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This Week in Anime - Did Birdie Wing Start a Golf Anime Renaissance?




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Glordit



Joined: 11 Sep 2020
Posts: 461
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:14 am Reply with quote
Soccer/Football and Baseball are somewhat overused in sports anime. Golf being just as popular in Japan was probably the next logical step to take.
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LiteralGrill



Joined: 10 Jul 2022
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:29 am Reply with quote
This will sound weird, but the legit reason behind this is Covid-19. I'm not really joking either, golf was actually on the decline in popularity in Japan before the pandemic hit and it changed things up. Hell, it resulted in the sport getting more popular worldwide as well.

There is more nuance to it of course, and Birdie Wing being popular certainly pushed things along, but sports shows tend to get greenlit like this with upticks in popularity of said sport historically. So this would make tons of sense to me.
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Akcoll99



Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Posts: 228
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:16 pm Reply with quote
I want, no, NEED Birdie Wing on blu ray so I can add it to my forever collection. Make with the physical release already, Crunchyroll! With a dub while you're at it!
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Turtleboy76



Joined: 06 Jun 2023
Posts: 133
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:36 pm Reply with quote
It might have bought it more into the mainstream.

I remember the Kuroko's Basketball author had a 62 chapter gold series ROBOT x LAZERBEAM, which didn't get too successful even with the success of Kuroko. I mean even one of said upcoming golf series is an old JUMP series from 20 years ago too.

Im almost surprised rugby wasnt more popular given the world cup there in 2019, but as a Kiwi, the rugby anime they keep making are utter shit; especially Try Knights.

Not even bring gender into this, the biggest sports series are always male centric ones, with only exceptions like Keijo!!! making a (puns) splash. Birdie was surprisingly tame with fan service and general moe appeal for a female centric show; its kinda surprising it is as successful as it is. God knows its better than that shitty lady baseball series from a few years back that Funi aired.
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Piglet the Grate



Joined: 25 May 2021
Posts: 562
Location: North America
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:51 pm Reply with quote
Out of the three upcoming golf based shows, Sorairo Utility is the only one where I would want it to have a beach episode (if a show about mahjong can have a beach episode, so can a show about golf). Very Happy

Actually, I liked the 2021 OVA enough that I will be checking out the full anime.
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a_Bear_in_Bearcave



Joined: 14 Jan 2019
Posts: 512
Location: Poland
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:48 pm Reply with quote
From manga side, one of the most recent batch of new manga in famous (also for cutthroat axing of poorly-selling manga) magazine Weekly Shonen Jump and the one that seems to be faring best of that newest batch so far is Green Green Greens, manga about golf, or in more detail about guy who is bored and unsure of future until he sees cool and haughty girl golfing awesomely and decides that he wants to golf with all his might as well.

Frankly, after watching and reading all those golf anime and manga I think I can get the appeal. It's turned-based sport, allowing for lot of slow strategising, but unlike chess and other board games your strategy is not as directly impacted by your opponent, even though it's still a kind of race. Feels like it's good sport for both brain and muscles.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Posts: 2304
PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:50 pm Reply with quote
LiteralGrill wrote:
This will sound weird, but the legit reason behind this is Covid-19. I'm not really joking either, golf was actually on the decline in popularity in Japan before the pandemic hit and it changed things up. Hell, it resulted in the sport getting more popular worldwide as well.


Wait, why? That would be fascinating

Because it's played by small groups more easily distanced from other small groups, and no physical contact..?
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animefan1238



Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 299
Location: Ma
PostPosted: Sun Mar 31, 2024 6:34 pm Reply with quote
NeverConvex wrote:
LiteralGrill wrote:
This will sound weird, but the legit reason behind this is Covid-19. I'm not really joking either, golf was actually on the decline in popularity in Japan before the pandemic hit and it changed things up. Hell, it resulted in the sport getting more popular worldwide as well.


Wait, why? That would be fascinating

Because it's played by small groups more easily distanced from other small groups, and no physical contact..?


The distance part yes. But it was a way for people to get out of the house and outside.

I'm sure Matsuyama becoming the first Asian/Japanese player to win the Masters helped too.
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