Studio Mappa has become a household name in the anime industry, thanks to its wildly successful series like Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Attack on Titan. However, the studio’s recent anime ventures have not been receiving the same level of love and attention from viewers.
Mappa rose to prominence with shows like Dorohedoro and The God of High School, but it was the release of Jujutsu Kaisen that truly catapulted the studio to new heights. Since then, Mappa has taken on many huge IPs and consistently delivered spectacularly animated shows.
However, since the release of Jujutsu Kaisen’s second season, which boasts an impressive 8.84/10 rating on MyAnimeList, Mappa seems to be going through a bit of a dry spell.
Following Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, Mappa released the anime film Maboroshi in September 2023, which currently holds a 7.23/10 rating on MyAnimeList. They then followed up with Bucchigiri?! in the Winter 2024 season, which has a 6.66/10 rating.
Now, their newly released series “Oblivian Battery” is currently rated 6.83/10 on MyAnimeList, indicating that it may struggle to capture the attention of anime fans this season.
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Oblivian Battery: A Promising Story With Mixed Reception
Oblivian Battery is a baseball-related anime series that premiered in the Spring 2024 season. Despite an all-star voice cast featuring the likes of Yuki Kaji (Eren Yeager), Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami), Toshiki Masuda (Kirishima from MHA), and Nobunaga Shimazaki (Mahito from JJK), the series has received mixed reactions from viewers after just one episode.
Some comments on the MyAnimeList discussion forum express disappointment with the animation style and the comedy. One commenter noted, “The style is … kinda odd, ngl, like continuously shapeshifting between silly and weird and ‘normal’ (whatever that is for anime lol).”
Another commenter, a self-proclaimed baseball fan, had high hopes for the series but felt let down by the first episode, stating, “Except for the premise, the animations and comedy are good… I hope it improves in the future…”
According to the synopsis on Crunchyroll: “Oblivian Battery follows star pitcher Haruka Kiyomine and skilled catcher Kei Kaname, an unstoppable duo until Kei is hit with a curveball: amnesia. The two have a second chance to play at a no-name high school with a team of past rivals, but they must overcome Kei’s memory loss and rekindle their baseball dreams.”
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Despite the promising premise and the star-studded cast, Oblivian Battery seems to be struggling to find its footing with audiences.
The series currently holds a 6.81/10 rating on MyAnimeList, and out of the 4,887 people who watched the first episode, 214 decided to drop it, resulting in a 4.3% drop rate. This is a relatively high drop rate for a new series with only one episode released.
Given Mappa’s reputation and the talented voice cast, one might expect Oblivian Battery to generate more buzz. However, it appears that the series may end up being overshadowed, much like Bucchigiri. It’s worth considering whether the baseball-centric theme is a factor in the series’ lack of recognition.
While baseball is hugely popular in Japan, it may not have the same widespread appeal as other sports, such as football, which has been successfully portrayed in anime like Blue Lock.
It will be interesting to see if Oblivian Battery can overcome its initial mixed reception and find its audience.
Source: MyAnimeList
