Anime like Baby Steps

Hoshiai no Sora

Also known as Stars Align.

Studio: 8-bit
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Slice of Life , Sports

Due to the apparent incompetence of its members and lack of results, the boy's soft tennis team is on the verge of being shut down. Toma Shinjou, captain and seemingly only motivated member, seeks the help of newly transferred, and old friend, Maki Katsuragi to improve the club's track record but soon it becomes apparent that what is holding the boys back are problems that run far deeper than the simple sport.

Tags: Coming of Age , Tennis , School Club , Primarily Male Cast , Family Life , Tragedy , School , Male Protagonist , Primarily Child Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Bullying , Revenge , Ensemble Cast , Adoption , LGBTQ+ Themes , Boys' Love , Crossdressing , Twins , Transgender

Aoashi

Also known as Aoashi.

Studio: Production I.G , Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions , NHK Enterprises , BANDAI SPIRITS , Marvelous , Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Sports

Ashito Aoi is a young, aspiring soccer player from a backwater town in Japan. His hopes of getting into a high school with a good soccer club are dashed when he causes an incident during a critical match for his team, which results in their loss and elimination from the tournament. Nevertheless, he catches the eye of someone important who happened to be visiting from Tokyo. How will things turn out for Ashito?



Tags: Football , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Primarily Male Cast , Seinen , Ensemble Cast , Heterosexual , Coming of Age , School , Bullying , Time Skip , Love Triangle

Ao no Hako

Also known as Blue Box.

Studio: Telecom Animation Film , TMS Entertainment , Shueisha , TBS , Toho
Status: Finished
Genres: Romance , Slice of Life , Sports

Do these sports-crossed lovers have a chance?

Taiki Inomata loves badminton, but he has a long way to go before he can reach nationals. When Taiki sees upperclassman Chinatsu Kano practicing her heart out on the girls’ basketball team, he falls for her hard. After an unexpected turn of events brings the two closer together, sports might not be the first thing on their minds anymore!



Note: The series streamed a week in advance on Netflix Japan starting with episode 2 released alongside episode 1.

Tags: Coming of Age , Heterosexual , School Club , Athletics , Badminton , Primarily Teen Cast , Male Protagonist , School , Love Triangle , Unrequited Love , Female Protagonist , Basketball , Cohabitation , Shounen , Acrobatics , Chibi

Tennis no Ouji-sama

Also known as The Prince of Tennis.

Studio: Production I.G , Trans Arts , Viz Media , NAS , Funimation
Status: Finished
Genres: Action , Comedy , Sports

Echizen Ryoma is a young tennis prodigy who has won 4 consecutive tennis championships but who constantly lies in the shadow of his father, a former pro tennis player. He joins the Seishun Gakuen junior highschool, one of the best tennis schools in Japan, and there along with his teamates he learns to find his own type of tennis in an attempt to defeat his biggest obstacle of all: his father as well as himself.



Tags: Tennis , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , School Club , Shounen , Anti-Hero , School , Super Power , Foreign , Primarily Child Cast , Bullying

Hajime no Ippo: THE FIGHTING!

Also known as Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan , Discotek
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Sports

Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life. Constantly running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself, but never has the passion to act upon it. One day, in the midst of yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to the Kamogawa boxing gym to recover. As he regains consciousness, he is awed and amazed at his new surroundings in the gym, though lacks confidence to attempt anything. Takamura places a photo of Ippo's classmate on a punching bag and forces him to punch it. It is only then that Ippo feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing. Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible and gives him a one week time limit. With a sudden desire to get stronger, for himself and his hard working mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit. Thus Ippo's journey to the top of the boxing world begins.



Tags: Boxing , Male Protagonist , Primarily Male Cast , Shounen , Martial Arts , Coming of Age , Fitness , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Delinquents , Bullying

Diamond no Ace

Also known as Ace of the Diamond.

Studio: Production I.G , MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Sports

With a stray pitch that completely missed the batter, Eijun Sawamura loses his final middle school baseball game. Frustrated by this defeat, Eijun and his teammates vow to reach the national tournament once they are in high school. But everything changes when a scout unexpectedly invites him to Tokyo's prestigious Seidou High School after seeing the potential in his unusual pitching style. Encouraged by his teammates, Eijun accepts the offer, ready to improve his skills and play at a much more competitive level of baseball.

However, now surrounded by a large number of skilled players, Eijun struggles to find his place on the team. He declares that he will one day become the team's ace, but that's only if fellow first year Satoru Furuya doesn't take the title first, with his breakneck fastballs that earn him a coveted spot on the starting roster. With the addition of these talented new players to an already powerful lineup, the Seidou baseball team aims to become the best in Japan, facing off against a number of formidable foes that stand in their way.



Tags: Baseball , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , School Club , Ensemble Cast , Shounen , School , Primarily Teen Cast , Rehabilitation , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things

Ballroom e Youkoso

Also known as Welcome to the Ballroom.

Studio: Production I.G
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Sports

Fujita has drifted through middle school aimlessly, unable to find friends or anything that can hold his attention. Then, one day, he's attacked by a gang and saved by a mysterious man. But this isn't a karate master; it's a ballroom dance instructor! Reluctantly, Fujita takes a few beginner's classes, only to find his inspiration... an entrancing, teenage dance prodigy named Shizuku.
It's Fujita's first step into the high-octane world of competitive dance!



Tags: Dancing , Male Protagonist , Primarily Teen Cast , Coming of Age , Heterosexual , Shounen , Ensemble Cast , School , Bullying , Rehabilitation , CGI , LGBTQ+ Themes , Tomboy

Diamond no Ace act II

Also known as Ace of the Diamond act II.

Studio: MADHOUSE
Status: Finished
Genres: Sports

Picking up the next year after the end of the fall tournament, Seidou High School baseball team battle it out with new and old faces as they begin their tournament run at Koshien.



Tags: Baseball , Primarily Male Cast , Male Protagonist , School Club , Shounen , School , Ensemble Cast , Cute Boys Doing Cute Things

Cross Game

Also known as Cross Game.

Studio: SynergySP
Status: Finished
Genres: Comedy , Drama , Romance , Sports

The main character is Kou Kitamura, son of the owner of Kitamura Sports. In the same neighborhood is a batting center run by the Tsukishima family. Due to their proximity and the relationship between their businesses, the Kitamura and Tsukishima familes have been close for many years, with their children going back and forth between the two homes like extended family. Because Kou and Wakaba were the same age and always together, Aoba was jealous of all the time Kou spent with her older sister. Aoba is a natural pitcher with excellent form, and Kou secretly trains to become as good as she was, even while publicly showing little interest in baseball.

Tags: Baseball , School Club , Coming of Age , Male Protagonist , Tragedy , Tomboy , Tsundere , Female Protagonist , Heterosexual , School , Love Triangle , Primarily Teen Cast , Time Skip , Shounen

Chihayafuru

Also known as Chihayafuru.

Studio: MADHOUSE , VAP , Nippon Television Network
Status: Finished
Genres: Drama , Romance , Slice of Life , Sports

Chihaya Ayase is a girl who has spent most of her life simply supporting her sister in her model career. That changes when she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, a talented karuta player who recognizes Chihaya's potential to become a great player herself. As Chihaya takes on a new dream of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends, Taichi Mashima and Arata Wataya, as they grow up. Now in high school, Chihaya still continues to play karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.



Tags: Karuta , Female Protagonist , School Club , Coming of Age , Love Triangle , Josei , School , Heterosexual , Ensemble Cast , Primarily Teen Cast , Unrequited Love , Athletics , Bullying , Slapstick , Tomboy , CGI