Burning Kabaddi

Kabaddi is an interesting sport and Burning Kabaddi is a pretty well-produced sports anime. I did not know much about Kabaddi at first; I think I had only heard about it in a comedy anime, which of course was mostly making fun of the sport. Thus, I was curious about what Kabaddi was actually about, and was pretty much shocked that I did actually know the sport. I mentioned here once before that I was a Scout for a few years, and we played a team game with exactly the same rules at least a few times, except whoever was going into enemy territory at the time had to say "Hoo-too-too-too..." over and over again without stopping for breath. So when I saw what Kabbadi was, I quickly realized that it was kind of close to my heart, and even though I'm not a fan of "manly" team sports, I was able to persevere with watching it, no problem. The funny thing is that I remembered my experience mainly because I found it strange and quite embarrassing to say “Hoo-too-too-too” at the time and that it was quite a challenge to say it in one breath with the physical stress... But back to the anime series. It is kind of pleasantly light-hearted at the beginning, the screenwriters knew Kabaddi is not a sport that is taken that seriously by many. However, along with the main protagonist, your opinion soon changes and it is quickly shown that like most contact sports, this is no joke. You get to know the likable but simple characters and learn about their strengths and weaknesses, and how the team bonds. After some episodes, it becomes clear why this anime is, in my opinion, quite well produced. This anime series manages to strike a balance between focusing on individuals and emphasizing teamwork. There may be some characters that stand out, however, at the same time, you can feel the team spirit. The screenwriters succeed in putting the spotlight on some of the supporting characters, to show their inner struggles and what they contribute to their team. In addition, they also do this to some extent with the rival team. Thus, the vibe of the whole thing gradually changes from an entertaining beginning to a more serious thing, dominated by the matches which are quite thrilling even though they are not exactly as dramatic and intense as matches in, for example, Haikyu!! I also keep wondering whether the typical animation trope where someone gets a point after a thunderous "struggle", is cool or stupid. Anyway, my impression of this got better as the episodes went on. In general, Burning Kabbadi intrigued me. For the most part, I liked the characters and would like to see more, so I am adding Burning Kabaddi to my "liked" category with a final rating of around 68 %. (19/06/2021)