'Cheers Danshi' released on July 5: Ryo Asai light novel gets anime adaptation [REVIEW]

Based on a sports novel written by Ryo Asai, "Cheer Danshi" is about a team of cheerleaders composed of male college students. The story was then serialized into a manga by Kenichi Kondo on April 5. Shueisha handled the publishing for both the novel and the manga. The first episode aired on July 5, Tuesday.

The episode began with the lead character, Haruki Bandou, watching a judo match with his fellow students. Accompanied by his close childhood friend Kazuma Hashimoto, Haruki cheered on his older sister who later emerged as the winner and champion in the women's division of the judo tournament. He then joined his colleagues in a celebratory get-together.

Back at home, Haruki pondered over quitting judo due to his shoulder injury. Kazuma visited him and handed him his medicine. The two then discussed their plans in college together. The next day, Haruki found out that Kazuma had resigned from the judo club. When he confronted his best friend, the latter simply told him that they should start something new together. Thus, the two began recruiting members for an all-male cheerleading team, much to Haruki's chagrin.

They are later joined by an eccentric first-year student Wataru Mizugochi. Kazuma then explained why he wanted to start a cheerleading club. Later, he took the two of them to a competition which sparked their interest for the sport. A player from a competing team, however, criticized their ambition. The three united and began practicing some basic cheerleading moves. The next day, they continued to recruit members.

"Cheer Danshi" is one of the sports anime fans are looking forward to this season alongside "Days", "Yuri on Ice" and "Battery." The opening theme "Hajime no Ippo" was sung by Luck Life while the ending song "LIMIT BREAKERS" was performed by the lead casts.