HANEBADO! – A Racket of Emotions, Trauma, and Badminton
This May Contain Spoilers (and very real feelings)
Hey Nerdz!
Before we get into it, let me just say — I go into anime raw.
Yes, I skim the gist. Yes, I know the general setup.
But when I write these posts, I’m giving you my thoughts, unfiltered. I don’t care what the synopsis says. It’s about how it hits me.
So let’s talk HANEBADO! — Episodes 1 through 3.
Badminton With a Side of Emotional Trauma
This anime looked like it was gonna be intense — like, hardcore sports rivalry type stuff.
Instead, I got drama. Lots of it.
At its core, Hanebado! is about two high school girls who are both extremely talented at badminton, but are dealing with personal baggage so heavy it might as well be a weighted racket.
Let’s meet our leads:
🎯 Nagisa Aragaki (Tall, Angry, & Traumatized)
Nagisa is the third-year — tall, intimidating, and emotionally spiraling from an old loss to Ayano.
Instead of moving on, she takes it out on her entire team. Overtraining them, isolating herself, and basically being that toxic teammate.
Thankfully, she got over it fairly quickly, because I could not have dealt with an entire season of her playing “Captain Gloom & Doom.”
🌀 Ayano Hanesaki (Quiet, Talented, Abandoned)
Ayano? Oh, Ayano.
She’s a first-year with natural talent, practically born with a racket in hand. Her mom was a literal Olympic-level badminton player.
But here’s where the drama hits:
In middle school, Ayano loses a big match (while sick, by the way), and instead of being there for her daughter…
Her mom just dips.
No warning. No goodbye. No explanation.
She straight-up abandons her.
Ayano spends years believing that if she just keeps winning, her mom will come back.
And when she finally finds a magazine showing her mother mentoring another young player — yeah, it breaks her.
🧠 If the Timeline Confused You — Here’s the Straight Shot
Because let’s be honest: the anime kinda jumps around, and if you blink, you might miss something important. So here’s a clear breakdown:
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Both girls loved badminton as kids.
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Nagisa was teased for her height, but kept going.
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Ayano was abandoned by her mom after losing a match (while sick).
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Ayano continues to play, wins constantly, and meets Nagisa — whom she demolishes in a match.
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Nagisa spirals, becoming a harsh team captain.
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Ayano stops trying to “win her mom back” and steps away from the game emotionally.
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Now in high school, Ayano joins the badminton team (thanks to her bestie), and Nagisa is still brooding in her third year.
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The two meet again — and the drama unfolds.
Final Thoughts – The Shuttlecock Is Heavy With Feelings
Right now, Hanebado! feels more like a sports trauma recovery series than a sports anime.
But honestly? I’m not mad at it.
The emotional depth is there.
The characters feel raw.
And if they balance out the drama with actual competitive moments? This could be a hidden gem.
I’ll be sticking with it for a few more episodes to see where it goes — because there’s potential here.
And sometimes, sports anime hits harder when it dives into why people play, not just how.
More thoughts coming soon as I watch more!
Until next time,
Lexii Out! 🏸💔🎓
(Later Nerdz~)
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