The shows nowadays are littered with males who have so little testosterone that watching them interact with girls is actually akin to watching a yuri scene. The shows themselves are dull and insipid because they focus on the most average person in the room. Older shows like Death Note, FMA, GITS are so iconic mainly because none of the characters are whiny pricks. They each had a vision with believable flaws and limitations and they fought tooth and nail to bring their vision to life.
Nowadays its just a deluge of shows with utterly average people who do not have a single interesting facet in their personality. From Re:zero's Subaru to BNHA's Izuku, everyone is a spineless, gutless, piece of shit protagonist suffering from serious, chronic deprivation of testosterone but they suddenly become awesome and powerful coz reasons.
If you are like me and you miss the brilliance of past characters like the Yagami Light's, the Edward Elric's and even to a certain extent the Kurosaki Ichigo's then my friend, you might love One outs.
Here is a character who doesn't coast through life by being average and doesn't play sports to enjoy. The main character Tokuchi Toua, plays to win.. WIN.. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. If that means humiliating the opponent and breaking him down bit-by-bit, then so be it. No philosophical ramblings, no hesitation, no doubts. WIN.. At all costs. A man with a vision, and willing to do ANYTHING to achieve what he wants. Here is a deeply flawed character with believable limitations, who overcomes his opponents using sheer will and keen observation and quick wits. Stoicism is celebrated here, as it should be. Other shows have characters scream and cry and become awesome. Here its the traits of quiet deliberation, long term planning, calmly responding to situations which are celebrated. Awesome doesnt happen overnight, its not something that is inherited, its EARNED. By analysis, by predictions, by planning. Things that almost no other anime celebrates.
Comically almost every other aspect of the show apart from Tokuchi is utterly useless. Side characters mostly have less charm than cardboard cutouts, the music is serviceable, the animation average. But when the main character is this good and when some of the foes he faces are almost as formidable as him, nothing else matters. A great binge-worthy, fun to watch anime.
