Sports tropes don't really matter all that much if they have good storytelling or something else around them to set them apart.

Chihayafuru, for example, uses the trope of high school kids struggling to form their own competitive club.  Yes, they do come from "out of nowhere" to be contenders but the main characters are already high tier individual players.  Any team they joined would instantly be a threat.

What makes Chihayafuru special is that it goes beyond that.  The series quickly takes us back to elementary school to show us why the game of Karuta is so important to the main characters.  It shows us the basis of their dreams, fears, joys, and regrets, which establishes them as meaningful in the future.

(Chibi Chi-chan)

(who turns into this)

(who is also this)

watch yowamushi pedal... that's all I'll say

Hello there

Helloo !

It's Shad!!!!!! 

How've you been? Whatcha watching this season?

Oh no is Shad.

I've been good, life has been very chill recently.

This season I'm mostly watching SoL shows:

Dagashi Kashi 2

Citrus

Mitsuboshi Colors

Saiki s2

Takunomi

Popteamepic

Death March

Can't escape me!

Ugh, seems that I ended up in the wrong timeline.Time to jump to the next one!

I really need to be more active on discord.

So on topic now, what would you guys suggest me to watch this season, as far as new shows are concerned?

I have some ongoing shows that I already watching (YOWAAAAAAAMUSHIII!!!!), but I wanted to try new things.

Im already watching Darling in the Franxx and Kokkoku.And no exclusive yuri animes, since Im not alone in the house, and I dont want people to catch me watching it!(Though if its specially good, I could make the effort to watch it in secret!)

My personal favorite is March Comes in like a Lion, a drama about an anti-social boy who plays professional shogi. It’s like 30+ episodes in now, and starts kinda slow, but the animation is beautiful and the drama is expertly handled.

Other stand-outs include Karakai Jouzo no Takagi-san, a gag comedy about a girl teasing a boy she likes (and him trying to get revenge Tom and Jerry style), and Yuru Camp, a fun SoL about girls going camping. Not sure if either of those sound appealing but I enjoy them.

Violet Evergarden might be worth checking out too if you have a way to watch it. Basic premise is an android girl trying to learn about the world after the war in a post-WWII era setting. No idea if it’s good yet but it looks beautiful.