# Stars Align (2019)

> A junior high tennis team's last summer hangs on persuading a gifted but reluctant player to return to the court.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/78554

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: Bandai Channel, TBS
- Cast: Gen Sato, Natsuki Hanae, Tasuku Hatanaka, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, Yusuke Kobayashi, Kohei Amasaki, Yoshitaka Yamaya
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11008522/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: gentle, sincere, hopeful, wistful

## What critics say

Viewers broadly rate this single-season Japanese animated sports drama positively for its heartfelt school-tennis story and characters.

## Synopsis

Stars Align (2019) is a Japanese animated sports drama series produced by 8bit, TBS and FlyingDog, broadcast on Bandai Channel and TBS. Toma Shinjo (voiced by Tasuku Hatanaka) is determined to save his junior high school's tennis team, and his only real hope rests on Maki Katsuragi (voiced by Natsuki Hanae), a gifted player who is reluctant to give up his studies and step back onto the court. Rintaro Futsu (voiced by Gen Sato) and Itsuki Ameno (voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) round out the principal circle of teammates whose bonds are tested as the clock on their final summer together keeps ticking. The engine of the story is simple and personal: a small squad, a deadline built into the calendar, and one young player's hesitation standing between them and the championship they have been working toward. Each of the twelve episodes of this single season moves through practice sessions, friendships, and the quiet pressures of school life rather than relying on spectacle. Set in contemporary Japan, the series carries a gentle, sincere register, with coming of age feelings and a hopeful sense of youth. Fans of Haikyu!!, Ping Pong the Animation and Yuri!!! on Ice will find resonance in its sports-driven emotional core and its tender portrait of adolescent ambition.

## Shows like Stars Align

- [Kids on the Slope (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/38870)
- [Wandance (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/176376)
- [The Summer Hikaru Died (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/184737)
- [Blue Box (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/129601)
- [Tsukigakirei (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61960)
- [Medalist (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/154476)
- [Waiting in the Summer (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/38820)
- [A Condition Called Love (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/155895)
- [Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/85921)
- [Just Because! (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/64431)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt