SeattleOtaku

With the Wimbledon tournament in full swing this week, what better import anime to dig out of the closet than the early-’70s classic Ace wo Nerae!, or Aim for the Ace!, the story of a young rookie tennis player under direction of a strict coach. While the animation was picked up in Europe for French, Spanish, and Italian translations, it never received an English one for the UK or US, though fan groups have subtitled copies. Official copies of the imports seem out of print as well, so it’s become increasingly difficult to find, though in 2004 the story was revisited in a live-action version as well.

Story Intro

New to high school and an elite tennis team, Hiromi is awed by the shool’s top players and scared of the new coach Munakata-san, whose strictness and apparent mean streaks prompt the nickname Oni-Coach (Demon-Coach). But Munakata-san, a former tournament player himself, senses something in Hiromi’s rookie ways and chooses her to be among the top players to play in tournaments. Hiromi must deal with the entitlement issues and revenge tactics of unchosen seniors, strenuous training while losing early tournament matches, and romantic distractions in order to become an ace player herself.

Other Notes

Ace wo Nerae! (26-episode TV, 1973-74, aka “Aim for the Ace!”)
Ace wo Nerae! (compilation Movie, 1979, aka “Aim for the Ace!: Jump High, Hiromi”)
Shin Ace wo Nerae! (25-episode TV, 1978-79, aka “New Aim for the Ace!”)
Ace wo Nerae! 2 (13-episode OAV, 1988-89, aka “Aim for the Ace! 2″)
Ace wo Nerae! Final Stage (12-episode OAV, 1988-89, aka “Aim for the Ace! Final Stage”)
Ace wo Nerae! (9-episode live-action TV, 2-part finale TV/OAV, 2004)