Kabaddi is a South Indian sport in the state of Tamil Nadu. As a sport that isn’t Japanese, it was of course doubtful whether the anime would do justice to the sport and capture its true essence. However, as we at Honey’s Anime watched the first three episodes of Burning Kabaddi, we’re convinced that the author Hajime Musashino has taken great care to ensure that the sport is reflected in its purest form without shying away. The anime shows the unfavorable opinion of people who do not know the true joy of this sport. Even the anime’s protagonist, Tatsuya Yoigoshi, finds the chant of “Kabaddi” during the game unsettling but it is portrayed in a way that is inoffensive.

What’s a sports anime without the power of friendshi- no wait, team? Burning Kabaddi does a refreshing take on this common theme as we get to watch the protagonist Yoigoshi grow with his teammates. As he identifies his weakness of doing everything by himself, we can see the trajectory that the story is taking but that is not a bad thing because this anime has so many other plus points that keep it engaging. One of the best moments so far is when Yoigoshi and Azemichi use the crowds at subway stations to learn how to work together while still getting better at evading people.

The characters of Shakunetsu Kabaddi have unique yet typical anime personalities. But they’re extremely good-looking too! The protagonist, Yoigoshi, is an overachiever who strives to do everything by himself while Azemichi is the complete opposite. They fight against each other a lot but rely on each other at the end of the day. The vice-captain, Iura, is extremely good-looking yet evil and calculating, making him one hell of a character. The other teammates, Date and Misumi, have a very unique bond that makes their walls unbreakable during the game. The anime incorporates simple bonding that the teammates develop outside the court. When the soccer team makes fun of the Kabaddi team with their weird chant, Yoigoshi stands up to them and proves how strong the people in the Kabaddi team are. Another memorable moment was the time Yoigoshi vows to kill his teammate, Azemichi just because he has a beautiful girlfriend. These characters are exactly what the anime needs to make it a joyride. We have yet to meet the captain of the Kabaddi team but if the opening is any indication, we’re extremely excited for it. All the characters have become endearing in just three episodes and we’re excited to see where this journey will take us!

While this anime has so many plus points, it does have its cons such as the animation quality. TMS Entertainment did a fairly decent job but we cannot help but feel that it could be so much better. However, the game progression itself is very well done because of how fast-paced and quick Kabaddi is in reality. But the characters feel a little rough around the edges in terms of animation. While the animation just feels a little sharp and crude, we’re deciding to stick with it because of the wonderful story and anime is definitely more than its animation.