sonoros tiveram especial destaque durante a corrida ajudando à emoção.

Vou manter este debaixo de olho para ver como corre porque gostei bastante do que vi no primeiro episódio que foi divertido. A premissa parece interessante, os personagens aparentam ter personalidade e se a animação não perder qualidade poderá ser algo interessante de acompanhar durante os seus 12 episódios.

UPDATE // BORING AF

[1]: http://myanimelist.net/people/185/Kana_Hanazawa
[2]: http://myanimelist.net/people/1762/Ryouhei_Kimura
[3]: http://myanimelist.net/people/270/Nobuhiko_Okamoto