AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across the Blue is an anime adaptation of a visual novel that I enjoyed quite a bit. In this review Ill discuss how the anime stands on its own while also evaluating how well it adapts the original visual novel. The Unique Setting The main appeal of AOKANA lies in its focus on a fictional sport called Flying Circus. More broadly the setting features an island where people use antigravity shoes to fly to school though there are strict restrictions on how and where these shoes can be used for travel. The anime does an excellent job of showcasing the excitement of Flying Circus. In the visual novel the sport is depicted through moving sprites and beautifully drawn CG stills. Seeing these sequences animated is a treat even with some obvious CGI. Personally I think the CGI fits the series well and is far from the worst Ive seen in anime. If youve watched sports anime like Kurokos Basketball Haikyuu Hajime no Ippo or Ace of the Diamond youll know what to expect. The focus on Flying Circus consists of small tournament arcs and oneonone battles with surprising depth in the sports mechanics. The anime explains the rules better than I can here but essentially players must reach floating buoys to score points. You earn points by either beating your opponent to the next buoy there are four similar to bases in baseball or by getting behind your opponent and touching their back. The player with the most points wins. The anime does a decent job of conveying the mechanics and the unique hype of the setting. Some matches are thrilling while still incorporating the character development typical of shonenstyle sports anime. That said I think the anime could have explored the different classesFighter Speeder and AllRounderin more depth as some character development revolves around these roles. Characters While the anime technically features four main heroines it clearly focuses on the pinkhaired Asuka and the blackhaired Misaki from Kunahama High. Asuka is essentially the main character. I like to think of her as a pinkhaired airheaded version of Goku from Dragon Ball. She starts as a complete novice but uses her natural talent to pull off impressive moves and improve quickly. Some might call her a Mary Sue but for me her genuine love for the sport and the animes theme of finding joy in competition despite its pressures keep her from feeling like one. Misaki the secondary main character is portrayed well as a skilled Fighterclass player in Flying Circus who tends to be lazy. Her goofy relaxed attitude contrasts nicely with the depth revealed later in the series which I found engaging. Other heroines like Mashiro who is basically Misakis fangirl and closest friend dont get much depth in the anime. There are also side characters from rival schools like Rika and Shindo from Takifuji but the most significant characters besides Asuka and Misaki are Saki Inui and her partner Irina who serve as the series true rivals and antagonists. For those familiar with the visual novel you might wonder about the main male character Masaya. In the anime hes more of a supporting character serving as the school teams coach and a former competitive player. The anime hints at why he retired but he gets far less focus compared to the visual novel. While I dont mind the shift away from him as the protagonistsince the anime avoids the visual novels heavy romance angleit feels odd to limit his development. In the visual novel Masayas arc centers on rediscovering his love for the sky and competition with Asuka helping him rekindle that passion despite his role as a coach. Theres a cool moment in the anime where he briefly uses his gravity shoes again which he rarely does in the visual novel. For animeonly viewers this might not seem significant since it happens only once but visual novel fans might see it as nice fanservice while feeling disappointed that it wasnt in the original game. Story and Character Development The story primarily follows Kunahama Highs team as they aim to win matches and tournaments while training. The anime makes this clear but at times it feels like matches happen just for the sake of it. This was a minor issue in the visual novel as well which leaned more overtly into sliceoflife moments. I have mixed feelings about the animes character development. In the visual novel Asuka and Misaki each had their own story routes blending romance with personal growth and their roles in Flying Circus creating compelling drama. The anime combines elements of both routes and while it handles their development decently its not as memorable or wellbuilt as in the visual novel. For example Misakis major character development in the animes second half feels rushed compared to her route in the visual novel. A callback to her special move in the secondtolast episode lacks impact due to insufficient buildup feeling more like a shoutout than a hype moment. Asukas arc centered on showing how fun Flying Circus can be fares better and remains generally positive and fitting. However theres a melodramatic moment where her development mirrors Misakis which wasnt in the visual novel and felt out of character for Asuka. Thankfully outside of that she remains a cheerful optimistic character who influences others motivations. I particularly enjoyed her dynamic with the antagonist Saki and their final fight in the last episode is a wellexecuted rendition of the climax from Asukas visual novel route. The other two heroines Mashiro and Rika have a few wholesome episodes but it often feels like the writers struggled to integrate them without clashing with Asuka and Misaki. Their episodes come across as afterthoughts relegated to comic relief or minor supporting roles. Overall Overall AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across the Blue is a decently fun way to enjoy a unique fictional sports anime. If youre looking for something different from anime depictions of reallife sports like soccer basketball or boxing this is worth checking out. The second half blending two visual novel routes with some animeoriginal content works well enough and highlights the appeal of Flying Circus. For those intrigued by the sport and characters the visual novel offers deeper exploration and some of the best character development Ive seen in the medium.