Chidori RSC [Anime Review]

Note: Review copy supplied by MVM Entertainment

Title: Chidori RSC
Anime Studio: 3Hz
Genre: Comedy / Slice Of Life / Sports
Ready … Aim … Shoot for the stars!
Due to firearms restrictions, sharp-shooting tournaments in Japan are held using special rifles that fire beams of light instead of bullets… and since devices that fire pulses of photons are so much safer than weapons that shoot live ammunition, there’s little reason for age restrictions at shooting matches.
As a result, many Japanese schools now have shooting clubs that compete against each other, culminating in nationwide contests! However, when Olympic hopeful Hikari Kokura transfers to Chidori High, she’s alarmed to discover that the Chidori High School Rifle Shooting Club she’d planned on joining has been dropped due to lack of interest. Convincing her friends and classmates to join this offbeat club will be just the first target in Hikari’s ambitious plans as a team of young markswomen set their sights on going all the way to the national championships.

It should be quite clear very early on that this series is really a sports-themed take on a cute-girls-doing-cute-things series. In a way, I thought that was one of its strongest points. In essence, what you get here isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect. You get the usual character types and the usual types of antics. The artwork is pretty consistent with this type of show too. Much as the motorcycles led Bakuon down its own path though, the rifles here give the girls something a little different to do on screen.

There is no doubt that the characters take what they’re doing seriously, albeit in their own individual ways. To that end, we even get some actual sports advice interspersed with the shenanigans, including notes on posture and scoring. This is all aided by the characters’ internal monologues during crucial moments. That, in particular, let like an important touch as, as the characters themselves say, rifle shooting is not the most thrilling spectator sport on its own.

3Hz went out of their way to combat that point too. On top of the monologues, we also have some well-placed insert songs and a good variety of rival schools to spice things up a bit. Throw in some good-natured humour and animation that is a little better than expected, and we essentially have an enjoyable show here.

The problem I found was that the show just didn’t stick in my mind too well. Nothing it did was bad. Even the – perhaps unnecessarily – large supporting cast we had at the end felt like they should be there. Somehow though, it just didn’t quite rise above simply being enjoyable. This may be due to the combination of the slow pace and the way it doesn’t really deviate from its expected tropes at its core. Whatever the reason though, Chidori RSC wasn’t quite all it could be for me.

Overall, I do recommend the series for fans of the genre. It’s nicely executed and certainly offers a decent, if standard, cast of characters to root for. I give this a solid 3 out of 5.