REVIEW: ‘Rising Impact’ Is A Bit Of A Bogey

In Lay-duce’s Rising Impact, pro golfer Kiria Nashino (You Taichi, The Witch and the Beast) takes a vacation to the countryside, she encounters Gawain Nanaumi (Misaki Kuno, The Apothecary Diaries). When Kiria first meets Gawain, he wants to be a baseball player so he can be the person who can hit a ball the furthest in the world. When Kiria demonstrates that golfers can drive a ball further than baseball players, Gawain soon becomes fixated on learning the sport of golf. But Gawain has a lot to learn in this Netflix sports anime.

Rising Impact takes viewers on a whirlwind journey with Gawain throughout the season’s 12 episodes. After meeting Kiria, Gawain is initially told he will have to wait years before he can go to the city to learn golf under Kiria’s tutelage. But after only a month, or half an episode, Gawain’s grandfather decides to send him early after seeing how devoted he is to golf. This frantic pace continues for the rest of the series as Gawain finds himself in Tokyo, then at a prestigious boarding school, and eventually on his way to the UK to participate in a big-time junior tournament. It’s a lot. The rapid pace of Gawain’s progress undercuts the protagonist’s journey significantly.

While the series repeatedly tells the viewer that Gawain is giving his all to learning golf, we rarely see much of this work. Rather, his success can be more frequently attributed to a set of random qualities he’s acquired that allow him to adapt to golf excellently. Or, he’s just luckly. When you get to the green because your ball caused a small cliff face to fall off, there is no other description but luck.

The emphasis on all these “gifts” that allow Gawain to gain on and overcome his fellow golf classmates makes his accomplishments feel hollow. Rather than being impressed by his success, it feels like he shouldn’t be able to fail. This creates a feeling of plot armor around the protagonist, making his competitions unengaging.

This failure quickly forces Rising Impact‘s most interesting moments to center on the less infallible supporting cast. These characters each have their special talents and hidden skills but still manage to pull off the impression that they have reached where they are through years of effort rather than plot armor.

While Gawain is rarely engaging as a character, he brings lots of cheer and positivity to the show. He aims to be the best, but the protagonist lacks any concept of competitiveness. He feels no pressure going into big matches because every swing gets him closer to his goal. What others think rarely phases him. This causes him to be a wonderful personality when others are succumbing to stress. Gawain is a friendly kid who will pat his opponent on the back and tell them to calm down before taking their next swing. He’s not set on winning, he’s set on being the best he can be. Winning is secondary.

This positivity becomes infectious at the Camelot Academy. We see several of his classmates touched by his eagerness and kind-hearted goodness. This causes a warmth to flow through much of the student body there, though not all.

The antagonists at Camelot Academy are an annoying bunch of popular kid cliches. They look down their noses at everyone, making them solid, if predictable, antagonists. These personalities sometimes become annoying, especially when they are allowed a bit too much screen time. While they are meant to be that, it still would’ve helped if they might’ve dialed it back just a bit.

Much of the humor in Rising Impact could stand a slightly lighter touch as well. Running jokes get trotted out a bit too frequently sometimes, causing them to lose whatever humor they had the first time they were made. Some visual gags manage to land well though, allowing the humor side of the series to claim partial success.

The animation flows with the events that fill the series well. Gawain’s cheerfulness and joy always come through the visual presentation clearly and creatively. When the series takes to the course, every swing is delivered with all the intensity the animation can muster. It tries its best to capture the focus, endurance, and skill golfers put into each shot. It’s just unfortunate that much of this effort is undercut by Gawain’s plot armor and the games’ inevitability.

If you are looking for goofy fun that is brimming with positivity, Rising Impact may provide some entertainment. If you are looking for a sports anime that explores the trials and tribulations of mastering a discipline, this is not the anime you are looking for.

Rising Impact is streaming now on Netflix.