Meet Ayane Mitsui: a full-time high school student and part-time hand-to-hand combat specialist! Exams are forgotten and homework is neglected as she pursues her life-long dream of becoming a pro-wrestling champion. Ayane has what it takes - skill, determination, and a lethal "high-kick" - even a cool wrestling mask! But who will guide her to the top?
Enter Kunimitsu Tangay: a veteran trainer who is prepared to mold young Ayane into a championship caliber fighter. But his rigorous regimen isn't preparing her for wrestling... but for kickboxing instead! Feeling betrayed, Ayane is furious when Kunimitsu enters in a kickboxing tournament. But Ayane's school ABSOLUTELY FORBIDS such violent extracurricular activities. What will she do when Sakurako Miyagawa, the top contender of the All Japan Kickboxing League, challenges her to a duel? Will she be able to high-kick her way to victory - or will she get kicked out of school?
(Source: U.S. Manga Corps)
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Comentários
jmoriarty84
This anime is ok. Maybe it was a pilot of a TV series that couldn’t really take off. Who knows. I felt if this was developed in the same way Hajime no Ippo is, then it could have really worked. The series leaves you wanting for more because Ayane just wins fights out of luck and not really on skill. Watching this makes you realize it does have a lot of potential if they went on with it. But I felt it had some flaws, like we don’t see Ayane taking her kickboxing license exam. I mean, shouldn’t she have realized that by then? Iwould have liked it if they showed us that just to see how she handled it and how she got her license to fight. It’s a major plot hole and doesn’t really make any sense. Then again, Ayane is portrayed to be a student with bad grades, so we are to assume she is a total ditz to some extent I guess.
And the rest of the cast is really generic. Like I’m assuming the Tange name is paying homage to Tange Danpei from Ashita no Joe, another anime I have reviewed in the past. They do develop some sort of relationship, but not really a father daughter relationship that could have worked like you see between Kamogawa and Ippo in Hajime no Ippo since you really don’t see Ayane’s father in this. It maybe would be cliché, but it works and feels natural. Sometimes clichés are a good thing in some animes. And then you got Miyagawa, she’s practically Ivan Drago and Floyd Mayweather packed in one. She’s like Ivan Drago with her training methods minus the steroids and how she’s a machine, and she’s like Mayweather flashing her wealth and how she publicly trash talks. So it’s your typical sports fight story but with a female perspective.
The design first of all is just typical of what you saw in most animes in the mid-1990s. It had the brighter resolution, and sharper faces and bigger eyes then you’re use to seeing. Pretty much what you see in other animes like Slayers, Tenchi, and Sabre Marionett J is what you see in this anime. So in comparison to most mid-90s anime out there, the art design isn’t really anything distinctive, but in no means what I consider un-tolerable.
The fights themselves, though only 2 are descent, just wish the anime could have taken the time and give the viewers an educational insight on kickboxing like how Hajime no Ippo does for boxing. Plus, the rounds are like 30 seconds each. It’s just the first round, Ayane is getting beat, 2nd round, she has her rhythm going on, and 3rd round, it’s even and Ayane gets lucky and wins. It’s too basic and one-dimensional and you don’t get different kinds of fights as you’d see in the other anime I’ve been somewhat comparing this too. It’s not about comparing boxing and kickboxing, but overall executing the concept of the central sport in relation to this anime. But I like how Kourakuen Hall is accurately represented from inside and out. I’ve been there three times and have fought there as an amateur once, so I feel like I can relate to it in that aspect.
For the dub, it’s actually not that bad. It’s nothing special, but nothing to a point where they’re intolerable or you don’t feel they have no representation to the personalities or the traits of the characters. I’m not familiar with too many dub actors with the exemption of like ocean studios so this is as far as I can comment on. So you can watch this anime whether you prefer Japanese or English and you’ll still get the same fulfillment.
But on the Japanese side, you got big names like Miyamura Yuko, the voice of Asuka from Evangelion playing Ayane; Ohtsuka Akio the voice of Snake from Metal Gear playing Tange, the trainer; and Yamaguchi Kappei the voice of Ranma and Inuyasha playing Ayane’s fight fan friend, Kappei. So seiyuu buffs such as myself should give this a shot. The music itself is very energetic. The theme songs give a fighting spirit feel to it, but also have a feminine touch. You also got the theme songs remixed into guitar for it to go with the training montages so nothing much to say.
By the time we get to this point of my review, you already get the idea that overall to the anime community. This is nothing too special. Which I’ll admit, but it’s still nothing really downright awful either. But I say if you like Hajime no Ippo and Ashita no Joe, Tough, or any martial arts action anime that doesn’t excessively defy the laws of physics, then this anime is for you. Despite the main character being female, it’s still appealing to both genders because of the action appeal though I wouldn’t really call the quality of the action high octane. People will probably love it or hate it for all the right reasons, or think it’s ok, also for the right reasons. It’s definitely worth a rental.
Timz0r
To think Ayane-chan High Kick should have been a complete series, but the producers behind this didn't had the money to contineu this series or just didn't knew how to handle money and/or there was no intrest aswell. Kinda of a shame for being their first debut as a studio. Apparantly it was intented to have six episodes. Someone with a lot of money please build a time machine and go back to 1997 and sponser this anime project. It was pretty OK actually. Good enough to share some own thoughs with this, just to give Ayane High Kick a bit more love that itdeserves.
Story: 6/10 (Fine)
Meet Ayane Mitsui, a redhead high school girl that wants to be a pro wrestler, but got tricked into the world of kickboxing. That's the story. I know the two sports don't really match each other, but I think I can understand the message they were trying to tell here with this story. It's all about the journey how you want to achieve your goals. To bad we'll never know if Ayane would have succeeded her goal.
Art: 6/10 (Fine)
Ayane High Kick's animation looks if you compair it with modern anime a bit dated, but hey, it's from 1997. It's about the same age when Pokémon (1997) came out in Japan as an anime, so I wouldn't make a fuss that much for it's animation. It's pretty OK. I've seen much worse animation, so no real complaints on the animation part aswell. Sure, I've spotted here and there some animation errors, but hey, I won't bitch and moan about that.
Sound: 6/10 (Fine)
Ayane is voiced by Yuko Miyamura, the person that also voiced the quite famous 14 year old Asuka Langley Souryuu from the Evangelion series. That combined with pretty alright background music that really kind of gives the vibes of the 90's together with decent voice acting from the other and sound effect typical for the '90's, I really can't complain sound-wise. Maybe I could make make a comment that the assigned intro song for this anime should have been "Fight For Yourself" by The Street Beats, which is a Jpop song that I actually don't really like, but hey, music taste does vary aswell.
Charather: 5/10 (Average)
It's kind of a sad thing thing I really can't judge with only two episodes that ever made for this series if I want to talk about it's charathers. You really need more episodes to see the charathers more fleshed out to be honest, even for an anime that was intented to be aired on television. That's why I go the average route if I want to rate the charathers.
Enjoyement: 7/10 (Good)
I actually felt bummed out the two episodes were over already. I honesty wanted more. I sort of want to know if Ayane would have succeeded her dream to become a pro wrestler even after she went the kickboxing route. Let's assume she did. Still I low key want to see all the shenanigans she has gone trough to acchieve her goal. As I already said before; someone please build a time machine and go back to 1997 to sponser this project.
Overal: 6/10 (Fine)
I honesty would recommend this short anime. It's only two episodes long that could get completed within the hour. I think this short cancelled anime is a good example that the lack of funding and/or intrest totally can destroy a potentional good series forever.
Luquillo
If there was ever a title that I would consider to be missed potential then it would have to be Ayane's High Kick. This very short series deserved a much longer run, because inside of this short OVA there's a story just screaming to be let out. Ayane's High Kick begins with a bit of promise, and it soon shows sparks of what it could have been, but it eventually falls victim to the low budget. Fighting anime will normally follow a certain pattern. 1)Main character trains hard. 2)Main character fights very tough opponent and is driven to the brink of defeat. 3)Main character some howdefeats said opponent that they normally shouldn't with lady luck on their side: This anime isn't really different as it follows that same pattern for the most part, but it's still kind of fun as you watch the main character try to overcome the obstacles.
The characters have very little to no depth and most fall in stereotypical roles, but it's still hard not to cheer for Ayane. Her clumsiness is classic and works well with the comedy. I couldn't help wonder how a die hard fan of pro wrestling did not notice she wasn't training for it. Is this dumb or what? She gives all wrestling fans a very bad name, but her clueless behaviour and excuses to get herself out of trouble adds the cuteness to her.
Ayane's High Kick isn't completely about the next fight. There are also sub plots taking place concerning the vice principal of her school, which furthers the anime stereotype of vice principals being evil. Ayane's school has a rule that forbids violent extracurricular activities. After her participation in a match, the vice principal is dead set on getting her expelled. She also has to keep her training secret from her mother. So there's a little bit extra going on here adding to the suspense. Unfortunately, because of the short length only one is well used.
The animation is decent for such a short OVA. The action scenes are fun, but suffer from the overuse of stills and reused animation. The artwork is ok at times with nice character designs, however it can be inconsistent also. This is very noticeable during the fights because the characters almost appear to be stick figures at times. The soundtrack is ok, and it fits with the personalities of the characters. On the downside, some of the songs are constantly replayed and the over exposure caused them to over stay their welcome. The English cast is alright for the most part, but Rose Markisello whom plays Sakurako Miyagawa speaks with too heavy of an accent when pronouncing her character's name. It actually grated on my nerves quite a bit.
The biggest problem that I have with this series is the very short length. Not only because the series left me wanting more, it also heavily effected the storytelling. Switching from wrestling to kick boxing is a huge transition as well as difficult. There could have been a great story told here with plenty of character development. Watching this character grow and prosper from beginner to pro could have propelled this series into classic status. The best example of a beginner turning pro while dealing with the hardships of a physical sport would be Fighting Spirit aka Hajime No Ippo; but then again, perhaps my imagination is just running wild here.
Ayane's High Kick is definitely wasted potential, and I really hope it gets picked up for a remake up one day. Ayane is an interesting character in a story that could have been very good but a weak anime is still a weak anime. It shouldn't have seen the light of day. The series feels badly rushed and the opened ending will leave everyone wanting more. This is an OVA I can't recommend at all; but the good thing is, the anime genre is over-saturated with action titles. So finding a better one won't be hard at all.
Highs: Decent action scenes and music, light hearted and fun
Lows: Too short and incredibly rushed
DBloke
Anyway I tend to watch a lot of things and this one is a short two episode OVA and its called Ayane's High Kick With a title like that don't expect a romantic drama and it isn't. Its one of them fighting animes that I tend to like. Now this one was made in 1996 so don't expect it to be a looker by today's standards. I have to say it has a female lead character that must be slightly dim as she seems to be easily fooled into thinking that she doing wrestling training in kick boxing gear (ok there have been ones in the pastthat have worn kick boxing gear) but when the trainer takes her to a gym for it you would think she would clock on to it but she doesn't.
There is however room for a possibly series but considering it was made over ten years ago I don't think they will.
The thing its self doesn't take its self to seriously but its sadly not that funny (well not to me) but it is okish so.
Over all
I give this 3/5 as its kinda something id pick up if it was on the cheap.
Recommended for -
People that like to watch this type of anime and want something short and back to basics.
Plot in one sentence -
Girl wants to become wrestler ends up becoming a kick boxer.
ktulu007
Ayane-chan High Kick is a sports comedy from the late 90s. It was written by Shizuya Isao and put out by Nikkatsu & Rikuentai. I've reviewed a lot of semi obscure OVAs so let's delve into this one. Story: We open with our heroine, Mitsui Ayane, skipping school in order to try out for wrestling. Unfortunately for her, throwing herself into things carelessly doesn't work out and she isn't signed. But things look up when she's approached by Tange Kunimitsu who sees championship potential in her. She eagerly takes him up on his offer to train her, not realising that he actually wants her as a kick boxerrather than as a wrestler.
The biggest issue with the OVA comes down to the humour. To explain it in simple terms, it can't decide whether it wants over the top, absurd comedy or more subdued dry comedy. Which basically results in it giving you kind of absurd, over the top situations and then reeling things back and giving you a subdued punch line that usually proves a bit disappointing. Having Ayane woken up when she's sleeping in class by her friend doing a countdown could be really funny, if she let loose and decked the student in the desk next to hers. Not so much when she just stands up awkwardly and shouts. That's just a little funny. Having the antagonist bring a van to her school and challenge her would be really funny if she gave a kind of exaggerated challenge speech like the Ultimate Warrior but it's not really funny when she's just a bit haughty.
Another issue is with how much time they spend on training montages where nothing all that amusing happens. I get it, you have a sports thing so you want to show some training and progression. However, this OVA has two episodes and runs for a little less than an hour. So, spending a bunch of that time showing training doesn't seem particularly prudent when you could have some jokes for your comedy or character development if you want to take it semi-seriously. Or both.
With those critiques out of the way, I will credit the series for being kind of entertaining and having jokes that might not be uproariously funny but are a bit funny. And there's nothing in the OVA's writing that's actually bad or even boring. Its main problems come down to trying to do too much with limited time and a general unwillingness to commit to the more absurd elements. And the worst that's going to lead to are some scenes that are a bit "blah."
Characters:
I've often said that a comedic work doesn't need characters with all that much depth so long as it has characters that have strong comedic interactions, although it is a bonus. That being said, this OVA isn't solely comedic. It takes its sport elements somewhat seriously and, because of that, I would say it needs some depth. Which it really doesn't have. Even if this were purely comedic most of the characters aren't all that funny in their interactions. So, you ultimately end up with characters who are a a bit too flat to make for a good cast in a sports work that's taking itself somewhat seriously and not animated enough for a strong comedic cast.
Art:
The artwork isn't all that good. It's not bad either it's just kind of average 90s fare in terms of character designs, backgrounds and the like. The biggest issue I had with it were with the action sequences. The OVA opts for more pulse pounding action rather than absurd, over the top action. Which is a perfectly acceptable choice but the problem is that it's not good at it. The action sequences mostly involve Ayane taking hits with flashes and recycled footage before she pulls it together and delivers her devastating titular high kick and it's just not that exciting or interesting to watch. And when it tries to illustrate injuries, there's really no detail so it just doesn't work. I get not wanting to show too much blood or detailed gore in a comedic sports work but at least give us some bruising or anything that can actually convey the damage they're supposed to have taken.
Sound:
The acting is fine. Nishihara Kumiko, Miyamura Yuko, Kawamura Maria & Ootsuka Akio all deliver acceptable performances. I dare say they could've done better if they'd had stronger comedy and/or stronger characterisation to work with. The music is okay. Not anything spectacular or super memorable but it works well enough.
Ho-yay:
There's a bit between Ayane and Kayoko. When they start talking about graduating together and Ayane realises she has to win her match for that purpose it gets pretty homo-erotic.
Specific Improvement Suggestions:
This is something new I'll probably do from this point on. Namely, I'm going to suggest three specific changes that I think could have made for a stronger work. Obviously, it's going to end up being a lot easier with works that aren't as good and get more nit-picky when you get something really strong, but I think it'll be interesting. So, for this OVA here are my picks.
1. Embracing more absurd humour.
I'm not opposed to drier, more subdued comedy, but with the ridiculous set ups and situations I definitely think going for more zany, over the top japes would have made for stronger comedy.
2. Cutting The Training sequences down, using that time for character interactions.
If the OVA had done a bit more with developing strong comedic interactions, I definitely think the characters would be both stronger and more memorable.
3. More polish for the action sequences.
Whether you want to keep the pulse pounding action, or you want to keep with the general motif and make the fight sequences more ridiculous, the action sequences definitely need more effort.
Final Thoughts:
Ayane-chan High Kick is all right. It's certainly better than some of the random OVAs I've gone over but there are also plenty of better ones out there. If it sounds like it might be your thing, you won't lose much time watching it since it does run for less than an hour and you may enjoy it. But if you skip it you aren't really missing out on anything. I'll give it a 6/10.
gaq_t
Sadly this only got 2 episodes, if it got more, my rating would have probably been much different. There just wasn't enough time for the story, albeit in the 2 episodes everything was established and executed quite well. Story: 4 I gave it a 4 mainly because of the ending, That was a BS doctor stoppage, I know the studio could have given the anime 5 more minutes to really finish the fight. Art: 8 Not much to say, I'm just a big fan of the old aesthetic present in the anime.Sound: 6
I liked the ED, but the OP was awful. The soundtracks were just average, not something I'll ever remember either.
Characters: 4
The only 2 likeable characters, were Ayane and her Coach - everyone else was either annoying or just boring like Kayako.
Overall: 6
I would recommend it to people who like fighting anime I guess, the fight scenes were pretty cool. I enjoyed it, though I was shorter than I hoped.
Banisoup
Okokokok HEAR ME OUT. This is a VERY short anime. I went in completely blind and surprise surprise it was absolutely nothing new- but. It was honestly pretty enjoyable in the background. I was half watching half working but I was listening the entire time- It was honestly a lot of fun. There were a few intentional jokes that landed for me and I really don't think this show took itself seriously. If you want something short, old, and fun to watch I would actually recommend this! Oh and it's not super pervy if that's something you like to avoid!
