My take on Ryman’s Club is pretty simple – it’s a rock-solid sports anime.  It doesn’t do anything to blow you away but the parts are all in good working order, and the execution has a fair bit of panache to it.  It’s also refreshingly free of the bullshit that seems joined at the hip to any “original” sports anime about high-schoolers (boys and girls each have their own set of it) these days.  And it doesn’t hurt to have Miki Shinichirou, who has the rare quality of being instantly recognizable while at the same time never repetitive, as the anchor of a stellar cast.

Because this world of corporate athletics is so new to me, I find it oddly fascinating.  Apparently this is how badminton (and I would have to imagine some other non-big money Olympic sports) work in Japan – you go to the office in a suit and tie, put in your eight hours and set about being a professional athlete once you clock out.  In return you get a chance to play your chosen sport competitively and you’re guaranteed a job after you retire from the game.  Non only that, at Suntoryshine Beverage the salesmen also act as stock boys on their sales calls.

This second episode gives us a day on the life of a badryman.  A disastrous sales call (denting the customer’s Lexus) possibly saved by nabbing a shoplifter.  A night drinking in the corporate dorms.  Practice at the elementary school gym, followed by dinner at the izakaya with the guys.  And sandwiched in, an actual match (witch I assume gets you excused from going into the office for the entire day), albeit a practice one.  The opponent is Unisysic, headed by the nationally-ranked badminton idol Kirishima Hayato (typecasting with FukuJun here).

Unisic also features a 17 year-old played by Murase Ayumu, Misora Ayato – which makes me wonder how that works, given that he should probably be a second-year high schooler.  Is he such a prodigy that he “turned pro” early – and if so is that common, and what sort of corporate job would be pretend to be doing?  The vibe is that this is an especially strong team that doesn’t expect much resistance from the Sunshine boys, and indeed they blow through the first doubles match without any ado.  But Saeki Major blitzes his opponent in the singles (which clearly irks Mikoto), leaving the tie up to the final doubles match.

If this series is going to succeed the chemistry between Mikoto and Tatsuru has to work, both on the court and off.  The latter is no problem – they’re a very amusing odd couple – but Mikoto’s hangups make the former a challenge.  Whatever his high school trauma was, it’s keeping him from jumping now – which Tatsuru notices soon enough.  Tatsuru has a wealth of good-natured patience and it’s a good thing, because Mikoto doesn’t give much back as a partner.  These opponents (this is the Kirishima pair) are formidable, but slowly and grudgingly Mikoto begins to get a read on them.  At this point his competitive nature starts to trump his peevishness and aversion to doubles, and the battle is well and truly joined.

Competitively this all seems to be building towards the corporate tournament, which means the hero pair have to lose this match.  But Mikoto finally does buy into the team thing (though he’s quite freaked out by Tatsuru’s attempt at a high five).  That’s well and good, but it’s hard for me to imagine they can win if one of them can’t jump – that’s a huge part of badminton.  Perhaps the introduction of one of Mikoto’s former colleagues will speed that process along.  In the meantime I’m quite content to go where Ryman’s Club leads – it’s a very entertaining blend of old-school sports elements with a pretty novel twist on the genre.