Backflip!!
An original anime about a high school men's rhythmic gymnastics team.
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Backflip!! (バクテン!!, "Bakuten!!") is an original Japanese anime television series from studio Zexcs. The directors were Seishirō Nagaya and Toshimasa Kuroyanagi, and the writer was Toshizo Nemoto.
It ran from April to June 2021. A manga drawn by Kei Sakuraba appeared in Kodansha's Dessert magazine between January 22 and September 24, 2021. An anime film came out on July 2, 2022.
Story
The story follows Shotaro Futaba, a boy who loved sports but never excelled at any. After watching a group of gymnasts in a park and later seeing them compete in a tournament, he decides to enroll at their school and join the gymnastics team. Together with new member Ryoya Misato, the team aims for the Inter-High tournament.
Sōshūkan High School
The main setting is Sōshūkan High School, also called Ao High School. Its men's rhythmic gymnastics team is trying to reach the Inter-High for the first time. Shotaro Futaba, voiced by Shimba Tsuchiya, is the protagonist and a first-year student.
He tried many sports before high school but always ended up on the sidelines. Inspired by a performance from the Sōshūkan team at a tournament, he joins the club despite having no gymnastics background. He draws motivation from Misato and his senior teammates. Ryoya Misato, voiced by Kaito Ishikawa, is also a first-year and was the ace of his middle school gymnastics team.
He chose Sōshūkan because he was inspired by the coach's performance. An orphan living with his aunt, he is stoic but makes an effort to rely on his teammates. He greatly inspires Shotaro.
Masamune Shichigahama, voiced by Daisuke Ono, is a third-year and the team captain. Enthusiastic and encouraging, he worked hard to recruit enough members to bring the team to six. His interest in gymnastics began after watching Shūsaku's backflips.
His family runs a sasa kamaboko business, and his rival is Takase. Keisuke Tsukidate, voiced by Takashi Kondō, is a third-year vice captain and an all-rounder in gymnastics. Calm and collected, he joined after seeing Shichigahama's backflip. He likes moss and plants, and his family manages a shrine.
Nagayoshi Onagawa, voiced by Hiro Shimono, is a third-year and the team's ace. He also joined after seeing Shichigahama's backflip. A running gag involves him inventing new nicknames for Shotaro and Masato, which the juniors always reject.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sports (rhythmic gymnastics)
Facts from the source article.
Production & Release
Backflip!! (stylized as バクテン!!) is an original Japanese anime television series that first aired on Fuji TV from April through June 2021. The project was announced on November 4, 2020, as part of the broadcaster's "Zutto Ōen Project 2011 + 10..." initiative. Production fell to the studio Zexcs, with dual direction handled by Seishirō Nagaya and Toshimasa Kuroyanagi, while Toshizo Nemoto penned the series' scripts. The show found a secondary life in print when manga artist Kei Sakuraba adapted the story into a serialized manga, running in Kodansha's Dessert magazine from January 22 to September 24, 2021.
The franchise's momentum carried it into theatrical release as well: a standalone anime film premiered on July 2, 2022, extending the narrative beyond the television run. Together, these releases—television, manga, and film—established Backflip!! as a multi-format property within a relatively compact two-year window.
Story & Premise
At its core, Backflip!! follows Shōtarō Futaba, a first-year high school student who has always loved sports yet never excelled in any of them, perpetually stuck on the sidelines. Everything changes when he witnesses a group of gymnasts practicing in a park and later attends a gymnastics tournament. Struck by the performance of the Sōshūkan High School men's rhythmic gymnastics team, he makes the bold decision to enroll at their school and join the club despite having no prior gymnastics experience whatsoever.
Alongside fellow first-year Ryōya Misato, the team sets its sights on competing at the Inter-High tournament—a milestone the Sōshūkan squad, also known as Ao High, is attempting to achieve for the very first time. The narrative thus centers on a group of young men who find purpose and connection through the unconventional sport of men's rhythmic gymnastics, balancing personal growth with the pressure of a high-stakes competition.
The Sōshūkan Team & Coach
The Sōshūkan men's rhythmic gymnastics club is anchored by an enthusiastic third-year captain, Masamune Shichigahama, whose recruiting drive helped grow the team to six members. His passion for the sport was sparked by witnessing Shūsaku Shida's backflips. The vice-captain, Keisuke Tsukidate, brings a calm, all-around skill set and a quiet fondness for moss and plants, while ace Nagayoshi Onagawa is known for his running gag of inventing nicknames his juniors always reject.
Second-year Kōtarō Watari projects a tough exterior but harbors a soft heart and a deep love of yakuza films. Overseeing them all is coach Shida, a former Hakumei University ace whose talent was once considered sufficient to push men's rhythmic gymnastics into the Olympic program. A leg injury ended his performing career, transforming his once-arrogant demeanor into patience and mentorship. Club manager Asawo Kurikoma, Shida's relative, handles video analysis, choreography software, and costume design, tying the team's daily operations together.
Rivalry & Competition
The primary competitive foil to Sōshūkan is the Hakumei University Affiliated High School team, led by third-year captain Tōru Takase, who has regarded Shichigahama as a rival since their very first encounter and openly acknowledges Ao High as worthy opponents. His vice-captain, Yōjirō Mutsu, keeps Takase's intense emotions in check, though first-year prodigy Mashiro Tsukiyuki seems more intimidated by Mutsu than by his own captain. Tsukiyuki, who cycled through multiple clubs before finding rhythmic gymnastics after watching Misato perform, brings a playful aloofness and a competitive drive rooted in his rivalry with the Sōshūkan ace.
The rivalry extends beyond the mat: second-year Hideo Ōminato and Sōshūkan's Onagawa share a lighthearted feud over their respective idol preferences, while Ryūgamori Kyōichi and Tsukidate bond over their mutual love of plants. Hakumei's coach, Shūji Mabuchi, a former captain from Shida's era, believes that Shida's retirement due to injury robbed the sport of its best chance to reach Olympic status.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Backflip!! (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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