Vissel is back to stripes after 12 years... Kashima on the other hand has something completely new for the new season.
Thats what happens when you choose the most boring brand in the world. And not to mention the least durable one by far compared to its competitors.
Vissel: meh, liked the old ones better. Either go back to black/white stripes or stick to the Rakuten crimson. Kashima: Somewhat intriguing; but I want to see what it looks live before judging Sanfrecce: the yellow lines are a bit of a question mark but it doesn't look too bad, the darker shade of purple is an interesting choice although maybe it looks a bit too much like a GK uniform. A few more from J's Goal Cerezo [Puma]: as conservative as it gets. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001322/ Zweigen [Adidas]: very simple, not that I find anything wrong with this but it doesn't stick out. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001325/ S-Pulse [Puma]: usual globe, a lighter shade of orange. Always been keen on it plus Suzuyo is a classy logo to have on the front, simple and stylish. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001527/ HollyHock [Gavic]: all the money Gavic spends on researching bizarre designs for Nara Club's kits is saved by providing Mito with awfully boring kits, year after year. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001555/ Renofa [Finta]: Original but I'm not sold on it. Those dark flames on the sides, especially. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001557/ Fagiano [Penalty]: The graphics look like a WordArt effect. Great for that Windows 98 nostalgia. Not for much else. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001559/ Yokohama FC [Soccer Junky]: painfully plain. It's not ugly, but it's a big step down from the Hummel kits they used to have. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001569/
http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001575/ -> Well if you watch it live it's not actually that bad. The sponsor logo might not be perfect (orange...) but hey it's still way better than the Deodeo they used to have 4/5 years ago http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001598/ -> Also here is Kashima, live. Tbh it looks worse than I thought- like someone washed an old Cagliari/Genoa shirt but picked the wrong washing machine program
Beware of the atrocity that is Shonan 2016. Not sure if it's the definitive one or a special one for a match vs United? http://qoly.jp/2016/01/11/shonan-bellmare-2016-penalty-shonan-fukushima-match-kit
http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001672/ -> FC Tokyo with a very classic design. http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001638/ -> Great shot for Kagoshima United who manages to reveal its uniform without allowing fans to actually see what it looks like. Looks like a very simple design, though http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001647/ -> On the other hand... Jubilo's is kinda weird. Lots of black, it almost looks more like a Frontale design.
Looking at these and Kashima's new uniform, I find it very surprising to how Nike can be as popular as they are. Plain, dull, boring is the words that first come to mind, and I don't think I can remember the last time Nike made a shirt that had a collar that looked good ( the collar on the Urawa away shirt looks ok though,compared to the rest). And the quality is another thing. Based on my own experiences, these shirts are likely to be washed out, torn apart or worse after less than 1 year's regular use ( by that I mean using them for playing futsal, at the gym etc). I dont have a single Nike uniform that still looks good. While my Mizuno Cerezo uniform from 2006 that I have worn 1-2 weekly for more than 9 years still got everything intact, and even got relatively fresh colours. And the same for frequently used Adidas and Kappa uniforms etc. Im probably gonna buy a Urawa-uniform this year nonetheless though, but might just go for last year's edition instead. Also, speaking of Cerezo, their uniform looked boring this season I think. Not a great fan of Puma either really.
Thespakusatsu: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001690/ I mean, it's a step forward compared to some we've seen in the past, although the striped socks might be overkill. Also, I think a darker shade of blue would have been better.
Grampus: www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001721/ can't see it very well. Strange lines on the sleeves and the collar, but simple overall. Consadole: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001728/ not particularly daring either, but I like that they kept the subtle snowflake fantasy on the 1st kit Gamba: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001819/ Simple, but I really like it for some reason. As close-ups show, Banpaku's profile can be seen (http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001820/). A bit odd maybe, but it's not too intrusive and it just looks like different shades of blue from afar. Tokushima: www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001857/ Historically they have been quite boring like most Mizuno kits, so even a simple pattern twist like this one is very appreciated- original enough not to look like the past ones, but simple enough you can't really go wrong. Frontale: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001875/ Gremio time! Maybe it's just me but it has a bit of a retro flavor.
Grulla: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001888/ -> give me that "new printer tryout sheet" look Tochigi: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001899/ -> very simple look.
Mizuno boring?=) Did you see any of Cerezo's last kits the last 10-15 seasons? I agree that for some of the "smaller" teams like Tokushima, Ehime etc their kits were a bit generic, but compared to ultra-generic boring brands like Nike it was and still are 10x better imho. And Frontale's is nice indeed, except for the main one's collar ( the one Mizumoto is wearing). Looks so out of style with the rest of the uniform, a bit like on Dortmund's home kit this season.
Yeah, my perception was maybe skewed by the fact that Mizuno mostly used to supply "small" J2 teams with usually boring designs (Tokushima, Gifu, Ehime, Tochigi) Some more uniforms incoming. I apologize for the long post. Let's start from Albirex who undergoes a complete makeover: It feels like a completely different team- not only they dropped the vertical bands, but they also chose a completely new shade of blue and went from the 'all serious looking' Kameda logo to this. Tokyo Verdy, instead, went for this. Acid is the only explanation that comes to mind. Athleta's questionable designs don't spare Avispa who get a barcode-themed shirt (although this might look better in person) Chiba's kit isn't anything extraordinary, but it looks good. Tochigi Uva finally realizes it has 'grape' for Italian in its name and adds a shade of purple to its shirt, courtesy of Mitre. Perhaps this won't help the team escape JFL's last place once again, but at least it makes them recognizable.
Vegalta: http://www.jsgoal.jp/photo/n-00001914/ -> Looks like horizontal stripes are in this year. Still, I really like the design, simple but effective, and the different shades of yellow give it more of a "golden" look. Omiya: They've never sported anything particularly original and it's not going to change this year. Machida: simple design but Jesus that number font is horrid. Also were the golden stripes really necessary? Matsumoto: yet another team sticking with the "playing-it-safe" tradition Kitakyushu: not really a fan of this design, the lower half of the uniform feels disproportionally empty and I think they could have avoided breaking up the red lines twice. Still maybe it looks better live than on paper Sagamihara: not particularly different than last year's.
Mito's animation collaboration continues this year. The new special replica uniform: The fish thing remains on the shorts of the official uniform.