On her first day at Nishi High School, 15-year-old Hiromi Oka is inspired by top player Reika "Ochoufujin" Ryuuzaki to take up tennis. Shortly after joining the school's tennis club, she encounters Jin Munakata, the club's new coach. Munakata puts everyone under rigorous training that even puts Ochoufujin to shame. Despite the hardships, Hiromi's determination prompts the coach to select her as part of the club's main players. Because of this, Hiromi must endure the peer pressure from her seniors to become an ace tennis player.
(Source: ANN)
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Unowen
Animation as any other form of art can't avoid the rule of percentages that supposedly determines what is good amidst the mediocrity (that some would claim is around the 90% of the total). When it comes to old anime as the one object of this review, new factors appear, and the challenge is placed in discerning between what was lacklustre back in the day of its creation and what are the mere consequences of standing the test of time. Aim for the Ace! (Ace wo Nerae!) is one show worth to be highlighted thanks to the apparent simplicity of its premise, and the good mixture betweenthe sports' department with the constant dramatic situations and the psychological exploration of the characters. The fact of being only 2-cours long makes it from the very beginning way more accessible than some of the long-runners of the time. Aired in 1973, is not only one of the first anime of its genre, but also the first production to came under the name of studio Madhouse, and directed by one of its founders, Osamu Dezaki.
The shows under the direction of Dezaki use to be safe bets for us viewers of our time, since they were able to find their strengths in the same limitations of the format that used to work as detriments instead.
It is not, nevertheless, the aim of this review to praise this particular work for just being one of the first to make their appearance in this particular scene of both shoujo and sports. Aim for the Ace! is one truly interesting series by itself in spite of its context, with themes and worries that almost haven't aged with the pass of the decades, and that are still current and relatable. There isn't an excess of melodrama either, since the different issues are solved quite naturally, while others are introduced at the same time in one constant cycle of formulation-resolution that avoids dragging a particular problem for too long. The portrayal of its sports aspect shows a progressive and believable evolution.
Visually speaking this show is a rarity, way less rough-looking than most TV productions of the end of the 60s and beginning of the 70s. Its peculiar color palette, with a high tendency for pastel colors, Akio Sugino's great work adapting the character designs and the overall good animation for the time are aspects worth to be mentioned.
Apparently an obscure show in MAL terms with not even a thousand people rating the entry, it was actually a hit in Japan back in the day, albeit not in its original broadcast. An increased popularity in the following years thanks to retransmittions lead to the creation of Shin Ace wo Nerae! (1978), a remake of the series with updated visuals more alongside other Dezaki shows of the end of the decade. A summary movie for this remake, with new and better animation was also released on the following year. There are also a second and third seasons, released in the late 80s in the form of OVAs, nearly twenty years after the original series. Unfortunately, only the first season (that can be enjoyed as a stand-alone), the film (which I recommend despite the fact it covers the same events), and the first two episodes of the S2 OVAs are currently available with English subtitles [2021 update: both sequel OVAs are finally fully available!].
In conclusion, this 26-episode experience is really recommendable for any anime fan that is interested in the history of the medium. Some of the characters and themes of this show have been reformulated by numerous others almost to a fault, what affords the series a constant déjà vu vibe. Ultimately, don't miss it if by any chance you like Gainax's Top wo Nerae!, since the major part of that OVA's story works as a parody of Ace wo Nerae!
triplefox
I first watched Ace wo Nerae! in 2009, after learning of its existence through Gunbuster, and it had quite an impact on me at the time. It's a simple enough story - a great coach sees potential in a young student, and trains her to be a strong, courageous person on and off the court. Through hard work and persistence she overcomes her obstacles and grows successful. There is no audiovisual spectacle to be found in TV animation this old, from an era where Japanese animation's budgets, technical background and conventions were relatively limited. The most charitable thing you can say about it is thatit has some stylish design ideas, and a catchy opening theme. I tend to like art that borders on the abstract, so I still give it a decent rating.
What I get impacted by every time I rewatch this(and I will go and rewatch an episode every year or two) is the strong storytelling. A lot of the tropes common to modern anime are seen here, in a more innocuous, unexplored form. It doesn't try to subvert anything or throw in huge twists, wacky characters or fantastical elements, it stays in a grounded, ordinary sort of telling, and just builds up your empathy for the characters and their goals with persistence. The simplicity of it is the thing that makes it remain interesting even now.
If you want to see the story but would like different takes on it, you have plenty of alternatives: There is a 1979 film remake, a TV drama, and, of course, the original manga. The story does have a plot continuation in the sequel series and OVA, but they serve as more of a coda for fans.
NotenSMSK
Ace wo Nerea! Translated to Aim for the Ace is an underrated 1973's anime and that probably brings the first doubt to mind: The animation. Now before we move ahead, I'll tackle the animation as quickly as possible so it is easy for animation critics to decide whether to watch it or not. The animation of course is old. It lacks the luster and details, and fluidity of more recent animes. The colors are dull and at times the character features are seriously out of shape. Plus, there is a lot of sequence repetition. However - and this is important, the animation has its positives. Thechar features and build are consistent and the facial art style is somewhat unique and at times even attractive. They have repetition, yes - however they do manage to pull of unique sequences when required as well. And as someone who has followed a decent few recent animes, the animation is bearable. It is needed at this point to be understood that it is not an anime which features amazing graphic tennis but a story about a personality and a player strengthening separately and their journey through many hurdles.
After having filtered out people who had issues with animation - the question pops up - is the anime good in the rest of the aspects? As far as story goes - it is a present cliche of "talentless protagonist going the distance to be one of the best" which wasn't as big a cliche then and even if it was, it is executed at a really good pace. You sort of know the ending and direction, but you watch for how it is executed. Each event - which is 1 to 2 episode long, manages well to keep your attention and doesn't let the show get too slow and boring or two fast and exciting to put you off.
As for characters, well - for one, I love the characters in it. The main chars at least are pretty believable, their cues, expressions, and dialogue truly reflect an average school life. Meaning, moods just don't 'appear' or 'feelings' don't just develop out of nowhere. Plus, the protagonist isn't the total cry baby that just loses hope. And if that IS your first impression about her, it does change as the anime progresses. Some may rightly claim that certain chars are 1 dimensional however the anime does hint that they are showing a certain 'aspect' of their life, or their personality as they wish to show and their intentions, thoughts may be different and/or they may act differently given different situations. That is NOT shown for every single char, but it did help enough to keep me happy with the chars.
There is one issue after watching many recent animes perhaps and it is that there are instances where you can guess which character to pop up to boost/demoralize the protagonist or add tension in the storyline, however unless one is overly critical about such matters, it is something that can be overlooked.
The sounds are old, quirky and seem like something my parents might like. But they do manage to compliment the anime considerably and that is their purpose in essence.
So over how would I describe it? An anime with old school, yet bearable and at times 'good' animation, believable progression of a tennis players skill and personality build with certain embarrassing, certain comical, and certain frustrating events that one does face in real. The episodes progress in a well thought manner, nudging you to see further and when I finished it, I was certainly happy to pick this up.
It is a recommendation to all people who like sports, and good char development, and rather then looking for an extremely unique story are more satisfied with good execution and story line.
Thank you for reading and feedback - positive or negative (not random insults - FEEDBACK) is always welcome!
shaoraa
Ace wo Nerae! is a classic sports and drama anime from the 70s, centered around passion and determination. Despite its dated animation, this shoujo story struck me with its sincerity and the strength of its adorable heroine, Oka Hiromi. The story follows a timid 15-year-old girl who discovers tennis and dedicates herself completely to it. While the first few episodes may not immediately capture attention, things become quickly much more engaging as the episodes go on. Especially with the growing female rivalries, one of the key elements of the series, which is also said to have helped shape some of the early yuri conventions, giving theseries both historical significance and lasting appeal.
What begins as a simple sports story gradually turns into a genuine exploration of self-improvement and perseverance.
The cast features a range of distinctive and interesting characters. Having watched Oniisama e (Dear Brother), which was directed by the same person (the highly regarded Osamu Dezaki), it immediately became evident that Ace wo Nerae! influenced some characters of the later work. Out of all of them, Oka is the one who truly captured my heart. The young girl goes through ups and downs, moments of doubt and failure but always finds the strength to stand back up again. That emotional realism is what makes her journey so compelling.
Coach Munakata Jin appears as an intriguing character. Beneath his cold demeanor and harsh training methods lies a genuine belief in Hiromi’s potential. Because of that, he relentlessly pushes her to grow, even if it means putting her through pain and discipline. Their coach-student relationship, tough but still sincere, is the emotional core of the story. You can also sense that Munakata is projecting onto her a dream he couldn’t achieve himself (a point further explored in the following season), which adds a poignant layer to his character.
Among the rivals, Ryuuzaki Reika, the best player of the female tennis team, stands out for her pride and confidence, but also for her hidden insecurities. Seeing her ego shaken by Hiromi’s impressive growth challenges her both on the court and within herself, leading to intense and compelling confrontations. Otawa Kyoko, another rival at the beginning, also feels threatened by Oka and is particulary jealous of her being chosen by the coach. However, as the story progresses, Otowa undergoes a notable development, something pleasant to witness as it brought some warmth and maturity to the narrative.
As for Toudou Takayuki, one of the team’s best male players, his attachment to Hiromi adds both a tender and bittersweet touch. A gentle romance blossoms between them only to be set aside in favor of Oka’s dedication to tennis. Yet, their mutual care and encouragement remain unwavering.
Now, when it comes to animation, it’s important to remember the show’s era. The matches can feel long, the scenes often repetitive and certain episodes do drag. Yet, despite all those flaws, the anime still retains its charm. It still manages to convey genuine feeling and it’s easy to get completely drawn in. The opening and ending themes are amazing and perfectly capture the spirit of the show.
In summary, Ace wo Nerae! is an imperfect yet deeply charming shoujo classic, driven by a heartfelt heroine and her memorable entourage. Its story of passion, discipline and inner strength remains compelling even fifty years later and it establishes strong character foundations that make it exciting to see their growth in the next seasons. Truly a great watch !
The_Namer
Some genres evolve beyond recognition over the decades. Others have such powerful foundational works that you can still see their DNA in shows made half a century later. Sports anime are very much the latter. The tropes that form the backbone of the genre today can be traced back to shows like Aim for the Ace! Far from feeling like sports anime have left it behind, this 1973 Osamu Dezaki classic is as riveting now as it must have been when first broadcast. Indeed, the king of melodrama raises the tension to breathtaking heights. Though it follows the straightforward story of a girl learning the hardwork and guts it takes to master tennis, the visuals ratchet up the intensity masterfully to mirror the emotions of the characters. At one point Hiromi has hard lessons beaten into her in a tennis court enclosed by barbed wire, giving it the air of a prison camp. Umpires are faceless shadows casting judgement over the girls' fates. Barrages of tennis balls strike people like a hail of machinegun fire. Blood flies. Questions of who will win or lose mingle with fears over whether they will wind up crippled for life from overexerting themselves.
It's all interwoven with a solid shojo romance arc and, despite clearly not being a complete adaptation of the manga, reaches a satisfying conclusion with an appropriate final confrontation.
freehydrogen
Tune in to this anime if you want to witness amazing sportsmanship and a well-paced, satisfying growth. This show exceeded all of my expectations and have become one of the my absolute favourites! Now that I have finished the 26 episode series, I reflect on it melancholically, because it had wholly captured my heart. I would recommend that anyone who comes across this review watches the show themselves to discover the points that I have mentioned below because it truly makes the experience better with a more subjective approach. Story: There is not a single episode which will make you delay watching the next.The pacing is really something to savour! The growth of Oka Hiromi's skills is slow but steady; it is perfectly handled. There is rivalry, denial, acceptance, training, matches, development, almost everything you would expect from the first impression. Regardless of the predictability of tropes, it gives you a unique experience as none of the "dilemma's" or hindrances are neither dragged nor rushed; it is dealt with adequately, which is the leading attraction of the show.
Whenever she learns something there is always room left for improvement, so it doesn't feel like she has become overpowered without relative hardships to back her up, despite her inborn talent. The anime also doesn't waste time on petty rivalry or romance (except for the first few episodes), for most of the duration of the show, it focuses on H.O personal growth as tennis becomes something she starts to revere and love, and the hardships she must face due to her newborn emotions. That is when she trains with her full potential. She showcases a truly inspiring and satisfying development.
Characters: I especially like the main rivalry between H.O and R.R; it is not driven by jealousy or insecurity (although it may seem so at first) but by pure desire to excel at their sport with both acknowledging and even admiring each others skills as the story progresses. Another thing to note is that while the characters do reflect on their game-play and encourage themselves during matches, they don't go on hours long internal monologues, which is very refreshing. Men's tennis team easily became one of my favourites as they constantly encouraged and supported H.O despite her facing constant rebuttal from her female counterparts (especially one of the members, who in fact ends up finding a very reasonable ground to support her by the end of the series. Her redemption arc isn't the most extravagant; however, it is quite realistic).
Bgm and sound effects: I didn't miss a single episode's opening and ending themes -they are that captivating. It also has a very nostalgic feel to it, not only because of the music itself, but also due to the quality of the audios; and especially is the case if you have grown up watching animes like Shinchan and Doraemon. As for the sound effects, they can be very rough and loud at times; however, that is just the essence of older animes.
Animation: This is the biggest complain people have about this show; bad animation. But I think that the plot itself compensates well for the animation, and personally I enjoyed the simplicity in the art. Sometimes you can even have a laugh to yourself when you notice the very obvious cut-outs of characters they use at times. But I would point out that the animation during some part of matches is very fluid and natural, albeit being used over and over again. Additionally, I am pretty sure that the animation quality increases a bit throughout the show, for example, H.O's room changes from appearing like it is just a bed and wallpaper stranded in an unspecified universe to actually being a room with curtains and furniture. The distinction is subtle but present.
I am very excited about watching the next season!!! There are so many specific things about the anime that I undoubtedly adored, but as per my devastatingly annoying desire of writing a spoiler-free review, I must refrain from making a mention of them. I hope everyone enjoys the show as much as I did!
logyloo
Ace wo Nerae! tells of Hiromi Oka's experiences while she is in her school's tennis club. Personally, I think the anime wasn't anything special and it didn't really stick out to me. I gave the anime a 5/10 overall. The story was standard for most sports anime. Hiromi Oka joins her tennis team with no skill and eventually becomes better through hard work. There was little romance, but it was entertaining. The tennis matches were also enjoyable. The art was nice for being from the 70s. The character design reminded me of other 70s anime such as Rose of Versailles. None of the art really stuck outto me.
The main character, Hiromi Oka, was very annoying. She cried over everything and the only person who could give her motivation was her crush. All the other characters were pretty boring and monotonous.
Overall, the anime was mediocre and I didn't really enjoy it. If you like 70s anime or sports anime then this might be a good fit for you but other than that there isn't much else this anime offers.
BowlingJD
As an anime coming out of the 70s, about tennis, and by Madhouse, I had certain expectations and let downs. First off, this screams 1973 perfectly from the clothes the characters wear, the sound/music, all the way to blood flowers. You'll know what I mean when you watch it. There is so much to love about Aim for the Ace. First off, the main character Oka Hiromi is a bit of a cry baby and is easily overcome with emotions. But, she slowly evolves into a strong-willed women and matures as much as she improves her tennis game. She undergoes very tough training to improve her gameand it is exactly what you want in a sports anime.
At first the art style will throw anybody off, mainly sparkle sweat. I quickly got used to it within the first episode and grew to love it.
What I loved the most about Ace wo Nerae is the banter between Hiromi and her best friend Maki. Oh and the tennis matches were fantastic. "You" can see where and what other sports anime take from this one.
I truly believe that if you are a fan of sports anime and/or shoujo, "you" owe it yourself to give this a good try.
LuxuriousHeart
Aim for the Ace follows Hiromi as she's picked as regular member of the tennis team. Hiromi starts off as a casual tennis player with not much confidence in herself. She never believed that she'd go far, but she joined the tennis team anyway due to her girl crush on Madame Butterfly. The coach sees potential in Hiromi, which starts the main drama in the first half. She's having to navigate jealousy, hazing, and bullying, while not having confidence in her own skill. "Why did the coach pick me?", and "what does he see in me?" are the questions that sheconstantly asks.
This anime is an 8/10 for the romance, character development, and the grit of the different tennis players. This anime was an obvious inspiration for later sports series, but you also see the inspiration that Attack No 1 had on this series as well. Personally, I like Attack No 1 more, but Aim for the Ace is a great series as well. I highly recommend both of them.
Teramol
Dezaki Osamu is my favorite anime director. I still haven't seen everything from him but now I got around to Aim for the Ace!, somewhere in the middle in terms of how well known it is among his works. His most known works tend to be more lenghty so let's talk how a more simple show about a girl discovering herself via the world of tennis played out. The premise itself is simple. We follow Hiromi, an innocent girl joining the tennis club of her school Nishi High because everyone including her admires a girl there known as Madame Butterfly aka Ryuzaki Reika. We also immediatelyget introduced to Munakata Jin, a former professional as he is assigned to be the new coach of the tennis club. Then throughout the two cour runtime we see these characters interact, grow, form rivalries and much more in between.
The characters for the most part are well written although maybe not always the most likable. There's a good amount of development for the main cast and even for some seemingly unredeemable side characters. However, I personally felt there were a bit too many plot conveniences revolving around Hiromi. Many of them get resolved later but they still gave me mixed feelings.
The show actually is more of a drama than a sports show. Every episode has something dramatic happening. And when I say dramatic, I really mean it. Unfortunately the show suffers from the really old trope of overly dramatizing even mundane things that Shoujo anime from back then had a habit of doing. So as someone who isn't a huge fan of melodrama, this was probably my biggest issue with the show. That being said there were a lot of good drama too so it's not all bad!
And on the topic of the show being very old, visually it sadly hasn't aged super well. Most of the time it wasn't an issue for me as I've seen quite a bit of old shows so I'm used to it but during the actual tennis matches I definitely felt it. Janky movement, stills, stock footage and bad sound design galore.
Regarding the ending of the show, I thought it was a fitting conclusion but at the same time it felt abrupt. I know there are other entries too (a remake possibly?) that might go even further on the plot but I was hoping for a bit more conclusive of a feeling after finishing. Still a decent finish overall.
Overall I enjoyed the show despite my issues with it. Although it would go on the lower side of Dezaki's shows to me. For anyone wanting a sports themed shoujo with some meaningful character growth, you could do a lot worse than Aim for the Ace!
