Giant Killing
Alternate Titles: ジャイアントキリング
Original Japanese Release Date: April 4th, 2010
Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes
Summary:
The struggling professional Japanese soccer team East Tokyo United is so bad that they are on the verge of disbanding. In order to help the struggling team get back on its feet, the team’s management hires a new coach; former legendary player Takeshi Tatsumi. There is only one problem, Tatsumi is hated by many of the hardcore fans for leaving the team to go play in Europe. Can Takeshi help overcome the challenge and get the team back on it’s feet?
Review:
This is definitely an anime for the more hardcore sports fan for it lacks much of the usual humor and romance that typically accompanies other sports genre anime such as Major, Hajime no Ippo, Cross Game, etc…There are some side characters in the series that add a slight humor element to the show but its nothing significant and there is no romance in the show whatsoever. It’s a pretty serious show and the music, atmosphere, and art style all support this. The character styles are done with very unique facial features much like the show Monster. You’ll get characters with huge noses, different chins, etc…
I always felt that sports that tend to focus on a single player much of the time tend to be better suited to anime. Baseball anime, for this reason, I feel are the best suited to be adapted into anime. A sport such as soccer, where theres 10+ players on the field contributing equally, is hard to capture visually. This is one of the key problems I had with the series versus a show like Major. In Major you had the battle between the pitcher and batter and this was clear, however Giant Killing’s action just comes off as chaotic and without something to really hone in on, I found it less interesting.
I also found the shows conclusion to be anticlimactic. In most sports shows the ending results in the main character being the world champion, or going to the major leagues, or winning Koshien, etc…there is none of that in this series. So don’t expect it. In the end, I’d have a difficult time recommending this series to most people. Only pick it up if you love soccer and have enjoyed other soccer anime. See Whistle! or Captain Tsubasa.
[starrater]