Hoshiai no sora (Stars Align) - Season 1
As a famous scrapyard scientist once said, "It is not about the fact that the four materials in front of you are used up to their breaking point that makes them 'garbage', it is the fact that nobody in their right mind decided to mix them up together to create something new and wonderful." It is the latter part of this quote that defines the vision of director Kazuki Akane for the somewhat tragically cancelled show Stars Align. Clear from the very first episode, the show follows two themes regarding the show’s narrative of a middle school soft tennis club going through a crisis and slowly on the verge of being shut down.
The first theme is that of a lighthearted and inspirational sports drama, where various characters discover their unique abilities and skills. The second theme is that of a dark social drama that comments on various prevalent societal issues like parental abuse, homosexuality, gender roles, online harassment and toxic egos. Neither of the storylines and concepts are fresh but both are a tolerably standard affair when judged on their merits, and still, Star Align is the most unique show of the fall anime season
The clichès of each thematic narrative complement each other perfectly; happy moments feel genuinely happy, sad moments feel rightfully sad, and the depressingly scary moments serve their full purpose of profound impact. The show knows how to jump from one mood to another flawlessly, giving a real sense of emotional change that very few modern animes has been able to evoke.
More impressive is how Stars Align uses its minimalistic slice of life animation style to its full effect. There are basic looking sports grounds, school complexes, barbecue party tents, and tennis clubs that have been shown in countless other animes of its genre but just how its various basic plots combine to form something unique, the show's basic locations feel special in how they are coloured, placed and effectively communicate the mood of a scene. A key feature to notice is how the lighting of animation and music by Jizue can effectively contrast the moods of two scenes taking place in a single location. One striking example is the stairs of the apartment complex, where one of the main characters lives.
Suffice to say that one could not praise the show enough for how it uses its limitations as its strength to create something masterful, but tragically this tale might remain incomplete. As confirmed by the director via Twitter, Akane was promised a 24 episode series to carry out his vision but that count was tragically cut down to 12 episodes more than halfway through the production of the show. So, in an honourable move, Akane decided to carry out his story's pacing as intended instead of rushing them out to a conclusion.
The result is a show that ends at its interval, a time where the viewer's emotional attachment is at its highest. It does not help that the show is not just good, it is probably the best of the year alongside shows like Demon Slayer and Chihayafuru Season 3 and is regularly mentioned at the top of the list of most underrated shows of the year. If this were a seasonal affair like Dr Stone or Chihayafuru, the wait would have been bearable but since stories of supposed cancellation and production issues are flooding the Reddit and Twitter pages, it would not be a surprise if the viewers never get to see the conclusion of this beautiful tale.
Hopes can still be high and there is a possibility that the overwhelmingly positive reception might provide the creators with the necessary amount of episodes to conclude the tale. However, it is advisable to the viewer not to hold their breath but not to miss out on this masterpiece either, because of what little the viewer gets to see of Stars Align is enough to make them emotionally moved for days — if not years.