Aim for the Ace! (1973 TV anime)

Aired: 1973 - 1974

A tennis spo-kon anime produced by Tokyo Movie, based on Sumika Yamamoto's manga. Average freshman Hiromi Oka catches the eye of demanding coach Jin Munakata and joins the high school tennis team. Through her rivalry with classmate "Madame Butterfly" Reika Ryuzaki, admiration for senior Takayuki Todoh, and battles against rival Masako Ozaki, Hiromi grows into a world-class player through setbacks and triumphs. Osamu Dezaki's directorial techniques—still frames, harmony processing, and light filtration—were established here, influencing later spo-kon and shojo-adapted anime. 26 episodes, later continued in new TV series and films.

©山本鈴美香／ホーム社・集英社／トムス・エンタテインメント