Inkling Anime Review: Keijo!!!!!!!!

When I first heard of this anime, my immediate thought was that it was going to be absolutely terrible. Just the idea of having a show that centered around having scantily clad girls playing a sport where they try to push other contestants out of a ring-shaped boundary using their bottoms and breasts sounded completely outlandish. Well, color me surprised, this was actually pretty darn good.

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On the surface, Keijo!!!!!!!! might just appear to be another lewd anime directed towards passionate ecchi enthusiasts. While their definitely is plenty of fanservice in each episode, I think this anime is more focused on being a parody on shounen anime shows that gravitate towards sports. Those kind of shows where the action is highly dramatized to a dizzying degree, characters have attacks with really odd names, and overly long speeches or internal dialogues are integrated in order to mask the narrative deficiencies. What the audience receives is a sports anime involving the most prominent parts of the upper and lower extremities; the booty and oppai.

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One of the aspects that I liked about Keijo!!!!!!!! is that I got the impression that the creators were self-aware with regards to the immense absurdity that flowed through this anime conceptually, and never tried to hide it at all; they just pretty much stuck and ran with it without holding back at all. I mean the offensive maneuvers and the foul-mouthed dialogue that the players used during the competitive matches always had me laughing uncontrollably. The only other anime shows that I think rivals Keijo!!!!!!!! in terms of hilarity are Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure and Nichijou.

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On another note, compared to other shows that include ecchi (if that’s something that you’re fond of), Keijo!!!!!!!! might be slightly underwhelming. Just like I mentioned earlier, this anime is chock-full of fanservice, but it was usually the kind that made you giggle happily rather than the type that made you feel uneasy or cringe in disdain. So if you’re afraid that the ecchi might be morally offensive, you can breathe a sigh of relief since these moments aren’t too risqué.

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Furthermore, while the animation isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, I was amazed at how it was consistent throughout the entire twelve episodes. This was an area where I thought it would start out well and then gradually decline as it went on, but this anime never succomed to this shortfall since it rarely resorted to using still-frames or other directional methods to cut down on costs during the more action-oriented moments. So kudos to Studio Xebec. 🙂

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All in all, I think that Keijo!!!!!!!! is definitely an anime worth checking out. It offers a unique premise in a sports genre that tends to be homogenously contrived, the ecchi was hilarious yet tastefully handled, and the animation quality never showcased any notable dips that you’d normally expect from action-heavy anime productions. If you are able to look past the constant and impudent fanservice, you’ll be treated to a bootiful experience unlike any other sports anime show.