Giant Killing – First Episode Review

Episode Summary: The East Tokyo United football team has been in dire straits, losing many of its recent games and suffering from a lack of team morale.  Each new manager is out the door nearly as soon as he sets foot inside, and the prefecture represented by the team is considering pulling its financial support, a major blow to a team with no other large sponsor.  The management team needs to take some drastic measures and quickly; without action, the team may cease to exist.  Two of the executives take a trip to England in search of a former player, Tatsumi Takeshi, who they learn has begun to manage an amateur team there.  What they never expected was to find that Tatsumi has taken a team comprised of men with various other day jobs, and turned them into a winning powerhouse capable of taking down  teams with more experience.  He's asked to come back to Tokyo and whip ETU back into shape, despite misgivings by many members of the staff who remember him as a player.

As it turns out, Tatsumi is not well-liked by players and supporters who remember him from his short stint as the star player of ETU.  The team was built around Tatsumi's skill, yet he left for Europe as soon as he received an overseas offer, and many people resent him for abandoning the team.  Most supporters are standing behind Murakoshi, now ETU's star player and the man considered integral in keeping the team together after Tatsumi's betrayal.  During practice on Tatsumi's first day as manager, the players are all asked to run a 30 meter sprint, during which their times are recorded.  When Tatsumi finally makes his grand appearance on the practice field, he uses the times to split the team in half, with those with the fastest times (and who are also generally the younger players) set to become the new starting lineup.  When the veterans, including Murakoshi, protest, they're told that they can retain their choice spots on the team only by defeating the youngsters in a scrimmage game.

Thoughts: I wouldn't necessarily call myself a big fan of sports anime, though I'm a fair bit more open to watching it than many people I've met (trying to define exactly why many American fans are so resistant to sports anime is a post in and of itself, I'm afraid).  My tastes tend to steer me away from sports anime that are overly-inspirational or sappy, however.  I can appreciate the idea behind those types of stories, and there are times where a real tear-jerker about a player overcoming major odds or a team banding together in the nick of time really hits the spot.  But I'd rather watch a sports anime that's funny, with characters who cheat, coaches who use underhanded methods to get results and a team who doesn't really get along.  Giant Killing seems to really fit the bill.

I've heard the series referred to as the One-Outs of soccer, and so far that seems to be a valid comparison. While Tatsumi seems to be considerably less sinister and manipulative than the protagonist of that gambling-focused baseball  series, he does share the defining trait of maintaining the secrecy surrounding his methods.  That is, at least until he's ready to explain the method behind his madness.  His aloof nature and sarcastic personality mask a true genius for winning the game - his ability is not only to train his team to win, but to startle them out of their comfortable sense of mediocrity at the same time.

And this, of course, is where the bulk of the show's humor comes from.  Tatsumi's casual attitude and his frequent requests for things like food delivery and a private bed startle and even offend the other members of the ETU staff, who are still stinging from Tatsumi's betrayal and escape to England.  Many people expect him to be repentant.  Most of the team supporters hate his guts and would be perfectly happy to see him fall off the face of the earth (or perhaps just leave town like all the previous ETU team managers).  But Tatsumi doesn't seem to care and his sideways smile would seem to say that he enjoys ruffling peoples' feathers.  The contrast between his attitude and Murakoshi's intense determination and humorlessness seems like a ripe environment for humorous conflict (and perhaps some fodder for the slash fans, but I'll leave that alone). In any case, it's clear that Tatsumi's best tactics are yet to come - he's definitely got something clever up his sleeve.

Even more so than the subject matter itself, I have the feeling that the character designs in this series might drive away many fans who are used to things that are more kawaii.  I really like them; the sharp, angular profiles with their jutting noses, the strange hair and the sketchy line art are all distinguishing features that give the series its own particular look.  And just check out the calves on those soccer players, yikes! I appreciate it when I can look at a screenshot and it's clear what show it comes from, or who provided the character designs. The background artwork seems a bit less distinctive so far, unfortunately, but there are some impressive shots inside the big soccer stadium in a couple of flashbacks.

It would be difficult for me to go the entire review without mentioning the English used from time-to-time in this  episode.  There are a couple of scenes in which two of the ETU staff members, in England searching for Tatsumi, encounter an old British man.  His English is very good and I'm almost certain that a native English-speaker was hired to fill the role, but his lines are read with such a muted intensity that it either sounds like he's playing it flat or simply talking about something extremely epic all the time.  This is something that's just funny to me rather than a black mark on the entire production, but I felt I had to mention it since my husband and I have invoked that voice multiple times since our initial viewing.

Giant Killing simply seems like a lot of fun to me.  It's not as straight-laced as some sports anime and it luckily doesn't feature endless variations on overpowered super-moves, a-la-Prince of Tennis. The main character is crafty and sarcastic, getting the job done right under the noses of his superiors while poking fun at their sense of complacency. As an added bonus, this series is now part of Crunchyroll's ever-growing roster, so it can be enjoyed guilt-free, just in time for the 2010 World Cup.

Pros:

• The story tempers its "cheese" potential by utilizing a sarcastic and crafty lead character.
• The character designs are pleasantly distinctive.
• There's plenty of humor to keep things lively.

Cons:

• Sports anime is like kryptonite to many anime fans, no matter how inviting.
• The tone of the Englishman's lines are a bit goofy.

Recommended? Yes, even if soccer isn't your thing.  The first episode is entertaining and sets itself up well.  I can't wait to see how Tatsumi whips the team into shape.