Captain (1980 Special)

きゃぷてん 1980ねんすぺしゃる

Aired: 1980

A standalone television anime produced by Eiken and broadcast as a special on Nippon TV. This 1980 special is the very first animated adaptation of Akio Chiba's hit baseball manga 'Captain,' and the reception of this one-off telecast directly led to a summer 1980 follow-up special, a 1981 theatrical feature, and the full ongoing TV series that began in 1983. The story centres on Takao Taniguchi, the new captain of the perennially weak Sumitani Junior High baseball team, who has transferred from the elite Aoba Academy. With painful, methodical training and quiet determination, he gradually lifts a hapless group of players toward national-level competition. The understated, never-shouting captain archetype, the emphasis on humble effort, and the dignified rivalries that fans still associate with the franchise are all set down here for the first time.