Hahafunnymemewomeninswimsuitsplayingbeachvolleyballxd Ok we got the stupid out of the way now Im going to proceed to try to convince you that this show is more than just boobs butts and pointless fanservice. My point being Harukana Receive is an anime about relationships and how to build and grow them while overcoming hardships together with your partner. To do this the show uses its whole beach volleyball theme perfectly as it takes advantage of the fact that the sport is played in pairs to create a pretty obvious metaphor for human conections even going as far as treating them as importantly as romantic or familial bonds. While this might seem a little comedic at first the fact that they abstract that meaning helps the show to convey the hardships that one might go through while trying to connect with somebody else while still maintaining a pretty calm vibe that would otherwise have to be put on hold while the whole drama is being worked through. Relationship conveyed through beach volleyball As I said this show likes to use sport pairs as a metaphor for human bonds that is mostly seen in Kanas whole arc with Narumi where the two were pretty great together but eventually separated because they were simply incompatible as Kanna needed someone that encouraged her to see past her flaws and be more confident thing that Narumi couldnt be as she just was a reminder for how little talent Kanna had. That person she needed ended up being her cousin Haruka who with a combination of being upbeat as heck and overall just caring deeply about Kannas well being managed to bring out the better of her and show her true potential. Notice how I explained all of that without using any term involving volleyball at all this show uses it as a mean to tell a story with certain themes its not the center of attention but it doesnt detract from the main point. And now that I have made that clear lets talk about the elephant in the room. This is not Haikyuu goddammit Of course if were talking about volleyball themed anime you eventually get to the comparison with the absolute powerhouse that is Production IGs little golden goose and not to try to deminish Haikyuu I myself really like the series and its even one of my favorites of all time but while all that is said I would be really inclined to say that Harukana Receive is close if not in the same level of quality than Haikyuu... Hey bring down those pitchforks and let me explain myself... I know I know... it isnt as hype as Haikyuu it doesnt have the massive cast of polished characters that Haikyuu has and the animation is abysmal if we compare it to what IG is capable of doing. But as I said earlier in this show volleyball is just a means to tell a story and all the fanfare and hype that comes with a sports anime is tossed aside for a more chill and relaxed vibe that is reinforced by the shows art style and sound direction More on that later which deviate themselves from the usual sharp characters and bombastic soundtrack for a cuter character design and more calm soundtrack all that to ultimately separate itself from being the usual hypetrain that sports anime tend to be and set its tone more closely to a character drama like Hibike Euphonium or Anohana. Thats basically why I think that it can get away with not having as good animation as anime like Haikyuu or Hanebado since its scope is more centered in its slice of life elements I think its allowed to lack that. Not that this show never gets hype or anything its just that it gets you invested through its characters and what theyre trying to accomplish and prays that youre invested enough to care about whats happening on screen and for me it managed to achieve that. Its really freaking pretty and the soundtrack is one of my favorites Yeah... basically that... not much else to say the art direction is really good in my opinion if we take into account everything that I have said so far it delivers on what one would want with this type of shows and its OST has this tropical vibe that goes perfectly with its setting. Gotta be honest between Rasmus Faber This shows composer and Kevin Penkin Made in Abysss composer western composers are prooving they can put up some pretty memorable pieces. Before ending up the review Im going to quickly adress the fact that even after all the good things I said this is still an Ecchi show so if you dont like Fanservice in any way shape or form I get why you wouldnt like this. I personally think its done in a way that doesnt detract from the experience but hey that And really everything that I have said up until now is just my opinion. To finally end this I want to say I really think that this anime should get more attention and I hope that my review pushed you to think more about its good points than its flaws. And if you read this without watching the show I hope it pushed you to watch it.