Extreme Hearts

There are plenty of sports anime series and plenty of idol series; this one mixes the two. It is centred on Hiyori Hayama, an aspiring singer, who can't break into the industry. There is another route to fame though; 'Extreme Hearts'. This is a sports tournament where teams of would be idols must compete in a variety of sports. They wear special equipment that enhances their abilities. She joins a team called RISE; over the course of the series she makes friends with her team mates as go from being also rans to possible contenders.

I didn't expect much of this series but ended up enjoying it more than I expected. It isn't great but it is rather fun. The characters are rather fun and the games manage to be exciting even if no one will seriously doubt the outcome. The nature of the competition also means we see a variety of sports. The characters are all likeable with decent, if fairly generic designs. Overall I'd say this is a fun little series; hardly a must see but it passes the time nicely.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.