A General Impression on: "Anima Yell"

Synopsis

Kohane Hatoya is a cheerful girl who loves helping others. During her move from middle school to high school, she one day comes across a cheerleading squad and becomes inspired by it. Now upon entering high school, Kohane makes the decision to start a cheerleading club. Joining Kohane in her cheerleading activities is the experienced Hizume and Kohane’s childhood friend Uki.

First Impression

It was expected that the cheerleading animation would stand out as a highlight for the episode. The overall all style and animation was cute, well executed and left a fun impression for the series introduction. Added with the English insert song which was a pleasant surprise, the cheerleading aspect was introduced in a charming way and gave the viewer a rather catchy song in a result. The other highlight of the first episode was its surprising amount of character development. Just seeing the earnestness and effort of the characters as their friendship is formed made for a solid hook for the viewer. More than this, the way it established the main characters also showed potential for the series. The downside shown with the episode though is that the direction of the story is fairly obvious and on a minor note, the characters aren’t all that new in terms of character types/personalities.

General Impression

The series as a whole can basically be described as “cute girl doing cute things”, a concept that isn’t new, no matter the genre. Still, the way it presents its general theme is still charming and, no pun intended, rather cheerful. It’s interesting to see how the characters personalities are further shown and how they bounce off one another. So far, it’s clearly a simple but cute work that features the aspects of cheerleading without getting too in depth. There is however an earnestness with the character that makes them rather endearing and the build-up of the episodes was rather good for their development. Overall, this is a series that embodies its theme; it’s cute, energetic and leaves a smile.

Conclusion

This is a simple series about girls wanting to learn and do cheerleading, and that pretty much describes the series. Obviously, with its concept and general set-up, there isn’t much of a plot to be expected. However, the series has both charm and energy in how it presents its theme and concept and the characters do have good dynamics. While there isn’t much in plot, there is development with the characters and cuteness to the series to enjoy. To conclude and not be repetitive, if you’re looking for a cute series to sit back and enjoy, this is one series to check out.

Rating: 7/10